The opening game was the clash last Thursday night at the SCG where Geelong kicked seven goals in the second quarter to eclipse the Brisbane Lions.

The following day, Collingwood put away a lethargic Hawks outfit. Surprise packet Fremantle performed a stunning comeback from seven goals down in the first quarter to beat St Kilda by a goal. The West Coast Eagles dished out more pain to Adelaide while Melbourne returned to the winner’s circle after beating Gold Coast.

On Sunday Essendon stuck to winning ways by beating North Melbourne while Port Adelaide beat the odds and the Giants. Champions Richmond won a dour encounter against the Sydney Swans in a game that almost broke the wrong kind of record – at 34-26 to the Tigers,  it was the second-lowest scoring game in AFL history.

On the other hand the Eddie Betts’ Carlton dazzled in the 103-51 annihilation o f the Western Bulldogs. The victory places the Blues on eighth place on the ladder.

This week, Round 7, kicks off at the Optus Stadium in Perth where the (Geelong) Cats meet the Magpies (Collingwood). While the Cats were impressive last week and the Magpies have a number of injuries, in many ways Collingwood is the better team. However, it will probably be the Cats edging it by a whisker on Thursday evening.

Like everyone else who loves footy, I understand the League has to please their media partners by seeding the best games for prime-time TV – but seriously, 5 day turn-around for matches? Mark my words, player injury lists will become longer as the season grows older.

READ MORE: Footy’s back and so is the Multicultural AFL Football Show

Friday night promises a humdinger with the high-flying Essendon facing the Western Bulldogs still smarting from their loss to Carlton last week. It will be an armwrestle but it should go the way of the Dogs.

On Saturday,  the Giants meet the Brisbane lions on home ground at the GWS Stadium in Sydney. Both are fast teams and both are desperate for a wind and they are equally matched. A hard one to predict, but Brisbane may just edge it.

At the SCG, Sydney Swans welcome the Gold Coast. Over the past week the Swans have been beset my list of injuries to key players and the Gold Coast may just have enough to take this one out. Injuries are also a factor for Richmond (Tigers) and their opponents at the Metricon, North Melbourne (Kangaroos). The Tigers should have enough to over come the ‘Roos.

On Sunday, In Brisbane, Carlton takes on Port Adelaide at the Gabba. While there is a difference in the standings on the ladder, the teams are close in potential. So close that the vagaries of the weather may be the deciding factor between them: If it rains, then neither side will benefit from their tall men and it will be down to who has the better midfielders. If, on the other hand, it is dryer weather this should prove an entertaining clash. The Blues who are on a roll, should win again.

Hawthorn meet Melbourne at the Giants Stadium. It is a critical game because whover loses this one can forget about making it to the finals. Hawthorn should win this if only because of their coach Alistair Clarkson.

On the other side of the country, in West Australia, is the derby between Fremantle Dockers (Freo) and West Coast Eagles. It has been five years since Freo last beat the Eagles. While both teams have not been at their best this year, the Eagles have been making some adjustments to the team which will give them more than an edge over their local rivals.

The last game of Round 7 takes place on Monday evening at the Adelaide Oval. The Adelaide Crows will taken on St Kilda in a game that both need to win. Adelaide has lost six games in a row and need this win to salvage some dignity. The Saints need to recover from the Round 6 loss to Fremantle to stay in stay in the frame. While the Saints should win, it would be no surprise if it went the other way.

♦ The Multicultural AFL Football TV show is broadcast on C31 to Melbourne and Geelong on Thursdays at 6.30pm. In Adelaide it is shown on C44 on Friday evenings on subscription TV on Aurora-Foxtel on Saturday noon. You can also watch it on the NEMC YouTube sight.

The show is also available a weekly podcast through the Community Radio Satellite Network. AFL newspodcasts are available in a number of languages including Greek.

For all enquiries and to receive a weekly AFL Report and footy tips, email: operations@nembc.org.au