AFL Round 3 Tips & Preview - Best bets for the Round 3 of the AFL home and away season

Essendon and Port Adelaide kickstart Round 3 and the Bombers will be looking to bounce back after being smashed by Adelaide in Round 2 by 61 points. They are winless from their two matches in 2025 and come up against a Port Adelaide side that have some excellent form in recent times at Marvel Stadium. The Power enjoyed a confidence boosting 72-point victory over Richmond in Round 2, making amends after by 91 point belting at the hands of Collingwood in their first game. Port have won their past eight against Essendon and can extend their streak here. 

Carlton are another side under the pump in the early rounds after dropping their first two matches. They have come against the side that most are tipping for the wooden spoon in Richmond, while they faded late against Hawthorn by 20 points. The Bulldogs have been hit hard by injuries but managed to knock over North Melbourne by 16 in Round 1 before going down to Collingwood by six. Their midfield can match the Blues. Look for Sam Darcy to have an impact up forward and guide his side to a win. 

It has been a nightmare start for Melbourne, who went down in the dying stages to GWS in Round 1 before North Melbourne gave them a touch up in Round 2 by 59 points. They take on a Gold Coast outfit that have played just once so far with their opener postponed due to Cyclone Alfred. In their sole match to date, the Suns looked sharp when defeating West Coast on the road by 87. This is a golden opportunity for the Queensland based side to improve their form away from home. Take them for the win. 

St Kilda were the big winners in Round 2, extending to a 41-point lead over Geelong in the 3rd quarter before hanging on for a seven-point margin in an upset result. They have won one of their two matches after going down to rampant Adelaide in Round 1. Like St Kilda, Richmond have also won one of two but they will head in as big underdogs for this clash with their young list. St Kilda should be too strong here. 

This shapes as the pick of the eight matches on offer with the unbeaten and exciting Hawthorn outfit hosting GWS at UTAS Stadium. Both sides are unbeaten. Hawthorn have shown maturity this year in holding out Sydney, Essendon and Carlton, while the Giants have knocked over Collingwood and Melbourne. The Sydney based side come into this fresh off the bye and are set to regain a number of key players, including Jesse Hogan. They are well worth considering at the head to head betting but given Hawthorn’s record in Tassie, the Hawks can prevail in a close one. 

This sees last year’s Preliminary Finalists go at it again. Brisbane won on the penultimate weekend last year in what was a classic, before taking out the Premiership a week later. The Lions have opened up with two wins this season, while Geelong are one from two. Chris Fagan’s side have won eight of their past nine at the GABBA, while Geelong head in without Tom Stewart and concerns ove the fitness of their star recruit, Bailey Smith. The Lions can make it three from three. 

Adelaide have come out firing so far in 2025 with two massive wins. The Crows piled on 25 goals in their 61 point defeat of Essendon last weekend and have been the big movers in the premiership betting. North Melbourne enjoyed a big win over Melbourne in Round 2 by 59 points and this shapes as a big test on how far their developing list have come over summer, taking on a form side on the road. The Kangaroos can push the Crows but will need to overcome the poor defensive record that plagued them last year. Not quite sure they have made enough improvement just yet and the Crows can remain unbeaten. 

West Coast remain winless after two matches but produced an improved performance in Round 2 when they faced a tough roadtrip to take on last year’s premiers, Brisbane, in Brisbane. The Eagles led that match in the third quarter before going down by 19. Their cross-town rivals, Fremantle, face a must win scenario after dropping their first two matches. They had Sydney on toast last weekend but blew another last quarter lead to go down by three points. The Dockers can respond with a win but not before a few nervous moments in what could be a close one to finis off the round. 

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