West Coast vs. Hawthorn (Subiaco Oval, 8:10pm Friday 19 August)
What a way to start the weekend of footy! West Coast ($1.82) host Hawthorn ($1.98) at Subiaco in what is the rematch to last season’s premiership decider. The Eagles will surely be waving a ride of confidence after last week’s nail-biting win over Greater Western Sydney away from home. Nic Naitanui has added plenty to the Eagles’ line up since his return from injury and midfielder Luke Shuey was phenomenal against the Giants. With that being said, I feel as though the Hawks have a definite mental advantage over their opponents. They were great early on in the contest against North Melbourne last week before fading late. It is a tough one to tip but my heart and head both tell me to stick with Hawthorn in a close one.
North Melbourne vs. Sydney (Blundstone Arena, 1:45pm Saturday 19 August)
The Kangaroos ($3.30) kicked into gear late in the contest against Hawthorn last week, but unfortunately for them it was a case of too little too late. They will need a better start this week if they are to get anywhere near the Swans ($1.33) who are arguably the in-form team of the competition. Big Buddy Franklin loves playing against the Kangaroos and his side will be far too strong.
Richmond vs. St Kilda (MCG, 2:10pm Saturday 19 August)
You have to be a tremendously brave man to back the Tigers ($1.95) in after last week’s collapse against Geelong. But something is telling me that Richmond will respond strongly and cause a slight upset on Saturday afternoon. Without taking the context into account, a four-point loss to Geelong is not a terrible result for a side in their position. Plus the Tigers have a good record against St Kilda ($1.85) and generally play well at the MCG.
Greater Western Sydney vs. Fremantle (Spotless Stadium, 4:10pm Saturday 19 August)
GWS ($1.02) will be furious dropping such an important game last week, especially this close to their first finals series. On the other side of the ledger, the Dockers ($13.25) have nothing but pride to play for and are already thinking of next season so this one is a no-brainer.
Collingwood vs. Gold Coast (Etihad Stadium, 7:25pm Saturday 19 August)
The ‘Pies ($1.30) were pretty good last week on Friday night football against the Western Bulldogs and perhaps unlucky not to walk away with the four points. They will certainly be looking to make amends this week against a Gold Coast ($3.50) side that embarrassingly lost against the Bombers. You would expect some more pride in the performance of the Suns, but it won’t be enough to topple Collingwood.
Port Adelaide vs. Adelaide (Adelaide Oval, 7:40pm Saturday 19 August)
There certainly hasn’t been the usual hype surrounding this Showdown, but these matches rarely fail to deliver. Port Adelaide ($5.40) have been terrible in recent weeks with little to play for in regards to their finals prospects this season. But Showdown matches are about pride and there is no way they would want to get beaten up badly by crosstown rivals Adelaide ($1.15). I am certainly not going to advocate tipping the Power, but perhaps it could be closer than many think.
Carlton vs. Melbourne(MCG, 1:10pm Sunday 20 August)
The Demons ($1.30) are all the rage at the moment and amazingly are still in finals contention. Their future in 2016 will largely be reliant on the performances of other teams but you can guarantee one thing and that is that the Demons will do all they can from their end. The Blues ($3.50) dropped a very winnable game last weekend against Brisbane and I can’t help but think that it might serious dent the morale of the group. Get on Melbourne with big Max Gawn to dominate the ruck contests yet again!
Brisbane vs. Geelong (GABBA, 3:20pm Sunday 20 August)
Unfortunately for Lions ($13) fans, I can only see this match going one way. Brisbane recorded a drought-breaking win over the Blues last week and I think that will be enough satisfaction to last the rest of the season. The Cats ($1.02) are gearing up for finals football and coach Chris Scott would have been less than impressed with the first three quarters from his group last week.
Essendon vs. Western Bulldogs (Etihad Stadium, 4:40pm Sunday 20 August)
The Bombers ($10.75) defied the odds once again to record a spirited second win for the season. But similarly to Brisbane, I think that will be enough to satisfy the side until the season draws to a close. It would take the upset of the season to beat the Bulldogs ($1.04).
Western Bulldogs -50.5 ($2.02)
