Ladbrokes.com.au Sponsored Post

Number crunching AFL punters will love this. Firstly, the grand final opponents, Hawthorn and Fremantle, are respectively the best attacking team and best defensive team in the competition.

This fact certainly makes the Ladbrokes.com.au “Near Miss Refund” an attractive offer. Punters who back Hawthorn or Fremantle in head-to-head betting will have their money refunded if their side loses by 1-20 points. There’s also $250 in free bets to claim when you sign up at Ladbrokes.com.au, so sign up and arm yourself with more facts before taking the AFL grand final head-on.

Interestingly, Fremantle’s total points scored over 22 matches in the home and away season was 2035, which was the lowest of all the final 8 teams – and in fact, only 6 of the 18 teams had lower scoring totals than the Dockers for season 2013. Hawthorn was top of the scoring pile with 2523 points from its potent attack. At the other end, Fremantle was the best defensive team, allowing only 1518 points against it, while Hawthorn was rated fifth in defence with 1859 points scored against its defenders.

Hawthorn has a better record against top 8 teams, with a 75% success rate, while the Dockers have won 6 out of 10 (60%) against top 8 teams. All these numbers mean the Hawks deserve to start favourites against the Dockers at the MCG on Saturday.

But in sport, timing is everything, and the Dockers have come of age with sensational finals wins against Geelong and Sydney. They are playing with a passion and ferocity that is wining over commentators and crowds. The Dockers are hot. Still, the Hawks also have accounted for Sydney and Geelong in the finals, perhaps with less fanfare.

The Hawks have lost only three times in 24 matches so far this season, and they are at an advantage on the MCG where the wide-open spaces will test Fremantle’s pressure-tackling game plan over four quarters.

The Hawks have three stars who can kick a winning score between them – Lance Franklin, Jarryd Roughead and Cyril Rioli – while Fremantle’s old warrior and skipper Matthew Pavlich and giant ruckman Aaron Sandilands carry so much on their big shoulders.

The midfields look even, so the flag decider might well go to script and come down to the best attack versus the best defence. If that’s the case, we can expect a thriller. And that makes the “Near Miss Refund” promotion by Ladbrokes.com.au a very attractive offer.

Remember, punters who take the “Near Miss Refund” offer can bet on either the Hawks or Dockers and if the team they back loses by 1-20 points then their money will be refunded. Also, don’t miss your $250 worth of free bets, which is now ready and waiting at Ladbrokes.com.au.