Round 14: Previews and Predictions

Adelaide vs. Hawthorn Thursday, Adelaide Oval 7:50pm, AEST The Crows continue to be one of the leaders of the competition, sitting in first place at the moment. They will no doubt come into this game with confidence as they face the lowly Hawks. Hawthorn's season got worse during the week, as it was announced Jaeger O'Meara had suffered another injury setback. This only compounds their problem in the middle, as they are struggling to win the ball. Despite the disparity in ladder positions, it should be a closer game than expected. In saying that the Crows will be far too strong at home. Tip: Crows by 28 Sydney vs. Essendon Friday, SCG 7:50pm, AEST This game has the makings of a Friday night classic. The Swans are in hot form and at home, however, Essendon seem to step-up when facing big challenges. The battle in the midfield should be interesting. There are a number of big names, however the Bombers statistically are actually one of the worse midfields in the league. They rank 17th in clearances, and 14th in contested disposals. There is the chance of an upset here, as Essendon have the calibre to produce the odd stunning result. However, when deciding who to pick in this one, you can't go past the Swans at SCG. Tip: Swans by 19 Collingwood vs. Port Adelaide Saturday, MCG 1:45pm, AEST Another potential game of the round, these two will no doubt take part in a physical affair. The Power have had the wood over Collingwood of late, and will look to further their good record against the Pies. Port Adelaide will have plenty to prove after their last performance in Melbourne. In that one they got taken apart by the Bombers, and really looked like a second rate side. If you were Nathan Buckley and the Collingwood coaching staff you would go straight to that tape and examine just how Essendon did it. The Magpies need to find consistent goal-kickers and it's one area that the Power will have the advantage. The likes of Wingard, Dixon, Westhoff, and Gray all have the ability to kick a bag and should get Port Adelaide over the line. Tip: Power by 32 Brisbane vs. GWS Saturday, Gabba 4:35pm, AEST The Lions are playing some really exciting football of late, however, face a giant task against GWS. At home, hopefully Brisbane offer up more of what they have dished out lately, and take it up to their south of border opponents. The Giants class and talent across the ground should be far too much for the Lions to handle. This could offer up a big opportunity for GWS to get closer to the Crows in regards to percentage. Tip: Giants by 43 Western Bulldogs vs. North Melbourne Saturday, Etihad Stadium 7:25pm, AEST Plenty has been said about the Bulldogs this week. Rumours of in-fighting have spread across the AFL media landscape. Look for this to only inspire the Dogs, which won't bode well for North Melbourne. These two have a relatively even head-to-head in recent times, with North Melbourne in fact leading 6-4 over their past ten clashes. The Roos put in an insipid performance last week, while fans have received backlash for not turning out to support their team. So it isn't just the Dogs who will be looking to prove a point. The Dogs are going to come out firing in this one, and could very well put a young Roos side to the sword. Tip: Dogs by 41 West Coast vs. Melbourne Saturday, Domain Stadium 7:40pm, AEST Melbourne claimed a huge win last weekend, knocking off the reigning premiers in style. But now they make the trip out to Domain Stadium to play the Eagles without Nathan Jones. West Coast have a terrific record at home, and are almost impossible to tip against when they are playing at Domain Stadium. Max Gawn is a huge in for the Demons, however will he be able to get his side over the line in his first game back? It should be a tough battle across the ground, with both sides not against taking it up to their opposition in regards to physicality. Some big outs, and travelling away from home will hurt the Demons, and the Eagles should take full advantage. Tip: Eagles by 33 Geelong vs. Fremantle Sunday, Simonds Stadium 1:10pm, AEST Fremantle are slowly dropping back down the ladder and are facing a tough task in Geelong at Simonds Stadium. The Dangerwood combination is likely to wreak havoc in the midfield, especially considering that Nat Fyfe is having his share of troubles. It will be interesting to see if Ross Lyon decides to tag one of the Cats' stars, as going head-to-head will likely go against them. At home, and looking to be the real deal, Geelong should take the four points in this one. Tip: Cats by 37 Richmond vs. Carlton Sunday, MCG 3:20pm, AEST Another chapter in a classic rivalry, that of late hasn't quite lived up to the hype. This time around however could be a different story because the Blues are on a roll. Richmond are coming off another tight loss, which leads their fans to ask what is going on. The Tigers should have the strength and quality to get over this one, they are due for a big win and this could very well be it. Hopefully the Blues can take it up to them however it is difficult to predict which version of Carlton will indeed show up to play. Tip: Tigers by 21 St Kilda vs. Gold Coast Sunday, Etihad Stadium 4:40pm, AEST This match could very well boil down to which Gold Coast decides to show up. Will it be the exciting, attacking version, or will it be the side that looks like they won't make finals in the next five years. St Kilda's doubters still linger despite a win over the Roos last week. They will no doubt be hungry to claim another four points and continue their march up the ladder. Tom Lynch had a below par this game, and will be hoping to return to some form. The performance of the major forwards should be an indicator on who will take the upper-hand, and the Saints look likely. Tip: Saints by 27

		P	W	L	PTS	%
1	ADEL	23	18	5	72	139.3
2	GEEL	23	17	6	68	141.5
3	BL	23	16	6	66	114.2
4	COLL	23	16	7	64	122.4
5	GWS	23	16	7	64	115.3
6	FRE	23	16	7	64	109
7	GC	23	15	8	60	124.9
8	HAW	23	15	8	60	120.9

Round 14: Previews and Predictions

Western Bulldogs vs. North Melbourne

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