AFL Round 13 Tips & Preview

The Swans strung together back to back wins before their bye putting them in touch with the top 8 only four points out in 12th.

Dane Rampe is expected to play on Thursday, which will bolster their midfield as well as scoring abilities.

The Saints have now lost three of their last five, with none more damaging to their finals chances than their defeat at the hands of Hawthorn before their bye.

This is a tough one to pick as both teams have mixed their form throughout this season, but the Swans have won their last eight straight home games against the Saints.

And the home ground advantage and the desperate need for another four points may be the deciding factor.

The Western Bulldogs’ winning streak came to an end against the Suns but they suffered two in a row to the Cats last Saturday evening.

It was only a 22 point deficit in the end but that may have flattered Geelong a little as the Dogs were in the game for most of the night.

Despite the two losses the Dogs are entrenched in the eight with a record of 7-5 and this looms as a vital test against an in form Port Adelaide.

The Power come into this game having won nine in a row including a 55 point win over the Hawks last weekend.

It looked ominous for the Hawks at half time as Port kicked out to an 82 point lead at the main break.

There is no denying that Port are playing attractive, winning football but they aren’t putting teams away which is a concern.

Their last six interstate night games have been decided by a margin of 15 points or less and I’m expecting the Dogs to get for this one in a high scoring affair.

The Brisbane Lions sit in fourth spot through 12 rounds with a game in hand over the three teams above them.

They are on the second line of betting for the 2023 AFL Premiership and have set themselves up well for the season half of the season.

A failed road trip to Adelaide against the Crows before the bye was not ideal but they get a good opportunity to bounce back against a very inconsistent Hawthorn team.

The Hawks rely on too few players, which is the sign of a young team that is learning their trade.

James Sicily was enormous in the Hawks win over St Kilda but was subsequently suspended and they certainly missed him last week against Port.

Mitch Lewis kicked six against the Eagles the week before but if one or two of these players have an off day, the Hawks can struggle and leak points at an alarming rate.

Brisbane simply have too many avenues to go and the likes of Charlie Cameron, Joe Daniher, Eric Hipwood, Zac Bailey and Jack Gunston will cause too many headaches for Hawthorn defence’s even with the return of their captain Sicily..

Five of Adelaide’s six wins this season have been at the Adelaide Oval.

A 25 point loss to the Gold Coast Suns in Darwin further proved just how much the Crows have struggled away from home.

But thankfully, they return to Adelaide this week to take on last placed West Coast.

The Eagles simply struggle to play four quarters week in, week out and the fact that many have actually sung their praises in the last couple of weeks in spite of some bad results confirms just how poorly they are going.

It would be tough for most to find positives from games where they were beaten by 50 against Essendon and 63 by Collingwood, with both games getting played in Perth.

West Coast have now lost their last 10 straight games by 40+ and their last 14 away games.

Crows by a lot.

The Fremantle Football Club have turned their season around with four consecutive wins placing them just outside the top eight in 10th.

Their best win in this stretch came just before the bye with an away win over Melbourne which will give them plenty of confidence going into the second half of the year.

Richmond kept their slim finals chances alive with a narrow win over GWS away from home and it has been the more experienced players that have picked up the slack in recent weeks.

Jack Riewoldt snagged five in that win proving their is some fight in the old bloke yet and Tim Taranto continues to have a solid first year at Tigerland gathering 36 touches against his old club.

The Tigers certainly aren’t the worst team in the competition, and they will give the Dockers some issues in the middle of the ground, but Fremantle simply have too much to play for.

North Melbourne are stuck on two wins in season 2023 despite some really goof efforts in recent weeks.

They suffered a devastating loss to Sydney in controversial circumstances in round 10 and fell six points short last week against Essendon.

In a similar vein, GWS has been playing good, tough, contested football of late and they followed a tough win in Geelong with a narrow defeat against Richmond on Sunday.

Five of their last six games have been decided by a margin of 15 points or less and it could have been a different story had a few gone their way.

I’m finding this a really difficult game to assess from a head to head point of view and while I give North Melbourne every chance of causing an upset, I think the market has them short enough.

GWS to grind out a tough win.

Carlton are not only struggling to win games, which might have something to do with the fact they are struggling to score, an important factor when it comes to winning games.

They have averaged just 52 points in their last four outings and have scored more points this season than only West Coast, North Melbourne and Hawthorn.

The Blues have lost nine straight games against teams ranked above them on the ladder.

Essendon sit sixth with seven wins so far this season, a record boosted by winning their last three.

That form may be a touch deceiving as they scraped over the line against both Richmond (13th) and North Melbourne (17th) during this run.

But they are winning which is something Carlton simply need to do.

I honestly can’t be confident backing either of these teams but I am of the belief that whoever wins, won’t win by a big margin.

We have to wait until Monday for the game of the round as two powerhouse clubs do battle at the MCG.

It’s 1st vs 3rd and the punters are struggling to split the two!

Collingwood have just one loss on their record this season and they are starting to get a hold of teams now and win by big margins, something they struggled to do early in the season.

They beat GWS by 65, North by 35 and West Coast by 63.

Melbourne broke a two game losing streak to beat Carlton by 17 points last week, their eighth through 12 rounds.

The Pies have covered the line in their last seven straight games at the MCG, a ground where they have played some really good football.

It’s been a solid play all year and I think it will happen again on the King’s Birthday!