We are close to the halfway mark of the 2020 AFL season and this round will be the final chance for Sydney fans to catch some AFL action before the Sydney Swans and GWS Giants are forced on the road, most likely for the rest of the season.

Fears and concerns over a potential second wave of coronavirus infections in Sydney will force the two clubs on the road for at least a month after this weekend’s round of matches, with Melbourne already blacklisted from hosting any more AFL matches this season.

The fixtures for Rounds 9-12 have also just been released, which will see four rounds worth of footy condensed into 20 consecutive days, starting next Wednesday, July 29.

One of the matches to watch this weekend will be the grand final rematch between the GWS Giants and Richmond, with the Giants looking to atone for their horror performance last September when Dustin Martin, Jack Riewoldt and companyy took them to the cleaners.

There are also two other grand final rematch-ups from yesteryear to look forward to, with the Sydney Swans and Hawthorn facing off at the SCG on Saturday, while the West Coast Eagles and Collingwood will clash in the west on Sunday.

Elsewhere, the Gold Coast Suns will play a standalone match for the first time in club history when they face the Western Bulldogs on home turf for the first time since 2014, while the Adelaide Crows are at home once again when they face Essendon at the Adelaide Oval.

Here is my preview to Round 8.

Gold Coast Suns versus Western Bulldogs
Two of the most exciting teams in the AFL will kick off Round 8 when the Gold Coast Suns face the Western Bulldogs at Metricon Stadium.

After over 200 matches, this will be the first time the Suns play a standalone match, and on a day other than Saturday or Sunday, this coming as a reward for their exciting brand of footy that they have produced this year.

However, it will still be a Fox Footy match, meaning the club’s free-to-air exile will continue until they play the GWS Giants and St Kilda in consecutive home matches in Rounds 9-10.

The Suns put an end to a two-game losing streak by leading from start to finish to defeat the Sydney Swans by 32 points at the SCG, with Izak Rankine again impressing, while Noah Anderson landed the club’s fourth Rising Star nomination in the space of six rounds.

What was most impressive about the victory was that when challenged by the Swans, the Suns held their composure to register their first win away from Metricon Stadium this season.

Now they return for an engagement with the Western Bulldogs, who were also impressive in their win over Essendon last Friday night, with Cody Weightman showing signs of his potential on debut.

It was the Dogs’ fourth win in their past five games, and was also their sixth straight against the Bombers, meaning coach Luke Beveridge remains unbeaten against that club since taking over as Western Bulldogs coach in 2015.

He’ll have a score to settle when they face the Suns, as the men from the holiday strip won their most recent meeting by less than a kick at Docklands Stadium in Round 3 last year.

This will be the teams’ first meeting at Metricon Stadium since 2014, where the Suns are two from three in meetings against the men from Footscray.

At home, the Suns should make it five wins for the season, which would eclipse their win tallies from each of the past two seasons.

Prediction: Gold Coast Suns by 24 points.

GWS Giants versus Richmond
To say the least, it’s do or die for the GWS Giants when they face Richmond for the first time since last year’s grand final humiliation at the MCG.

The Giants have struggled for any consistency this season, not winning nor losing more than two games in a row since the season resumption last month.

A poor first quarter proved to be their downfall in their 20-point loss to the Brisbane Lions, which has left them floundering in 13th place on the ladder with a 3-4 record.

Former player Brett Deledio has recently had his say on the club’s struggles in form, suggesting that the team is playing more like individuals rather than as a team.

The last thing Leon Cameron’s men will need is to face the team that handed them nothing more than a lesson on the biggest stage last year, when Dustin Martin, Jack Riewoldt and company dominated as the Tigers won by a record 89 points.

As for the Tigers, after struggling in the early part of the season resumption, they have started to gain some momentum in recent weeks, defeating Melbourne, the Sydney Swans and North Melbourne to move up the ladder.

Making their past fortnight all the more impressive is that they were missing several key players, among them captain Trent Cotchin, Bachar Houli, Shane Edwards, Dion Prestia and Toby Nankervis.

Against the Roos, the Tigers were ruthless as they restricted North Melbourne to only two goals as they won by 54 points, ensuring they remained undefeated against the Kangaroos in Saturday night matches since 2004.

Nick Vlastuin and Dylan Grimes marshaled the defence impressively, while Marlion Pickett kicked just his second career goal, and his first since last year’s grand final.

The rematch will come 300 days since the teams met at the MCG on the biggest day of the AFL calendar, beating the previous longest wait by six days (after the Sydney Swans and West Coast Eagles met in the 2005 decider, they didn’t face each other again until Round 15 the following season, 294 days later).

Even on the road, the Tigers should show no mercy as they continue to gather momentum heading into the middle part of the season.

Prediction: Richmond by 30 points.

North Melbourne versus Carlton
The first match on Saturday sees North Melbourne ‘host’ Carlton at the Gabba.

The spotlight will have surely been on the Kangaroos and Rhyce Shaw following their humiliating 54-point loss to Richmond, in which they could only kick a grand total of two goals against a Richmond side missing several of their key players.

Compounding a horror night for the Roos, captain Jack Ziebell pinged his hamstring in the first half and is likely to miss a great deal of footy, and his absence will come as another major blow for a side that has not won since Round 2.

Things could get better, or worse, when they play the Blues on Saturday afternoon.

Fresh off their biggest win of the season against the Western Bulldogs, David Teague’s side came very close to causing a major boilover when they led Port Adelaide by three points going into the final minute of the game.

However, they were sunk at the death when Robbie Gray landed the match-winning goal after the final siren, leaving the Blues heartbroken and left to ponder what could have been.

There is an incentive for the Blues to bounce back against the Roos, and after having to wait over two years, co-captain Sam Docherty will finally bring up his long-awaited 100th game, having had his milestone delayed by consecutive seasons missed due to knee injuries.

Further, the match also has an intriguing subplot to it, as Teague will also come up with the side with whom he played 33 matches before transferring to Carlton during the 2003-04 off-season.

Recent history is against the Blues, who haven’t beaten the Roos since 2013. However, I think they will take the points this Saturday afternoon, after which they will fly to Perth to spend three weeks in an isolation hub along with Hawthorn.

Prediction: Carlton by 14 points.

Sydney Swans versus Hawthorn
In what will just about be the final game in Sydney for at least a month, the Sydney Swans and Hawthorn will look to rescue their seasons before it is too late.

After winning two of their first three matches, the Swans have struggled with form and injury over the past month, losing their last four matches to fall to 16th place on the ladder.

Their lack of height up forward was a major factor in their low-scoring loss to Richmond, and while they performed better against the Gold Coast Suns at home last Saturday night, they still lost by 32 points, but were otherwise far from disgraced.

In good news for the Swans, premiership forward Sam Reid is set to return while Lance Franklin remains weeks away from returning, and even then, there remains little to no chance of him even playing at all this season.

Hawthorn, meanwhile, are reeling after losing their past three matches, each of them by at least 32 points, while at the same time scoring less than 50 points in those defeats.

They are coming off an embarrassing 43-point loss to Melbourne, after which Jeff Kennett backed long-time coach Alastair Clarkson to see out his contract with the Hawks, which is due to expire at the end of 2022.

But the question still remains: is he the right man to lead the Hawks’ rebuild, or should he pass the baton before he is pushed?

The plight of both the Swans and Hawks is a far cry from their great battles last decade, which saw both teams each claim a flag from two grand final appearances, as well as the rather controversial acquisition of Franklin by the Swans from Hawthorn at the end of 2013.

Thus, it’s fair to say that the fierce rivalry between the two clubs has died down, and Saturday night’s match at the SCG will be all about salvaging something from what have been disappointing seasons by both clubs so far in 2020.

After this match, the Hawks will fly to Perth where they will spend the following three weeks in an isolation hub, along with Carlton.

Despite their poor record at home in recent seasons, I think the Swans will take the points.

Prediction: Sydney Swans by six points.

Port Adelaide versus St Kilda
After playing six of their first seven matches in Queensland, Port will return home when they face St Kilda at the Adelaide Oval on Saturday night.

Of the four teams who were forced to hub on the Gold Coast in the early part of the season, the Power were the best performed side, emerging with four wins from five matches with the only loss being to the Brisbane Lions at the Gabba in Round 5.

Last Sunday, Ken Hinkley’s men produced a brilliant Houdini act against Carlton, with Robbie Gray kicking a goal after the siren to give his side a three-point win, and their sixth victory for the year overall.

Next for the ladder-leading Power is the much improved St Kilda, which will play their second match in Adelaide inside a six-day period, though the Saints will fly in and out of the city like they did for their match against the Crows.

Brett Ratten’s side broke two significant hoodoos last Monday night, winning at the Adelaide Oval on their 11th attempt, while also putting to an end an eight-year losing streak against the Crows, having not beaten them anywhere since 2011.

The win over the Crows came after Ratten blasted his side for having too many passengers in their six-point loss to Fremantle, in which they led by 36 points at quarter-time yet collapsed thereafter to throw away another winnable match.

They now have another hoodoo to break, having not beaten the Power since that same 2011 season (in fact, their win over the Power that season came a fortnight before they beat the Crows at Etihad Stadium).

On form, the Power should take the points and maintain their lead at the top of the ladder.

Prediction: Port Adelaide by 18 points.

Adelaide Crows versus Essendon
On paper, Essendon should defeat the Adelaide Crows at the Adelaide Oval on Sunday, but recent history suggests that the Bombers are going to have a tough time of it.

Why, you ask? Because the Bombers have suffered some ignominious defeats against previously winless sides over the past few years.

The most notable of which came in Round 10, 2012 when they started hot favourites to defeat a Melbourne side that, under first-year coach Mark Neeld, had been uncompetitive for the first half of that season.

Yet the Dees produced a stunning brand of footy to upset the Bombers, who were second on the ladder with an 8-1 record to that point of the season (with only a dodgy Jarryd Blair boot on Anzac Day preventing the Bombers from being 9-0).

That defeat triggered a dramatic collapse for the Bombers in the second half of the season as they eventually fell down the ladder to miss the finals for the sixth time in eight seasons.

An eerily similar situation awaits John Worsfold’s men this Sunday, whereby they are facing a Crows side that has struggled to adjust to Matthew Nicks’ coaching. The men from West Lakes have lost their first seven matches of the season, and their last ten overall.

Last Monday, the Crows put in a much better effort than they have in recent weeks, but still lost to St Kilda by 23 points, with their 0-7 record marking their worst ever start to a season in what is their 30th AFL season.

Without Dylan Shiel, the Bombers crashed to a disappointing loss to the Western Bulldogs in a match played on the Gold Coast, in what was their first duel outside of Docklands Stadium since 1999.

Surely the Bombers won’t want to repeat the same mistakes they have in underestimating winless sides in the past, and should escape the City of Churches with the chocolates.

As many teams are doing this season, the Bombers will fly to Adelaide in the morning, play the match and then return home to Queensland that evening.

Prediction: Essendon by 25 points.

West Coast Eagles versus Collingwood
The first of two matches in Perth this weekend is a reprisal of the 2018 grand final, which many Collingwood fans will not want to revisit, for obvious reasons.

By the time the Pies take to the field at Optus Stadium, their 14-day quarantine period will have expired and thus they will be free to do some further exploring of Perth.

However, Western Australia premier Mark McGowan has warned the Pies (and the Geelong Cats for that matter) that any breach of the state’s strict rules could result in the whole club being kicked out of the state.

Onto on-field matters now, and the Pies’ first match in the WA hub saw them lead from start to finish to suffocate the AFL’s best scoring team, the Cats, scoring a 22-point win with Jordan de Goey kicking five of the club’s eight majors.

It was revealed after the match that De Goey had suffered a finger injury during the match, and subsequent surgery will see him sidelined for at least a month, thus robbing the Pies of one of their forwards.

Meantime, after five weeks on the Gold Coast, the West Coast Eagles made a triumphant return home, defeating Fremantle by five goals in the Western Derby with Josh Kennedy claiming the Glendinning-Allan Medal with a four-goal haul in what was his 250th AFL game.

It was their third straight win and saw their win-loss record improve to 4-3, and while they should start favourites to make it four straight victories, they’ll be aware of a Pies side who have conceded the least points of any team after seven rounds.

Further, while the Eagles claimed the most significant win in their head-to-head against the Pies (namely, the 2018 grand final), the black-and-white won their most recent meeting, by a solitary point in Perth just over 12 months ago.

Despite this, I think the Eagles will take the points as they continue on a stretch of consecutive home games in their home state.

Prediction: West Coast Eagles by five points.

Melbourne versus Brisbane Lions
The final match on Sunday sees the Brisbane Lions return to their home state for the first time since Round 5, having temporarily been forced to shift to Sydney for a fortnight.

Due to laws prohibiting Queensland teams from playing their Victorian counterparts in either state, the Lions had to hub in the Harbour City, where they lost to the Geelong Cats at the SCG before rebounding with a start-to-finish 20-point win over the GWS Giants at Homebush.

Their season record has therefore improved to 5-2 and with the majority of their remaining matches to be played in Queensland (save for a trip to Tasmania to play North Melbourne in Round 12), they can take advantage of their home ground advantages as they press for another finals berth.

First, though, they’ll have to face Melbourne in an ‘away’ game on their home state, which is nothing new given that in the noughties, the Dees sold home games against the Lions to the Gabba as a means of attempting to resolve their financial woes.

The Dees, who also spent a fortnight in Sydney following Round 5, are coming off consecutive victories, first outlasting the Gold Coast Suns by 17 points before being even more impressive against Hawthorn at Giants Stadium, winning by 43 points.

Coach Simon Goodwin has lauded his side’s response following their dreadful loss to Richmond in Round 5, which was plagued by poor kicking.

Now the challenge for his side will be to take on a Lions side, which is building beautifully as we enter what is set to be a condensed next few rounds of footy, with Rounds 9-12 to be condensed into 20 consecutive days starting next Wednesday.

While Melbourne have won four of their last five against the Brisbane Lions, the men from the Gabba actually won their previous meeting, in Round 15 last year. Back in their home state, albeit at Metricon Stadium, Chris Fagan’s side should emerge victorious.

Prediction: Brisbane Lions by 20 points.

Fremantle versus Geelong Cats
The final match of Round 8 sees Fremantle play host to the Geelong Cats in what will be the first Monday night match to be played in Perth since 2013, and the first ever at Optus Stadium.

After playing their first six matches away from home, the Dockers returned home for the Western Derby, but could not lift for the occasion as they crashed to a five-goal loss, and their tenth consecutive against the Eagles.

They remain at two wins and five losses for the season, but coach Justin Longmuir would otherwise be happy that they have started to make some progress having won their previous two matches prior to the loss against the Eagles.

Now they will face the Geelong Cats, who will be without former two-time Brownlow Medallist Gary Ablett for the clash against the Dockers after he rushed home to Melbourne to look after his son who is battling a degenerative disease.

The Cats, who entered Round 7 as the AFL’s highest scoring team, put in their lowest score for the year when they could only muster 5.5 (35) in their 22-point loss to Collingwood.

Already without Quinton Narkle and Mitch Duncan due to injuries, captain Joel Selwood could face some time on the sidelines after suffering a hamstring injury in the first quarter of the loss to the Pies.

In his absence, Patrick Dangerfield is likely to assume the captaincy duties until Selwood returns.

Dangerfield’s looming duel with Dockers captain Nat Fyfe is set to be a highlight, if the reigning Brownlow Medallist returns from a hamstring injury, which kept him out of the loss to the Eagles.

Despite being without Ablett and Selwood, I still think the Cats can take the points.

Prediction: Geelong Cats by eight points.