A couple of top eight clashes headline ANZAC Round, starting on Thursday with the wounded Dogs in action against the top of the table Swans.
The Hawks and Suns follow on Saturday to kick off a huge four-game ANZAC Day slate, followed by the traditional afternoon blockbuster between the Bombers and Collingwood at the MCG.
After falling to Melbourne last week, the Lions head back to the Gabba on Sunday to take on a Crows outfit desperate to build on last week’s narrow win against St Kilda and potentially ensure a spot back in the top eight.
A once promising season at the Kennel has quickly been derailed with two key injuries to Sam Darcy and the engine that is Tom Liberatore.
There’s no sterner test in the game right now than the ladder leading Swans, a team that just toweled up rivals GWS by 41 points last Friday night.
Question marks remain of Sydney’s defensive structure, but what they lack in solidarity down back, they more than make up for with a long list of firepower in the front half of the ground. With the Dogs’ back line also suspect, a high-scoring Swans win looks a likely outcome.
Could be a very one-sided ANZAC Eve clash with the Tigers in all sorts.
Wayward goal kicking was at the top of the list last week in a 75-point loss to North Melbourne and it’s fair to wonder if there’s growing pressure internally on Adam Yze to turn the ship around.
The Dees have been the surprise story of the season so far – the biggest notch in their belt coming last week when they held on to knock off Brisbane by two points. The Pickett boys and Jacob van Rooyen have really brought to life the Dees’ attack in recent weeks, while Max Gawn is in career-best form.
In front of a big crowd, things might be about to get worse for the struggling Tigers.
A fitting matchup between two sides that required all four quarters to put away lesser opponents last week.
The Hawks survived a scare against Port thanks to Mitch Georgiades’ wayward kicking in the final seconds, while the Suns fought back against a feisty Bombers outfit with Christian Petracca back in the fold.
Beating the Hawks in Tassie is something the Suns have yet to accomplish in six tries, but they’ll be playing with confidence given they’ve won three in a row over the brown and gold dating back to 2023.
The battle through the middle of the ground should make for good viewing, but it’s telling that the Suns have now allowed 100+ points to their last three opponents. The wind in Tassie can wreak havoc at the best of times, but with the last two meetings between this pair falling Over the Total, that’s the way I’m leaning.
ANZAC Day wins have been far and few between for members of the sash, but one could argue this is the best the Dons have looked heading into one of the biggest games of the season for quite some time.
A blowout, Gather Round win over the Dees was backed up with a promising nine-point defeat to Gold Coast last week, another afternoon that saw Nate Caddy and Archie Roberts with their hands all over the footy.
Brad Scott has moved the magnets and brought new life to Essendon’s attack, which is more than you can say for a Collingwood outfit that has played in the worst two games of the season over the last fortnight. Injuries to Jordan de Goey and Jordan Ridley are worth monitoring on both sides, but with the Bombers seemingly trending up, they are a definite bet with a three-goal head start.
Things don’t get any easier for Port following an honourable loss to the Hawks last week. The Power had their chances to put the game away in the final term but had no answer for Hawthorn’s late surge, led by Nick Watson and Mitch Lewis.
Jeremy Cameron kicked 10 goals last week on the Bulldogs and are loaded with just as many options up forward as the Hawks. For all of Port’s good work, it’s hard to look past the fact the Cats have won three in a row over the Power by 12 goals or more.
The Dockers head home in search of six straight against a Carlton team capitulating in more ways than one.
Freo isn’t racking up big scores like you’d expect from a flag contender, but with 27 scoring shots last week in the Derby, you could argue the scoreline flattered West Coast a little.
Pressure and winning the ruck battle has been at the forefront of the Dockers’ success so far, while the Blues are still hitting the skids after the three-quarter siren with another blown loss to Collingwood last week.
Individual efforts from Sam Walsh and Mitch McGovern were encouraging last week, but with so much happening off the field, it’s hard to imagine where the Blues’ heads are at.
Is the pressure mounting at Moorabin? You wouldn’t know it based on Ross Lyon’s press conference last week, but siting 13th with only two victories from their last five games, this is simply must-win territory for the Saints to start the Sunday slate.
Unfortunately, it’s hard to feel good about wha hte Saints are serving up – even if they did only fall by a point in a thriller to the Crows last week. On the other side, the Eagles were smashed by the Dockers, but still managed to win the inside 50 count.
Neither side has proven capable of playing a full four quarters this year, but when you consider West Coast’s only win last season came against the Saints, there’s a case to be made for the Eagles here with a bit of a head start.
Hard to imagine the Lions lost any admirers last week in a two-point loss to Melbourne. The reigning premiers reminded everyone that they are still the team to beat when erasing a late three-goal deficit, just timing their run a little too late with the Pickett boys getting the better of them.
In Adelaide, the Crows rose to the occasion following a tough week for the Dawson family as Tex Walker and Ben Keays delivered with their captain on the sideline.
The emotional highs of that game spurred Adelaide over the line, but the same questions of Matthew Nicks’ back line remain after surrendering a handy four-goal lead to the Saints.
The general thought is that the Lions still have a gear to go and it’s hard to imagine them losing two in a row following a long road trip that saw them play in the Barossa during Gather Round before venturing to Melbourne last week.
You have to rewind all the way back to 2018 to find Adelaide’s last win over the Lions at the Gabba, so with Oscar Allen and Loga
Interesting market with the Giants installed as short-priced favourites back at Manuka Oval.
The Roos are in the thick of the Wild Card picture with wins over easy beats like Richmond and Carlton to their name, but their recent track record against the Giants inspires little confidence given their last win came way back in the shortened 2020 season.
The Giants have some big ins on the injury front with Aaron Cadman and Stephen Coniglio returning to the side, while Jesse Hogan is expected back from a corked leg. With their season quickly slipping, I think the bookies have this one right.