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Round 19 features a number of games that will have an impact on finals fixtures, starting with Friday night’s meeting between Adelaide and Richmond at the Adelaide Oval.
While the Tigers are fresh off a win against the reigning back-to-back premiers, they’re still only sixth on the ladder, and a win against the Crows would go a long way to securing a home final.
The Crows on the other hand desperately need a win to get back into the top eight after a big loss to Sydney on the weekend saw them leap-frogged by North Melbourne and Geelong, and pushed to ninth.
They might get a little help, with Geelong to face Sydney on Sunday. If the Cats go down to the Swans, as one would expect, it’ll be all the easier for the Crows to jump back into the eight – they might even get back in on percentage alone if the Cats take a significant beating.
The Western Bulldogs’ match with Port Adelaide means a lot for the finals fortunes of both sides. For Port the equation is simple: keep winning and keep their finals dream alive. If they drop this one, that’s probably season over for them.
For the Bulldogs it’s a chance to sure up a home elimination final and keep themselves in the running for the top four. If they miss this one, they might get overtaken by North Melbourne.
Greater Western Sydney (against Essendon) and Collingwood (against Carlton) both have the chance to arrest their slide down the ladder, and give themselves a chance at finals footy. However, at this point both are fighting an uphill battle to rejoin the top eight.
Last – and, yes, probably least – is the second QClash of the year between Brisbane and Gold Coast. This one isn’t going to have any impact on the finals, but will go some way to determining this year’s wooden spooners.
Form suggests Gold Coast should trump the Lions, which would mean the match next week between Carlton and Brisbane becomes a virtual battle for the wooden spoon – and by extension, the no. 1 draft pick.
With promising key forward Josh Schache on the line – whom both the Blues and Lions could seriously make use of – it’s down to a battle of which team can out-awful the other as the off-season beckons.
The game of the round
I’ve been looking forward to Round 19 for some time because of one game: Saturday night’s fixture between West Coast and Hawthorn at Domain Stadium.
West Coast have been the surprise packet of the season, rocketing first into finals, then top four, then premiership contention. They now seem like the team mostly like to upset Hawthorn’s applecart in the quest for a three-peat.
Unlike the negating forces of Fremantle and Sydney, who have so far proven ineffective against the Hawks, West Coast are the only side in the league who can hope to match Hawthorn for scoring power. The two stand head and shoulders above the rest in terms of points for and percentage.
Both are coming off disappointing results last week – Hawthorn lost to Richmond, West Coast drew with Gold Coast – and being proud clubs they’ll both look to respond by playing their best footy.
The stage is set for an encounter of epic proportions – one not to be missed.
The fizzer
The fixture for Round 19 is actually pretty solid, with most matches having at least a reasonable chance of being won by either side.
Probably the closest thing we’ve got to a likely fizzer is Melbourne and North Melbourne, given the Kangaroos have bested the Demons in their last 13 encounters running and the streak doesn’t look likely to end any time soon.
We did see the Demons dispatch Collingwood last week, but North have won four on the trot and are building steam ahead of finals, they just don’t seem likely to drop this one.
The other candidate for the fizzer of the week could be St Kilda versus Fremantle – these two sides are a fair way apart on the ladder, but we all remember the classic game last year when the Saints came seemingly from nowhere to thrash the Dockers.
While there is the off chance that lightning could strike twice, the forecast is for another ground-out, unappetising Fremantle victory.
The big in
There’s no doubt the return of Adam Goodes is the most notable inclusion of the week. The two-time Brownlow medalist is set to return to the footy field against Geelong after missing Sydney’s win over Adelaide last week.
Goodes took personal leave last week to reassess his position after what has been a very tiring year – but no doubt his spirit would have been revitalised when he saw the number of tributes paid to him by players indigenous or not on the weekend.
Although some sections of the crowd will no doubt continue to boo and whinge like spoiled children, Goodes’ fellow AFL players have made clear the level of respect and support they believe he deserves.
Here’s hoping this weekend the booers can take a leaf out of their book – grow up a little, respect Goodes as a champion footballer and a fellow human being, and just enjoy the game.
Andrew Walker, Jeremy McGovern, Mathew Stokes, Lachlan Hansen, Michael Hurley, Jon Patton, Cam McCarthy and Nick Riewoldt are some of the other well-known players returning to AFL action this week.
The big out
There’s a few key players missing from their teams this week but the biggest impact will be felt by Port Adelaide who’ve lost young gun Ollie Wines for the season following shoulder surgery.
Wines suffered a dislocated shoulder early in Port’s Round 18 win over the Saints. He had it fixed and then came back on, only for his shoulder to pop out again in the space of a few minutes.
Not wanting to risk further damage to Wines’ shoulder, Port have made a tough call – but ultimately the right one – by booking him in for an immediate surgery.
The unfortunate effect of this is that it virtually puts an end to Port’s chances of making finals. With five rounds left the Power need to win at least four of their remaining games, and that doesn’t seem likely with Wines watching from the stands.
Wines had 33 disposals and kicked a goal when Port defeated the Bulldogs earlier in the year. Coming up against the Dogs again this week, the Power may find it difficult to get the win without his influence.
Robert Murphy, Dayne Beams, Matthew Leuenberger, Rory Thompson, Steve Johnson, Lance Franklin and Zach Merrett are some of the other notable exclusions ahead of Round 19.
Milestones
Joel Selwood – 200 games
Sean Dempster – 200 games
Cyril Rioli – 150 games
Ben Reid – 100 games
Luke Parker – 100 games
Dom Tyson – 50 games
Jack Macrae – 50 games
Stat of the week
Hawthorn (1910) and West Coast (1796) are well and truly the league leaders in points for. The next best team is North Melbourne (1581), more than 200 points behind.