Tomorrow there will be three AFL games, and they look like being crackers (well two of them do). First up Richmond take on Hawthorn at the MCG, followed by the Doggies and Dons at Docklands and West Coast vs Geelong in Perth.
Richmond and Hawthorn will both be contending for the finals this year, and the game will be a close one. Richmond suffered a loss last week in their grand final rematch with Adelaide, while Hawthorn are still undefeated. This game will tell us whether the Tigers have it in them to push for back to back titles. It will also show whether the Hawks are back in business after missing the AFL finals last year.
If they are to win Richmond will need to shut down Tom Mitchell. He has been best on ground in his last two games, and is a crucial part of Hawthorns attack. The Tigers will also need to fix up their defence, which has been much weaker so far than it was last year.
Hawthorn need to keep Mitchell’s opposite Dustin Martin under control. The battle between the two midfielders will go a long way towards deciding this match. The Hawks will also take plenty of confidence out of their thriller against Geelong. The game will be close, but I think Hawthorn will clinch it.
Western Bulldogs will be thrashed by Essendon. Footscray have been abysmal so far this season, and there is no sign that things are looking up. They have the makings of a very good team in a few years, but this AFL season is effectively gone.
Essendon, on the other hand, are an offense oriented team. Given the Bulldogs lack of intensity in defence, this is a recipe for the Bombers to score plenty of points. Essendon by 30 or 40 points.
West Coast will take on Geelong at Optus Stadium in the last match of the round. The Eagles will take a lot of confidence out of their thrashing of the Bulldogs last week. Geelong, however, will be a different beast altogether – especially after they were pipped at the post last week by Hawthorn.
The Cats still have plenty of star power in their line up, and will have plenty of motivation after their one point loss to the Hawks. They will be out to prove a point this week, and remind the Sydney and Adelaide teams that they are a force to be reckoned with. Both sides are scoring heavily this AFL season, so expect plenty of points. I’ll tip the Cats by 6, with both teams scoring over 100.