Do you ever get the feeling that several clubs are in complete and utter disarray at the moment? The Saints dropped the axe on Nick Dal Santo and Stevie Milne this week and while Milne’s breath smells and he is a totally unlikeable little rodent (I can say what I want about the Saints now because Saint has sold his computer to a Carlton fan ha ha), he has at least been getting regularly on the scoreboard for St Kilda in recent weeks. Meanwhile at Collingwood, they go into their match without Travis Cloke and Leon Davis and that formidable forward line is but a shadow of the unit that pounded the reigning premier just a few short weeks ago.
Six winners last week still has me trailing Habititual and level with Frocker. I can see a bit of a template happening for this round though so not much of a chance to catch up.
St Kilda vs. Fremantle Telstra Dome
I can’t believe that I am actually leaning towards the Dockers here. They are shocking away from WA (and dodgy there as well just quietly) and can’t run a game out. But boy oh boy the opposition appear to be in all sorts of trouble. St Kilda’s ruck stocks look unimpressive, have plenty of blokes not winning the ball and look a bit dodgy up forward as well. Expect Sandilands and the Pav to dominate and for Harvey’s Dockers to live up to the self-appointed tag of ‘dangerous’.
Fremantle by 11 points.
Hawthorn vs. North Melbourne MCG
This should be a great game to watch as clearly these two sides do not like each other. The Roos have some experienced players coming back into the side for this clash and will make a strong showing in this game. The Roos will want to quickly put that un-North like performance behind them last week and make a stand against a side they normally go quite well against. However, Hawthorn have grown and will have gained considerable amounts of confidence following their fine win against the Crows in the normaly barren fields of AAMI Stadium. The Roos will throw everything at the Hawks but I reckon Hawthorn will again tough it out in another hard match. Week by week the Hawks are being softened up MWHOWWWWAHAHAHAHAHAHAA!
Hawthorn by 8 points.
Port vs. Richmond AAMI Stadium
When all else fails Choco, get the boys to concentrate on playing football. If they can concentrate on getting the pill and using it well, Port has too much talent for Richmond – a side that sometimes disposes of the ball so poorly that they lack the confidence to actually kick it. This sort of game style is not a great one to use at AAMI and Port should be able to get the job done for a rare home victory for the battling Power. The Power have finally bitten the bullet and have dropped Justin Westhoff and Brett Ebert makes a welcome return. While the Tigers have several players in top form too much is being left to too few and Port should salute.
Port by 22 points.
West Coast vs. Geelong Subiaco
West Coast have got some pretty good ins coming for this match in the form of Braun, Hansen, Fletcher and Kerr against a Geelong side still missing Scarlett and perhaps Matty Stokes and Joel Selwood as well. However West Coast are also doing something that Geelong rarely does these days and that is take sore players into matches. Both Cox and Glass are labouring in recent weeks and wit Ottens slowly regaining fitness and Mooney starting to gain form this could prove to be a decisive factor in the match. The Power let the genie out of the bottle last week and Geelong play Subi well. West Coast to have a real dip but the Cats will overpower them in the end but no blowout here.
Geelong by 28 points.
Brisbane vs. Adelaide Gabba
The Lions return to home territory this week but alas they will still be without the services of key forward Daniel Bradshaw. Bradshaw is a crucial omission for the Lions and the last side they woud want to go up against without Bradshsaw would have to be the Adelaide Crows. The Gabba has no fears for the Crows and Ben Rutten has an outstanding record against the Brisbane goalsquare Goliath. The Lions looked predictable and second rate with the one dimensional forwardline as the smaller forwards Hooper and Corrie aren’t quite up to speed in comparison to others that play for opposition sides. Expect the Crows to continue their good run against the Lions in this match.
Adelaide by 32 points.
Melbourne vs. Sydney Manuka
The Demons are this season’s little kid in the playground who gets smacked around by the bullies every playtime. This week the bully is in the formidable form of the Sydney Swans who will draw an admiring crowd to Manuka Stadium in Canberra. The Swans have been kicking a lot more goals this season and expect that to continue for another week with O’Loughlin, Hall, Playfair, and O’Keefe to all cash in against an undersized Demon defence. Sydney comfortably.
Sydney by 53 points.
Carlton vs. Essendon MCG
Carlton fans are probably still wondering how they lost the last match against Essendon. Since that last clash the Blues have managed to gather together a working defence but this party trick seems to have eluded the Bombers so far this season. Essendon recorded a much needed victory over what was left of West Coast last week but will find a rejuvenated Blues outfit too much to handle this Sunday at the G. Expect forwards Lucas and the Fev to get amongst the goals in what could be another shoot out type of game that has become the norm between these two sides in recent years. With a decided defensive edge, and in better form, the Blues are looking the likely winners here.
Carlton by 17 points.
Collingwood vs. Western Bulldogs Telstra Dome
The Bulldogs are the form team of the competition at the moment and when you look at the lineup it is difficult to pinpoint a weakness. This is the challenge for Mick Malthouse this week and he has to do it without Josh Fraser, Anthony Rocca, Travis Cloke and Leon Davis. It is a task I believe to beyond him, even though Collingwood normally relishes the underdog role. The Pies may have had a day out against Geelong but this has not been the form that the Pies have shown most weeks this season. The Dogs on the other hand, have been the very definition of the word consistency and should add another scalp to the ever growing list. The Pies forward line looks very suspect and the back six of the Bulldogs is the most improved in the competetion. It could be a very long day for Magpies fans.
Western Bulldogs by 43 points.
Dang. Same as habib. Patience REB patience!
regards,
REB
