Buddy Franklin took on the Hawthorn Hawks as the Coleman leader, and won with the Sydney Swans, but what else is in store for AFL fans this weekend?
The Gold Coast Suns try to appease the fans with some effort, and Richmond look to continue the Dockers’ nightmare season.
Let’s have a look at this week’s remaining games.
Collingwood versus Geelong
Last week Collingwood got the tonic they needed with a 78-point thumping of the Brisbane Lions. It was cringe-worthy television, with the Lions only registering three scoring shots in the half and none in the first quarter.
This week will be a complete 360 for the Pies, facing this year’s premiership favourites, Geelong.
The Cattery has come alive in 2016, with Patrick Dangerfield adding firepower to the midfield, and also some relief to Joel Selwood, who’s been tagged every weekend for the last three years.
The Cats have won their last six by an average of 56 points, and it will take some hard work for the Pies to lower that average, let alone win. Selwood, Dangerfield and Cameron Guthrie should prove too much for Scott Pendlebury, Steele Sidebottom and Adam Treloar, with Steven Motlop cracking in as required.
The Cats rank number one for marks inside 50, with Tom Hawkins leading the AFL with a total of 30.
The Pies have won four of the last six in this match-up, but will walk away with a reality check here, and a 3-6 record that will have Robbo scribbling down some more below par questions for Monday night.
Best Bet: Geelong -29.5 at $1.67
Feeling Lucky: Geelong -35.5 at $1.91
Feel VERY Lucky: most possessions/most goals – P. Dangerfield/T. Hawkins at $14.00
Gold Coast versus Adelaide
The injury-riddled Suns have fallen in a heap since their 3-0 start and are now facing their sixth straight loss, with an average deficit of 94.6 points. Yeah, you read that right.
The Crows are a much better team than their 4-4 record suggests, and are clinging to eighth spot. They will be hoping for a little breathing space after this one, with Taylor Walker, Eddie Betts and Josh Jenkins licking their lips at the thought of the crippled Sun’s backline.
The Gold Coast are ranked last for clearances with 31.8 per game, and last for contested possessions with 131.1 per game. You can’t always control the result, but you can control the effort, and perhaps that’s what’s so disappointing for the Suns fans.
Not a lot else to say about this one, however it will be good to see the Suns really have a crack, just not too much of a crack, because we’re taking the Crows 40-plus here.
No Gary Ablett (concussion) in this one, so just keep that in the back of your minds if you were counting on a Suns upset at $12.00.
Best Bet: Adelaide 40+ at $1.32
Feeling Lucky: No, just take the best bet and walk away. Perhaps just walk away period.
Feel VERY Lucky: Eddie Bets first goal at $8.00.
Port Adelaide versus West Coast
Port dropped the ball last weekend in a 93-91 loss to the Blues, which saw them, dare we say, choke?
They return to Adelaide Oval with the return of Alipate Carlile and Robbie Gray to face the 5-3 Eagles, who clinically wiped out eight weeks of built-up hope from Saints supporters in a 103-point smashing.
Josh Kennedy (25 goals), Mark LeCras (14 goals) and Jack Darling (18 goals) have formed a potent attack so far in 2016, and could prove the difference here, with the Port midfield of Gray, Travis Boak, Brad Ebert and Ollie Wines able to match it against Matthew Priddis, Jack Redden and Luke Shuey.
If Nic Nat can utilise his experience against Port’s newbie ruckman, Jack Trengove, and give his team first use of the footy, it will give the Eagles all they need to get over the line here.
This one won’t be a blowout, but it’s the Eagles for us. Until the Power can pull out the winnable ones, they will stay on our naughty list.
Best Bet: West Coast win at $1.41
Feeling Lucky: West Coast 1-39 at $2.25
North Melbourne versus Carlton
North Melbourne remain undefeated in 2016, Jarrad Waite sits equal third in the Coleman, and James Hird has been cleared and reappointed as Essendon coach. If we’d posed that as a multi-choice six weeks ago, they’d all be marked false. Yet, two of them are true. Sorry, Jimmy, it’s not you mate.
Carlton’s four-game winning streak and North’s unbeaten season has this one pricking up the ears. Not a marquee match-up by any means, but still worthy of a channel change every 15 minutes, just to keep tabs of the score. Unless you’re a supporter of either team, in which case, enjoy!
Last week the Blue Boys reminded the Power of what it felt like to choke, in a 93-91 win in club stalwart Kade Simpson’s 250th. North scraped through 74-60 against Essendon in a game which had us rubbing our chins thinking that this must be the start of a slide for the Shinboners.
In saying that, Leicester did win the Premier League right? So surely the Kangaroos are a chance to win the… nah, we’ll just leave that there.
Brendan Bolton hasn’t only got the Blues playing organised and effective football, he’s also rejuvenated the mature list while also revealing some of his angry side behind the glass, albeit with hand over mouth to mute the naughty words.
Waite (25 goals) will be keen to face the team he played 184 games with, and as a player who relies on confidence and form, he looks primed. Perhaps book him in for first goal at $7.00.
North Melbourne rank fourth for centre clearances thanks to big man Todd Goldstein, and his battle with in-form mobile Blues ruckman Matthew Kruezer will be a highlight.
This game feels like poison as a tipster, perhaps just move on.
Best Bet: Carlton +37.5 at $1.58
Feeling Lucky: Carlton +29.5 at $1.91
Fremantle versus Richmond
With a Sam Lloyd goal after the siren to defeat the Swans, the Tigers are back!
For Richmond fans, it gets a lot better from here, with some very winnable games coming up against Essendon, Gold Coast, Brisbane and of course the Dockers on Saturday. The Tiggy Train will be roaring.
The Dockers have started the Process (not the 76ers Process) in managing players and results. It’s true. They don’t have their second-round pick in the draft so securing the number one pick is paramount with the Lions and Suns starting to dip.
Matthew Pavlich is back, though for how long is uncertain, while Richmond welcomes the return of captain Trent Cotchin.
The Tigers have good odds here against a team who is 0-8 and with their great record at Domain in recent times, two in a row could be what Damien Hardwick has been praying for.
Best Bet: Richmond win at $1.75
Feeling Lucky: Richmond -19.5 at $3.10
Melbourne versus Brisbane
Melbourne have been touted as a top eight roughie, but when put to the test they just don’t cut it. Not only did the Bulldogs outplay them, they were obviously more advanced in gameplan and skill, areas where Melbourne at times are found wanting.
Luckily for the Dees, they get a chance to go 5-4 with a somewhat easy match-up against the Brisbane Cubs (nine changes this round). It’s an easy match-up knowing it’s also likely that the Dees will put up a stinker, a la Round 2 against the Bombers. If Melbourne can continue their centre clearance dominance, currently number one in the AFL with 15.5 per game, they’ll go a long way towards a win here.
Brisbane coach Justin Leppitsch is just about out of time at the helm, with him odds favourite to be the first coach to go in season 2016. He hasn’t had the best of luck on the injury front with some of his better cattle in Tom Rockliff and Dayne Beams missing a lot of time.
Some of Melbourne’s guns will be looking to gain some form with Max Gawn hardly sighted last week and Jesse Hogan forgetting to pack his kicking boots. Brisbane will be better, but the MCG hasn’t been kind to them. They’ve only won three out of 15 against the Dees there.
Best Bet: Melbourne -23.5 at $1.45
Feeling Lucky: Jesse Hogan first goal at $8.00
Greater Western Sydney versus Western Bulldogs
The Western Bulldogs proved again that no player is bigger than the team. After easily running over Melbourne without Marcus Adams, Jason Johannisen, Matt Suckling and Robert Murphy, they will have to go up another level again to battle the red hot Giants without Tom Boyd and Jack Redpath.
Basically, they’re down six players from their best 22.
The Giants, on the other hand, haven’t put a foot wrong this year, especially since Jeremy Cameron’s return in Round 5. Sitting in third position, the AFL might get its dream of an expansion team final.
Their worst stat is their tackling, ranking last in the AFL with 62 per game, but is that stat really relevant? There’s no reason to tackle if you have the footy the whole time.
GWS will look to stretch the undermanned Dogs defence with Jonathon Patton, Jeremy Cameron and Rory Lobb, with both engine rooms looking to break even. Both teams play similar football with continuous forward movement and run. This is definitely the match of the round and will be a textbook spectacle of modern football.
The Giants have had some good wins north of the border against the Hawks and Cats, with the Dogs likely another top-eight scalp.
Best Bet: GWS Giants win at $1.36
Feeling Lucky: GWS Giants 1-39 at $2.20
St Kilda versus Essendon
The Saints will be looking to forget what occurred in the west seven days ago and get back on track against the Bombers on Sunday. Young teams do falter at times during the year, and boy did they falter with a 103-point loss at Domain.
Like the Saints, the Bombers didn’t turn up for their encounter against North Melbourne until the second half. However, if the game had stretched out for another ten minutes, a victory was in sight. The Bombers will need some luck on their side after what happened in this match-up last time around, with a 110-point victory to St Kilda (pre-WADA ban).
St Kilda are almost at full strength and welcome back former number one pick Paddy McCarten and veteran defender Sam Fisher who was sorely missed last week.
Essendon will show some fight but with their glaring lack of scoring in 2016 (ranking last with 59 points per game) they just won’t have the firepower, should they actually manage a forward thrust. The Saints have the leadership and form to win convincingly.
Best Bet: St.Kilda -23.5 at $1.55
Feeling Lucky: St.Kilda 40+ at $2.10
Good luck to all the punters out there!
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