After the extended Easter round, which up to last Sunday, saw games played on 9 of 11 days, the season now slips into a more normal pattern, except for next week’s Monday night game between the Saints and the Blues at the Docklands.
St Kilda is not travelling well and after six rounds of football only have one win and a draw to fall back on. They are nowhere near the team they were last year and have lost direction and a lot of speed around the packs. Their chances do not look like improving as Nick Riewoldt comes back from concussion against Adelaide and Dawson forced to take a week’s holiday after striking the Crows’ Chris Knights last Saturday night.
The Blues are riding high on their historic win in the wet against the Swans at the SCG last Friday. Carlton have only been defeated once this year so far and look the goods to finish in the top four. Given Chris Judd’s scintillating form in the final quarter last week and the Blues Indigenous running mid-field, should give Carlton enough momentum to inflict another painful loss on the Saints.
The match of the round is going to be played at Manuka Oval in Canberra between the Western Bulldogs and Hawks this afternoon. The Dogs suffered a humiliating defeat against the Pies on Sunday, after levelling the scores early in the last quarter, the Dogs folded and let Collingwood score eight goals to run out 48 point winners.
The Bulldogs, under scrutiny, will come out fuming as ‘rocket’ Rodney Eade will settle for nothing less than a convincing win. Alternatively, Hawthorn fresh from a bye last week, will enter this game fresher and probably sharper than the bruised Doggies outfit. Lance Franklin and Luke Hodge will play an important part for the Hawks. With the Dog’s full-back Brian Lake out of the side, I can’t see the Western Bulldogs falling over the line in a close game.
Geelong off the bye should easily beat the Kangaroos even after their great win last week against the Power. A Cats win today should set up a mouth watering clash between them and the undefeated ‘Pies (bye this week) in a couple of weeks time. The Richmond Tigers will be out to make it three in a row against the Dockers at the MCG late this afternoon in the twilight match. On paper both sides look very strong and the result could go either way.
Not to be denied, the young Tigers have turned the side around and if they play the sort of footy they have in the last couple of weeks, it could spell trouble for the visiting Fremantle. So here it is, ‘The Sunshine Derby’, Gold Coast Suns vs the Brisbane Lions, a battle for bragging rights as the result will have no significance on the rest of the League ladder.
It is hard to fathom that the Suns go into this contest a game up on the winless Lions, languishing in last position. The Lions will have their opportunity to kick a cricket score against the Gold Coast new boys and climb off the bottom. If Brisbane don’t win, it’s going to be a long haul out of oblivion! Essendon and West Coast will tough it out at the ‘Phone -dome’ tomorrow, in probably the most entertaining game of the round.
The Bombers’ record-breaking win over the Gold Coast last week will count for nothing but history against the in-form Eagles on Sunday afternoon. The Eagles have been very good thus far and with both teams fielding fairly young sides, it will be a great contest.
I expect a great running game and for the Bombers to win this one by a narrow margin over the West Coast based purely on the fact that the Eagles may be a little fatigued having made the long trip from the West.
The last match of the weekend is a defining game and will indicate the true situation of the teams involved. The Melbourne Demons play the Adelaide Crows at the ‘G’. A win to Melbourne shall mean consolidation after last week’s lackluster loss at the hands of the West Coast Eagles, while a victory for the Crows will consolidate their position and fortify their chance to make the top eight.
This is another game not for the faint-hearted and could go down to the wire. Adelaide by just a whisker!
