2016 AFL season: Round 8 preview

The return of a former Crow, the latest edition of the Expansion Cup and a clash between two sides under siege will highlight Round 8 of the AFL this weekend.

Patrick Dangerfield and the Geelong Cats will venture to Adelaide for the second time in four weeks when they clash with the Adelaide Crows in one of the matches of the season, while the GWS Giants will be expected to continue their hot run of form when they face an out-of-form Gold Coast Suns side at Spotless Stadium.

Elsewhere, North Melbourne will be expected to continue its undefeated start to the season when they face Essendon at Etihad Stadium, while the Brisbane Lions and Collingwood will be out to right their seasons when they clash at the Gabba.

Here is the full preview to Round 8.

Adelaide Crows vs Geelong Cats
One of the most highly-anticipated matches of the 2016 AFL season is finally here.

For the first time since leaving West Lakes to return home at the end of last season, Patrick Dangerfield will face the club with whom he won their best-and-fairest last year and played just over 150 games.

Speculation surrounding his future, as well as the tragic death of then-coach Phil Walsh, clouded the Crows’ 2015 season but it would not prevent Dangerfield from claiming their best-and-fairest, or the club from overcoming adversity and reaching the semi-finals under caretaker coach Scott Camporeale.

It won’t, however, be the first time Dangerfield returns to Adelaide with the Cats, with the club having already played there back in Round 5 when they faced, and defeated, Port Adelaide by 48 points.

So far, the 26-year-old has relished in his new colours, proving instrumental to the club’s 6-1 start to the season with the Cats’ only loss coming against the GWS Giants back in Round 2.

By contrast, his old club dropped to 4-3 for the season following their controversial 15-point loss to the Western Bulldogs in which they were thrashed in the free-kick count, winning just 12 free kicks as opposed to the Dogs’ 28.

That aside, Josh Jenkins’ eight goals helped to keep the Crows in the game until a late goal to Marcus Bontempelli got the Bulldogs home in the dying minutes.

Now, the Crows will be out to stop one of their former favourite sons from guiding his new side to victory this Friday night in what is expected to be a sell-out crowd at the Adelaide Oval.

Prediction: Geelong Cats by ten points.

Essendon vs North Melbourne
Already enjoying its best start to a season since 1979, North Melbourne will be heavily favoured to continue its undefeated start to the season when they face Essendon at Etihad Stadium this Saturday afternoon.

Ahead of the new season, Brad Scott’s men were being talked up as the best Victorian hope of removing three-time reigning premiers Hawthorn from the premiership dais, and so far the club has not disappointed.

Last week the Roos overcame a final quarter scare to defeat St Kilda by seven points and thus maintain its place on top of the ladder, where they will be expected to remain for the next fortnight, given they face Carlton after this weekend’s assignment against the Bombers.

John Worsfold’s men suffered their heaviest defeat for the season thus far when it lost to the Sydney Swans by 81 points at the SCG last Saturday night, but not before a competitive first half in which at one stage they led in the second quarter.

However, the effect of consecutive six-day turnarounds eventually took its toll on the Bombers and in the end they simply ran out of puff in the second half despite the best efforts of David Zaharakis, who continues to perform well for the suspension-ravaged club.

This Saturday will mark the Bombers’ first match at Etihad Stadium for the season, while for the Kangaroos this will be their fifth match under the roof, and it will thus give them the advantage in this one.

Prediction: North Melbourne by 75 points.

Hawthorn vs Fremantle
Oh how the mighty have fallen.

No, we’re not talking Hawthorn, but rather last year’s minor premiers Fremantle, who after seven rounds currently prop up the ladder in a stark contrast to this time last year when they were enjoying the view from the top of it.

The Dockers’ worst start to a season since 2001 continued when they lost to the GWS Giants by 18 points at home last Saturday night, and with the Hawks in Launceston coming up, it appears there is no light at the end of the tunnel for Ross Lyon’s men.

Still, the Purple Haze showed the football that they were capable of, especially in the final quarter when they had their chances to cut the Giants’ lead, only for them to waste their chances going forward.

The Hawks, on the other hand, bounced back from their 75-point thrashing at the hands of the Giants last week to defeat Richmond by 46 points, but it was just not enough for them to get their percentage back above 100.

The victory, which came on the back of a nine-goal final quarter, was achieved without injured trio Luke Hodge, Sam Mitchell and Jarryd Roughead; it was the first time in Alastair Clarkson’s coaching career that neither of them played in any one match.

Still, the Hawks have their fair share of match winners in Luke Breust, Paul Puopolo and Jordan Lewis, who looks set to assume the captaincy duties once again this Saturday afternoon.

Thus, the Fremantle defence will have their hands full if they are to cause a boilover in Launceston, where their only victory came in controversial circumstances against St Kilda just over a decade ago.

Prediction: Hawthorn by 50 points.

GWS Giants vs Gold Coast Suns
Having come off two embarrassing losses to the Geelong Cats and Melbourne in the past fortnight, more pain awaits for the Gold Coast Suns when they venture to Spotless Stadium for the first time this Saturday to face the red-hot GWS Giants.

It wasn’t very long ago that many were talking up the Suns’ chances of making the finals, on the back of a period in which Gary Ablett Jr. won his second Brownlow Medal and the Suns sat as high as third on the ladder after Round 10, 2014.

And after they had won their first three matches of this season, we were all made to believe that the club had finally grown up following not only a first few difficult years in the AFL, but also a tough first season under coach Rodney Eade.

But in the past month, injuries and a five-week suspension handed to Steven May by the judiciary has seen the club drop its past four matches and plummet from second after Round 3 down to its current placing of 11th.

By contrast, the GWS Giants are flying after starting the season 5-2 for the second consecutive year, and many are talking up their chances of featuring in the finals, maybe even finishing in the top four, for the first time in their short history.

Following on from their 75-point thrashing of triple-reigning premiers Hawthorn in Round 6, last week the Giants ventured west and displayed maturity beyond their years to defeat last year’s minor premiers Fremantle by 18 points.

Their form over the past month is proof enough that the club is heading in the direction that is expected of them this season, and that is in part thanks to the form of recycled forward Steve Johnson, whom the Giants took a gamble on after he reluctantly left the Geelong Cats at the end of last season.

It has paid off and not only has he not lost the form that was instrumental towards the Cats’ hat-trick of premiership victories between 2007-11, he has also provided some good leadership on and off the field and the Giants must be thankful for that.

In another interesting subplot, Johnson will also face off against Suns captain and former teammate Gary Ablett Jr. for the first time since both left the Cattery at the end of last year and 2010, respectively.

Prediction: GWS Giants by 60 points.

Brisbane Lions vs Collingwood
Perhaps getting out of Victoria to escape the media scrutiny might be the best thing Collingwood does this weekend.

On the back of a productive off-season, and an impressive pre-season in which they went undefeated during the NAB Cup, the Pies entered the regular season with expectations of a return to September after two years without finals football.

But so far in 2016 the club has underachieved, dropping five of their first seven games including losing last week to last year’s wooden spooners, Carlton, by 15 points at the MCG.

Their plight has not been helped by a horror injury toll, the worst of which was the potentially career-ending ankle injury to Dane Swan suffered in their round one humiliation at the hands of the Sydney Swans at the SCG.

Having signed a contract extension at the start of the season, coach Nathan Buckley is feeling the pressure more than most and has called for his players to “harden up” ahead of their trip to the Gabba where the Brisbane Lions await.

Justin Leppitsch’s men aren’t faring any better in 2016, only winning one match for the season and coming off a 77-point thrashing at the hands of Port Adelaide last weekend.

The disappointing loss came a week after they fell agonisingly short of upsetting competition heavyweights the Sydney Swans at home, a performance that showed that the Lions could match it with the best in the competition.

Captain Tom Rockliff is set to miss but ex-Pie Dayne Beams went through his comeback match unscathed, and will be out to inflict more pain on the club with whom he won the 2010 premiership and won their best-and-fairest in 2012.

Another loss for the Pies would see coach Nathan Buckley skating on thin ice and the club plunge further into crisis, so a win will be crucial to their chances of keeping their season afloat.

Prediction: Brisbane Lions by eight points.

Richmond vs Sydney Swans
Richmond’s season could further spiral out of control when they face the Sydney Swans at the MCG this Saturday night.

The Tigers have undoubtedly been one of the biggest disappointment stories of the season, currently sitting 15th on the ladder and without a win since defeating Carlton by just nine points on the opening night of the season.

Many have suggested that their heartbreaking Round 2 loss to Collingwood may have triggered the form slump, but so too has an injury toll which has seen Dylan Grimes, Brett Deledio and captain Trent Cotchin, among others, sidelined.

In addition, Alex Rance’s carelessness in whacking Jack Watts on the head in round five cost him a fortnight while Chris Yarran has yet to play for his new club since crossing over from Carlton during the trade period last October.

Cotchin’s leadership has also come into question, mostly because he has been unable to lead the Tigers to a breakthrough finals victory, the club having broken a 12-year finals drought in 2013 when it finished fifth on the ladder, as well as for his quiet finals performance against North Melbourne last September.

By contrast, all is going well at the Sydney Swans who sit third on the ladder with just the one loss for the season, a ten-point loss to the Adelaide Crows in a high-octane match at the Oval in round four.

After missing last year’s finals series to deal with personal issues, Buddy Franklin has bounced back, leading the Coleman Medal tally with 29 majors for the season, including a haul of six against Essendon last week.

The club’s youngsters, namely Isaac Heeney, Tom Papley and Callum Mills, have also played their hand in the Swans’ impressive start to the season, though they will be wary of a Richmond side that will not only regain Cotchin and Rance this Saturday night, but have also won their last two matches against the Swans.

However, given the stark contrast in the form of both sides, it will be unsurprising if the Swans take the points in this one. For the Swans, this will be their first of back-to-back matches at the MCG; they’ll be back there six nights later for a Friday night date against Hawthorn to kick off Round 9.

Prediction: Sydney Swans by 40 points.

Carlton vs Port Adelaide
This could be the hardest match in which to tip a winner with any real confidence.

Carlton are riding high on confidence after notching up three straight wins, including those over arch-rivals Essendon and Collingwood, while Port Adelaide appears to be getting its season back on track after consecutive victories over Richmond and the Brisbane Lions.

Not much is expected of the Blues this season but all of a sudden they could be level with four wins and four losses come sunset this Sunday, that’s if they can continue on their good form and upset Port Adelaide at Etihad Stadium.

Much-maligned forward Levi Casboult played the best match of his five-year career so far, kicking three goals for a return of 3.1 (19). Again, he will be crucial to the Blues’ chances of winning four straight matches for the first time since 2011.

The Power, on the other hand, are coming off a 77-point thrashing of the Brisbane Lions which came on the back of five goals from Charlie Dixon.

It could be the biggest indication that the Power are finally starting to live up to pre-season expectations, and that the poor 2015 season they suffered last year could be the season they needed as they look to improve this year.

The burning question ahead of Sunday’s match will be: which side will continue its’ upward spike in their form?

Prediction: Port Adelaide by 16 points.

Melbourne vs Western Bulldogs
After seven straight games at Etihad Stadium to kick off the new season, this weekend the Western Bulldogs will hit the road for the first time in 2016 when they trek east to the MCG to face Melbourne on Sunday afternoon.

The Dogs were expected to emerge from that stretch strongly and did so, winning five of their seven games with the only blots being narrow losses to Hawthorn and North Melbourne in rounds three and six respectively.

Sadly though, they did lose their captain Bob Murphy for the season with the dreaded ACL injury but judging by their form over the past month since, it seems the club isn’t letting that get in the way of their pursuit for a top-four finish, which if achieved this year would be their first since 2010.

This weekend they come up against a Melbourne side that have won three of their last four matches, the most recent of which was an impressive 73-point win over the Gold Coast Suns at Metricon Stadium.

After leading by just five points at half-time, the Dees exploded in the second half to register their highest score in over twelve years and continue their upward trajectory under coach Paul Roos and his soon-to-be successor, Simon Goodwin.

Instrumental to the win were second-gamer Christian Petracca, who kicked two goals, and Rising Star nominee James Harmes as well as the usual suspects in Jesse Hogan, Nathan Jones, Jack Viney and Bernie Vince.

It is proof enough that Roos has done a tremendous job in overhauling the playing list, in particular the midfield, since answering an SOS call from CEO Peter Jackson following the club’s disastrous 2013 season.

And with Goodwin set to take over at the end of this season, the future couldn’t be so brighter for a club that has not played finals for nearly a decade.

While the MCG will give the Demons the advantage, I can still see the Bulldogs winning this one, though for the visitors it will be a stark contrast to the conditions they are used to at Docklands.

Prediction: Western Bulldogs by 20 points.

West Coast Eagles vs St Kilda
After another poor performance on the road, the West Coast Eagles return home this weekend for what looks to be an easy assignment against St Kilda.

However, if you judge the Saints on their gutsy effort against North Melbourne last week in which they lost by just seven points, it won’t be.

They drew level with the undefeated Roos with less than five minutes left before a controversial free kick against them cost Alan Richardson’s men any chance of winning their third match for the season.

And while retirement is more likely to loom than a premiership in the immediate future, St Kilda captain Nick Riewoldt has shown no signs of slowing down, being instrumental in both of the club’s victories against Collingwood and Melbourne.

But even so, he alone won’t be enough as the Saints attempt to snap a five-game losing streak in Perth which dates back to 2011 – of which four were against the West Coast Eagles, including in Round 23 last year when the club posted the lowest score for the season by any side, 4.6 (30).

The Eagles were anything but disappointing in its 44 point loss to the Geelong Cats at Simonds Stadium last week, that being their third defeat in as many road trips so far this season.

Eagles coach Adam Simpson looks set to respond, with Lewis Jetta on the chopping block following a couple of sub-standard performances that have followed since he came back home following six years at the Sydney Swans.

As for the rest of the team, they’ll be out to bounce back in front of their home fans, and it’ll be the Saints who will cop the full brunt of the Eagles’ response.

Prediction: West Coast Eagles by 45 points.