Round 8 AFL Preview
Friday
Sydney vs Essendon @ The SCG - 19:50
The Swans are in a form slump at the moment, with the Bombers not doing too well either. While the Bombers have put in a couple of strong performances, being against the Lions and the Magpies, they have also had some shockers. For the Swans, they have been consistently mediocre so far and will be hoping that Lance Franklin gets back into the team ASAP.
For the second week in a row the Swans are coming up against a team that relies on speed to move the ball, and when able to do so the Bombers are really impressive. As always, Sydney will be looking to keep the game moving through contested situations after contested situation, as much as possible. From these, they will look for a break that leads to a score. My questions for you all are... Who will stop Daniher and Tippa up forward, or run with the Bomber's speedy midfielders? Nope, I don't know either!
Even if Franklin is back for Sydney, the Bombers should have too many options across the ground for the Swans to counter.
Essendon by 27
Saturday
Western Bulldogs vs Brisbane @ Mars Stadium - 13:45
Before I get started on this game's Preview, can someone tell me where the heck Mars Stadium is??? Ohhhh, it is the footy stadium up in yonder Ballarat Town. The current weather forecast for Ballarat next Saturday is 4c - 14c. If you are heading up to watch the game, don't forget a sleeping bag to sit in, and a thermos of some form of hot liquid, and those little heat pack thingies you put in your shoes, oh and a campfire!
With two teams who are proponents of quick movement and spread, this should be an entertaining game. Well, if the players aren't turned into icicles by half time!
The Bulldogs haven't lost to the Lions since 2014, and there is a real chance this game will be played in cold, wet and windy conditions, something you don't get too often up in Brisbane.
Bulldogs by 11
Carlton vs Collingwood @ The MCG - 13:45
With Collingwood playing such good footy at the moment, probably only matched by the form of Geelong, this game has the look of one that the Pies could use as a real percentage booster. That is if they are switched on, and not just looking at it as a game they 'know' they are going to win!
If Carlton can get some of their important players back, it will go a long way to helping them stop this game from being a total walkover by the Pies. If Kreuzer, McGovern, Simpson and Newman are out again, things could get pretty ugly for the Blues.
Collingwood by 44
Gold Coast vs Melbourne @ Metricon Stadium - 16:35
Looking ahead to this game I thought it would be one that the Demons would get a comfortable win in, but now I am not so sure. In spite of their loss to the Eagles last round, the Suns showed some resolve to come back from 42 points down, losing by 23. They will now be back on the Gold Coast where their home ground, and home supporters, should give them a lift.
The contest between Witts and Gawn should be a great one to keep your eye on as they battle it out in the ruck.
With Melbourne to enjoy the lovely warmer weather up on the Gold Coast, I'm going to go against the home team this time. Just!
Melbourne by 8
St. Kilda vs West Coast @ Marvel Stadium - 19:25
Geez, the West Coast Eagles football club staff must rack up some serious frequent flyer points as they criss-cross Australia! By season's end, they should be able to hand them in for something as exciting as... a pack of cards or set of four drink coasters!
A week after St Kilda got run over by a stampeding Giants, and the Eagles held off a fast-finishing Gold Coast, these two teams meet in Melbourne on Saturday night. With the Saint's depleted midfield, and the Eagles having a bevy of ball-magnets running around, this is shaping up as a game that is looking like a tough one for the Saints. It will be interesting to see what plan the St Kilda brains-trust has come up with to counter the Eagle's on paper dominance.
Where the Eagle's tall forwards will be hard for St Kilda to stop, the West Coast defenders match up quite well against their opposite numbers.
West Coast by 32
Port Adelaide vs Adelaide @ Adelaide Oval - 19:40
Geez, what can you take from these two team's efforts last weekend? Port Adelaide was no match for Collingwood, and Adelaide only managed to kick 7 goals in front of their hometown against the travelling Dockers.
So which of these two teams will win the Battle of the Barossa? It sounded better than Battle of the Adelaide's.
While neither team is exactly in scintillating form, they have recently provided very close contests that always have a fair bit of heat to them; last season, across their two meetings, the total margin for them was 8 points! Just to make this selection even harder, they split those two 2018 games.
It may be time for the trusty coin to make a re-appearance.
Adelaide by 13
Sunday
North Melbourne vs Geelong @ Marvel Stadium - 13:10
While North Melbourne had a great game last round, demolishing a very undermanned Carlton, Geelong continued to be really impressive in their 'Selwoodless' win over Essendon and with Gary Ablett having his suspension overturned in record time (supposedly it only took the MRP 3 minutes to change the ruling from guilty to innocence; imagine how quickly the courts could get through their backlog if they got the AFL MRP to get stuck into things.
The Roo's Brown finally showed some of the form that had him being spoken about glowingly last season to kick four goals, but the Geelong defence will be a very different proposition to Carlton's. Nothing is going to be easy for him in this match!
With the thought of Selwood being back, and Geelong not missing a beat in 2019, I can't go past the ladder leaders.
Geelong by 38
Hawthorn vs GWS Giants @ The MCG - 15:20
The Giants have won four of their last five matches, while the Hawks have only won two of their previous five contests, leaving them in 13th spot on the ladder with lots of work to do to get into the Top 8, let alone progress into the finals. At the same stage of the season, Greater Western Sydney is starting to look more like a team filled with top-end talent who have great skills. While the Giants have had some ups-and-downs, they have had enough quality players stand up to get them up to 3rd spot on the ladder; with this game being followed by one against Carlton, they have a real chance to cement their spot on the Top 4, and I don't think they will let it slip.
While you know the Hawks won't give up at any point, I can't see them keeping up with the Giants over the four quarters.
Giants by 19
Fremantle vs Richmond @ Optus Stadium - 17:20
While Fremantle struggled to work out where the goals were in Adelaide last round, Richmond was totally outclassed by the Bulldogs at Marvel Stadium. Unfortunately, for the Tigers, it looks like they will be without another couple of player, in Daniel Rioli and Nick Vlaustin, for this match over west.
Will this be another 'Port Adelaide' moment for the Tigers, or will the 5th placed Dockers get another win on the board? Before you make a pick, keep in mind that even in the horrible game in Adelaide last week, Fyfe (32 disposals and 8 tackles), Luke Ryan (34 disposals), David Mundy (35 disposals), and Ed Langdon (27 disposals and 8 marks) probably equalled the number of possessions the entire Richmond team had!
Fremantle by 15
Don't forget there are $10,000 worth of prizes from Love My Footy including three weekly prize of $150, $100 and $50 for the best tippers each round. So if you haven't already put in your tips have a think about who's going to win and remember that tipping for Round 8 closes on Friday 10/05/19 at 19:40 (AEST).
Log on to the Footy Tipping Software competition at the Footy Tipping Software homepage at http://tipping.lovemyfooty.com.au and click on the link to Enter my Tips.
Sydney vs Essendon @ The SCG - 19:50
The Swans are in a form slump at the moment, with the Bombers not doing too well either. While the Bombers have put in a couple of strong performances, being against the Lions and the Magpies, they have also had some shockers. For the Swans, they have been consistently mediocre so far and will be hoping that Lance Franklin gets back into the team ASAP.
For the second week in a row the Swans are coming up against a team that relies on speed to move the ball, and when able to do so the Bombers are really impressive. As always, Sydney will be looking to keep the game moving through contested situations after contested situation, as much as possible. From these, they will look for a break that leads to a score. My questions for you all are... Who will stop Daniher and Tippa up forward, or run with the Bomber's speedy midfielders? Nope, I don't know either!
Even if Franklin is back for Sydney, the Bombers should have too many options across the ground for the Swans to counter.
Essendon by 27
Saturday
Western Bulldogs vs Brisbane @ Mars Stadium - 13:45
Before I get started on this game's Preview, can someone tell me where the heck Mars Stadium is??? Ohhhh, it is the footy stadium up in yonder Ballarat Town. The current weather forecast for Ballarat next Saturday is 4c - 14c. If you are heading up to watch the game, don't forget a sleeping bag to sit in, and a thermos of some form of hot liquid, and those little heat pack thingies you put in your shoes, oh and a campfire!
With two teams who are proponents of quick movement and spread, this should be an entertaining game. Well, if the players aren't turned into icicles by half time!
The Bulldogs haven't lost to the Lions since 2014, and there is a real chance this game will be played in cold, wet and windy conditions, something you don't get too often up in Brisbane.
Bulldogs by 11
Carlton vs Collingwood @ The MCG - 13:45
With Collingwood playing such good footy at the moment, probably only matched by the form of Geelong, this game has the look of one that the Pies could use as a real percentage booster. That is if they are switched on, and not just looking at it as a game they 'know' they are going to win!
If Carlton can get some of their important players back, it will go a long way to helping them stop this game from being a total walkover by the Pies. If Kreuzer, McGovern, Simpson and Newman are out again, things could get pretty ugly for the Blues.
Collingwood by 44
Gold Coast vs Melbourne @ Metricon Stadium - 16:35
Looking ahead to this game I thought it would be one that the Demons would get a comfortable win in, but now I am not so sure. In spite of their loss to the Eagles last round, the Suns showed some resolve to come back from 42 points down, losing by 23. They will now be back on the Gold Coast where their home ground, and home supporters, should give them a lift.
The contest between Witts and Gawn should be a great one to keep your eye on as they battle it out in the ruck.
With Melbourne to enjoy the lovely warmer weather up on the Gold Coast, I'm going to go against the home team this time. Just!
Melbourne by 8
St. Kilda vs West Coast @ Marvel Stadium - 19:25
Geez, the West Coast Eagles football club staff must rack up some serious frequent flyer points as they criss-cross Australia! By season's end, they should be able to hand them in for something as exciting as... a pack of cards or set of four drink coasters!
A week after St Kilda got run over by a stampeding Giants, and the Eagles held off a fast-finishing Gold Coast, these two teams meet in Melbourne on Saturday night. With the Saint's depleted midfield, and the Eagles having a bevy of ball-magnets running around, this is shaping up as a game that is looking like a tough one for the Saints. It will be interesting to see what plan the St Kilda brains-trust has come up with to counter the Eagle's on paper dominance.
Where the Eagle's tall forwards will be hard for St Kilda to stop, the West Coast defenders match up quite well against their opposite numbers.
West Coast by 32
Port Adelaide vs Adelaide @ Adelaide Oval - 19:40
Geez, what can you take from these two team's efforts last weekend? Port Adelaide was no match for Collingwood, and Adelaide only managed to kick 7 goals in front of their hometown against the travelling Dockers.
So which of these two teams will win the Battle of the Barossa? It sounded better than Battle of the Adelaide's.
While neither team is exactly in scintillating form, they have recently provided very close contests that always have a fair bit of heat to them; last season, across their two meetings, the total margin for them was 8 points! Just to make this selection even harder, they split those two 2018 games.
It may be time for the trusty coin to make a re-appearance.
Adelaide by 13
Sunday
North Melbourne vs Geelong @ Marvel Stadium - 13:10
While North Melbourne had a great game last round, demolishing a very undermanned Carlton, Geelong continued to be really impressive in their 'Selwoodless' win over Essendon and with Gary Ablett having his suspension overturned in record time (supposedly it only took the MRP 3 minutes to change the ruling from guilty to innocence; imagine how quickly the courts could get through their backlog if they got the AFL MRP to get stuck into things.
The Roo's Brown finally showed some of the form that had him being spoken about glowingly last season to kick four goals, but the Geelong defence will be a very different proposition to Carlton's. Nothing is going to be easy for him in this match!
With the thought of Selwood being back, and Geelong not missing a beat in 2019, I can't go past the ladder leaders.
Geelong by 38
Hawthorn vs GWS Giants @ The MCG - 15:20
The Giants have won four of their last five matches, while the Hawks have only won two of their previous five contests, leaving them in 13th spot on the ladder with lots of work to do to get into the Top 8, let alone progress into the finals. At the same stage of the season, Greater Western Sydney is starting to look more like a team filled with top-end talent who have great skills. While the Giants have had some ups-and-downs, they have had enough quality players stand up to get them up to 3rd spot on the ladder; with this game being followed by one against Carlton, they have a real chance to cement their spot on the Top 4, and I don't think they will let it slip.
While you know the Hawks won't give up at any point, I can't see them keeping up with the Giants over the four quarters.
Giants by 19
Fremantle vs Richmond @ Optus Stadium - 17:20
While Fremantle struggled to work out where the goals were in Adelaide last round, Richmond was totally outclassed by the Bulldogs at Marvel Stadium. Unfortunately, for the Tigers, it looks like they will be without another couple of player, in Daniel Rioli and Nick Vlaustin, for this match over west.
Will this be another 'Port Adelaide' moment for the Tigers, or will the 5th placed Dockers get another win on the board? Before you make a pick, keep in mind that even in the horrible game in Adelaide last week, Fyfe (32 disposals and 8 tackles), Luke Ryan (34 disposals), David Mundy (35 disposals), and Ed Langdon (27 disposals and 8 marks) probably equalled the number of possessions the entire Richmond team had!
Fremantle by 15
Don't forget there are $10,000 worth of prizes from Love My Footy including three weekly prize of $150, $100 and $50 for the best tippers each round. So if you haven't already put in your tips have a think about who's going to win and remember that tipping for Round 8 closes on Friday 10/05/19 at 19:40 (AEST).
Log on to the Footy Tipping Software competition at the Footy Tipping Software homepage at http://tipping.lovemyfooty.com.au and click on the link to Enter my Tips.
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