Schedule Preview & Breakdown
Sydney v Carlton at the SCG, Friday Night
Oh dear, this is not going to make for the most attractive Friday Night game.
The Blues were at least competitive against the Cats last week and being the big stage of Friday Night, maybe they will lift.
I can't see them getting anywhere near troubling a Sydney side that is starting to get into their groove for the year after winning 4 of their last 5 matches.
The only loss being a 2 point one to North Melbourne.
Isaac Heeney continues to impress in the Midfield and gives it a fresher look alongside older war horses Kennedy, Hannebery and Jack.
Parker continues to play a lot more up Forward but he looks a lot more dangerous when he is let free on the ball and will be interesting to see where he lines up this week.
With skipper Murphy re injuring his foot a lot of responsibility again falls on the shoulders of Cripps and Ed Curnow in the middle of the park.
The Blues really lack depth in the Midfield but will be buoyed by the performance of number 3 pick Paddy Dow last week.
Looking at recent match ups and Blues fans will be hoping they get a lot closer than the 81 point margin at the SCG in Round 23 last year.
It is noteworthy that the Blues did upset Sydney earlier in 2017 in Melbourne, so that will give them some confidence that at their best they could get something from this match.
All in all I think it will be a fairly regulation win for the Swans.
Prediction: Sydney by 40 points
Western Bulldogs v Melbourne at Etihad Stadium Saturday afternoon
The Demons are seriously flying this year and they are rightfully high up in the Premiership markets.
After drought breaking Grand Final wins for Western and Richmond the last couple of years, could we see it happen again this year with the Dee's saluting?
The Dogs have tried to up the ante in recent times and get that handball game going but they just lack finishers.
Their lack of goal scoring ability is starting to become a real concern.
After only 2 goals for the match against Adelaide (albeit in the wet), they were held goalless in the 2nd half against Collingwood.
If they thought those matches were tough they are not going to know what hit them this week when they meet a white hot Demons side that have won their last games by 36, 39, 69, 109 and 91 points.
The Dogs will get a lift both defensively and emotionally with the return of club legend Dale Morris but it won't be enough.
While Morris will take on Hogan, the Demons just get so many goals from their Midfield and smaller Forwards.
They also have Tom Mcdonald playing as a deep Key Forward and he has returned from that foot injury in brilliant fashion to give the Demons a lethal 1,2 punch in there.
Petracca, Neale-Bullen, Melksham, Harmes, Fritsch, Gawn when he rests Forward, the list of scoring threats just goes on and on.
Their Midfield has gone to another level also with the return of Viney and the massive improvement in Angus Brayshaw's game.
He is showing the football world exactly why he was taken so highly in the draft and he is fast becoming a star in his own right.
The Dogs do like Etihad and will try to use the speed of Mclean, Hunter and Dalhaus along with the classy ball use of Macrae to worry the Demons but the longer the game goes the more separation we will see on the scoreboard.
Prediction: Melbourne by 56 points
Hawthorn v Port Adelaide at UTAS Stadium in Launceston, Saturday Afternoon
The Hawks season is slowly slipping away after 3 straight losses and they will welcome playing the Power at their 2nd home ground in Launceston.
The Hawks have a great record at UTAS and know how to play the ground.
The Power players will be fresh after having a bye last week on the back of their China trip.
I hope the Power players are nice and rested because a desperate Hawthorn side will no doubt make this a very hard, physical contest.
The Power are in good form after their thrilling derby win against Adelaide snapped them out of a mini rut.
They then backed it up with a strong win against Gold Coast in China.
The Power have a good recent record against the Hawks and have beat them 3 out of the last 4 times they've met.
However none of those times has been in Launceston.
Looking at the match ups and Tom Mitchell will again be instrumental to the Hawks chances and will be relied on to win them a lot of the ball.
Jaeger was good last week and can do it on the inside and the outside.
Howe is a good inclusion and is a tough Midfielder who can do an excellent run with role when required.
I am tipping he might run with Polec and try and cut out his damaging run while Isaac Smith will try to get off the leash going the other way.
Power's Midfield probably bats a bit deeper than Hawthorns especially with Rockliffe now back in ball winning form, but overall I think the Hawks match up well with Port.
Frawley played his best game in a while last week at Full Back and will back himself in to keep big Charlie quiet.
Stratton is playing good football and I like the hardness he, Hardwick and Sicily give their backline.
I think the Hawks backline can cut out the scoring power of Port especially at the UTAS ground and I think that will pave the way for a grinding much needed Hawthorn victory.
Prediction: Hawks by 12 points
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