5th vs. 16th

Fremantle lost fourth spot on the AFL ladder last week and will be looking to get back on the winners list against rivals West Coast in the traditional derby. West Coast still remains on the bottom of the ladder but are only one win away from getting off the bottom which must be their goal for the rest of the season.

West Coast was disappointing last week against Carlton while Fremantle was pumped by the Western Bulldogs. Fremantle will be looking to gain back some momentum and hold onto 5^th position to benefit their 2010 finals campaign. For West Coast it is about respect and not finishing on the bottom of the ladder.

Previous Encounters:

West Coast– 10.13 (73)
Fremantle – 17.9 (111)

An accurate Fremantle side continued their good start to the season by beating their cross town rivals the West Coast Eagles. Despite being 23 points adrift in the second quarter the Dockers managed to kick 11 straight goals and take control of the game, once they did they didn’t look back.

Key Players for Fremantle:

Aaron Sandilands – Sandilands had a poor game last week and will want to bounce back against some tough opposition this week. Will want to have a big impact this week and push Cox and Nic Nat across the ground.

Matthew Pavlich – Hard not to mention him every week for Fremantle because of his ability to dominant an opponent impact the scoreboard and gather the ball in the centre of the ground. Pavlich is the genuine match winner in this contest.

Key Players for West Coast:

Mark LeCras – Is in good form and has kicked 15 goals in the past two weeks. Looks dangerous around goals but does need to bring team mates into the game more. Is hard to stop when he is up and going.

Dean Cox – Faces the biggest challenge in the rucking world against Sandilands. Cox will have some support from Naitanui but will have to do a bulk of the heavy body work. Needs a big week for his side to be in this match.

Prediction:

Fremantle should win this game given their position on the ladder and what they have to play for this season. While West Coast is on the bottom of the ladder and will want to gain some respect back from a poor season so far.

These clashes always bring up some surprises but I cannot see that happening this round. Fremantle to regain some form and win by 35 points.

Teams:

Fremantle
B: Chris Tarrant, Antoni Grover, Greg Broughton
HB: Justin Bollenhagen, Luke McPharlin, Roger Hayden
C: Garrick Ibbotson, David Mundy, Nathan Fyfe
HF: Jay van Berlo, Matthew Pavlich, Stephen Hill
F: Adam McPhee, Michael Johnson, Hayden Ballantyne
Foll: Aaron Sandilands, Nick Suban, Paul Duffield
I/C (from): Michael Walters, Dylan Roberton, Matthew de Boer, Paul Hasleby, Jesse Crichton, Anthony Morabito, Kepler Bradley

In: Bradley, Mundy, Walters, Bollenhagen, Tarrant
Out: Rhys Palmer (shoulder), Clancee Pearce (knee)

New: Justin Bollenhagen (South Adelaide)

West Coast
B: Will Schofield, Eric MacKenzie, Ashley Smith
HB: Beau Waters, Mitchell Brown, Shannon Hurn
C: Brad Ebert, Matt Priddis, Matt Rosa
HF: Andrew Embley, Josh Kennedy, Andrew Strijk
F: Mark LeCras, Quinten Lynch, Nic Naitanui
Foll: Dean Cox, Chris Masten, Scott Selwood
I/C (from): Brett Jones, Patrick McGinnity, Ben McKinley, Brad Sheppard, Lewis Stevenson, Tom Swift, Callum Wilson

In: McKinley, Jones, Wilson, Swift, McGinnity
Out: Adam Selwood (shoulder), Ashton Hams (suspension)

8th vs. 2nd

Geelong bounced back last round after a disappointing game against Adelaide while Sydney got handed a football lesson by the young Demons. Geelong travel this week to take on Sydney who will want to have a good showing and hold onto 8^th spot on the AFL ladder.

Geelong goes into the game without Bartel, Podsiadly and mark Blake who was dropped but do welcome back Tom Hawkins and Shannon Byrnes. I suspect the Cats wanted a smaller more dynamic forward line due to the structure of the Swans. Surprisingly Sydney goes into the game without any changes to the team that had its worst loss under coach Paul Roos.

Previous Encounters:

Geelong – 19.12 (126)
Sydney – 9.5 (59)

Geelong has defeated Sydney at Skilled Stadium in a dominant performance to win by 67 points. The game was tight in the first half with Sydney being able to stay close. However after half time the Cats kicked clear out scoring the Swans 12 goals to 4.

Key Players for Sydney:

Adam Goodes – Has been great in the past few weeks for the Swans contributing multiple goals and looking to be settled in the forward line. Faces a tough challenge this round and will need to again be a force for the Swans to win.

Nick Malceski – Malceski will have a tough job this week on one of the Geleong small forwards who are currently in great form. The way to hurt the Cats is on the rebound with hard running which is a strength for Malceski.

Key Players for Geelong:

Tom Hawkins – Comes into the side after a long break and for the chances of his 2010 will need a big game. Starting forward but will find himself being rotated into the ruck at some stage.

Joel Selwood – Is the in form midfield player for the Cats and continues to be very damaging with his disposals and ball winning ability. Looks to have improved from last season and will be hard to stop for the Swans.

Prediction:

Geelong had an impressive victory last week over the disappointing Brisbane and will be looking to continue this against Sydney who will be wanting to bounce back. Considering the outs for the Cats the Swans will have to think they are some form of chance however I think the Cats should win in comfortable fashion 34 points for the Cats.

Teams:

Sydney
B: Paul Bevan, Ted Richards, Martin Mattner
HB: Nick Malceski, Heath Grundy, Tadhg Kennelly
C: Daniel Hannebery, Brett Kirk, Jarrad McVeigh
HF: Ryan O’Keefe, Jesse White, Josh Kennedy
F: Ben McGlynn, Adam Goodes, Jarred Moore
Foll: Shane Mumford, Jude Bolton, Kieren Jack
I/C: Lewis Jetta, Brett Meredith, Mike Pyke, Rhyce Shaw
Emg: Trent Dennis-Lane, Sam Reid, Patrick Veszpremi

No change

Geelong
B: Darren Milburn, Matthew Scarlett, Josh Hunt
HB: Andrew Mackie, Harry Taylor, Corey Enright
C: James Kelly, Cameron Ling, Gary Ablett
HF: Shannon Byrnes, Cameron Mooney, Travis Varcoe
F: Paul Chapman, Tom Hawkins, Steve Johnson
Foll: Brad Ottens, Joel Selwood, Joel Corey
I/C: David Wojcinski, Mathew Stokes, Tom Lonergan, Trent West
Emg: Taylor Hunt, Simon Hogan, Daniel Menzel

In: Byrnes, West, Hawkins
Out: James Podsiadly (soreness), Jimmy Bartel (ankle), Mark Blake

From this week forth, it would not be surprising to see some of the underdogs come out winners, so watch out for them.

Here are this week’s questions….….

Essendon vs. St Kilda

Can the Bombers continue their form from last week’s win
Can Koschitzke finally have a big impact?
Is St Kilda still a chance for the flag?
How will David Hille go after returning from injury?

Collingwood vs. Carlton

Which midfield will be stronger?
Can the Pies remain in first position?
How will Robbie Warnock and Sam Jacobs go up against Darren Jolly?
Will this be a close encounter?
How will Leon Davis perform in his 200th match?

Port Adelaide vs. Hawthorn

Can anyone stop Luke Hodge?
Can Port Adelaide back up their showdown win?
Cassisi smashed it up last week with 28 possessions, 12 tackles and 5 clearances, how will he go against the Hawks?
Franklin kicked 5 goals last week but had 3 free against. How will he perform this week?

Sydney vs. Geelong

Can Adam Goodes continue his good form?
Will the Swans still be in the top 8 and be a threat come finals?
The Cats have won 15 of their last 18 matches interstate, can they continue this run?
Can the Swans break the drought of losing the last 7 matches against Geelong?

Brisbane vs. Melbourne

Will the Dees go back to back in good form following last week’s win?
Can the Lions win their first game since Round 10?
Will Brad Green’s form continue?
Can Brendan Fevola do something and actually have an impact on the match?

Richmond vs. Adelaide

Can the Crows backline step up without Johncock, McLeod and Goodwin?
Reiwoldt only kicked 2 goals from free kicks last week; will he have more impact this week?
Can Kurt Tippett improve on his bad form from the last 2 weeks?
Can the Crows give their finals hopes one last chance?

Western Bulldogs vs. North Melbourne

Will the Dogs smash the Roos like they smashed the Dockers?
Can the Roos sneak into eighth spot?
How will Hall vs. Thompson, round two pan out?
Are the Dogs serious flag contenders?

Fremantle vs. West Coast

Can the Eagles break a six-game losing streak in derbies?
How will Aaron Sandilands go against Dean Cox and Nic Naitanui?
Can the Dockers jump back into fourth spot on the ladder?
Can the Eagles move from 16th spot?
Will Matthew Pavlich be the most dangerous forward?

6th vs. 13th

Hawthorn are coming of a hard fought draw, which they will be feeling pretty ripped off about not winning. Port Adelaide have dropped off after starting the year really well and are now sitting at 13^th and won’t be playing finals. If Hawthorn want to keep their slim top four hopes alive a win on the road this week is important.

In their last 6 encounters each team has won 3 times, and a home ground advantage doesn’t seem to exist between them with each team winning once at Aurora Stadium, AAMI Stadium, and the MCG. Port Adelaide will be wanting to give club legend Warren Tredrea a good send off after he announced his immediate retirement from the game during the week, and although he won’t be playing I’m sure he wouldn’t mid them walking away with the points.

Previous Encounters:

Hawthorn – 10.14 (74)
Port Adelaide – 8.15 (63)

Hawthorn has snuck into the top eight this week after winning their fourth consecutive match. Their up and down season has continued today at the MCG as they defeated Port Adelaide in a tight final quarter by 11 points.

Hawthorn’s win was set up in the first half when they kicked 7 of the first 9 goals of the match. Their lead was assisted by Port Adelaide’s accuracy in front of goal, where they took them 6 minutes into the second term to kick their first goal. The Power also had 10 behinds and 1 out on the full before they were able to kicked their second goal of the match late in the second quarter, but by this stage the Hawks were in front by 33 points.

Even though Port Adelaide was able to finish the match stronger with 6 of the last 9 goals, it wasn’t enough to win the match, with Hawthorn steadying and kicking the last 2 goals of the match.

Key Players for Port Adelaide:

Travis Boak – Boak has been a key player all year for this team, and this weekend won’t be any different. He was fantastic the last time he faced Hawthorn and will be looking to replicate that performance for his team.

Danyle Pearce – Had Has also been good this season with his work on the ball creating much of Port Adelaide’s play. He will need to lift against an in form Hawthorn outfit if Port Adelaide want to win you would think.

Key Players for Hawthorn:

Luke Hodge – Hodge has had a fantastic year, answering all of his critics after a sub-hodge-standard 2009 season. Expect him to fire up again.

Brad Sewell – Was dropped from the side a few weeks ago, only to be brought straight back in as an emergency call up. He has lifted since then and will be looking to cement his spot in the side with a solid performance against a side he was good against back in round 11.

Prediction:

Hawthorn are on fire at the moment and probably should have taken home the full 4 points last week. They should win this week.

Teams:

Port Adelaide

B: Paul Stewart, Alipate Carlile, Nick Salter
HB: Nathan Krakouer, Troy Chaplin, Matt Thomas
C: Kane Cornes, Domenic Cassisi, Travis Boak
HF: Cameron Hitchcock, Jay Schulz, David Rodan
F: Justin Westhoff, Daniel Stewart, Brett Ebert
Foll: Dean Brogan, Danyle Pearce, Robbie Gray
I/C: Mitchell Banner, Matthew Broadbent, Andrew Moore, Jack Trengove
Emg: Jasper Pittard, Danny Meyer, Scott Harding

In: Krakouer, Trengove
Out: Tom Logan (concussion), Josh Carr (retired)

Hawthorn

B: Brent Guerra, Stephen Gilham, Thomas Murphy
HB: Grant Birchall, Josh Gibson, Ben Stratton
C: Jordan Lewis, Sam Mitchell, Clinton Young
HF: Chance Bateman, Lance Franklin, Shaun Burgoyne
F: Cyril Rioli, Jarryd Roughead, Michael Osborne
Foll: Brent Renouf, Luke Hodge, Brad Sewell
I/C: Xavier Ellis, Rick Ladson, Wayde Skipper, Brendan Whitecross
Emg: Shane Savage, Ryan Schoenmakers, Matt Suckling

In: Ladson
Out: Campbell Brown (suspension)

12th vs. 3rd

This shapes up to be an interesting match of sorts. The two teams have had opposite seasons, with St Kilda up the top and Essendon towards the bottom. That has been the case in each of the teams past two encounters though, and Essendon has prevailed in two tightly fought matches.

Ten rounds ago it was the Bombers by 12 points, and back in round 20 last season it was the Bombers who stopped the St Kilda juggernaught by just 2 points. Nick Riewoldt had the opportunity to steal the win for the Saints in that latter match, but missed his shot after the siren.

Previous Encounters:

St Kilda – 11.15 (81)
Essendon – 14.9 (93)

For the second year in a row Essendon has overcome a determined St Kilda side in a tough contest by 12 points.

It was often Essendon’s pace that worried the Saints but in reality it was their ruckmen making the most of their opportunities in front of goal that made the difference, especially when the Saints were so inaccurate.

Key Players for Essendon:

Jobe Watson – Watson has a good recent history against the Saints, and will be looking to keep that intact this weekend. H played well last week and there is no doubting his importance to the team.

Kyle Hardingham – Had a stunning debut last week and proved to be a target that the Bombers could find up forward, and kicked a bag of goals because of it. How will he respond in his second game?

Key Players for St Kilda:

Lenny Hayes – He has been in good form this year and was a key the last time these teams met. He will once again be an important part of the team.

Nick Riewoldt – Has looked to be getting back into the swing of things after returning to the line up. He should be able to make use of the different defensive line up to most of the year.

Prediction:

Essendon got back on the winners list last week, but the Saints are still the better side at the moment. It will take much more than a solitary win to make most people back them. Saints should win this comfortably.

Teams:

Essendon

B: Heath Hocking, Dustin Fletcher, Courtenay Dempsey
HB: Mark McVeigh, Michael Hurley, Kyle Reimers
C: David Zaharakis, Jobe Watson, Travis Colyer
HF: Kyle Hardingham, Scott Gumbleton, Brent Stanton
F: Angus Monfries, Jay Neagle, Sam Lonergan
Foll: Patrick Ryder, Bachar Houli, Ben Howlett
I/C: Cale Hooker, Alwyn Davey, David Hille, Brent Prismall
Emg: Leroy Jetta, David Myers, Nathan Lovett-Murray

In: Hille, Lonergan
Out: Jason Winderlich (hand), Leroy Jetta

St Kilda

B: Zac Dawson, Jason Blake, Sam Gilbert
HB: Jason Gram, Sam Fisher, James Gwilt
C: Brendon Goddard, Nick Dal Santo, Farren Ray
HF: Clinton Jones, Justin Koschitzke, Leigh Montagna
F: Tom Lynch, Nick Riewoldt, Stephen Milne
Foll: Michael Gardiner, Lenny Hayes, Adam Schneider
I/C: Jack Steven, Ben McEvoy, Brett Peake, Sean Dempster
Emg: Adam Pattison, Jarryn Geary, Andrew McQualter

In: Lynch
Out: Andrew McQualter

New: Tom Lynch (Sandringham Dragons)

Early this morning, Chief Executive of the AFL Andrew Demetriou announced that Greater Western Sydney was awarded the license to play in the AFL, after they had met all the criteria required by the AFL commission. The club will officially be entering the AFL in 2012.

Demetriou made the announcement following the sign off of the $60 million redevelopment of the Sydney Showgrounds at Homebush, where he was joined by GWS Chief Executive Dale Holmes, Chairman Tony Shepherd and representatives from the Royal Agricultural Society and New South Wales Government.

The AFL Commissions chairman Mike Fitzpatrick said that the approved license by the AFL was a very historic decision and one that brings challenges for the future. He added that the work completed by the club in the past year has been outstanding; including the planning and development for the foundations, business model and future growth of the club.

1st vs. 7th

On paper this might look like a run in the park for the Magpies based on recent form, but we all know that the rivalry that Collingwood and Carlton share and the match outcome, usually has nothing to do with recent form.

The Pies have been in outstanding form of late, whereas the Blues have been up and down. The black and white army has won their last two encounters against the Blues by 53 and 54 points respectively and on recent form that looks to happen again, unless the Blues can pull a few tricks out of their hat like they did last week in the second half against West Coast.

In this match these teams are playing for the Peter Mac Cup in order to raise funds for the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre so let’s hope it’s a match to remember and a good contest.

Previous Encounters:

Round 6, 2010
Carlton – 16.6 (102)
Collingwood – 24.11 (155)

Collingwood has taken out their arch rivals Carlton by 53 points at the MCG on Sunday afternoon to win the Richard Pratt Cup and has now won the past 2 encounters against the Blues.
It was mostly smooth sailing for the Pies in the first half, and they led by 28 points at the main break. But in the second half the Blues came out firing and kicked the first four goals of the third quarter. Luke Ball then steadied the Pies with his third goal for the day.  From then on it was goal for goal until Collingwood finish the quarter strongly with the last four goals.
Both teams were evenly matched in opening 10 minutes of the last quarter; however the Pies were able to finish faster and stronger and kicked 7 of the 10 goals scored in the final term to come away with a strong win.

Key Players for Collingwood:

Dane Swan – The Pies best player for the year continues his good form gathering 30+ disposals in the past 7 matches. Last time he played against the Blues he was the best player on the ground and this week I would not expect anything less.

Alan Didak – Didak has been in great form and his influence in games has been outstanding. A big game for him not only in the midfield, but up forward kicking a few goals, will create headaches for the Blue boys.

Key Players for Carlton:

Chris Judd - Against his team’s biggest rivals, the captain is going to need to have a brilliant game and lead from the front to give his troops motivation and confidence to get over the line.

Eddie Betts – With the small forwards for Collingwood firing (such as Didak and Macaffer), the pressure goes on Betts to perform for the Blues. Last week he kicked 3 goals, had 6 inside 50s and 4 scoring assists so he will hopefully have a solid match again to get the Blues up.

Prediction:

The Pies should win this match and win and consolidate first spot once again, but I wouldn’t be surprised if the Blurs give them a run for their money at various points in the match; history says so.

Teams:

Collingwood

B: Nick Maxwell, Simon Prestigiacomo, Ben Reid
HB: Harry O’Brien, Tyson Goldsack, Alan Toovey
C: Sharrod Wellingham, Dane Swan, Jarryd Blair
HF: Luke Ball, Travis Cloke, Leon Davis
F: Dayne Beams, Leigh Brown, Steele Sidebottom
Foll: Darren Jolly, Scott Pendlebury, Dale Thomas
I/C: Alan Didak, Ben Johnson, Brent Macaffer, Chris Dawes
Emg: Tarkyn Lockyer, Josh Fraser, Simon Buckley

In: Cloke
Out: Tarkyn Lockyer

Carlton

B: Aaron Joseph, Michael Jamison, Paul Bower
HB: Andrew Carrazzo, Jarrad Waite, Jordan Russell
C: Heath Scotland, Chris Judd, Shaun Grigg
HF: Kade Simpson, Brad Fisher, Andrew Walker
F: Eddie Betts, Lachie Henderson, Shaun Hampson
Foll: Robert Warnock, Bryce Gibbs, Marc Murphy
I/C: Dennis Armfield, Jeff Garlett, Chris Johnson, Chris Yarran
Emg: Marcus Davies, David Ellard, Mitch Robinson

In: Fisher
Out: David Ellard

15th vs. 10th

This match should be one of the games of the round on paper, both Richmond and Adelaide have had a poor start to the season but have jumped back on their feet over the past 5-6 weeks.

This match is more important to the Crows as a win will put them within reach of finals, however it will not secure them a spot. For the Tigers a win will put them another game clear of the Eagles in 16^th spot on the ladder and put pressure on them to perform if they want to avoid it.

Adelaide has won their last 5 encounters against Richmond by an average of almost 39 points, so they seem to have the upper hand, but I think this match will be much closer.

Previous Encounters:

Round 7, 2010
Adelaide – 15.14 (104)
Richmond – 7.12 (54)

It was a tight contest in the first half, with Richmond taking slight leads into the first two breaks. Some inaccurate kicking kept the Crows in the game early, but Richmond still seemed to have the run of play. Adelaide were struggling heading into the main break, trailing by 8 points.

Adelaide lifted after the main break though and was able to wrench the lead back to take a 5 point lead into the final break. By halfway through the last quarter the Crows had run out to a 20 point lead, and given the nature of the game that pretty much sealed the win. Unfortunately for Richmond fans the pain didn’t end there as Adelaide ran out 50 point victors in the end.

Key Players for Adelaide:

Nathan Bock - With Graham Johncock out suspended and Simon Goodwin still out injured, Bock will need to stand up and have a solid game in defence for the Crows and stop Jack Riewoldt.

Kurt Tippett – Tippett needs to regain some of his excellent form and provide a solid and dangerous forward target for the Crows, especially with Riewoldt down the other end. A massive game by him might ensure the win for the Crows.

Key Players for Richmond:

Jack Riewoldt – Riewoldt only kicked 2 goals last week against the Pies and both were from free kicks. He is going to need to kick a big bag of goals against the Crows this week to get his side over the line.

Ben Cousins – Cousins has been one of the Tigers best in their last two defeats and has not stopped trying. Hopefully if he continues his good form he can get his team over the line.

Prediction:

Going to have to tips the Crows for this one, in a close game. They will be more desperate for the win and get a faint chance of making finals.

Teams:

Richmond

B: Chris Newman, Luke McGuane, Will Thursfield
HB: Brett Deledio, Kelvin Moore, Daniel Connors
C: Mitch Morton, Dustin Martin, Shane Edwards
HF: Ben Nason, Andrew Collins, Jake King
F: Matt White, Jack Riewoldt, David Astbury
Foll: Angus Graham, Shane Tuck, Daniel Jackson
I/C (from): Ben Cousins, Andrew Browne, Mitch Farmer, Jeromey Webberley, Alex Rance, Robbie Hicks, Troy Taylor

In: Moore, White, Jackson, Thursfield, Taylor, Hicks
Out: Dean Polo, Robin Nahas, Jayden Post

New: Robbie Hicks (Calder Cannons/Rookie list)

Adelaide

B: Michael Doughty, Ben Rutten, Scott Stevens
HB: Brent Reilly, Nathan Bock, Nathan van Berlo
C: Rory Sloane, Scott Thompson, David Mackay
HF: Ricky Henderson, Taylor Walker, Matthew Jaensch
F: Jason Porplyzia, Kurt Tippett, Richard Douglas
Foll: Ivan Maric, Bernie Vince, Patrick Dangerfield
I/C (from): Tony Armstrong, Phil Davis, Jonathon Griffin, Jack Gunston, Chris Schmidt, James Sellar, Brad Symes

In: Sellar, Schmidt, Davis, Gunston
Out: Graham Johncock (suspension)

SportsBet Odds: $1.81 vs $2.00*

11th vs. 6th

Brisbane’s disappointing season is continuing; they haven’t won in yonks. Melbourne put on a clinic last round against a poor Sydney outfit. That being said Melbourne suck anywhere but the MCG and haven’t won at the Gabba since Jesus was born. Melbourne smashed Brisbane last time, but that was at the home of football and Fev and Brown were lame ducks. Are they still lame ducks?

Previous Encounters:

Round 5

Melbourne – 15.13 (103)
Brisbane – 7.11 (53)

Oh my Jebus would be an understatement and that’s just Travis Johnstone. Melbourne 50 points the better of Brisbane in a crazily easy win. The Dees were just more efficient at moving the ball forward and scoring from inside 50s. The game stats would have you believe that it was an even game, but the scoreboard disagreed. Melbourne came out firing and kept Brisbane to just two goals in the first. The Demons hit the gas in the second kicking five goals to just one. Brown was being well held by James Frawley, looked underdone and limped from the ground after the final siren. Brisbane looked pretty flat after half time. From that point on Melbourne cruised home for the win, after a little bit of a scare late in the third, like a quality side would. Brisbane should be very displeased with their performance after such a terrific opening 4 rounds. Melbourne go three in a row and slot in to the eight. Who would have thought it? Read more

Key Players for Brisbane:

Luke Power – He had a great game last week against the premiership favourites. He gathered 36 disposals and was a clear standout for the Lions.

Jonathan Brown – One of the best centre-half-forwards of all time is lacking a bit of form and perhaps fitness but could still tear the game to shreds if he is given the leeway.

Key Players for Melbourne:

Brad Green – Five goals last week was helped by excellent disposal by his teammates. Clearly Melbourne’s best player this year and is just so consistent.

Colin Sylvia – He tore it up in the midfield last week. He might not be playing there come Saturday night but it was a good performance that deserves to put him in the key players.

Prediction:

Brisbane have a lot of quality but they are not putting it all together at the moment. If they do Melbourne are in trouble. If Melbourne play like they did last week Brisbane might be in even more trouble. I’m going with the Demons to beat their traveling curse.

Teams:

Brisbane Lions
B: Xavier Clarke, Daniel Merrett, Ashley McGrath
HB: Luke Power, Brent Staker, Joel Patfull
C: Jack Redden, Daniel Rich, Tom Rockliff
HF: James Polkinghorne, Jonathan Brown, Albert Proud
F: Jared Brennan, Brendan Fevola, Todd Banfield
Foll: Mitchell Clark, Simon Black, Michael Rischitelli
I/C: Pearce Hanley, Cheynee Stiller, Ryan Harwood, Matthew Leuenberger

Emg: James Hawksley, Aaron Cornelius, Justin Sherman

In: McGrath, Clarke, Stiller, Black
Out: Amon Buchanan (quad), Matt Maguire, James Hawksley, Aaron Cornelius

Melbourne
B: Colin Garland, Jared Rivers, Clint Bartram
HB: Cameron Bruce, James Frawley, Joel Macdonald
C: Rohan Bail, James McDonald, Brad Green
HF: Lynden Dunn, Jack Watts, Tom Scully
F: Jamie Bennell, Paul Johnson, Austin Wonaeamirri
Foll: Mark Jamar, Colin Sylvia, Aaron Davey
I/C: Jordie McKenzie, Cale Morton, Liam Jurrah, Nathan Jones

Emg: Addam Maric, Matthew Warnock, Jack Trengove

In: James McDonald
Out: Addam Maric

*Odd subject to change

Age: 17

Position: Small/Medium Forward

History: Charlie Riewoldt has received a fair bit of media attention this year, however most of it has centered around the fact he is Jack Riewoldt’s brother and Nick Riewoldt’s cousin.

Riewoldt has been described as a medium forward with good hands and a great goal sense, however he would be considered quite small at AFL level and as such needs to excel more in other areas to get a proper look in at an AFL club.

Thankfully for Riewoldt he has had a couple good games recently kicking 4 goals against NSW/ACT in the division 2 u/18 final for Tasmania and has demonstrated an ability to set up goals as well as he can kick them. He’s not a sure thing like his famous family members were but he definitely has the tools to work with if given the chance.

Further Reading
New Riewoldt Emerges
Third Riewoldt makes his mark
And Charlie makes it three
U/18 Division 2 Final
The AFL’s next famous 5