Roar Guru
It’s an odd week when Carlton prevents me from getting a clean sweep in tipping. Here’s the rankings.
Last week: 1
West Coast were always going to be a tough challenge, but Geelong came and conquered. They’re now one win ahead of the pack, and if I was a betting man I’d be putting down cash on them for the premiership.
Last week: 2
The Giants weathered an (un)expectedly tough challenge from an under-siege Sydney outfit, but ultimately kicked away to claim a stirring win. Saints up next – and they don’t want to be complacent given their last trip to Canberra.
Last week: 3
Sensational game of footy from both teams, but Collingwood were just that bit better. Pendlebury never seems to age, does he?
Last week: 5
Nice, comfortable win. We didn’t learn a whole lot about Port, nor their opponents, but it’s good to see they didn’t drop a game they might have dropped in years past. Even better to see them back up last week’s deeply impressive win.
Last week: 4
Probably their worst loss in a little while. The Eagles’ always had a tough challenge, but they fell flat badly. When the premiers are smashed in both contested ball and inside 50 counts, something’s gone wrong. Perfect opportunity to regain form against the Suns next week, however.
Last week: 8
Desperately needed to win Saturday night’s #Mundy3Hundy clash, and although they did, it wasn’t in as strong a style as the Canberra win.
I’ll take it, but the real test comes when they visit their not-so-happy hunting ground of South Australia next Sunday.
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Last week: 7
Leaving them in the same position as last week, only because I’m still a fan of their work, even if they were eventually outclassed by the black an white on Anzac Day. The less said about some of their fans the better, though.
Last week: 10
Well, they beat Melbourne – almost anyone would on current form. But the Tigers are beginning to look ominous again, and they’re well and truly back in the finals race.
Last week: 9
Back on the winners list, and still looking reasonable. Should beat Sydney on current form – ‘should’ being the key word here.
Last week: 11
Comfortable win, that one, but I’m hardly going to be persuaded by wins against Gold Coast and St Kilda (no disrespect to those two teams, of course).
They face Freo next week – could be tougher than most expect – before the Showdown. Then we’ll see what happens.
Last week: 6
And they fall down this ladder; they better hope that they don’t begin to fall down the one that matters. Saturday’s game is the beginning of a seriously tough stretch that also includes GWS and the reigning premiers, so this is the time where we see if the Saints can meet expectations against the teams that matter.
Last week: 13
Given they were down by 30-odd points at periods in the second term, I was fooled into thinking the upset loss was happening. Not so.
Excellent footy to get back into the game, and Tassie remains a (increasingly vulnerable) fortress for the Hawks.
Last week: 12
Their fast start to the season had me excited, but consecutive heavy defeats have taken the shine off. I said last week that young teams have peaks and troughs, and the Suns are no exception, but they’d want to try to ensure this doesn’t become the norm for the rest of the season.
Last week: 14
Had chances to possibly snatch the win late, but, in a Bulldogs tradition, they couldn’t make the most of it. Where has the early season optimism gone?
Last week: 16
The young Blues were probably seconds away from a victory, but their scintillating first half deserves praise. The Blues have been ‘in’ all six games we’ve seen them play this year, and that’s good. They just need to grab the four points more often. Easier said than done.
Last week: 15
Losing Lance Franklin before the match was never going to be good news, but hey, they were admirable for a bit. Not sure where they’ll go now, to be honest. They just seem lost. And it’s been a long time since we’ve been able to properly say that about Sydney.
Last week: 18
I was genuinely surprised to see North play on a Friday night. They lost, predictably, but I’ve got to commend them for sticking with Port long enough to attempt a rather belated comeback.
Last week: 17
Sigh. They’re trash.