{"id":85689,"date":"2026-05-04T14:38:12","date_gmt":"2026-05-04T04:38:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.neds.com.au\/blog\/?p=85689"},"modified":"2026-05-06T09:34:56","modified_gmt":"2026-05-05T23:34:56","slug":"2026-afl-round-9-tips-preview","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.neds.com.au\/blog\/2026\/05\/2026-afl-round-9-tips-preview\/","title":{"rendered":"2026 AFL Round 9 Tips & Preview"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The top half of the ladder could be in for a shakeup this week with a Top 4 clash between the Dockers and Hawks kicking things off on Thursday night. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Michael Voss revisits his old club on Friday with the Lions hosting the Blues, with long-time rivals Geelong and Collingwood to follow on Saturday in a top eight clash at the \u2018G. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Dees and Crows are short favourites on Sunday, setting up another mouth-watering round with finals implications on the line. <\/p>\n\n\n

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\n <\/use><\/svg><\/span>\n
\n
Fremantle<\/div>\n
vs<\/div>\n
Hawthorn<\/div>\n
Thursday 7th May 2026 8:10 PM (Optus Stadium)<\/div>\n
Tip: Fremantle to Win @ $1.75 <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/use><\/svg><\/span>\n <\/div>\n \n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n
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Should be a classic 2<\/span><\/span>nd<\/span><\/span>\u00a0vs 3<\/span><\/span>rd<\/span><\/span>\u00a0battle on Thursday night between two of the top midfields in the comp. Neither side has cemented its status as a genuine Premiership contender just yet, but th<\/span>is could be Freo\u2019s opportunity with Hawthorn skipper James Sicily under an injury cloud. The Dockers have been one of the top pressure teams all year and are\u00a0<\/span>continue<\/span>\u00a0to hold opponents to the fewest points in the game. With the Hawks skills letting them down in last week\u2019s draw, Freo are hard to go past on their home deck.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\n Dockers vs Hawks<\/a>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/section>\n\n\n
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\n <\/use><\/svg><\/span>\n
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Brisbane Lions<\/div>\n
vs<\/div>\n
Carlton<\/div>\n
Friday 8th May 2026 7:30 PM (Gabba)<\/div>\n
Tip: Lions to Cover (-41.5 Points) <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/use><\/svg><\/span>\n <\/div>\n \n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n
\n

The Lions showed last week that they only need one quarter to put away lesser outfits, leading the Bombers by five goals at the end of the third term. The Blues continue to play solid first halves of footy before the yips \u2013 or whatever term you want to use for their shortcomings \u2013\u00a0<\/span>ultimately comes<\/span>\u00a0calling.<\/span>\u00a0The decision to sack Michael Voss feels like it could be coming in the next few weeks and it would be\u00a0<\/span>full<\/span>\u00a0circle moment if it were to happen after Friday\u2019s game at the Gabba. Even with injuries to Oscar Allen, the Lions have way too many pieces to suffer any kind of upset to this leaderless Blues outfit.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\n Lions vs Blues<\/a>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/section>\n\n\n
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\n
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\n <\/use><\/svg><\/span>\n
\n
Port Adelaide <\/div>\n
vs<\/div>\n
Western Bulldogs<\/div>\n
Friday 8th May 2026 8:10 PM (Adelaide Oval)<\/div>\n
Tip: Port to Win @ $1.95 <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/use><\/svg><\/span>\n <\/div>\n \n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n
\n

The Power\u00a0<\/span>look<\/span>\u00a0a nice bet as slight outsiders at home for the second week running.\u00a0<\/span>They\u2019ve<\/span>\u00a0gone 4-2 in this spot over the last 12 months and\u00a0<\/span>meet<\/span>\u00a0a wounded Bulldogs team\u00a0<\/span>that managed only three contested marks last week in the loss to Fremantle.\u00a0<\/span>Aliir<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Aliir<\/span>\u00a0is coming into form down back and Zak Butters look every bit an All-Australian, if not a serious Brownlow contender. Building momentum under first year coach Josh Carr, this is a game the Power should be up for.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\n Power vs Dogs<\/a>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/section>\n\n\n
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\n <\/use><\/svg><\/span>\n
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North Melbourne<\/div>\n
vs<\/div>\n
Sydney Swans<\/div>\n
Saturday 9th May 2026 1:15 PM (Marvel Stadium)<\/div>\n
Tip: Swans to Cover (-26.5) <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/use><\/svg><\/span>\n <\/div>\n \n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n
\n

The Swans are firing on all cylinders, even if they had to weather a late storm last week against the Dees. If\u00a0<\/span>it\u2019s<\/span>\u00a0not Issac Heeney or Tom Papley kicking goals,\u00a0<\/span>it\u2019s<\/span>\u00a0emerging youngsters like Malcolm Rosas<\/span>\u00a0putting in the work to keep Sydney atop the ladder. North has flashed promise in recent weeks, cutting it close against the likes of Brisbane and Geelong for three quarters before\u00a0<\/span>ultimately running<\/span>\u00a0out of gas.\u00a0<\/span>Playing under the roof at Marvel might test Sydney a little, but given they are averaging\u00a0<\/span>nearly 15 more<\/span>\u00a0inside 50 entries a game and 10 less turnovers compared to North, this should be theirs to lose.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\n Swans vs Roos<\/a>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/section>\n\n\n
\n
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\n <\/use><\/svg><\/span>\n
\n
GWS Giants<\/div>\n
vs<\/div>\n
Essendon<\/div>\n
Saturday 9th May 2026 4:15 PM (ENGIE Stadium)<\/div>\n
Tip: Under the Total <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/use><\/svg><\/span>\n <\/div>\n \n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n
\n

Interesting to find the Bombers as long outsiders given some of the Giants injuries. In saying that, Nate Caddy was the lone shining light in last week’s dismal display against Brisbane with pressure again mounting on Brad Scott to find some answers after his side showed so much promise prior to ANZAC Day. The Gian<\/span>ts were left ruing missed opportunities in front of\u00a0<\/span>goal<\/span>\u00a0against the Suns last week, doing plenty of\u00a0<\/span>hard work<\/span>\u00a0to intercept the Suns dow<\/span>n back but\u00a0<\/span>failing to turn<\/span>\u00a0those opportunities into points. Given all of this \u2013 plus the fact their last two meetings have fallen Under the Total \u2013 a low-scoring game is how\u00a0<\/span>I\u2019m<\/span>\u00a0playing this one.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\n Giants vs Bombers<\/a>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/section>\n\n\n
\n
\n
\n \n
\n <\/use><\/svg><\/span>\n
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Gold Coast Suns<\/div>\n
vs<\/div>\n
St Kilda<\/div>\n
Saturday 9th May 2026 7:10 PM (TIO Stadium)<\/div>\n
Tip: Suns 1-39 @ $2.20<\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/use><\/svg><\/span>\n <\/div>\n \n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n
\n

Potential\u00a0<\/span>\u2018<\/span>line in the sand<\/span>\u2019<\/span>\u00a0type game for two\u00a0<\/span>final<\/span>s<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>aspirants\u00a0<\/span>that are yet to fully impress. To their credit, the Suns looked much improved in the forward half against\u00a0<\/span>the<\/span>\u00a0Giants last week,\u00a0<\/span>limiting turnovers and outscoring GWS 12-3 in contested marks. The Saints, on the other hand,\u00a0<\/span>saved their best for the second half last week against Carlton, running out\u00a0<\/span>39 point<\/span>\u00a0winners thanks to Tom de Koning’s strong work in and around the ruck. Th<\/span>e added\u00a0<\/span>humidity up<\/span>\u00a0in Darwin makes this even tougher to get a feel\u00a0<\/span>for, but<\/span>\u00a0given TIO Stadium has long been a fortress for the Gold Coast, their advantage through the midfield with Matt Rowell set to return should see them over the line.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\n Suns vs Saints<\/a>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/section>\n\n\n
\n
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\n <\/use><\/svg><\/span>\n
\n
Geelong Cats<\/div>\n
vs<\/div>\n
Collingwood<\/div>\n
Saturday 9th May 2026 7:35 PM (GMHBA Stadium)<\/div>\n
Tip: Geelong to Cover (-12.5) <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/use><\/svg><\/span>\n <\/div>\n \n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n
\n

Can the Pies bring another heavyweight down to their level?\u00a0<\/span>They\u2019ve<\/span>\u00a0done so against Fremantle and Hawthorn so far, and after a sluggish three\u00a0<\/span>quarters against North last week, Geelong might be the next victim. Only six marks from 60 inside 50 entries is a glaring stat that will no doubt talked about in Chris Scott\u2019s film review during the week, but at the same time, the Pies will have their own numbers to talk about after being smashed<\/span>\u00a0all around the ground by the Hawks.\u00a0<\/span>ANZAC<\/span>\u00a0Day and last week\u2019s draw aside, the Pies are still ranked 14<\/span><\/span>th<\/span><\/span>\u00a0in<\/span>\u00a0points per game and 12<\/span><\/span>th<\/span><\/span>\u00a0in tackles, two danger areas against a Geelong outfit that looked very sharp in that fourth quarter against the\u00a0<\/span>Roos<\/span>.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\n Cats vs Pies<\/a>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/section>\n\n\n
\n
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\n <\/use><\/svg><\/span>\n
\n
Melbourne<\/div>\n
vs<\/div>\n
West Coast Eagles<\/div>\n
unday 10th May 2026 1:10 PM (MCG)<\/div>\n
Tip: Melbourne to Win & Under the Total <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/use><\/svg><\/span>\n <\/div>\n \n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n
\n

The Dees have been the surprise packets of the season\u00a0<\/span>so far as<\/span>\u00a0they continue to hold their own against the top dogs in the competition. Last week\u2019s game at the SCG looked completely\u00a0<\/span>over at<\/span>\u00a0three\u00a0<\/span>quarter time<\/span>, or at least that was the case before\u00a0<\/span>Kozzie<\/span>\u00a0Pickett and Harvey Langford had other ideas. Melbourne plays with a genuine sense of belief that several other clubs would envy, while\u00a0<\/span>they\u2019ve<\/span>\u00a0also been among the best at launching the ball ins<\/span>ide 50 and limiting opponents\u00a0<\/span>hitout<\/span>\u00a0around the stoppages. Against a West Coast team that, despite Elliot Yeo\u2019s best efforts to convince us otherwise, is most certainly in a\u00a0<\/span>rut;<\/span>\u00a0this should be a case of Melbourne by how many?<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\n Dees vs Eagles<\/a>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/section>\n\n\n
\n
\n
\n \n
\n <\/use><\/svg><\/span>\n
\n
Richmond<\/div>\n
vs<\/div>\n
Adelaide Crows<\/div>\n
Sunday 10th May 2026 3:15 PM (MCG)<\/div>\n
Tip: Crows to Win & Over the Total <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/use><\/svg><\/span>\n <\/div>\n \n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n
\n

The Tiger<\/span>\u00a0Army had something to cheer about last week with a win over West Coast, a game they always deserved to win after\u00a0<\/span>leading for<\/span>\u00a0the majorit<\/span>y on the back of Noah Balta’s three-goal performance. The Crows erred more on the side of luck with a last-second win in the Showdown, although further quesiton marks\u00a0<\/span>remain<\/span>\u00a0on not only Adela<\/span>ide\u2019s defensive structure, but also their forward line with Taylor Walker now hurt and Riley\u00a0<\/span>Thilthorpe<\/span>\u00a0still battling back issues.\u00a0<\/span>Fortunately, the Tigers<\/span>\u00a0gave up 64 inside 50 entries to\u00a0<\/span>West<\/span>\u00a0Coast last week<\/span>, so there should be\u00a0<\/span>ample opportunity<\/span>\u00a0for Adelaide to hit the scoreboard on the road.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\n Tigers vs Crows<\/a>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/section>\n\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The top half of the ladder could be in for a shakeup this week with a Top 4 clash between the Dockers and Hawks kicking things off on Thursday night.  Michael Voss revisits his old club on Friday with the Lions hosting the Blues, with long-time rivals Geelong and Collingwood to follow on Saturday in a top eight clash at the \u2018G.  The Dees and Crows are short favourites on Sunday, setting up another mouth-watering round with finals implications on the line.  Fremantle vs Hawthorn Thursday 7th May 2026 8:10 PM (Optus Stadium) Tip: Fremantle to Win @ $1.75 Should be a classic 2nd\u00a0vs…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":17,"featured_media":85690,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,10157],"tags":[33],"hub_post_cat":[],"class_list":["post-85689","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-australian-rules","category-afl-tips","tag-afl-tips"],"acf":{"md_tip_date":"","md_tip_date_end":"","md_market_url":"","tip_date":"04\/05\/2026","event_country":"Australia"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.neds.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/85689","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.neds.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.neds.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.neds.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/17"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.neds.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=85689"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.neds.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/85689\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.neds.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/85690"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.neds.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=85689"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.neds.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=85689"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.neds.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=85689"},{"taxonomy":"hub_post_cat","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.neds.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/hub_post_cat?post=85689"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}