Questions to ponder ahead of Round 3: Can the Pies be re-heated, Are Port the real deal, Can Jezza's form last for the Cats?
Collingwood look far off the conquering team of 2023 and one aspect of real concern is their struggles in defence.
Geelong won’t finish this season on top of the ladder.
At this stage, with a two-game buffer, the money is on West Coast to be minor premiers. Therefore, if Geelong finishes the season fourth, they will play the Eagles at Optus stadium.
By then, the Eagles will have played 13 games at their new ground, compared to Geelong’s one. A huge advantage, even without the travel.
If the Cats finish second or third, and Richmond finishes either above or below them, the Tigers will likely get the luxury of a home final either way. This means home advantage is not an option for Geelong in the first week of the finals in this particular ladder configuration.
They would be the only team with this disadvantage – good luck telling an interstate team their home final will be played at the MCG against a team that has had 14 home games there.
[latest_videos_strip category=”afl” name=”AFL”]
Should Geelong finish fifth, they would likely get a home game against the supposedly weakest team in the finals. This is, of course, after the pre-finals week off.
The Cats are not known for top performance after a bye so it is to their advantage to play at home against a weaker opponent.
Of course, they will still have to play away the following week, likely at either Optus stadium or the MCG. While this is still a disadvantage, barring injury, playing a weaker team in the first week will mean they are a little fresher facing the previous week’s loser in the top tier.
Should Geelong win, they then face a team that has played one game in three weeks. After that, it’s in the lap of the footy Gods.
The introduction of the bye has been part of the reason for the Bulldogs and Tigers’ success and can be exploited in the finals.
Who’s in your ultimate team? Pick the best team and compete with other fans for daily prizes on Draftstars. For the best odds on the game try out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Think. Is this a bet you really want to place? Set a deposit limit.
Collingwood look far off the conquering team of 2023 and one aspect of real concern is their struggles in defence.
It's a season that many people thought would be a rebuilding year, after their disappointing campaign in 2023 - but the Cats have quickly silenced critics.
Coaches of Adelaide and Geelong have blasted the "dangerous" pitch invader who was manhandled by players in their AFL game. Geelong coach Chris Scott…
In my Six Points column last week, I loudly and whatever is the opposite of proudly proclaimed that the Western Bulldogs were the AFL's…
It's footy's 'no-man's land' - the lost space between the bottom rungs of the ladder, where high picks in the draft are coming, and…
Four more teams got their chance to dust off the cobwebs on the first day of autumn, and less than a week out from…