The bye rounds are behind us for another season, which means it’s back to a full nine points up for grabs in Round 14. As they are each and every week, The Roar‘s team of expert AFL tipsters are back with their tips and predictions for Round 14.
Sean Lee
Sydney, Hawthorn, Richmond, North Melbourne, Western Bulldogs, West Coast, Essendon, Adelaide, Fremantle
Sydney to defeat Port Adelaide: No Franklin, no Tippett, no worries. Sydney have the grit to beat Port Adelaide with or without its big forwards. Port are only one game ahead of the dregs of the competition. After this week they will be well and truly among them.
Hawthorn to defeat Collingwood: Make no mistake about it, Collingwood are a good side. Unfortunately for them they are currently facing the toughest two weeks of their draw. A narrow loss to ladder leader Fremantle last week is followed by an encounter with the rough and tumble Hawks this week. It hardly seems fair does it?
Richmond to defeat GWS: Surely Cameron Rose will tip his beloved Tigers this week? He has to doesn’t he? His relationship with Richmond is almost as entertaining to watch as Jack Riewoldt in full flight. Meanwhile GWS are starting to discover just how long an AFL season can be while Richmond are slowly winning people over with their mid-season surge. Plus Riewoldt is in full flight.
North Melbourne to defeat Gold Coast: The Coasters might get Ablett back this week but they won’t be in the hunt. In fact the result might be the least of their worries.
Western Bulldogs to defeat Carlton: Carlton’s winning run will come to an abrupt halt on Saturday but that’s okay. You can handle getting beaten by a better side and that is what the Bulldogs are. What’s not okay is if the Blues slip back into their lacklustre ways. Even in defeat they must show that they care about their club and give supporters hope that things are moving in the right direction. A win would be a bonus, but the Doggies are in the eight and they want to stay there.
West Coast to defeat Melbourne: West Coast have a top four spot and top four is where they are going to stay. So don’t expect them to drop games like this one.
Essendon to defeat St Kilda: To say that Essendon need a win is to state the blooming obvious. Undermanned and overrated they might be, but if there is any pride left there at all, then they simply have to come out and stamp their authority on this game. They just have to! It is non-negotiable.
Adelaide to defeat Geelong: This is a tough one. Geelong are a fading power but can still pack a punch on their day. Adelaide are injury hit and clinging desperately to their position in the top eight. How badly do they want to stay there? We’ll find out this Sunday.
Fremantle to defeat Brisbane: Fremantle have been pushed in recent weeks but have stilled managed to pull themselves over the line. They say good teams win the close ones, and if that is the case, then Freo are still on target. The cynical might think a boil is in the offing but I can’t see it. Not this round anyway.
Can Collingwood stick it to their doubters and claim a big win against the Hawks? (Willson/AFL Media)
Ryan Buckland
Sydney, Hawthorn, Richmond, North Melbourne, Bulldogs, West Coast, St Kilda, Adelaide, Fremantle
Sydney gets another prime time slot, although their opposition is a little less stiff than last week. The loss of Lance Franklin and Kurt Tippett will throw the scoring burden firmly back on the Swan’s midfield. I’ve got more feeling on this ones over at a special Thursday Night Forecast.
Collingwood’s tough run home starts with the most difficult match up of all: a fully fit Hawthorn under lights at the ‘G. This one will tell us how close the Pies are to sticking around come finals time. It’ll be the Hawks, but if Collingwood get inside of Hawthorn’s average winning margin of 10 goals I might revisit my Wednesday call of a ninth placed finish for Collingwood.
The Tigers should account for the Giants handily on Saturday afternoon, and keep their hot streak going. The ‘Roos are also a lock for victory on Saturday – even if you don’t believe they can still make the four, they’re significantly better than the Suns. West Coast should also comfortably account for the Dees in the NT, although there is a universe where this one is a dour, defensive affair.
Saturday night’s other match up is all of a sudden very interesting, given Carlton’s recent form spike and the Bulldog’s newfound finals chances. As I found earlier in the week, the Dogs are in a prime position to sneak into the final eight, but have to convert all of their opportunities against the bottom tier sides to get there. It’s not like the Dogs to lose a game like this is it? Wait. It is? Hmmm. Carlton are on a mini roll, winning their past two and losing a third by less than 12 points. Both sides will want to play fast, running footy, so the battle will be between respective half back lines. That means this game leans Dogs, but the Blues could cause an upset.
Sunday could see a couple of upsets. And given we’re getting to the pointy end of the tipping season, I’m going with the turn ups.
St Kilda and Essendon are both four win teams after 12 games. One of these teams is an abject disappointment, the other, a nice surprise. The Dons are done, and some reports suggest the magnets will be spinning at Windy Hill. St Kilda almost got over the Dogs again last weekend, and have lost three games by less than a goal in 2015. One of those was against Essendon, in Round Five. I’m deferring to the gut here: this one has upset written all over it. I’m on the Saints.
Has anyone called this the Dangerfield Cup yet? No? Okay good, I’ll coin that one then. Adelaide looking to consolidate their spot in the eight, while the Cats are holding on to a fading era of greatness. The Cats are coming to the Crows’ house, where Adelaide have looked a much better side than they have away from home. The loss of Sloane is a big deal for Adelaide’s finals chances, but against this Cats side his loss will be less impactful than you think. Sam Jacobs will crush whatever Geelong manage to cobble together in the ruck, and Danger, well, if he’s going, what better way to impress his new suitor? Okay so I’m not going the upset here – can you blame me?
Fremantle and Brisbane, at Subiaco? Yeah, no upset here either. Hey, I gave you one didn’t it? If you’re looking for another turn up, get on the Blues Train.
Cam Rose
Sydney, Hawthorn, Richmond, North Melbourne, Western Bulldogs, West Coast, Essendon, Adelaide, Fremantle
Sydney vs Port: Will the bye rejuvenate a struggling Power outfit? They’ve lucked into a Swans line-up missing Franklin and Tippett. Sydney should still create enough opportunities to manufacture a winning score, but if they can’t, the blame will be squarely at the feet of their big name forwards. Sydney by 18 points.
Collingwood vs Hawthorn: The second week of the Pies most testing month of the year, and while they were gallant against Freo, they still logged an L instead of a W. Expect the same here, as the Hawks will continue to change modes between doing just enough and pulverising the opposition. Hawthorn by 34 points.
Richmond vs GWS: The first of three must-win games for the Tiges, to ensure away wins over Fremantle and Sydney don’t go to waste. The Giants will have appreciated the rest having run out of legs in their two pre-bye matches. Richmond by 28 points.
Gold Coast vs North: The Suns have a good recent record against the Roos, but even that and the return of Ablett can’t save them as their season lurches from one crisis to another. North by 38 points.
Western Bulldogs vs Carlton: The Dogs struggled to put the Saints away last week, and they meet an opposition that should be similarly valiant here, the Blues playing much better footy under John Barker. Could be another close one, and an upset is definitely on the cards. Western Bulldogs by 13 points.
Melbourne vs West Coast: A good test for the Dees, where they’ll run into an Eagles team doing what they hope to be in 2-3 years time. West Coast by 33 points.
Essendon vs St Kilda: You wouldn’t use stolen money to back the Bombers to win this game, but they did show better signs last week against the Hawks. Saints fans will go in quietly confident, and the players themselves will be seeking to atone for the last time these sides met, when they threw victory away. Essendon by 17 points.
Adelaide vs Geelong: Two of the more up-and-down sides in the comp, which is why they’re both in that 7th-10th range on the ladder. It really depends on which version of each side turns up, so I’ll stick with the home side. The Cats are a little bit of value though. Adelaide by 15 points.
Fremantle vs Brisbane: What really needs to be said here? The Dockers will be hoping to get their attack in better working order than it has been. Freo by 64 points.
| Round 14 | Cam | Ryan | Sean | The Crowd |
| SYD v POR | SYD | SYD | SYD | SYD |
| COL v HAW | HAW | HAW | HAW | HAW |
| RIC v GWS | RIC | RIC | RIC | RIC |
| GC v NM | NM | NM | NM | NM |
| WB v CAR | WB | WB | WB | WB |
| MEL v WCE | WC | WC | WC | WC |
| ESS v STK | ESS | STK | ESS | ESS |
| ADL | ADL | ADL | ADL | |
| FRE v BL | FRE | FRE | FRE | FRE |
| LAST ROUND | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| OVERALL | 72 | 67 | 71 | 75 |
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