AFL Round 18 Tips & Predictions 2026

The AFL continues this week with Round 18 action, starting with the blockbuster between Fremantle vs. Sydney on Thursday night.

We have AFL betting tips for every game in 2026, including this week’s featured games between Collingwood vs. North Melbourne, Carlton vs. Hawthorn, and Adelaide vs. Gold Coast.

Thursday 9/7/26

8:10pm Fremantle vs. Sydney @ Optus Stadium

Betting Tip: Fremantle –12.5 @ $1.90

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Fremantle’s long winning streak came to an end last week, but they’re good enough to bounce back with a big victory.

It won’t be easy against Sydney, who dominated the Western Bulldogs last week, but this will give punters a good sight into how good the Dockers are in 2026.

We rate them, so we’re taking them to win and cover the –12.5 spread.

Fremantle by 20

Read our full Fremantle vs. Sydney match preview here.

Friday 10/7/26

7:40pm Collingwood vs. North Melbourne @ Marvel Stadium

Betting Tip: Collingwood –17.5 @ $1.90

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There was a bit of drama with Collingwood last week, but they got the job done against Gold Coast, and it’s all about winning at this stage of the year.

We were disappointed by the performance of North Melbourne in a low-scoring game last week, and they might have done their dash.

With a spot in the top eight on the line, we’re backing Collingwood to win comfortably.

Collingwood by 22

Read our full Collingwood vs. North Melbourne match preview here.

Saturday 11/7/26

1:15pm St Kilda vs. Port Adelaide @ Marvel Stadium

Betting Tip: St Kilda –9.5 @ $1.90

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St Kilda is a quality team on its day, and they should have too much scoring power for Port Adelaide.

The Power defeated North Melbourne last week, and it was a good defensive effort, but it wasn’t a high-quality game. They will need to improve significantly to handle the Saints, and playing on the road won’t help.

The –9.5 line is generous enough to include in AFL picks this week.

St Kilda by 20

Read our full St Kilda vs. Port Adelaide match preview here.

4:15pm GWS vs. Geelong @ ENGIE Stadium

Betting Tip: Geelong –9.5 @ $1.90

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It’s a big game for Geelong, who have fallen to 7th on the AFL ladder, but they could dominate GWS from the outset.

We haven’t been impressed by GWS, who are 13th on the ladder, and we don’t see any improvement coming from them over the last few weeks.

It’s a tricky betting game, but the –9.5 line is good enough to include in AFL multi bets.

Geelong by 14

Read our full GWS vs. Geelong match preview here.

7:35pm Carlton vs. Hawthorn @ MCG

Betting Tip: Carlton +13.5 @ $1.90

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It was a close game for Carlton last week against Richmond, but they won, and that’s all that matters.

It was another victory for the Blues, who have bounced back into finals contention after a dreadful start to the year. They’re good enough to beat Hawthorn, who had their worst performance against Melbourne last week.

The Hawks were blown off the park early, and they only saved face in the final quarter. That’s not a good sign, so take Carlton to keep it close with a +13.5 start.

Carlton by 6

Read our full Carlton vs. Hawthorn match preview here.

8:10pm Adelaide vs. Gold Coast @ Adelaide Oval

Betting Tip: Adelaide –17.5 @ $1.90

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Backing Adelaide at the Adelaide Oval is typically a good bet, and with Gold Coast struggling to perform at their best, it should be an easy win.

Most of the early money has come for Adelaide to win outright, which could see the current –17.5 line move throughout the week.

We’re happy with the current line, so include it in AFL picks.

Adelaide by 21

Read our full Adelaide vs. Gold Coast match preview here.

Sunday 12/7/26

1:10pm Western Bulldogs vs. West Coast @ Marvel Stadium

Betting Tip: Western Bulldogs -36.5 @ $1.90

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This is an ideal chance for the Bulldogs to put a big win on the board, and our AFL predictions have them scoring easily against West Coast.

Whilst the Eagles will seemingly avoid the wooden spoon this year, they still have a long way to go. It would be a big upset to beat the Bulldogs, and we can’t see it happening.

The –36.5 line won’t seem like much if the Bulldogs start well, so it’s a fair line from bookmakers.

Western Bulldogs by 45

Read our full Western Bulldogs vs. West Coast match preview here.

3:15pm Melbourne vs. Richmond @ MCG

Betting Tip: Melbourne –41.5 @ $1.90

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Melbourne produced its best performance of the year with a domination of Hawthorn, and momentum is on their side.

They couldn’t have played any better, and although we don’t expect that same level of play against Richmond, they should have far too much scoring power for the struggling Tigers to handle.

The line could have been around –51.5, so we’re including Melbourne –41.5 in our AFL multi picks this week.

Melbourne by 49

Read our full Melbourne vs. Richmond match preview here.

4:40pm Brisbane vs. Essendon @ Gabba

Betting Tip: Brisbane –62.5 @ $1.90

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The season is slowly coming to an end for Essendon, and they’ll be relieved to put an end to it (as will their fans).

They didn’t play well last week when losing heavily to St Kilda, and with Brisbane back to their best, it should be the most one-sided game of the week – even if Brisbane rest a handful of star players.

It’s a big line, but betting on Essendon is throwing money away at this stage.

Brisbane by 70

Read our full Brisbane vs. Essendon match preview here.

Editor In Chief

Daryl Curnow

After graduating from the University of Auckland (BA - English), Daryl was thrown into the world of sports and horse racing journalism.

Having worked as a racing journalist for two years, he decided to move into the online world of horse racing and sports writing. After years of honing his craft, Daryl became a professional punter in 2009 - with a focus on horse racing, NRL, AFL, NBA, Rugby, NFL, and US college sports.

Daryl's tips have been featured on various websites around the world before joining the GoBet team. When he's not working, Daryl tries to avoid making bogeys on the golf course.