Collingwood vs Essendon

This should be a really thrilling clash as both teams are in red hot form and the rivalry of the Bombers v Magpies is one if not the biggest in the AFL.

Last time these two teams met on ANZAC Day Essendon took the honours and have continued to surprise a lot of tippers this year.

Can they make it two from two? Definitely but it doesn’t help with the injury to Jobe Watson and Mark McVeigh’s decision to take holiday leave.

Last week Essendon not only beat Carlton but convincingly thrashed them. I foolishly did not tip them and this is one of these games which Essendon cwith their mental toughness, would lift for.

But Collingwood on form alone cannot be overlooked winning their last 5 games and coming off a huge victory over the Dockers last week. At times the Magpies looked like they struggled but to put on a 10 goal last quarter is very impressive.

Magpies by 24 points.

Melbourne vs West Coast

Well West Coast either playing excitingly ugly football or just play ugly football. Last week they had a thrilling win over Hawthorn in very trying conditions.

The forward line was very mobile with Nick Naitanui showing glimpses of his potential with a match winning 3 goal last quarter. Mark Lecras continues to be one of the most accurate kicks in the AFL and should be pushing for All Australian selection as one of this year’s best small forwards.

But what worries me about the Eagles is that they constantly overuse the football with too many handballs when quite simply, they don’t have the skills to do so. Sometimes a quick clearing kick would be better than handballing 5 times before coughing the ball up.

Melbourne meanwhile having been losing games by an average margin of 50 points in their last 3 games. Gone is their determination and fight over four quarters and a lot of their younger players are showing fatigue as their young bodies are season hardened yet.

West Coast could turn up though and play a terrible game much like the one they played against Richmond a couple round back, but on form they should win.

West Coast by 36 points.

Port Adelaide vs Brisbane Lions

Port Adelaide are really struggling this year with some indifferent form. They have only won once from their past five games and that was against the Fremantle Dockers.

They have been belted by both the Western bulldogs and Geelong and don’t seem to have the competitiveness needed to be in the top eight.

Injuries to key players Chad Cornes and Daniel Motlop have’nt help the Power this season and I was suprised they have re-signed Mark Williams for another two years during the week.

Maybe Port Adelaide are looking for some stability in this turbulent season they have been having, but I think fresh ideas and coaching staff would help.

Brisbane on the other hand, have had a really solid season so far for a team who many thought might struggle this year. They go into this game with successive wins in the last couple of rounds and should continue their winning run.

On the road, the Lions have an impressive record this year with 3 wins ( Richmond, North Melbourne and Hawthorn ) and a couple of competitive and close losses ( Carlton and St Kilda).

They should continue this run and cement their spot in the top eight.

Brisbane by 18 points

Richmond vs Adelaide

Its a home game for Richmond but both teams have to travel up to the Gold Coast to play which makes it an even longer trip for the Crows.

The Tigers were disappointing last week showing intensity for a quarter, disappearing down the road for a lunch break then coming back just in time for the last quarter for their resounding loss at the hands of St Kilda.

The Richmond Football club has all but written off their season this year with that performance showing less bite and fight than a new born kitten. Richmond also have a terrible record against the Crows win their last win against Adelaide in 2006.

Meanwhile the Adelaide Crows are continuing their red hot form with another solid showing against the Swans last week. A change of scenery won’t make a lot of difference for the Tigers in this game.

Adelaide by 43 points

Western Bulldogs vs Hawthorn

The Western Bulldogs have won their past four games and are sitting pretty in 3rd spot on the AFL ladder. Hawthorn are really struggling at 9th having dug a hole so deep they cannot get out of it.

For a few quarter the Kangaroos really took it up to the Western Bulldogs and it looked like Rodney Eade’s men might struggle to lift. But they turned it on in the last quarter and their class shone through.

At the moment the Western Bulldog’s midfield is at the peak of the form and fitness with guys like Shaun Higgins, Daniel Cross, Matthew Boyd and Ryan Griffen supporting Bownlow medallist, Adam Cooney.

Sam Mitchell last week really dug deep for the Hawks last week but that can’t be said for most of his team mates. The forward line for Hawthorn is dysfunctional with Buddy looking for his lost mojo and a few key injuries to players like Mark Williams and Cyril Rioli, who provide that extra flair.

Western Bulldogs by 35 points

Sydney Swans vs North Melbourne

Both Sydney and the Kangaroos have had a very average month losing their past 4 rounds of football.  At the early start of the season both teams looked promising but in the past month north Melbourne has lost a coach in Laidley and for the Swans, Barry Hall’s career looks all but over.

Brent Harvey with one arm is better than no Harvey at all for the Roos and last week he showed a few moments of class that North Melbourne have been lacking.

The Swans nearly came away with a win against Adelaide but in the end lost by 16 points. Barry Hall kicked 4 goals for them but will be missing due to suspension this week and I really can’t see how Sydney will be able to score enough to win.

North Melbourne by 14 points

St Kilda vs Geelong

The most anticipated game of the season is finally here and it should live up to the hype surrounding it. Ever since St Kilda started stringing together wins the general public has been salivating at the thought of these two super teams clashing.

The dream match ups are endless – St Kilda’s midfield of Lenny Hayes, Leigh Montagna and Nick Dal Santo will go head to head with Geelong’s engine room of stars like Gary Ablett, Joel Corey and Jimmy Bartel who are at their damaging best.

Then add the hard running players like Luke Ball and Clint Jones for the Saints, and Joel Selwood and Cameron Ling for the Cats and this is going to be a very tight game with no team giving an inch.

Up forward th teams are pretty similar except Nick Riewoldt and Justin Koschitzke have been in better form than their opposites Cam Mooney and Tomahawk Hawkins. Steve Johnson remains as that x factor that could blow the game apart. but in saying that Reiwoldt could also have a match-winning performance.

Both defensively the Saints and the Cats have been at their economical best.

Who will win and will it give some foresight into this year’s Grand Final?

The St Kilda team definitely looks the goods this year but for me the Cats have been doing it for longer and just have that big game experience. A loss in last year’s GF has only strengthened their steely outlook for another flag.

This could go either way but I’ll stick by Geelong.

Geelong by 5 points

Fremantle vs Carlton

Fremantle were competitive for 2 and a half quarters and then got blown out of the water by a classier Collingwood last week.

A 10 goal thrashing in the last quarter is just not good enough, even with one of their key players, Matthew Pavlich was injured early on.

Fremantle have lost that ‘wharfie’ spirit even though their youngsters have been punching above their weight class. It is disappointing that their 2nd and 3rd year players have done nothing to help the cause.

speaking of disappointments, the Blues are  struggling to tread water in the 8 after so much hype and promise at the beginning of the year. There is no cohesion amongst players and even though they have a team full of stars, they aren’t the star team everyone thought they would be.

The Blues though have a lot to play for this week and that should be enough for them to dispose of the Dockers.

Carlton by 36 points.

Your Round 14 Tips & Observations

So what are your tips & observations for the 14th round of AFL in 2009? Do you agree with Johnny? if yes or no please post your tips and observations about round 14 in the comments section.

We now include the total correct tips of the Kick2Kick writers & readers, so here they are (will be updated every week). If your doing better than us, let us know…

1. Geoff: 76
2. Craig: 75
3. Martynkai: 72
4. Jermayn: 72
5. JohnnyTruent: 71
6. Princess: 70

Related K2K Posts

• 2010 AFL Round 14 Tips (8)
• 2009 AFL Grand Final Tips (9)
• 2009 AFL Preliminary Finals Tips (8)
• 2009 AFL Semi-Finals Tips (9)
• 2009 AFL Finals Week One Tips (11)