Opinion
On paper, Saturday’s games should be easy until we get to the night game where wannabe St Kilda take on gonnabe Sydney at Marvel Stadium.
The three other games feature an also-ran against two wannabes and one gonnabe.
While it doesn’t always work out that way, the lure of either a top-four spot or a top-eight spot at the end of a season should be enough incentive for any team to beat a team that is only playing for the end of the season, and is trying out new talent in the process.
Mind you, that has not been the experience over the past couple of weeks where both gonnabes and wannabes have suffered surprise losses.
Carlton’s aim against the Gold Coast Suns in the first game at Marvel Stadium will be to build their percentage enough to better those of Richmond and Essendon and possibly the West Coast Eagles by the end of the year.
They already have Freo beaten in this regard, and GWS doesn’t count because of the draw.
They should be able to pile on the goals as two of their forwards have plenty of skin in the game. The return of Eddie Betts will see him pass Heath Scotland in the games tally, and draw level with former turn-of-the-century forward Lance Whitnell.
(Photo by Matt Roberts/AFL Photos/via Getty Images)
One goal will see him pass Mark Maclure to become the Blues’ 11th greatest goal scorer of all time.
Harry McKay, the current goal-kicking sensation at the club, will be keen to add to his 57 goals so far and continue his climb up the Blues’ goal-kicking list.
Starting the year outside the top 100, he not only became the club’s 90th centurion but continued to zoom up the list to equal 65th place with the late Jack Mills, only one goal behind Leo Brereton, who joined the club in Mills’ last year (1957).
The other note of interest in this game is whether Marc Murphy will again be the medical substitute and take his game tally to 299 – one game away from the highly prized 300 game tally.
Murphy has already made it into the top 100 AFL game players and sits in 96th place as the only player to have played more than 297 games and less than 300.
The second game of the day sees Richmond – still a chance for the eight – play North Melbourne, who have surprised with their recent form.
For Richmond, this game will take Jack Riewoldt to within 100 games of the great Kevin Bartlett, who he only trails by 68 goals, while recent entry into the Tigers’ top 100 goal scorers Kane Lambert will move up the list with even one goal.
For North Melbourne, there is not enough games left for Todd Goldstein to move into the top ten game players, but one goal will see him equal Anthony Rock and Graeme Melrose.
(Photo by Dylan Burns/AFL Photos via Getty Images)
Port Adelaide will be keen to win the 50th showdown against Adelaide for the points and percentage whereas the Crows will be playing for only pride after Taylor Walker’s racist comments.
After a controversial collision earlier in the year against St Kilda, David McKay will play his 246th game and join Richard Douglas in tenth place on the Crows’ all-time top 100 game players.
For Port Adelaide Travis Boak will increase his lead as the club’s greatest game player while the returning Robbie Gray – with the help of two finals – will hope to chase down Warren Tredrea and become the Power’s fourth greatest game player.
Charlie Dixon would also be hoping to get the goal he needs to pass Peter Burgoyne on the club’s goal-kicking list.
In the final Saturday game – one that matters for both teams – the Saints have some handy replacements for their injured players.
One goal to Tim Membrey will take him past the great Robert Harvey’s total and – for the Swans – one goal to Tom Papley, Luke Parker and Sam Reid would see them all advance up Sydney’s goal-kicking list.
The Swans would appear to be the more consistent team and should continue their quest for a top-four position.
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