Sir Doug Nicholls Round starts this weekend, in which the AFL celebrates and recognises past and current Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander players.
It all kicks off with Port Adelaide vs Melbourne tomorrow night at the Adelaide Oval in what will be a tightly contested battle, particularly with Port's home ground advantage.
The annual Dreamtime at the 'G game will take place as part of the celebrations, with Essendon and Richmond going head-to-head in what looms as an important clash for both teams. Richmond will be looking to back up their strong win against Geelong and celebrate Nick Vlaustin's 200th, as well as Shai Bolton's 100th game. Meanwhile, Essendon will be hoping to bounce back from their loss to Brisbane.
Round 10 isn't short of blockbusters, as we look to traditional rivals Carlton and Collingwood facing off at the MCG on Sunday 3:20pm (AEST), and with Carlton's finals hopes slowly fading away, they'll have a point to prove against the Pies.
It's shaping up to be an exciting round, so we've named the five players to watch out for this weekend.
Jy Simpkin
As Alastair Clarkson announced this morning that he would be taking personal leave indefinitely from North Melbourne amidst ongoing racism investigations, Jy Simpkin will need to step up and lead the midfield, and the entire team as co-captain.
With a raft of injuries to key players, none bigger than Luke Davies-Uniacke, Simpkin will have to lead from the front if North are to start putting wins on the board. Simpkin has had an up and down season, missing one game with a hand injury and another to suspension, whilst also being fined for throwing Mattaes Phillipou's GPS tracker across the ground.
If he is to set an example for the club during this unknown period, he'll be looking to avoid incidents like that and play good footy, with North Melbourne taking on the 14th placed Swans at Marvel this weekend in what looms as an opportunity for their third win.
Simpkin is starting to put some strong form together, featuring in the Roos' best twice in the last three weeks. He had 26 disposals and five tackles against Port Adelaide last weekend and will need to replicate that on Saturday afternoon if North are to knock off the Swans.
Max King
Max King makes his long awaited return for St Kilda this weekend, having originally been touted to return a couple of weeks ago. Ross Lyon confirmed this morning that St Kilda's key forward will return against the Giants and comes at the perfect time, as the Saints will be missing Tim Membrey due to concussion protocols.
King scored 52 goals in 2022, including a five-goal haul in his last game in Round 23 last year against the Swans. Taking on the Giants in Sydney on Sunday afternoon, King will be hoping to get through the game unscathed and provide a tall, marking option up forward for the Saints alongside Anthony Caminiti.
King's inclusion will also allow small forwards Mitch Owens and Jack Higgins to move further up the ground, but also continue to be damaging up forward. Overall, King aids St Kilda's structure and they'll be happy to welcome him back this weekend.
Marc Pittonet
With Collingwood announcing that Darcy Cameron may return for his first game back from and MCL injury against Carlton on the weekend, Pittonet may be coming up against the imposing ruck duo in Cox and Cameron.
The game is particularly important for the Blues and looms as a turning point in their season. Carlton have lost four of their last five games and if they are any chance of causing an upset on Sunday, Pittonet will have to produce a strong performance in the ruck.
Pittonet has already equalled the amount of games he played last year, proving to Carlton why he can be their number-one ruck option. Continuing to improve his skills each week, he has recorded 48 hitouts for his last two games, his highest so far for the season, and now ranks above average for hitouts and hitouts to advantage.
It will be a tough battle, but with Carlton's season on the line, Pittonet will be ready for the challenge ahead on Sunday.
Matt Rowell
Matt Rowell is piecing together a strong season, and he will be part of an intriguing midfield battle against the Lions in Saturday's Q Clash.
After criticism of his performances from Rounds 4-6, Rowell has bounced back with impressive performances and has been producing a consistent few weeks, after his first two years at Gold Coast were plagued by injury.
Rowell is ranked elite for tackles, producing a whopping average of nine per game, whilst also ranking elite for clearances with an average of 7.7 per game.
Rowell played a career-best game last weekend in the Suns' win over West Coast, finishing with 29 disposals, six clearances, an enormous 17 tackles, and a goal. He'll need to replicate those efforts against the likes of Lachie Neale, Josh Dunkley, and Will Ashcroft if the Suns' are any chance of knocking the Lions off at their Gabba fortress.
Shai Bolton
It will be a massive game for Bolton on Saturday night, playing his 100th AFL game on Saturday night. The game has extra significance for Bolton, a proud Noongar man from Western Australia, as the milestone will fall on Richmond's Dreamtime at the 'G game as part of the Sir Doug Nicholls Indigenous Round celebrations.
Bolton had a career-best game against the Eagles in Round 8, having 31 disposals, five tackles and capping it off with three goals.
Bolton signed a five-year contract extension at the end of last year and is repaying Richmond, ranking above average for disposals, clearances and kicks. Bolton is a big-time player, and will be hoping to perform and show a few party tricks on Saturday night.
