Essendon vs. Sydney Predictions – AFL Round 9 2025

The Bombers host the Swans on Saturday afternoon at Marvel Stadium in a key Round 9 AFL clash. With both teams fighting for top-eight positioning, this matchup has major implications – and we’ve got the tips to help you back a winner.

Bookmaker odds suggest that it will be a close game at Marvel Stadium, and punters could latch on to the value odds for the Bombers.

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Essendon vs. Sydney Predictions

Best Bet

Essendon +8.5 @ $1.90

It’s always a risk when betting on Essendon, but we believe in this team, and it has scored four wins from its last five games.

Boasting wins over Port Adelaide, Melbourne, West Coast, and North Melbourne, the Bombers are taking care of the easy teams. Sydney isn’t an easy team, but they were beaten 109-78 by Collingwood, and Essendon was beaten 107-66 by Collingwood.

There isn’t much difference between them, and Essendon sits above Sydney on the AFL ladder. Therefore, getting a +8.5 start at home is a good line from bookmakers. We’re happy to take the points in a game that could be decided in the final few minutes.

There is also value with Essendon head-to-head at $2.36 for the braver punters.

Same Game Multi

Essendon +8.5, Nate Caddy 2+ Goals, Sam Durham 20+ Disposals, Total Match Points Over 172.5 @ $6.75

It should be a high scoring contest, as Essendon and Sydney will look to get out and run, which should make for an entertaining contest.

They scored only 157 points in their most recent contest, but that followed a 232-point showing earlier in the year. We’re not expecting 232 points, but it should be somewhere around the 180 mark, so include over in your AFL picks.

Nate Caddy scored at least two goals in four of his last five games, and we thought he would be shorter than $1.90 to score a double on Saturday. He’s in fine form, and he’s an important player for Essendon to have a chance of covering the spread.

Sam Durham is another important player, and although he’s a $1.46 chance to have 20+ disposals, the short odds are worth including in multis. He has recent totals of 25, 19, 19, 28, and 28, so his chances of recording 20+ disposals are high.

Best Value Bet

Essendon Wire-to-Wire @ $4.10

We like the way Essendon starts its games, and it could lead at the end of every quarter against Sydney.

The Bombers got off to a good start last week before holding on late against North Melbourne, and they also got off to a good start against Collingwood.

Sydney could be there for the taking, so the $4.10 odds are generous and worth the risk.

Daryl Curnow

About 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.

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