Line Betting places a point handicap on both teams with the intention of leveling the playing field. One team will receive a negative handicap and the other team will receive a positive handicap.
Using the example of Carlton Vs Melbourne above, you can see that Melbourne have a handicap of -9.5 and Carlton have a handicap of +9.5.
This means that Melbourne (-9.5) would need to win by 10 points to be a winning selection.
For Carlton (+9.5) to be a winning selection, they can lose by no more than 9 points.