Round 17 of the AFL is underway and we are set for several potentially crucial fixtures between finals-bound clubs throughout the coming days.
St Kilda are primed for a rare win when they face Carlton at Etihad Stadium tonight, before the Dees and Dogs lock horns at the G.
Saturday night will see the Giants attempt to stem the run of the reigning premiers at Spotless Stadium, while focus shifts back to Melbourne on Sunday when the Pies and Eagles both attempt to consolidate second position.
Round 17 kicks off on Thursday night when the desperate Crows play host to the fluctuating Cats at Adelaide Oval.
The Crows are currently sitting outside of the eight in 11th place and will need a big win at home to remain in the hunt for a spot in the finals come September. The Crows come into this clash off the back of a hefty defeat last season’s premiers, with the Tigers running home 103-56 winners. The South Australians will be buoyed by the announcement of club favourite Rory Sloane re-signing on a huge 5-year contract.
This is Geelong’s 2nd Thursday night fixture on the trot and they’ll be looking to build on their commanding performance against the more fancied Swans outfit in Sydney. Geelong dominated the Swans across the ground with Mitch Duncan continuing his hot run of form with 32 possessions on the night.
Geelong’s star-studded midfield are starting to kick into gear at the right end of the season and should prove too much to handle for the deflated Crows outfit.
Gill McLachlan continues to outdo himself, scheduling an absolute flop-buster for the punters during prime time this Friday night, as cellar dwellers Carlton meet the not so mighty Saints at Etihad Stadium.
Carlton as a whole have been completely hopeless this season and are deservedly anchored to the bottom of the AFL ladder. The Blues only shining lights coming the way of youngsters Patty Cripps and the electric Charlie Curnow. Carlton’s squad had an opportunity to prove their worth last week when took on fellow struggles the Brisbane Lions, what could have been a redeeming game for the Blues quickly turned into a blood bath as the Lions had a field day at the Gabba.
The Saints also come into this clash off the back of a loss and hovering only a couple of games above Carlton at the foot of the table. Although unlike the Blues, St Kilda have been competitive in most of their matches and look to deploy an attacking brand of football. David Armitage was the standout performer for the Saints during their loss to Port last round, with the veteran picking up 30 possessions and kicking 3 goals.
The Saints should win this one comfortably, might be worth flicking over to ninja warrior for a more athletic display.
The first Saturday fixture takes us to Launceston where the Hawks will welcome the Lions to their Tasmanian fortress.
Both of these sides come into this contest off the back of convincing displays of attacking football. The Lions trousered the Blues last week at the Gabba in a 120-55 dumbing, kicking 9 goals straight at one point of the game. Dayne Beams had an absolute field day finishing with 40 disposals, while Sunshine Coast product Eric Hipwood stuffed the stat sheet with a career-high six goals.
The Hawks played out a similar match against the wounded Doggies, running out 122-59 winners. Hawthorns experienced forward-line finally clicked into gear for the first time this season, with Breust slotting 6 majors while Roughy and Gunston both put away 4 a piece.
With a chance to consolidate their position in the top 8 the Hawk will prove a formidable force in Launceston.
Melbourne host the downtrodden Dogs in the twilight session at the MCG on Saturday.
The Dees won convincingly in the reverse fixture between these two clubs back in round 11, with 9 goals between Hogan and McDonald leading to the Doggies 49-point demise. Despite the dismantling of a Fyfeless Freo outfit last week the Dees have been shaky at best in recent times, winning 1 from the last 4 games. After a commanding start to the season the Demons have squandered opportunities to solidify their position in the top four.
The Western Bulldogs have had a Ruff* time of it this season, the 2016 premiers currently sitting in 14th place with 5-10 record. A recent run of form saw the Dogs narrowly go down the Kangas prior to producing one of the upsets of the season against the Geelong Cats. Unfortunately, Luke Beveridge’s side was bought back down to earth last round succumbing a 10 goals pantsing at the hands of the resurgent Hawks.
Melbourne are the leading attacking side in the comp and should make light work of the sorry Dogs.
The Flag favourites Richmond head north to take on the rejuvenate GWS Giants at spotless stadium.
The Tigers are currently sitting on top of the table a game clear of their three nearest rivals and holding a significant scoring percentage advantage. The defending champs are riding a purple patch at the moment, easily overcoming top 8 rivals Geelong and Sydney in recent weeks before embarrassing the Adelaide Crows last round in front of 55,000 Tigers faithful at the G!
The Giants were on a little run themselves, working their way back into the top 8 after a concerning mid-season slump. The Western Sydney mob got done by the Eagles at Perth Stadium last round, ultimately shooting themselves in the foot with the accuracy (or lack thereof) in front of goal.
With both key forwards out the Giants will struggle to apply scoreboard pressure against the stingy Tiger defence.
The Essendon Bombers will be treated to a nice holiday up the coast as the have been gifted the bye round against the diminishing Suns.
Sitting 2 games and a substantial scoring percentage below Hawthorn in 8th place, the Dons come into this round with the knowledge that anything less than a win will see their slim finals chances disappear. Despite losing against bitter rivals in a hard-fought battle at the G last week the Bomber have been one of the inform sides in the competition, winning 5 from their last7 starts.
The Suns…
- 10 loses on the trot.
- Averaging 55 points per game since round 6.
- Best player in Tom Lynch is out for the remainder of the season.
Adam Saad must be happy he made the move down South!
Sunday’s midday fixture sees the West Coast Eagles flying East to take on the competitions inform side in the Magpies.
Both Collingwood and West Coast have surpassed most pundit’s expectations leading into the 2018 AFL season, sitting in 2nd and 3rd place on the ladder respectively with only 2% scoring separating the pair. The Eagles snapped a 3 match losing streak as they held on to see off a fast finishing Giants side in Perth last week. Ruckman Nic Nat produced a contender for mark of the year, while prolific midfielder Andrew Gaff racked up an impressive 42 disposals!
The Pies have solidified themselves as genuine title contents following a run of 7 straight victories, including two dominate displays against the Dons and Dees! Jordan De Goey has been a revalation for the Pies of late, booting 5 from the last 6 goals to guide his side home against a desperate Dons outfit.
The Eagles haven’t bested the Pies at the MCG since 1995 and will have their hands full trying to nullify the Pies attacking force, spearheaded by Mason Cox and Jordan De Goey.
The Swans head to Etihad stadium in a high-stakes affair against the Kangaroos. Sydney are bidding to reclaim a spot inside the top 4, while a win for North Melbourne could see them re-enter the top 8.
The Swans enter this clash following an underwhelming display against the Cats last time out, with Geelong’s inaccuracy the only thing sparing the Sydney side from an embarrassing blowout at the SCG. John Longmire will have to restructure his midfield after losing 3 key veterans in Kieren Jack, Dan Hannebery and Jarrad McVeigh all to injury.
The Kangaroos narrowly won the reverse fixture between these two sides back in round 7, with Mason Wood kicking 4 to steer the Roos home. Wood is out this time around along with Jarrad Waite through injury leaving Ben Brown to shoulder the scoring load. An exciting battle within a battle sees Brown take on Franklin in the race for the Coleman medal with the Roos key forward currently leading the pack on 46 goals while Buddy sits in 2nd spot on 39.
The Roos will be desperate to return to the safety of the top 8 and should do so in the absence of Sydney’s gun midfield.
In the last game of the round we head to Adelaide Oval where the inform Power host a depleted Dockers side.
Port have won five games on the trot and have move from the periphery of the top 8 to a consolidated top 4 contender. The South Australians made light work of the plucky Saints last round with most of the damage being done through the middle of the ground. Paddy Ryder is in All-Australian form at the moment and is feeding the pill to his big bodied midfielders in Rockliff, Boak and Wines. Charlie Dixon is finding his feet late in the year kicking 4 goals, 3 of which came in the last quarter. While Jack Watts added a couple of majors on his return to the senior side.
Freemantle on the other hand have hit a wall, after losing their superstar captain Nat Fyfe and senior ruckman Aaron Sandilands to injury the dockers have looked a shell of their already struggling side. The Dockers suffered a huge defeat at home to an enthusiastic Lions outfit and risk falling further down the ladder before the years out.
Port Adelaide’s powerful midfield and electric forward line will prove too much to handle in what could be a blow-out at Perth Stadium.