After this weekend’s games, we will be halfway through the 2019 season and the final eight will be all but settled.
The top five teams are already welded in, with the only interest being in what position they will hold after Round 23.
All have won at least four of their past five games and all are favoured to win this round and distance themselves further from the following pack.
The three final positions are not locked in, but it will take a greatly improved run of form from those currently sitting outside the eight to upset the status quo.
Fremantle are expected to lose this round and be temporarily replaced by Hawthorn, St Kilda or Port Adelaide, but the Dockers will have the opportunity to regain their place over the coming months.
Essendon and the Western Bulldogs are only one game out of the eight and would consider themselves a chance to be there in September. But with inconsistent form, it is hard to see either side winning enough games to challenge.
Friday night’s game between North Melbourne and Richmond will be Rhyce Shaw’s debut as coach, and the unknown tactics that he will introduce will prove a challenge for Damien Hardwick and Richmond, who should overcome the Roos nonetheless.
Jamie Macmillan will play his 150th game for North Melbourne on Friday night and will match the tally of games that big, tough ruckman Johnny Lewis played for the Kangas in the VFL.
Lewis was already a regular member of the Shinboners in the VFA when they were admitted to the VFL in 1925 and became the first player from the club to achieve state representation.
Not only that, he captain-coached the team in 1930, captained it again in 1931 and won the goal-kicking. Then in 1935, he won both the goal-kicking and best and fairest before moving on to Melbourne in 1936 for another three good seasons.
Sam Wright’s injury means that Robbie Tarrant will move above him in the club’s top 100 game players and join Wally Carter and Dally O’Brien in 71st position.
Collingwood should put the blow torch to Fremantle in the early game on Saturday and win by five goals. It will be Adam Treloar’s 150th AFL game and Ben Reid should continue his climb up the Magpies game players list.
(AAP Image/Tracey Nearmy)
Reid joins Charlie Laxton – a rover and dual premiership player in the 1910s – and Darren Millane, who died tragically in a car crash in 1991, just one year after being a member of the 1990 premiership team.
For Fremantle, champion Nat Fyfe will continue his progress by joining ex-captain Peter Bell in 16th place on the Dockers’ all time top 100 game players list, and Darcy Tucker will equal Dion Woods.
The second Saturday game features the two newbies of the league, Greater Western Sydney and the Gold Coast Suns.
The two clubs have only played each other 11 times and the Giants hold a 7-4 advantage. If they are to be a real contender then they will need to have a substantial win over the rebuilding Suns.
The other Sam Reid – not Ben’s brother – will equal Tomas Bugg at the Giants and Jacob Hopper will match Ryan Griffen’s game tally.
If selected, Sean Lemmens will equal Harley Bennell’s contribution to the Suns and Peter Wright will match Jesse Lonergan’s.
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