Round 3 saw several teams cement themselves as threats this season, while others simply sunk. But what will happen in AFL round 4?
Tonight we can expect Adelaide – who are at home – to thrash Collingwood. After a minor blip in round one, the Crows have been very impressive over the last two weeks. Collingwood, meanwhile, have only beaten Carlton and will in all likelihood be one of the teams propping up the bottom of the ladder.
On Saturday GWS are taking their home game to Canberra. Why a new team that doesn’t have its own support base built up is sacrificing home games is beyond me, but there it is. Each team has lost one game, both to serious contenders, but the Giants look stronger.
Saturday afternoon also sees defending premiers Richmond playing the winless Brisbane at the MCG. While the Lions were gallant in defeat last week against the highly favoured Port Adelaide, they have also been embarrassed by lesser teams this season. The Tigers will prove themselves the kings of the jungle.
The third afternoon game will be at Docklands, where the Bulldogs will be beaten by the Swans. While the Doggies were impressive in their win over Essendon, the Swans were more so in their victory against fellow premiership contender GWS.
On Saturday night North Melbourne, who don’t look that strong themselves, will face the abjectly awful Carlton. The Kangaroos will most likely win, but the game will not be one for the ages.
In a clear attempt to get people to spend their Saturday in front of the TV, AFL round 4 will again feature 5 games – and not even back to back, but rather conflicting. The channel surfing will finally come to an end in the last half hour or so of the Eagles vs the Suns.
In the battle of the coasts the Westies are the favourites, but not by much. After a loss at home to Sydney to start the season, they have been impressive in wins over the Cats and Magpies. Gold Coast, meanwhile, have also only had one loss, against Fremantle last week – but it was convincing.
On Sunday Essendon, who got everyone excited by beating the Crows in week 1, will continue their fall from grace. Port Adelaide will give them a thrashing to remain undefeated this season.
The game of the round could well be Hawthorn vs Melbourne at the MCG. The Demons have the potential to be a dark horse this year. Even though the Hawks are generally trending downwards, they are still a team of champions who cannot be written off.
Finally Geelong will flog St Kilda. The Cats have been unlucky this year, while the Saints are just awful. And that’s it for AFL round 4 – try to at least stand up a few times on Saturday!