Collingwood to Beat Saints, Say Odds

If the odds are any indication, Collingwood is a strong favorite to end its 20-year premiership drought when it takes on St. Kilda in the AFL Grand Final in Melbourne this Saturday.

The Magpies, who finished the home-and-away season on top of the ladder, two games ahead of the third-placed Saints, are clearly the team to beat, no matter which bookmaker you look at.

Collingwood is 1.40 at Titanbet, compared to St. Kilda, 2.93, while the odds are similar at all other bookmakers taking bets on the game, including William Hill.

But an upset is not out of the question, with Hawthorn's defeat of Geelong in 2008 and Port Adelaide's win over Brisbane in 2004 just two of the bigger boilovers in recent grand final history.

And of course a preview of a Collingwood-St. Kilda grand final wouldn't be complete without mention of the Saints' one-point win over the Pies in 1966, still their only premiership victory.

The last Saturday in September continues to be a huge day for Australian sports betting, capping off a huge month for bookmakers.

In fact, according to recent estimates from business information group IBISWorld, fans were expected to bet around $53 million combined on the Australian Football League and National Rugby League finals series.

The AFL and NRL finals series are estimated to be worth around $518 million to the economy this year.