MELBOURNE v GEELONG
Gary Ablett comes back into the Geelong line up after being out from injury. For Melbourne they have lost Aaron Davey (foot) but in comes Nathan Carroll, James Frawley and Nathan Jones for the clash with Geelong on Friday night.
Even with some handy inclusions for the Demons, they will be no match for the Cats who should use this game to fine tune their efforts for the up coming finals.
Geelong win.
CARLTON v PORT ADELAIDE
Carlton need to win to keep some hope of making it into the final eight and these are games they should win if they are to be contenders and not passengers. Port Adelaide have been one of the major disappointments this season. How can you go from Grand Finalists to scraping the bottom of the barrel?
They could of won last week against the Saints but they show they lack some engine and heart to really grind out a win. Carlton lost to Adelaide at AAMI last week which is to be expected but they got close to an upset.
In comes Jason Saddington for the Blues which should bolster their defense for what I’m predicting should be a comfortable win.
Carlton win.
HAWTHORN v BRISBANE LIONS
The Brisbane Lions’ final campaign seems to be sinking quicker than decommissioned Navy ship. Recent losses to the Kangaroos and Richmond shows that something is lacking in the Lion’s gameplan. With players like Simon Black, Bradshaw and Brown in a team you think they would be doing a lot better than they are.
But it is the support team that is lacking. Guys like Drummond, Sherman, Brennan and Rischitelli need to step up. Some of these players are talented but don’t put in enough hard work to fully reach their potential.
Hawthorn have named an unchanged line up after beating Collingwood convincingly last week.
Hawthorn win.
COLLINGWOOD v ST KILDA
A hat trick of losses and some major off field issues have Collingwood looking as ordinary as Joffa’s haircut. Are Collingwood trying to emulate the West Coast Eagles of the past few years? I know Mick Malthouse is struggling for ideas but surely he could come up with a more original concept.
The Magpies definitely have some club culture issues to address but at least it has stopped Mick ‘the man with an opinion on everything’ Malthouse from talking. Sometimes silence can be golden.
I don’t think the off field misdemeanors have distracted the Magpies too much, they just have’nt been good enough to compete at a high level in the past month. The Saints had a good win over Port last week but will miss Luke Ball (hamstring) for the next few weeks.
It should be an interesting game with both teams sitting in similiar postions on the table, but I’m tipping a Collingwood win.
Collingwood win.
SYDNEY SWANS v FREMANTLE
The Dockers had a spirited win, in a Derby that no one really took an interest in last week. It was good to see them win for one of their club’s longest serving players, in Shaun McManus. Here is a guy who kicked liked a drunken donkey at times, but had more heart and determination than a draught horse.
A lot of his team mates could learn from him and his other friend in retirement Peter Bell. Names like Headland, Haselby and Farmer might not be as inept as Shaun was but definitely lack his ‘draught horse’ characteristics.
The Swans are staring down the barrel at a possibility of 3 losses in a row, but I can’t see that happening. Leo Barry and Adam Goodes are very handy ins for the Swans and they usually play the SCG well.
Sydney win.
NORTH MEBOURNE v WESTERN BULLDOGS
This could be a really interesting game. Both teams are playing into some form with the Bulldogs having a solid win against the Swans last week. The Kangaroos have won 4 in a row and are sitting pretty in 5th. Both teams play a similar brand of football. But what impresses me with the Kangaroos is guys like Petrie and Wells are taking what seems like, the next step up.
I am tipping a Western Bulldogs win in close game.
Western Bulldogs win.
ADELAIDE v RICHMOND
Congratulations to Andrew McLeod in reaching AFL 300 games for Adelaide Crows. Not only is he a great player of the game but is a good role model for other Indigenous players aspiring to play at the highest level. To think that he could of been a Docker but was overlooked, just goes to show that you shouldn’t judge people on first impressions. But what Freo lost was Adelaide’s gain.
Adelaide seem to be settling after last month’s hiccup of losses. Some solid wins against Carlton and Sydney have them back on track for a finals berth. The inclusions of Johncock and Tippett should make their line up even stronger.
Richmond have been very competitive but I can’t see them winning this week in Adelaide against the Crows.
Adelaide win.
WEST COAST EAGLES v ESSENDON
West Coast’s lack of skill almost looks like a disease with no cure during last week’s Derby. Some kids playing AusKick at half time would put them to shame and were probably more entertaining. But seriously it doesn’t look inspiring at the moment the way West Coast play.
Their last win against the Saints was a surprise but the concept of stringing two wins together seemed to abandon them last week. Essendon have had two wins on the trot and looked really good against the Demons last week. Matthew Knights is trying to inject some life into the club after its staleness in recent years and slowly they will get there.
Essendon win.
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August 8th, 2008 at 9:01 am
Yawn! Thankfully their is AFL on so I wont have to worry about the silly Olympics that are on at the moment. Better not eat into my football…
Geelong – Playing Melbourne and while its 150 years I doubt the Demons can turn back the clock.
Carlton – Only because they are playing Port Adeliade who threw away the game last week and are tanking to get Didak.
Hawthorn – Brisbane like you say are struggling and this form slump may see J Brown move to Victoria.
St Kilda – Magpies are indeed in trouble and lets hope the VFL, I mean the AFL does what is needed to the favoured son of the competition.
Swans – Freo cannot play at the SCG, no matter how sucky Sydney are playing at the moment.
Bulldogs – Some rumours of resting/ rotating players sounds dangerous but they should win.
Adelaide – Richmond has probably the hardest run home
Essendon – West Coast can only win one more game to get the extra draft pick and yet to still play Melbourne (and they dont want to finish last).
August 8th, 2008 at 10:40 am
Cats/Blues/Hawks/Saints/Swans/Dogs/Crows/Dons
Whoops have I tipped all 8 favourites? One of those rounds again I guess.
I can definitely see the odd upset though with teams like an under-the-gun Pies and the perennial underdog Kangas – maybe even Port are huge odds and worth a nibble.
Tristan Heffernans last blog post..AFL Fantasy – Die Hard Dream Team Captains – Round 19
August 8th, 2008 at 1:12 pm
Geelong
Carlton
Hawthorn (congrats to Crawf 300 and Guerra 150)
Collingwood (I think they can use the bad media for an upset)
Sydney
Bulldogs
Adelaide (interesting how the crows will do without porplyzia)
Essendon (i dont think the Eagles are tanking tho…)
August 8th, 2008 at 3:04 pm
Of course the Eagles will tank SunCity_Royal…
If they win against the Dons and Demons they will loose a second pick before the second round, while not as valuable as a second pick before the first round, it can still help rebuild faster.
I do agree with Tristan that a couple of upsets are possible in West Coast, Kangaroos and Pies bouncing back after a torid week but I doubt it. Although Kangas will almost cement a top four spot with a win.
Jermayns last blog post..Be Kind Rewind