AFL
  1. Home
  2. AFL
  3. News
Save
Print
License article

Cats hunting Crows in blockbuster round

Ronny Lerner

1 v 2 under the Friday night lights

The AFL must do fist pumps whenever the first and second-placed teams on the ladder meet, let alone when they do so on a Friday night. This week is one such occasion when the planets align to deliver a true Friday night blockbuster as the Crows host the Cats at Adelaide Oval. Plenty of intrigue surrounds this massive clash. Will superstars Rory Sloane and Paddy Dangerfield line up or will they be late withdrawals? Geelong are aiming to beat Adelaide six times in a row for the first time ever and the Cats have also won their last three games at Adelaide Oval. Geelong's Chris Scott has never lost to the No.1 team in his coaching career, with eight wins and a draw to his credit from nine attempts. The Cats will definitely be buoyed by those encouraging numbers. Geelong journeyman Lachie Henderson plays his 150th AFL game and former first-class cricketer Alex Keath makes his long-awaited debut for the Crows.

Up Next

Hawks smash Freo in Perth

null
Video duration
01:29

More AFL Real Footy Videos

null
Video duration
01:29

Hawks smash Freo in Perth
null
Video duration
01:27

Swans knocking on door of top four
null
Video duration
00:19

Heeney hammers Geary

null
Video duration
01:26

Dogs stay in touch with top eight
null
Video duration
01:25

Bombers continue September surge
null
Video duration
00:37

Hogan stars for Demons
More videos

FootyFix: Can Port hold their ground at MCG

Sam McClure previews all the footy action ahead of round 18 in the AFL.

Lack of MCG experience to work against GWS?

If Adelaide v Geelong is the match of the round, then Richmond v Greater Western Sydney is a close second. The two top-four aspirants do battle at the MCG on Sunday in what promises to be a cracking match. It's the Giants' first match at the home of football since Round 1 last year and in that time the Tigers have played there on 21 occasions. It's fair to say Damien Hardwick's men are a little more familiar with the ground than GWS. There is so much at stake in this one. A win for the Giants could see them move to second place and Richmond drop to eighth. But the Tigers could reach third spot with a victory and send GWS tumbling out of the top four. Giants star Stephen Coniglio has been named to play his first game since injuring his ankle in round eight but there is still no sign of Jeremy Cameron.

Melbourne bring back the big guns for Power play

With their season hitting a mini speed bump in the past three weeks, the Demons have given themselves a huge opportunity to get back on track with a host of stars returning to their line-up for their huge meeting with Port Adelaide at the MCG on Saturday. Dom Tyson, Jack Watts, Jack Viney and Christian Salem are all back from injury to try and help Melbourne stay in the top eight. The Power are fourth and could climb to third with a victory over the Dees but they only have a 2-5 record against top eight teams this year and Melbourne will certainly give them a run for their money. Watts plays his 150th game while Charlie Dixon brings up game No.100.

Advertisement

History suggests St Kilda are in for a long night on Saturday

After dropping out of the top eight last week, St Kilda couldn't have picked a worse opponent to play against, or ground to play at, to try and revive their finals hopes. The Saints do battle with Sydney at the SCG on Saturday night and history doesn't make for good reading if you're a St Kilda diehard. The Saints have lost nine of their last 10 games against the Swans by an average of 48 points, including the last seven in a row. It's been five years since St Kilda have toppled Sydney. And since 1998, the Saints have only won two of 13 matches at the SCG. When you add the fact the Swans are the form team of the competition having won nine of their last 10 games, including their last six on the trot, and are fresh from downing premiership fancies GWS, it all adds up to a hard night at the office for Alan Richardson's men.

Which Essendon team will rock up this week?

On the face of it, Essendon's task of beating a decimated and demoralised North Melbourne outfit on Saturday at Etihad Stadium is a fairly easy one. Not only are the Kangaroos second last with just four wins to their credit, but they are also without key players such as Mason Wood, Jack Ziebell, Todd Goldstein, Marley Williams, Kayne Turner and Jamie Macmillan. North have lost their last six games and suffered their worst defeat of the year last week against Port Adelaide by 70 points. Conversely, the Bombers showed how impressive they can be last round with a 10-goal thumping of St Kilda. But they have been in this position before. Despite beating sides like Geelong, Port Adelaide, West Coast and St Kilda, they have also suffered shock losses to Carlton and the Brisbane Lions who were missing their best player Dayne Beams. Therefore Essendon surely wouldn't need a reminder that taking seemingly inferior opposition lightly is fraught with danger, especially with a finals berth in reach. If they lose this one, they do not deserve to feature in the September action.

Freo, Hawks scrapping to stay alive

Fremantle and Hawthorn might seem to be out of the finals picture, but the victors of their must-win meeting at Domain Stadium on Saturday night will still have a pulse with five rounds remaining. A win for Freo could have them just a game outside the top eight at the end of the weekend while the Hawks could find themselves six points adrift of eighth spot on Sunday. However, the losers would almost certainly have their finals hopes ended. So you can expect a red-hot encounter between these two sides. And Freo are certainly gettable over there. They have lost five of nine games at Domain Stadium this year, including their last three in a row. Hawthorn have also won 12 of their last 14 games against the Dockers.

More Articles