The finals are in sight and we are set for another exciting round of AFL action from tonight!
Reigning champions and flag favourites Richmond look to take another step towards September when they square off with Geelong at the G, before the Bombers attempt to keep the pressure on the eight when they face the Hawks.
The young Lions are offered another great opportunity at a confidence-boosting win when they host North Melbourne, while the action will draw to a close in the nation’s west when the Eagles and Freo square off on Sunday.
Round 20 kicks off on Friday night as table-toppers Richmond host the in-form Cats at the MCG.
The Tigers roar into this clash off the back of a comprehensive mauling of title contenders Collingwood in front of sell-out crowd. It was a record-breaking 18th consecutive victory for Richmond at the G, usurping The Demons long-standing record of 17 games on the trot in the 50s. The Pies took it to the premiership favourites for the first three terms only to get out classed in the last quarter. Dusty was kept quiet through the middle of the ground before moving forward to snare three majors.
Geelong are currently sitting in eighth place, sharing the same points as Melbourne, Hawthorn and Sydney. The Cats have enjoyed two wins on the trot, with power forward Tom Hawkins shouldering the scoring load with 14 goals across both fixtures. Gary Ablett shrugged off recent criticism to help steer his side to a seven-goal victory against the young Lions side; finishing the game with 38 disposals & 16 contested possessions.
Despite their run of home form, the Cats come across a completely different beast in the form of the Tigers at the G and will do well to remain in the contest.
The first clash on Saturday takes us to the MCG where the Hawks will play host to bitter rivals the Dons. This rivalry will have some added spice to it with both sides battling it out for a spot in the top eight.
The Hawks fly into this clash off the back of two massive 10+ goal victories against the Blues and the Dockers, with small forward Luke Breust cashing in with nine goals across the two high-scoring affairs. Tom Mitchell has continued his dominating form through the middle of the ground racking up 40+ possessions for the 10th time this season and looks a shoe-in for the 2018 Brownlow Medal.
The Dons are currently fighting for their survival, with a loss all but ending their finals hopes. John Worsfold finally has his side playing good footy, with the Dons implementing a high-pressure style game plan similar to that of the reigning premiers Richmond. The Bombers were a class above the Swans last round and should’ve won by ten goals plus, if their radar was on. Hurley was a stand out for the Dons, keeping Buddy quiet for most of the night while Heppell marshalled the troops well through the middle of the ground.
The Hawks haven’t faced a decent side over the past month and may get blown out of the water by the Dons forward 50 pressure and quick transitions.
The Roos travel north to take on the young Lions at the Gabba, as they look to keep their finals hopes alive.
The Lions hot run of form came to an abrupt end at the hands of the Cats in Geelong last week, where they buckled under the scoring pressure of Tom Hawkins. Dayne Beams has strung together an impressive run of performances and he stepped up against the Cats; finishing the game with 37 disposals, while Mitchell Robertson was impressive in the backline.
North Melbourne kept their finals hopes alive last round with a commanding victory against a wounded Eagles side in Tasmania. Ben Cunnington was a standout performer for the Roos, racking up 39 disposals and one goal, while Paul Ahern also stuffed the stat sheet with 37 touches of his own, 12 of which were clearances. Brad Scott will be without his player of the season Shaun Higgins who will miss the clash to undergo minor knee surgery.
With a chance to impact the make-up of the competition’s top eight, Chris Fagan’s young Lions will be raring to deliver at home.
The round’s most anticipated fixture comes to us from the Adelaide Oval as the Crow do battle with the Power in Showdown 45.
This match provides the Crows with an opportunity to put a dent in their bitter rival’s top four aspirations while keeping their own slim finals chances on life support. The Crows went down to the Dees by two goals last week, failing to come back from a disappointing 3rd term where they only managed one goal and two behinds. Sam Jacobs will have a lot to prove when he comes up against All-Australian ruckman Paddy Ryder this week after Max Gawn put on a clinic against the Crows big man.
Port Adelaide power into the Showdown off the back of a clinical display against an exhausted Doggies side in Ballarat. The local derby provides the Power with an opportunity to push towards a top two finish, while a loss will leave them in a dangerous position with a tough run home. Port were boosted by the return of star ruckman Paddy Ryder, with midfielders Jared Polec, Ollie Wine and Sam Powell-Pepper all cashing in.
The Crows have the edge over Port in the Showdown and will be looking to damage their rivals’ chances of securing a home semi.
In a round full of blockbuster clashes the Saints vs Doggies match is a straight to DVD flop.
The Bulldogs have been ravaged by injuries this season and with a host of their senior players out, the young Dogs have had a rough time of it. Luke Beveridge’s side has only managed one win from their last ten starts and have struggled to make an impact on the score board averaging 53 points across their last four outings. They’ve ultimately found it difficult to replicate the high pressure footy which captured the flag in 2016.
The Saints can be forgiven for dropping their last two matches after facing live title contenders in the Tigers and the Giants. Alan Richardson’s side was left to rue missed opportunities last round after they dominated the Giants across the ground but not on the scoreboard in the 1st half, going into the break on the wrong end of a 3.10.28 to 5.2.32 score line. Seb Ross and Jack Steven continued their electric form through the middle of the ground while Jake Carlisle was solid at the back.
The Saints have been close to the mark of late and if Jack Steele can keep Marcus Bontempelli relatively quiet then they should take care of the Dogs with ease.
We travel to the Sydney for the last Saturday fixture as the faltering Swans play host to the pained Pies at the SCG, in a game which will go a long way towards shaping the eight.
A win for the Pies would see them consolidate their position in the top four, while a loss could see them tumble down to eighth place on the ladder and would heap pressure on their roster. Scott Pendlebury was a standout for the Pies last round racking up 38 touches in his side’s defeat to the flag favourites. Brodie Grundy is in All-Australian form and will need to continue to dominate the ruck to give the hobbling Pies outfit a leg up on the hungry Swans.
The Swans slumped to their second straight defeat last round, buckling under the relentless pressure from the high-flying Bombers. Buddy Franklin had another quiet night and only managed seven touches as Hurley took control of the vital match-up. Aliir Aliir was Sydney’s best player once again, with numerous intercept marks and intelligent reads preventing a blow-out margin at the Etihad.
The Swans have looked a shell of their former formidable selves and will struggle against the Pies who play a similar high-pressure brand of football to that which undid John Longmire’s side last round.
There are a few outstanding fixtures set to take place on Saturday, but the quality does seem to dip on the final day of the round and that will certainly be the case when the lowly Blues host GWS.
The Blues shocked the nation last week and ruined plenty of credible AFL multis with a surprise victory over the woeful Suns. Naturally, young gun Patrick Cripps was the standout performer for the Blues, collecting 37 disposals, 11 tackles and one major in what was an outstanding night. Skipper Marc Murphy stood up for his side as well, finishing the night with 36 disposals of his own.
The Giants are arguably the formed side of the comp outside of the flag favourites Richmond. Leon Cameron’s side has won seven from their last eight outings and boast recent wins over the Tigers and Port. The Western Sydneysiders possess one of the most efficient midfields in the AFL, averaging over 40 clearances per game leaving the Blues (35) for dead. The Giants also welcome back Jeremy Cameron back from a five-week suspension and star forward will be looking to hit the ground running against the loose Carlton defence.
Expect order to be restored this week and the Blues to suffer a heavy defeat to the superior Giants side.
The second Sunday stomach turner comes to us from the MCG, where the bottom eight bullies Melbourne take on the schoolyard punching bags, the Suns.
After producing the best performance of their seven-year history when stunning the Swans at the SCG, the Suns went straight back to their underwhelming selves in a horror loss to the Blues. They raced to a three-goal lead in the opening 10 minutes, before packing their bags and heading home early. Gold Coast only managed to add another two goals throughout the rest of the match as the Blues powered home to a six-goal victory.
The Dees held onto their place within the top eight with a gutsy come from behind victory against a revitalised Crows outfit in Adelaide. Melbourne were down 20 points early in the second term before finding another gear and eventually powering over the top of the Crows to claim a 13-point win. The Dees midfield of Clayton Oliver, Nathan Jones, Angus Brayshaw, Christian Petracca and Dom Tyson had an absolute field day in the middle of the ground, feeding off the dominate ruckwork of Blownlow roughie Max Gawn, who finished with 66 hit-outs.
The Dees will be looking for a percentage-boosting win at the G this round and with Suns captain and defensive linchpin Steven May missing through injury, the flood gates will be well and truly open!
Sunday isn’t a complete write off with Western Derby 48 set to wrap up the round at Optus Stadium.
The Dockers come limping into the Derby off the back of a 10-goal drubbing at the hands of the Hawks in Perth. Lachie Neale ran his guts out through the middle of the ground picking up 37 touches, while David Mundy found the ball 34 times himself. It was to no avail though, as the Hawks dominated centre clearance, while Freo’s woes in front of goal continued as Ross Lyon’s team failed to score over 60 points for the eighth time this season.
The Eagles didn’t fare much better last round, going down to the Roos by a convincing margin in Tasmania. West Coast were without two of their most influential players in Josh Kennedy and Luke Shoey and it showed. Fortunately for the Eagles both should return to the starting line-up for the Derby. West Coast hold the edge of the Dockers, winning their pass 6 outings, the most recent victory coming in round 6 this season when the Eagle overturned a 20-point deficit to eventually win by 8.
The Eagles has been a class above the Dockers all year and should account for their arch rivals in a fierce contest in the West.