Saints great Nick Dal Santo has revealed which teams he believes most need a win in round one onย SEN.
5. St Kilda (vs Gold Coast at Marvel Stadium)
After finishing last season with just four wins, a loss to the wooden spoon-bound Suns on their own deck would paint a grim picture for St Kilda's 2018 campaign
โThis game is really important for the Saints for different reasons," Dal Santo told SEN.
"Iโve had a look at their first six weeks. Theyโve got the Suns at home, the Bombers at home, the Dockers away, the Hawks at home, the Dees at the MCG and the Crows at home.
โItโs not easy. Itโd be nice to get one off the top to take a little bit of pressure off certain players and coaches.โ
4. North Melbourne (vs Fremantle at Optus Stadium)
The Roos were thereabouts last year, narrowly missing finals despite featuring in the top eight throughout the season. A bit of a harsh call from Dal Santo here, as Fremantle are always tough to beat over there.
โThey were right around the mark with two rounds to go last year, they bring in four prominent players from other clubs who will probably be the mix for their Round 1 best 22.
โThey need to get off to a good start away from home, which is probably the perfect opportunity to go over there and travel when you havenโt come off the back of a previous game.
โThis is a must-win. Got to get off to a good start for the Kangaroos.โ
3. Adelaide (vs Hawthorn at Adelaide Oval)
After slipping from a grand final appearance in 2017 to all the way out of the eight last year, many experts are tipping the Crows to return to the September stage. If they can't claim four points against the new-look Hawks in round one, questions will start getting asked about Don Pyke's team.
โOff the back of last year, everything that could go wrong did go wrong. Nothing went their way.
โIf they can get off to a good start against the Hawks at Adelaide Oval, they might bounce right back this year.โ
2. and 1. Essendon vs GWS at Sydney Showground Stadium
An interesting call from Dal Santo here. With both teams looking to make a push for the top four, a win is critical to prove they are ready to go to the next level.
โTheyโre both of equal importance. I think itโs really important for both teams from where I expect them to finish on the ladder.
โMaybe theyโre finishing top four if everything goes right. Maybe theyโre getting squeezed out of the eight if it all goes wrong so if you can get one up on an opposition whoโs probably going to be in that category come the end of the year, I think theyโre off to a good start.
โThatโs a huge start.โ
