It’s Retro Round! How fun!
Remember the big hair and the short-shorts? Muddy grounds, umpires in lab coats, streakers! How about the Scanlen footy cards from the early 80’s that smelled like bubble gum? You had to wipe away the white powder that came off the chewy to see the faces of the footballers on the cards. In hindsight, all of that sounds a lot like a regular weekend at Charlie Sheen’s house!
Oh, what about no MRP? All in brawls that rivalled the WWE, and if the umpire missed the punch and you didn’t get reported then and there, you were in the clear. Good times!
Anyway, it’s already Round 18! Get your disco on, party like it’s 1979, and have yourself a GROOVY weekend!
Collingwood vs. North Melbourne (Etihad Stadium)
North Melbourne is in more trouble than a pregnant nun! After winning their first nine games, albeit against relatively easy opponents, they were sitting pretty on top of the ladder and the questions began to swirl. How good are they? Are they contenders or pretenders? With each subsequent loss, they’ve slowly slid down into eighth spot, and with injury concerns and several out of form players, the Roo are just barely hanging on. One more win will surely keep them in eighth spot, but I’m not sure they’ll get that security this week. A Friday night game against the Magpies won’t be an easy task, and despite Collingwood’s loss to Adelaide last week, they defended well and played out the game without being disgraced. The Roos’ aren’t in a good headspace. They’re playing like a team under pressure. The confidence and run that was clearly evident early in the season has all but dried up. Any team worth their salt will get a sniff of that doubt and pounce! Career highlight: Brent Harvey will equal Michael Tuck’s playing record of 426 games. Barring unforeseen circumstances, he’ll break it next week against St. Kilda. The team will wear a specially made guernsey with “427” across the front. This week, it’s all about the Pies for mine. Collingwood – 1-39.
Sydney vs. Carlton (SCG)
Despite a plucky comeback against the West Coast Eagles last week, Carlton can’t take it one step further this week against Sydney at home. The Swans will be too strong at the SCG, and they have too much to play for to allow Carlton to win, let alone come anywhere near them. Percentage matters and they’ll open up a decent margin on Bolton’s Boys by three-quarter time. Buddy Franklin is way overdue to kick a bag (he went goalless last week) and he gets his chance here. Put a few dollars on him for 6 goals or more, as well as most goals for the round. Sydney 40+
Gold Coast vs. Fremantle (Metricon Stadium)
This is like the battle of the walking wounded! Both teams have injuries to many of their best players, but there’s no white flags in footy, so play on they must.
Matthew Pavlich will soon become the first Docker to play 350 AFL games, as well as the 15th player to play 350 games in the history of the game. Fremantle will rest Pav this week and allow him to soak up the glory of that lofty career milestone in Round 19, in front of a home crowd (July 31 against Sydney). Fremantle’s outs and injuries, along with the travel factor, will be too much for the Dockers. Gold Coast – Over 15.5
West Coast vs. Melbourne (Domain Stadium)
The Eagles are back at home and they’ll put the foot down against Melbourne. Jesse Hogan was lucky not to get a week’s suspension for his wild elbow whack, but even with Jesse’s bank account being $1000 lighter to enable him to play, he won’t be able to drag the Demons over the line for a win in the west. There are a lot of question marks surrounding the Eagles at the moment. No doubt, they miss Nic Nat in the ruck. He’s crucial to the mid-fielders getting first use of the ball, but he’s still at least three weeks away. A home final is a must for the Eagles. They have to keep winning and they need to open up a percentage advantage by getting some big wins. It starts this week. Like Buddy, Josh Kennedy is also due to kick a bag of goals. He has a tendency to share the ball around too much lately. Still, against Carlton at home, put a few dollars on him for both 5 and 6 goals or more. West Coast 40+
Western Bulldogs vs. St. Kilda (Etihad Stadium)
Jake Stringer is out for at least this week with a shoulder injury. Luckily for him, and the Bulldogs, it’s not a season ending injury. He won’t miss more than one or two games. St. Kilda still has belief that they can make eighth spot, but with a low percentage against them, they’d need a miracle to make it. Even without Stringer up forward, I can’t see the Bulldogs losing this one. No doubt, the Saints play very well at Etihad, but so do the Doggies! Western Bulldogs – 1-39
Geelong vs. Adelaide (Simmonds Stadium)
The Crows have a horrible record at Simmonds Stadium. In fact, they haven’t won there for 13 years! However, the Cats have been downright horrible – full stop! A pre-and-post bye loss, then a wobbly win against a depleted Fremantle team last week, well, let’s just say it’s made Geelong supporters more nervous than a pregnant nun (there she is again). A good start for the Crows will give them the confidence to win. The last time the Crows lost this season, was against Geelong in Round 8. That stat won’t go unnoticed. The Crows have an even spread of elite talent who are all in top form. They also have the scoring capabilities up forward to get the four points here. In what will be an exciting match up, Brownlow Medal favourite, Patrick Dangerfield will likely play on ex-teammate, Rory Sloane. With the Western Bulldogs next, Geelong have to put wins on the board. I don’t think it’ll happen this week. The Crows are just too strong and too confident to lose this one. Tom Hawkins needs to lift his game for the Cats to have any chance. One goal last week, and not until the final quarter, it’s just not good enough for a power forward of his size to be shut out like that. Equally, Geelong’s mid-field must get back to their best and help Patrick Dangerfield get the job done. There are a number of games that Geelong has won that they clearly would have lost without him. Career highlights: Eddie Betts needs two more goals to reach 450 career goals and Corey Enright will equal Ian Nankervis’ record of 325 games. Adelaide 1-39.
Essendon vs. Brisbane (Etihad Stadium)
The battle for the wooden spoon is a contest that should evoke a bit of spirit from both of these teams. Essendon have been building solid momentum of late. They’ve been super competitive, and they’ve been unlucky to lose their past two games. Brisbane are a mess and I can’t see them coming down to Melbourne and getting this win, even if a little thing called “pride” is on the line, the Lions are done. Rhys Mathieson needs a reality check. Here’s a kid who’s played a handful of games and he’s playing on a team that’s won just one match for the year. During the GWS game last week, right after he kicking a goal, he celebrated his achievement by shooting an imaginary rifle toward the crowd, in line with where the ball went. Not only are we living in a world where “a pretend shooting” in a public place is bordering on offensive behaviour, this type of big-headed, cocky, grand standing by a 19-year-old rookie, who also refers to himself as “Beast Mode,” was worthy of being pulled from the ground for disciplinary reasons! Then again, Brisbane would also need a coach who knows what he’s doing to even realize why Mathieson should have been dragged and given an earful. I rest my case! A loss this week means Brisbane will have lost thirteen games in a row (a new club record not to be bragged about), thus securing the wooden spoon and ensuring Justin Leppitsch is a regular at Centrelink in the not-too-distant future. Essendon – 1-39
Hawthorn vs. Richmond (MCG)
Well, Hawthorn just has a way of winning like no other team. The three-peat- premiers know how to get the job done, and they do, each and every week. So, why exactly do we still doubt their ability to make it four premierships in a row? They’re on top of the ladder and they play Richmond this week. Pre-season, the Hawks couldn’t have dreamt up this scenario, not without laughing themselves stupid, and yet, it’s their current reality. The younger guys for Richmond, such as Jayden Short and Oleg Markov are injecting the Tigers with some much-needed new blood. They’ll learn from the senior players, and on the flipside, they’ll fuel the older guys and ignite a spark that sometimes dims when careers are winding down. The Tigers have pulled some quality young talent and depth out of the magician’s hat in recent weeks. I like it. That said, it’ll be another comfortable win for the Hawks this week. Career highlights: Sam Mitchell will also play his 300th game. Hawthorn 25+
Port Adelaide vs: Greater Western Sydney (Adelaide Oval)
Port Adelaide came out firing last week against North Melbourne. They were fast and relentless. They made the Roos’ look tired and slow. Back at home, against the high-scoring Giants, this game will be something to see. The Giants are coming off their huge win against Brisbane and they have to keep winning to secure a top four spot. On the other hand, Port is hot on North Melbourne’s tail for that coveted eighth spot. A win here, especially if North lose to Collingwood on Friday night, means Port are just one game behind pushing North down to 9th spot and out of finals contention. If that’s not motivation, nothing is! Needless to say, Port Adelaide supporters will be cheering for the Pies this week. Charlie Dixon will miss due to an ankle injury, but his impact in recent weeks has been minimal anyway. Port were very, very impressive last week, but they’re even better at home, and they can taste finals. They should win in a close one, but GWS will be out to bury Port’s finals dream once and for all. Career highlights: Robbie Gray plays his 150th game in front of a home crowd. Callan Ward will be the first Giant to play 100 games. Port – 1-39.
Multi-bet
Collingwood vs. North Melbourne – either team under 39.5/Gold Coast Suns H2H/ Sydney 40+/West Coast Eagles 25+/Essendon H2H/ Hawthorn 25+ = $7.62
Multi-treble: Sydney/West Coast/Hawthorn – all 40+ = $4.55
Most Goals for the Week – Buddy Franklin = $3.25
Highest Margin of the Week – Sydney vs Carlton = $2.75
*Odds quoted were current as of July 20, 2016 (Sportsbet).
