Essendon vs. North Melbourne Predictions – AFL Round 3 2026

We have Essendon vs. North Melbourne predictions for AFL Round 3 on Saturday, March 28 at 7:35pm at Marvel Stadium.

North Melbourne is the $1.50 favourite to hand the struggling Bombers their third straight loss of the season.

Essendon vs. North Melbourne Predictions

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Best Bet

We were disappointed by North Melbourne’s loss to West Coast last week, especially after getting off to a red-hot start. The 111-94 loss set them back after winning in Round 1 against Port Adelaide, but playing Essendon is a recipe for success.

There is nothing going right for Essendon after another heavy loss, and we don’t see the light at the end of the tunnel. It could be a few years before we confidently bet on the Bombers, who have let punters down for some time now.

North Melbourne is heading in the right direction, and it should have learnt from last week’s loss. Therefore, there is excellent value with the –12.5 line. We priced the Roos at –25.5, and we expect a one-sided win for the favourites.

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Same Game Multi

Nick Larkey keeps stepping up for North Melbourne in the goal scorer department, and he’s an excellent AFL same game multi bet. He has 10 goals from two games, which is among the league leaders, and he has 23 goals from his last five games, so bet on him to kick 3+ goals.

Cameron Zurhaar has four goals from his last two games, so he’s right on the 2+ goals average. He should continue to string 2+ goal games together, and the $1.81 odds give our AFL multi bet a nice boost.

Money has come for under 182.5 points, and that’s due to Essendon’s scoring woes. They have 153 points from two games, and another low-scoring night is expected.

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Best Value Bet

The AFL odds for North Melbourne 40+ are generous enough to include as a value bet. We priced them at around $2.70, and there is too much respect for the Bombers in this week’s market.

Based on their two games so far, Essendon has no chance of keeping it close, and although North Melbourne isn’t on the same level as Gold Coast, Sydney, and Hawthorn, it’s still capable of running up a big score.

Punters should expect the Kangaroos to dominate from the outset.