We have already soared through the first third of the 2015 AFL season and the bye rounds are now just around the corner. Before that though, Round 9 offers up a string of tasty fixtures for fans to sink their teeth in to (aside from Friday night, of course).
As they are each and every week, The Roar‘s panel of expert tipsters are back with their tips and predictions for the weekend’s games.
Can Geelong expose the high-flying Eagles in Perth?
Will Port Adelaide’s poor run of form continue against a Melbourne outfit that is difficult to judge?
Can St Kilda get a confidence-boosting win on the road against the Lions?
These are the games dividing our experts this week. What do you think Roarers?
Fancy yourself a good tipper? Make sure you cast your vote in The Crowd’s tips below, and help other Roarers out-tip the experts!
Cam Rose
Sydney, Hawthorn, Melbourne, GWS, Essendon, Fremantle, St Kilda, North Melbourne, Geelong
Sydney vs Carlton: The Swans are up and flying now, with a top two spot theirs to lose. The Blues will have a change of coach, but not a change of outcome; let’s just hope they start putting up a fight. Sydney by 58 points.
Hawthorn vs Gold Coast: The Hawks have shown what they can do against weak sides consistently this season. The Suns will start getting stronger from this point on with some players trickling back in, but another thumping is coming up. Hawthorn by 75 points.
Melbourne vs Port: The Power are struggling to get their running game up and going, and the Demons, as shown in victories over Richmond and the Bulldogs, are quite adept at strangling the run of opposition sides. The Dees also match up well against Port. Melbourne by 8 points.
Western Bulldogs vs GWS: The Dogs early season form has faded, while the Giants are still on the rise, and capitalising on a wave of momentum. The Dogs should bounce back, but if the Giants are ready for them, they’ll be too classy, with a few more forward options. GWS by 22 points.
Richmond vs Essendon: The Tigers and Dons are treacle-slow in their ball movement when out of form, but lighting fast when playing well. Both sides are coming in with confidence, and the winner will end the round in the eight, the loser will be out of it. Essendon’s strength is their marking talls down back, and they’ll be well positioned to counter Richmond’s forward thrusts. Essendon by 15 points.
Adelaide vs Fremantle: The Crows have been relatively poor early in games, while the Dockers have scorched opposition sides from the get-go. If more of the same occurs, this can only go one way. Fremantle by 28 points.
Brisbane vs St Kilda: A win to either side will see them a couple of games clear of the wooden spoon. The Saints have been more consistent and honest overall, while the Lions have the benefit of home ground and have shown much more promise in the last three weeks, albeit falling away in the second half against Essendon. St Kilda by 8 points.
Collingwood vs North: Only one win separates the Pies and Roos, but seven ladder positions and about 40 per cent. Collingwood has been something of a surprise packet, while North have responded pretty well to humiliating losses so far this year, so we can expect it to continue. North by 19 points.
West Coast vs Geelong: The Eagles are making people sit up and take notice, but the true test of their form starts now, as they play more sides in the middle and upper part of the ladder. The Cats have really only lost to the best sides, and if they travel well, they can win this. Geelong by 15 points.
GWS vs the Bulldogs is shaping up as one of the games of the round. (Photo: Justine Walker/AFL Media)
Sean Lee
Sydney, Hawthorn, Port Adelaide, GWS, Essendon, Fremantle, St Kilda, North Melbourne, West Coast
Sydney to defeat Carlton: Sydney play with spirit. Carlton play as if they have been drinking spirits. Mick may have gone, but Carlton’s blues have not. More pain for them this week.
Hawthorn to defeat Gold Coast: Hawthorn have lost all the close ones this year, but seeing as though this one won’t be close, they’ve got nothing to worry about. This will be about as one sided as it gets.
Port Adelaide to defeat Melbourne: Maybe, if they’re lucky.
GWS to defeat the Western Bulldogs: GWS are the real deal, while the Bulldogs are not quite the real deal. Not yet anyway. So, are the newcomers really a top four threat? If they are, then they need to win games like this one.
Essendon to defeat Richmond: It is hard to get a handle on the form of either of these teams. Both can be good and both can be horrid. I still think Essendon’s best is better than Richmond’s best, so on the off chance that both teams bring their best, the Bombers might just scrape in.
Fremantle to defeat Adelaide: The first rule of tipping for 2015 is don’t tip against Freo. So I won’t. Probably not ever.
St Kilda to defeat Brisbane: Brisbane had pulled off a couple of good wins in a row before they ran into Joe Daniher and the Bombers last week. Josh Bruce and the Saints could inflict similar pain this week.
North Melbourne to defeat Collingwood: I want to tip North with confidence, but I can’t. So I tip them with trepidation instead.
West Coast to defeat Geelong: Can’t fault the Eagles so far this year. They have met every challenge thrown at them and mostly triumphed.
Ryan Buckland
Sydney, Hawthorn, Port Adelaide, GWS, Essendon, Fremantle, Brisbane, North Melbourne, West Coast
Ok I’m setting myself a challenge for his week’s tips: five words or less.
I spilled more than 4,000 on St Kilda and Port Adelaide earlier in the week, and, like a four year old iPhone, my vocabulary needs some time to recharge.
Carlton: New coach wonky potential.
Sydney: Winning despite average Franklin performances.
Tip: Sydney
Hawthorn: Don’t poke the bear.
Gold Coast: Sure, injuries. But issues deeper.
Tip: Hawthorn
Melbourne: Play the NT well.
Port Adelaide: Looking like a sixth seed.
Tip: Port Adelaide
Western Bulldogs: Coming back to earth.
Greater Western Sydney: Headed for the moon.
Tip: …The Dogs, no, the Giants.
Richmond: Back on track?
Essendon: Finally, playing fast footy.
Tip: Essendon
Adelaide: Same old story on defence.
Fremantle: Death on wheels.
Tip: Fremantle
Brisbane: Midfield starting to click. Phew.
St Kilda: Green shoots are there.
Tip: Brisbane (home points)
Collingwood: Youth being exposed a little.
North Melbourne: Can’t do both things well.
Tip: North Melbourne
West Coast: Not convinced. Ask on Monday.
Geelong: Who freaking knows.
Tip: West Coast in a close one.
| Round 9 | Cam | Ryan | Sean | The Crowd |
| SYD v CAR | SYD | SYD | SYD | SYD |
| HAW v GC | HAW | HAW | HAW | HAW |
| MEL v PA | MEL | PA | PA | PA |
| WB v GWS | GWS | GWS | GWS | GWS |
| RIC v ESS | ESS | ESS | ESS | ESS |
| ADL v FRE | FRE | FRE | FRE | FRE |
| BL v STK | STK | BRI | STK | BRI |
| COL v NM | NM | NM | NM | COL |
| WC v GEE | GEE | WC | WC | WC |
| LAST ROUND | 6 | 6 | 5 | 6 |
| OVERALL | 48 | 44 | 47 | 49 |
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