AFL

Western Bulldogs v Melbourne Demons Saturday 25/9/21 This shapes as a hugely intriguing grand final clash - and we still don’t really know how many people will be allowed at Optus Stadium with WA’s COVID scare. There is so much on the line for the Demons as they look to break a near-60 year premiership drought. But I’m tipping the

Melbourne v Geelong Cats Friday 10/9/21 A big test for Melbourne as they face the finals-hardened Cats, but I think they’re up to winning this clash and securing a grand final spot. They’ll have to overcome a Geelong side which has proven to excel at this ground of Optus Stadium. In two matches at the venue this year, they’ve wiped

Geelong Cats v GWS Giants Friday 3/9/21 There’s been plenty of discussion about how the Cats fare in various stages of the finals’ series after last week’s qualifying demolition at the hands of Port. Virtually nothing went right for the Cats, but it wasn’t a huge surprise to some given they have an appalling record in the first week of finals.

Second Qualifying Final -Port Adelaide Power v Geelong Cats Friday 27/8/21 Keen on the Cats to topple Port here at Adelaide Oval. I know this is home ground advantage for the Power, but it won’t be a full house due to COVID restrictions. I’m sure that’ll somewhat nullify any perceived advantage for Port. This is the second year running the

Western Bulldogs v Port Adelaide Power Friday 20/8/21 Cracking contest to kick off the round with third-placed Port coming up against a fourth-placed Bulldogs side looking to get out of a slump. After consecutive losses to Essendon and Hawthorn, there’s cause for concern with the Dogs, but they are still favourites here. There’s plenty on the line with a top two

Greater Western Sydney Giants v Richmond Tigers Friday 13/8/21 Greater Western Sydney has made six changes for its all-important Friday night clash with Richmond. Jesse Hogan, Jacob Hopper, Shane Mumford and Josh Kelly are among the big-name inclusions for the Giants, while Toby Greene will miss through suspension. The Tigers are unchanged from the side that defeated North Melbourne last

Geelong Cats v Greater Western Sydney Giants Friday 6/8/21 The Cats have won 15 of their last 16 at GMHBA Stadium and will prove tough to roll for the Giants. Not only do they love this venue, the Cats have also only tasted defeat once from their past 12 recent outings and are rightly considered a serious premiership contender. They’ll be

St Kilda Saints v Carlton Blues Friday 30/7/21 Carlton finally gets exciting pair Charlie Curnow with Harry McKay back together to form an exciting forward line once again, but will it be enough to counter an improving Saints? Despite losing their past two, the Saints are surging towards finals and have won their past five here at Marvel. Carlton is no

Port Adelaide Power v Collingwood Magpies Friday 23/7/21 A must-win for the Power if they are to make any claim for the top four. Much has been made about Port’s credentials in season 2021, but the fact is they’ve now won six of their past eight. They also welcome back a trio of important youngsters, with Connor Rozee, Zak Butters

Fremantle Dockers v Geelong Cats Thursday 15/7/21 An intriguing Thursday night encounter in the west offers Fremantle a rich chance to prove its finals’ worth. The Dockers will need to be at their best as they face a Geelong side which has won eight of its last nine games. This is the first time the Cats will play a game in

Port Adelaide Power v Melbourne Demons Thursday 8/7/21 A Thursday night blockbuster pits second-placed Melbourne with four-placed Port Adelaide. This is an important clash for both sides, but particularly Port as they look to cement a spot in the top four. While they’ve won five of their past six, Port have enjoyed a breezy run in recent weeks and will

Gold Coast Suns v Richmond Tigers Thursday 1/7/2021 One of the major reshuffles in this COVID-ravaged fixture comes first up with the Suns ‘hosting’ the reigning premiers at Marvel Stadium. The Suns will be without ruckman Zac Smith (concussion) and onballers Noah Anderson (hand) and Hugh Greenwood (personal reasons) unavailable. Co-captain David Swallow returns from concussion as some consolation. For Richmond,

Geelong Cats v Western Bulldogs Friday 18/6/21 Geelong has home ground advantage as they look to keep momentum after a hard-fought away win over Port last week. They are unbeaten at GMHBA Stadium this year and this time they’ll play in front of a small amount of fans. Shaun Higgins will miss for the Cats but is replaced by prolific

Port Adelaide v Geelong Cats Thursday 10/6/2021 Port host Geelong at Adelaide Oval in what shapes as a blockbuster for a surprise (and welcome) return to Thursday night footy. The Power come off two wins, but they’ve been far from convincing – limping past Collingwood before beating poor travellers Fremantle at home. Geelong are on a four-game winning streak, but

It’s the first of the bye-rounds, with just the six games of footy and the COVID situation placing a couple of games in different locations. Melbourne Demons v Brisbane Lions Friday 4/6/21 A blockbuster clash to kick off round 12 with premiership fancies Brisbane and Melbourne facing off at Giants Stadium (due to COVID restrictions). The Lions are the form team

Western Bulldogs v Melbourne Demons Friday 28/5/21 A massive top-of-the-table contest and a chance for these two sides to cement their premiership credentials. Both sides have lost only once this season, with the Demons suffering a shock loss to the Crows last week and the Dogs faltering to the reigning premiers five Friday nights ago. These two sides come into

Brisbane Lions v Richmond Tigers Friday 21/5/21 Apart from last year’s loss in week one of the finals here at the Gabba, the Tigers have dominated the Lions in recent encounters. That also includes an away win last year in round 10 at Metricon. The Gabba is also a happy hunting ground for the Tigers, especially after the grand final triumph of

St Kilda Saints v Geelong Cats Friday 14/5/21 Two big wins in recent weeks has once again announced the Cats as likely premiership contenders after a shaky start to the season. The Cats have won their past four against the Saints and will be looking to extend that by exploiting a defence without Zak Jones. With the Cats boasting in-form forward trio

Richmond v Geelong Friday 7/5/21 A mouth-watering Friday night clash to kick off the round as last year’s grand finalists face off in another edition of their classic modern-day rivalry. While I’ve got no doubt these two sides will be fighting for a top four finish this year, neither side has been overly convincing early on this season. The Tigers

Richmond v Western Bulldogs Friday 30/4/2021 If the Tigers weren’t ripe for the picking on form after a shaky 3-3 start, then they sure are now without Dustin Martin, Kane Lambert and Dylan Grimes also in doubt. The Dogs actually have a good record over the Tigers in recent years, winning three of the last five and going down by

Greater Western Sydney v Western Bulldogs Friday 23/4/2021 The Bulldogs streaked to 5-0 for the first time since 1946 by thrashing Gold Coast at Marvel Stadium last weekend. They did the hard work early with the first 11 goals of the match to eventually ease down and win by 62 points. They now take on the Giants at Manuka, with

Sydney Swans v Essendon 8/4/2021 These two sides come off similar upset wins last week, but it was the Swans most impressive in their 45-point romp of reigning premiers Richmond. The Swans have surprised many by starting the season in scintillating fashion to be undefeated. Perhaps most impressive is the calibre of sides they’ve beaten thus far – grand finalists

Collingwood v Brisbane Thursday 1/04/21 This is a make-or-break game for early flag favourites Brisbane after successive losses to start the year. They were simply under-prepared a white-hot Sydney outfit in round one before a gallant loss to the Cats last week. Brisbane’s stats so far this season are far from impressive in a number of key areas: last for