Australian Football Rules, Features and Betting

Australian football is considered one of the most dynamic team sports, and in its manner,  it resembles both Rugby and American football. We tell you what bets the sportsbooks take on Australian football and what advantages the sport generally has for betting.

Australian Football vs. Rugby vs. NFL: Rules of the Game

Australian football involves 18 people from each team, including the goalkeeper, and the match itself involves 80 minutes of game time (4 periods of 20 minutes). The main goal of the teams is to hit the opponent's goal and score more points per game.

The game has been played since the mid-19th century, and the sport ranks third in the world in terms of the number of spectators in the stands. On average, 40,000 people attend the match.

On each side, two gates are wider than the other. When the ball hits the narrow gate, the team that hit them scores six points, and one for a goal in the wider one. At the same time on the field players are allowed to move with the ball no more than ten steps at a time before passing to a teammate with a throw or a kick.

In Australian football, players run an average of 13.7 miles per match, while in American football the distance is on average 5.6 miles. Australian Rules Football is played on a rectangular field like the American version, but differs from the oval-shaped field in Rugby. 

The ball shape also slightly differs, with the Australian football being easier to handle than the Rugby ball.

Some other differences include the four quarters in the AFL instead of two halves with Rugby. The NFL employs both with quarters and halves. In addition the number of players on the field differs between all three: with 15 in Rugby, 18 in the AFL and 11 for the NFL. 

Types of bets on Australian football

On a team’s win. As in all sports, in Australian football the main bets on the victory of one of the teams. At the same time, you can also bet on the victory of one of the teams not only in the game itself, but also in any of the periods.

Betting on the victory of one of the teams with a handicap. In Australian football, often one team beats the other with a big difference in points, so the stakes of betting with a handicap are very popular in this sport. Learn more about odds-on bets.

Performance rates. Sportsbooks accept bets on the total number of points scored by teams per game. You can also bet on the number of points scored by the team individually - both in the entire match and in each period. There are bets in the sportsbook's lines on the team, on which team will be the first to score a point in the game. There are also lines for the individual performance of the players in the match.

Betting on the results of the season. On sportsbooks, you can make long-term bets on events in Australian football. Sportsbooks offer the player to choose the team that will win the championship at the end of the season, as well as to bet on the title of the best player of the past championship.

The Pros of Betting on Australian Football

One of the main advantages of betting on Australian football is the great popularity among locals. Australia is a rich country, so people put a lot of money on their favorite teams.

As a result, often get loads that create distortions in the line, which falls into the hands of the players. Since the line of Australian football is driven by amateurs rather than professional bettors, bookmakers do not always have time to react quickly to the movement of cash flows, which leaves players the opportunity to play on the difference of odds or totals in one match.

The timing of the Australian Football League championship is also important. Matches of the tournament take place from March to September, when all popular football championships are on vacation.

Cons of Betting on Australian football

Almost all sportsbooks offer a rather meager mural in their lines for matches. In general, sportsbooks are limited to offering bets on the odds, total and the outcome of the fight.

Australian Football Betting Tips

1. Identify "home" and "away" teams. In Australian football, there are distinct "home" and "guest" teams.

Since one of the main bets in this sport on the outcome of the match, the player needs to carefully examine the statistics of the games of the meeting teams and find out which of them feels more comfortable, taking the opponent at home, and on the contrary, which plays better in matches on the road.

Favorite doesn't always win with the expected difference. As in any sport, Australian football has titled and strong teams, and there are also outsiders. When a stronger team meets a weaker one the odds on the victory of a stronger team is not very high, but the handicap on it is quite impressive.

At the same time, it often happens that the underdog in fact turns out not to be as weak as the sportsbooks expected and gives the favorite a worthy competitor. 

Weather can affect the outcome of the game. The number of points scored by teams per game in Australian football is always different – but has an average of 150 to 200. Therefore, the player should approach betting on the total with care and caution, collecting data before the match having considered all the information about the teams meeting.

Australian football is a very fast and physical game. Weather conditions are unlikely to affect the outcome of the match, but rain, for example, significantly reduces the performance of games. Therefore, it may be worth playing on TM (total less) if bad weather is expected during the game.