The AFL Finals series are upon us, wrapping up one of the most closely contested seasons in recent memory. Geelong earned the top spot on the ladder with 72 points, but Melbourne, Sydney, and Collingwood had to go to a tiebreaker as they all finished bunched up for the two through five seeds. 

Carlton was the hard-luck loser of last week’s regular-season finale, finishing in ninth after a one-point loss to rival Collingwood. The Blues’ season is over, but let’s focus on the teams who still have grand finals aspirations so you can continue betting against the AFL Odds. 

Top 2022 AFL Qualifiers Betting Games for the Finals Series

Brisbane Lions (-107) vs Richmond Tigers (-145), September 1st 3:20 AM ET

Brisbane is the lone home team that isn’t an overwhelming favorite in the qualifying round of the finals, but they do have the advantage that the home team has won eight of the last nine head-to-head games in this series. The Lions don’t exactly come into this contest with momentum, though, suffering a 58-point loss to Melbourne in the finale. 

Richmond, on the other hand, is hot as winners of four straight. Brisbane finished the season six points higher on the ladder, but Richmond is favored on the road due to their recent strong play.

Melbourne Demons (-250) vs Sydney Swans (+154), September 2nd, 3:50 AM ET

Sydney has won seven in a row, but they face a very tough test as underdogs at MCG. The away side has won eight of the last 11 in this series which gives the Swans some hope, but Melbourne is coming off a big 58-point win over Brisbane in the regular season wrap-up. 

The two teams finished tied with 64 points on the ladder, so the odds discrepancy is somewhat surprising here. The Dees are the defending Premiership winners, though, so they know how to pull out victories this time of year. 

Geelong Cats (-312) vs Collingwood Magpies (+184), September 3rd, 12:35 AM ET

It’s a rough draw for Collingwood up against the ladder-leading Cats in the qualifying opener as this is a matchup of two of the hottest teams in the AFL. Geelong is the winner of their last 13 matches to close out the season, but the Magpies are nearly just as hot coming out victorious in 12 of their last 13. 

Geelong lost only four games all season, and they’re experienced making their seventh straight trip to the finals. 

Fremantle Dockers (-232) vs Western Bulldogs (+144), September 3rd, 4:20 AM ET

Either Fremantle or the Bulldogs will see their season end on September 3rd. The Dockers made a run at the top four as winners of their last three of the regular season, but they ended up two points short of Collingwood on the ladder. 

That still lets Fremantle avoid a qualifying matchup with Geelong, and it lets the Dockers host this game against the Dogs, who barely edged out Carlton for the last finals spot. 

We shall see if the excitement of the regular season carries over into the finals round.