Late withdrawals, late inclusions, reverse tanking, resting of players or just turning up and not playing all (Fremantle)  makes for a tippers nightmare last round.

Will Geelong play with half a team again after a very very very soft effort last week?

Essendon v Western Bulldogs

The Western Bulldogs suffered an agonising 1 point loss at the hands of the Magpies last week and really need to get in the habit of jumping out of the blocks rather than coming from behind.

Against a team like Essendon you can ill afford slow starts as they have a habit of winning unexpectedly.

And the Bombers are coming off a solid win against the Swans and sit just inside the eight so its a must win game for them to remain in the top half of the league.

Both teams play attacking, exciting football so this game could be a high scoring shootout but the Doggys should avenge their defeat from last week.

Western Bulldogs by 24 points

Carlton v Sydney

The Blues have strung together two wins be it against weak opponents, but a dose of confidence and players set to return from injury should see Carlton carry momentum into their clash against Sydney.

Sydney may be looking to next year as Paul Roos has talked about rebuilding his list with Hall’s retirement and other senior players seeking the pension at the end of the year.

Brendon Fevola kicked a healthy bag of nine goals last game and if he continues his form, the margin could be huge.

Carlton have some experienced players in Scotland and Stevens to return either this game or next.  And Andrew Walker would be a huge in but will probably be tested in the local league game.

Carlton by 18 points

Geelong v Melbourne

Well Melbourne are a chance here coming off a win against the Power who short circuited last week.

For what the Dees lack skill and talent, their tenacity at the ball is a lesson the other cellar dwellers of the competition could take a lesson on.

If Geelong decide to rest all 22 players for their precious premiership instead of taking the Ross Lyon approach, I’d put a little money on Melbourne. And the mass outs would probably be named at 4pm on a Friday afternoon knowing the Cats.

Geelong by 20 points

Fremantle v Brisbane

I was going to start this sentence off by saying, ‘the Dockers played terribly’……but they weren’t even in the same timezone last week as the Crows.

Sure there were purple anchor covered jerseys on the field but not one footballer from their side actually ‘played’ football that night.

Heck, send me to Adelaide for a holiday, I could of run around on that field and put more of an effort in and I’m unfit with a dicky knee for pete’s sake!

The only positive for Fremantle supporters is that their merchandise is going cheap, real cheap – Buy none get 2 free.

Brisbane had a season defining 43 point win against Geelong last week and even though the Cats had 40 players out with can’tbearseditis, the way the Lions played showed they are the real deal now.

They do need to keep on winning to cement themselves in the eight and experienced, in-form players like Jonathan Brown, Simon Black and Luke Power will ensure that they will.

Brisbane by 42 points

Collingwood v Hawthorn

Collingwood are impressing me with their brand of football they are playing at the moment. The one point win over the Bulldogs last weeks wasn’t a fluke – it was set up by the Magpie’s intensity at the football.

I thought the Dogs were a hard and fast running team and they are, but the Magpies were just better. Collingwood beat them at their own game.

Alan Didak , Dane Swan and Leon Davis put out all stops and the Magpies are now on an amazing 7 game winning streak.

I don’t know where they are in the pecking order when compared against teams like Geelong and the Saints, but by gee the way they are playing at the moment, not much would stop them.

The Hawks meanwhile need to continue where they left off last week with a hard fought win over North Melbourne.

It was encouraging to see Buddy kick a bag of goals but at the moment, Hawthorn are just not there yet, but at least they are playing with more ticker.

Collingwood by 38 points

Port Adelaide v West Coast

There is not much separating these two teams at the moment in terms of form.

Port Adelaide lost to Melbourne and just proved to everyone that they are not cut out for finals this year.

Meanwhile the Eagles took it up to St Kilda last week but then forgot to play football in the first 15 minutes of the last quarter and the class of the Saints prevailed.

But the young Eagles are still raw and with Dean Cox and Daniel Kerr struggling with injuries, Port should take the 4 points.

Port Adelaide by 32 points

Richmond v North Melbourne

This could be a close game as both teams are playing competitive football even though they sit near the bottom of the AFL ladder.

Richmond have a young list of players like Jack Riewoldt and Jayden Post that show a lot of determination and an old Tiger’s ‘rookie’  Ben Cousins has been in terrific form.

But at the moment the Tiger’s defense is full of gaps and on turnovers this weak link is exposed.

North Melbourne came close to winning in trying conditions down in Tasmania and are showing a bit more grit recently.

North Melbourne by 26 points

St Kilda v Adelaide

This encounter between 1st and 5th is surely the match of the round.

For Adelaide it will be a litmus test of sorts as they see how they fare against the Saints.

The Saints had a bruising encounter against Geelong, travelled to Perth with a full team and had a hotly contested game against West Coast.

Will St Kilda suffer a bit of fatigue after a trying two weeks?

I like Ross Lyon’s approach of not resting half his team like Geelong, but is there method to this madness down at the Cattery?

Geelong had six players out which was a bit excessive for my liking and at such late notice – it was almost disrespectful to their opposition in Brisbane.

Adelaide smashed a century against Fremantle last week and at times it looked like a game of piggy/Docker in the middle.

Players like Thompson, Bock, Edwards ran circles around their opponents and with a more than capable forward line in Tippett, Knights and Porplyzia it should be a close match.

How Adelaide counter the likes of  the Saints attacking talls Nick Riewoldt, Justin Koschitzke and Michael Gardiner, could be the difference between the Crows winning or losing.

Adelaide by 8 points

Your Round 16 Tips & Observations

So what are your tips & observations for the 16th round of AFL in 2009? Do you agree with Johnny? if yes or no please post your tips and observations about round 16 in the comments section.

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

1. Geoff: 87
2. Craig: 87
3. Martynkai: 81
4. JohnnyTruent: 80
5. Princess: 79
6. Jermayn: 79

Related K2K Posts

• 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)
• 2009 AFL Round Twenty Two Tips (12)