What The F-Arc Review

North Melbourne vs. Port Adelaide:

‘What the f-arc?’ indeed. The stand-alone fixture for Saturday failed to cure the footy fix we had all craved, with this game as entertaining as watching paint dry. Port Adelaide were dominant from the word go, with the Kangaroos offering a training drill-eque performance to the Port midfielders. Travis Boak looks in fine form, with many believing he’s a sniff for the Brownlow Medal. One highlight for North Melbourne for the night was Channel 7 gifting their fans 12 seconds of dead air, with the broadcast cutting out what seemed to be the longest game of football all season.

AFL Rd 7 - Carlton v Port Adelaide
BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA - JULY 19: Travis Boak of the Power (second right) celebrates a goal with team mates during the round 7 AFL match between the Carlton Blues and the Port Adelaide Power at The Gabba on July 19, 2020 in Brisbane, Australia. (Photo by Jono Searle/AFL Photos/via Getty Images)

Click here to join SportChamps’ round 16 challenges.

St Kilda vs. Hawthorn

An exciting match early on, with nine goals kicked between both sides in the opening quarter. Alistair Clarkson was looking to pull off another ‘master-class’ coaching display, only for the rampaging Saints to come out on top after the final break. Hard to read the Saints at the moment with these nervous performances, that five-goal win over Port seems an eternity ago. Nick Coffield had a blinder for St Kilda and looks to be progressing nicely in 2020. Saints need a strong finish in their run home if they want a chance of a finals victory.

AFL Rd 3 - Collingwood v St Kilda
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - JUNE 20: Rowan Marshall of the Saints celebrates a goal during the round 3 AFL match between the Collingwood Magpies and the St Kilda Saints at Melbourne Cricket Ground on June 20, 2020 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Darrian Traynor/AFL Photos/via Getty Images )

Geelong vs. Essendon

It seemed the Bombers’ chances of winning were over before the match had started, with the peak-hour Brisbane traffic limiting them to one hour of preparation for Sunday’s clash. If they had any confidence of turning those chances around, it surely would have faded by half time. The Cats were at their best for a stellar four-quarter effort with Tom Hawkins all-but securing the Coleman Medal while Sam Menegola looks to be a great shout for an All-Australian selection on the wing. Interesting to see the Bombers laughing in their huddle when they were down by 10 goals, it must’ve helped as they only lost by 66 points instead of 150.

Western Bulldogs vs. West Coast

What’s the saying? It’s a game of inches? Well according to Marcus Bontempelli its perhaps closer to ‘a bee’s d**k’. The Bulldogs skipper stood up when it mattered to secure four points for his side in a must-win match. The Eagles can’t seem to get the chocolates away from home in these night matches; with their premiership odds plummeting after the Gabba got the nod for the grand final. Josh Dunkley looks to be in the running for All-Australian ruckman after another impressive effort in the middle, while it seems nobody told Jack Macrae it was shorter quarters with the amount of possessions he’s racking up at the moment.

 

Melbourne vs. Fremantle

Hard to tell who’s doing it tougher at the moment, Melbourne as a city or Melbourne as a football team. The Demons drop another game to a side that have nothing left to play for in 2020. Credit to Fremantle though, their ability to stick it complacent clubs when they want to is causing major headaches for the top eight. Yes the conditions didn’t favour fans of high scoring affairs, but it’s time we say goodbye to the ‘first team to 100’ rule. Two goals kicked until half time made for an exciting yet disastrous affair on a Monday night. Now lets never speak of it again.

 

Lower The Eyes

Adelaide vs. Greater Western Sydney

I’m sure all footy fans are looking forward to a clash between bottom-placed Adelaide and finals hopefuls Greater Western Sydney at 5:40 on a Tuesday. The Giants will be without some of their best names due to injury, while the Crows will be without star names due to the fact they have none. The win against the Hawks lifted a huge weight off the shoulders of Matthew Nicks, who is hoping to keep his undefeated September run alive against the Giants. For Leon Cameron, he’ll be hoping to put this game to bed early, but we’re sure the Crows will come out firing once again.

CANBERRA, AUSTRALIA - MARCH 08: Stephen Coniglio of the GWS during the 2019 JLT Community Series AFL match between the Greater Western Sydney Giants and the Adelaide Crows at UNSW Canberra Oval on March 08, 2019 in Canberra, Australia. (Photo by Tracey Nearmy/Getty Images)

Join the latest SportChamps AFL tournaments here.

Carlton vs. Sydney

It would be so Carlton to come close to the top eight only to finish in the bottom six. Tuesday night’s clash is their final chance to make the top eight, as they need a near-perfect run home whilst rival sides must fall at every hurdle. The Blues will be looking to put the Giants loss behind them after giving up a defendable lead at three quarter time. The Swans were flying against Melbourne last week and will be looking to do the same at Metricon. If Tom Papley is still keen on a move to Ikon Park, he’ll be dictating the amount of zero’s in his contract in this match.

AFL Rd 8 - Sydney v Hawthorn
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - JULY 25: Tom Papley of the Swans celebrates kicking a goal during the round 8 AFL match between the Sydney Swans and the Hawthorn Hawks at the Sydney Cricket Ground on July 25, 2020 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)

Brisbane vs. Gold Coast

Ah the Q-clash, football’s most enticing derby. To be fair, this season’s match is offering as a tasty four quarters for the neutral fans. Brisbane should roll the Suns with comfort, but expect a young Gold Coast crew to throw everything they’ve got in the opening quarter. Weather forecast suggests another wet evening in Brisbane, so we could get a nail-biter after all. A win places the Lions temporarily in 2nd place with the Cats facing Richmond on Friday, with their hopes of a Gabba-fest come finals on the line against their biggest rival.

BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA - AUGUST 10: Charlie Cameron of the Lions celebrates a goal during the round 21 AFL match between the Brisbane Lions and the Gold Coast Suns at The Gabba on August 10, 2019 in Brisbane, Australia. (Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images)

St Kilda vs. West Coast

Round 17 opens with two sides desperate to prove their doubters wrong on Thursday night. The Saints won’t match up well against the Eagles given their lack of height forward and inconsistent defensive structure, but they have the upper-hand in the midfield. The Eagles will be without Elliot Yeo and Luke Shuey while questions remain on the fitness of Nic Naitanui. The Saints will be struggling to regain key names too, with Max King and Tim Membrey also hoping to come back from injury. This game seems like one of those matches where either side could win comfortably, but you’d put your money on West Coast to get the job done.

PERTH, AUSTRALIA - JUNE 02: Jack Darling of the Eagles handpasses the ball during the 2018 AFL round 11 match between the West Coast Eagles and the St Kilda Saints at Optus Stadium on June 02, 2018 in Perth, Australia. (Photo by Daniel Carson/AFL Media/Getty Images)