Another Friday night double-header awaits, with the ladder-leading Swans hosting Collingwood while the Suns return to TIO Stadium in Darwin to face Port Adelaide.
Sydney Swans vs Collingwood Magpies
Collingwood head into this clash undermanned, with Scott Pendlebury, Darcy Moore, Darcy Cameron and Patrick Lipinski all unavailable.
While it looks a difficult assignment on paper against the red-hot Swans, Craig McRae’s side has consistently shown an ability to compete when challenged.
Leg 1 - Ned Long 20+ Disposals
With Pendlebury sidelined, expect Ned Long to spend significantly more time at centre bounce against Sydney.
The last time Pendlebury missed, Long attended 67% of centre bounces and finished with 22 disposals.
In his last three games with over 40% centre bounce attendances, Long has recorded exactly 22 disposals each time.
Even last week, despite attending just 10% of centre bounces, he still found 18 touches, showing he’s tracking the ball well regardless of role.
Leg 2 - Callum Mills 20+ Disposals
Opposition defenders continue to rack up disposals against Collingwood, making this another strong matchup for Callum Mills.
Mills is averaging 23.9 disposals across his last 20 games and has hit 20+ in 18 of those, including eight of nine this season.
The Magpies are happy to allow teams to control possession in defensive areas, so expect Mills, Nick Blakey and Matt Roberts to all see plenty of football.
Gold Coast Suns vs Port Adelaide Power
The Suns have turned TIO Stadium into a fortress in recent seasons, but Port Adelaide remain something of a bogey side for Gold Coast.
Leg 3 - Gold Coast Suns 1-39
Gold Coast have won their last nine games at TIO Stadium and rightly enter this clash as favourites.
Still, Port Adelaide have consistently performed well as underdogs this season, covering the line in four of their five games in that role.
The Power also boast an incredible recent record against the Suns, winning 15 of the last 16 meetings including an upset victory last year.
Gold Coast should still get the job done at home, but expect a tighter contest than the market suggests.
Leg 4 - Zak Butters 30+ Disposals
The Suns are unlikely to tag Zak Butters, and opposition midfielders have consistently found plenty of football against Gold Coast this season.
Last week alone, St Kilda midfielders Hugo Garcia, Max Hall and Jack Sinclair all found plenty of the ball against the Suns.
Butters has now recorded 30+ disposals in eight straight games and had 35 disposals in each of his last two appearances against Gold Coast.
Everything points towards another monster outing.
Multi
Gold Coast 1-39 / Butters 30+ Disposals / Long 20+ Disposals / Mills 20+ Disposals = $8.40
