Its Round 3, Rivalry Round and there are some great match ups this week. The two state derbies in particular will be very fiery contests, as both rivalries have a lot of recent bad blood between them.

Western Bulldogs V St Kilda

They are looking the goods this season and although the Bulldogs have a lot of run in their mid field, the tall forwards of the Saints will be too hard to counteract. Justin Koschitzke,Nick Riewoldt and Fraser Gehrig are a formidable force up front. I’m tipping the Saints in this match up.

Kangaroos V Hawthorn

The Kangaroos had a good win last weekend over Richmond but need to convince me a bit more. Good to see Daniel Wells get some much needed touches. The Hawks meantime had a very good, tough win in the west with ‘Buddy’ Franklin again reasserting why he is a key player for the Hawks. Stuart Dew was looking in decent form this season and his penetrating kicks will be missed for 4 weeks. But they have such a talented mid field that they can cover this loss. Hawthorn should win.

West Coast V Fremantle

This should be a very even derby so early in the season. The Dockers look like they only play in patches, a quarter here a quarter there. Chris Tarrant is under the pump as well and he needs to step up. If he is to be a prominent forward line weapon he needs to be able to handle pressure, otherwise he might as well ‘fill a role’ as a very expensive forward pocket. There are no excuses now for both him and the Dockers.

The same with the Eagles… coming off a humiliating 76 point thrashing, they have to salvage some pride. With Judd and Cousins gone some of the players cannot afford to be passengers. Congratulations to Scott Selwood who will make his debut for West Coast Eagles. Four brothers playing in the A.F.L, their parents must be proud as punch. Eagles win, but only just.

Brisbane V Sydney

Sydney were very impressive last week at the S.C.G. They play that ground very well but have to travel to the GABBA this week to face the in form Lions. Not only did they have a high scoring win against Port last week but Sydney fans would be happy to see big, bad, bustling Barry Hall back to his best. Adam Goodes is also free to play this week and equals the Swans record for most consecutive games played with Jared Crouch. Brisbane’s mid field looks very solid at the moment with Simon Black in vintage form and the under rated Travis Johnstone carving up as well.

With the big fella, Jonathan Brown up front and with it being a home game I am tipping Brisbane to win.

Essendon V Carlton

Even though Essendon got pumped by Geelong last week, Geelong are in a class of their own. Carlton has a talented, young mid field with guys like Marc Murphy and Andrew Carrazzo leading the charge. Defender Bret Thornton is also showing good form. But I think Essendon’s side looks more balanced and should bounce back from an embarrassing defeat. Essendon will win.

Geelong V Melbourne

This could break records for A.F.L winning margins with Geelong looking like a well drilled and oiled machine that seems to have no weakness. It is definitely a rebuilding year for the Demons. I think they are a better team than most people think they are. The talents and expectations on players like Jared Rivers, Brad Green, Cameron Bruce and Aaron Davey need to be fulfilled. David Neitz and Russell Robertson are very experienced players and still have a little to offer. Geelong will win.

Richmond V Collingwood

Richmond look much improved from last season showing a lot more grit and determination in every contest. Collingwood will be too good for them though, with a good mix of experienced players like Scott Burns and youngsters like Scott Pendlebury providing plenty of run. I’m tipping Collingwood.

Adelaide V Port Adelaide

The Adelaide Crows gave the boys from the west an absolute hiding and look very fit due to Neil Craig’s (a former A.I.S coach), rigorous approach to the pre season. Andrew McLeod and Graham Johncock look very formidable across half back and Simon Goodwin stepped up with 7 goals. Port on the other hand could be staring down the barrel at 3 losses to start the season. A lot of Port players were missing in action so expect them to step it up this week. An Adelaide win in a close one.

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