Opinion
Here is my preview of all the AFL action this weekend.
Richmond vs Hawthorn
Dustin Martin has been recently ruled out of this Thursday night blockbuster after some rib soreness. A big out for the Tigers, that’s for sure, but to what extent will it really hurt them? The Hawks go into the game with minimal confidence after getting hammered by the Cats last week. But the inclusion of Jaeger O’Meara is definitely one to excite Hawks fans as he will give their midfield a much needed boost. The Tigers’ forward line will need to lift after last week’s performance against Collingwood while Hawthorn’s midfield will need to be much better to compete with the Dusty-less Tigers. The Tigers will go in as favourites but this promises to be a good contest.
Western Bulldogs vs GWS
Both sides are in need of a confidence-boosting win after some poor performances last weekend. The Bulldogs sit last on the ladder after losing by large margins to both the Magpies and Saints in the opening two rounds. The Giants were well and truly beaten by a classy North Melbourne outfit on the weekend by 20 points. The Giants have had the wood over the Dogs in recent meetings, defeating them in four of the last five times that they’ve matched up, including last year’s elimination final thumping. Both teams will be out to prove themselves but who will come out on top?
(Photo by Adam Trafford/AFL Media/Getty Images)
North Melbourne vs Sydney
The Kangaroos head into Saturday afternoon’s date with the Swans quite confidently after a surprising win over the Giants, away from home, last weekend. The Roos have won their first two games of the season and are sitting in second spot while the Swans slip out of the eight after their tight loss to the Bombers on Sunday. The Swans have had recent success over North Melbourne, winning four of their last five encounters, although the Roos head in as slight favourites. It’s a big opportunity for North Melbourne to stamp some authority on the competition with three wins to start their season while the Swans will be looking to return to winning ways after almost stealing victory from Essendon last week.
Collingwood vs St Kilda
The Saints are looking the goods after a strong win over the Bulldogs on Sunday night while the Pies scrapped out a low-scoring draw with the Tigers. Collingwood go in with an eight-day break whereas the Saints will only get a six-day break so it’ll be interesting to see the effects that the breaks have. Both sides were very strong defensively over the weekend with Collingwood holding the Tigers to 36 points while the Saints held the Bulldogs to just 49. With this in mind, could we see another low-scoring tussle between these two sides on Saturday evening?
Geelong vs Carlton
This game shapes as a big proving ground for the Blues after they’ve had two slow starts to open their season that have led to losses, despite their late efforts to pull results. The Cats were classy last week against the Hawks and with them playing down in Geelong once again, it’s difficult to see them getting beaten on the back of that Friday night win. The Blues go in as heavy underdogs but I wouldn’t be surprised if we see quite the contest between the two sides. The last three match-ups between the Blues and the Cats have seen the Cats victorious all three times by an average winning margin of 54 points. Can this be the game that the Blues announce themselves?
Brisbane vs West Coast
The fact that this game is at the Gabba has tipped the odds ever so slightly in the Lions’ favour, otherwise this game would almost be impossible to tip. The Eagles were woeful last weekend up on the Gold Coast in what was a shock loss at the hands of an exciting Suns outfit. However, was that just a one-off slip-up for the Eagles, or are they in an awful patch of form? The Lions won narrowly against the Dockers so they’ll be confident that they can continue their winning ways. Can the Eagles bounce back or will the Lions beat them for the second time in a row?
(Photo by Daniel Carson/AFL Photos via Getty Images via Getty Images)
Gold Coast vs Adelaide
Two or three years ago, you would assume this game would be a walkover for the Crows. This time around, we’ve got a contest on our hands. The Suns were incredibly impressive on Saturday night against the Eagles when the Crows were awful in the Showdown, getting thrashed by 75 points. The Suns have never beaten the Crows, losing all 13 games that they have played against them since their entry into the competition in 2011. These are the games the Crows must win to stop themselves from having an embarrassing season but are the Suns flying under the radar to surprise us all in season 2020?
Essendon vs Melbourne
This game also excites a lot of fans as the Dees and Dons have played some close games over the years. The Bombers have started the season well after defeating the Dockers and the Swans by six points each. Melbourne had a tricky start in Round 1 as they took on the Eagles in the west and fell short but impressed early against the Blues as they beat them by a single point after the Blues came storming back in the second half. Can Melbourne gather some form ahead of a couple of tough weeks or will the Bombers continue their early successes?
Fremantle vs Port Adelaide
The Power head into this game as quite heavily backed favourites after their dominant performances against the Suns and Crows so far this season. However, this game will be their biggest test yet with the Dockers defeating Port Adelaide twice out of their last three meetings. The game will be held up at Metricon Stadium so there won’t be any home-ground advantage with both sides seemingly taking that advantage when they meet. Port Adelaide have beaten Fremantle three out of the last five times that they have played and all of those were at the Adelaide Oval, whereas the two that the Dockers have won were played in Perth. Can the Dockers bounce back from their close losses so far this season or will the Power win their first three games and continue their dominance?
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