The race for top 8 spots is on the line again in Round 21 and we kick off the round with a massive clash between the Dogs and Giants on Thursday night.<\/p>\n
The Bulldogs are riding high after absolutely smashing Essendon by 93 points in Round 20\u2014putting through 22 goals at Docklands\u2014and they\u2019ll look to keep the momentum rolling against the Giants. Sitting ninth on the ladder with an 11\u20138 record (5\u20134 at home, 6\u20134 away), the Dogs have won one in a row and sit 3\u20132 over their past five outings. They\u2019re a clearance machine (2nd in the AFL), rack up more disposals than anyone (1st), lead the league in goals kicked (1st) and inside 50s (3rd), but they\u2019ve been a bit shaky in the tackling department (14th). Marcus Bontempelli has been everywhere\u201435 touches last week\u2014while Aaron Naughton, Rhylee West and Sam Darcy combined for 16 majors, so expect the Bulldogs\u2019 powerhouse midfield and forward line to keep firing as they chase another big win.<\/p>\n
The Giants are flying high right now, sitting sixth on the ladder with a 13\u20136 record and riding a six\u2011game winning streak. They\u2019ve been unstoppable recently (5\u20130 over their last five matches), especially at The Sydney Showgrounds where they thumped the Swans by 44 points and booted 15 goals\u2014Jake Stringer and Aaron Cadman snagging three each. Adelaide\u2019s midfield has been humming too, ranking fourth in disposals and fifth in goals kicked across the AFL, though they\u2019ve struggled at the clearances end (15th). With a solid 6\u20133 home record and 7\u20133 on the road, the Giants will look to keep the momentum rolling when they face the Bulldogs.<\/p>\n
Stadium Record<\/strong><\/p>\n The Bulldogs are 8-2 in their last 10 games at Marvel. GWS are 3-2 in their last 5 games at this venue.<\/p>\n Head to Head Record<\/strong><\/p>\n In the last 10, the Bulldogs hold a 8-2 record.<\/p>\n Best Bet<\/strong><\/p>\n I don’t see the Giants having any issues travelling to Melbourne as they’ve covered the line in their last 5 away games. With a 6 game winning streak, I think they can potentially beat the Doggies, who struggle to stop forward lines like the Giants.<\/p>\n Greater Western Sydney Giants +12.5 = $1.90<\/a><\/p>\n Same Game Multi<\/strong><\/p>\n The Over has a perfect 5-0 record when the Dogs are at Marvel and the Giants can kick 100+ pts. Toby Bedford has kicked a goal in 4 of his last 5 games and bagged 2 goals last week. So he offers nice value to hit the scoreboard.<\/p>\n Giants +12.5 \/ Over 176.5 pts \/ Toby Bedford Anytime Goalscorer = $6.75<\/a><\/p>\n The Crows are smashing it this season, sitting second on the ladder with a 14\u20135 record and riding a five\u2011game winning streak into their matchup with the Hawks. They\u2019ve been near\u2011perfect at home (9\u20131) and a solid 5\u20134 on the road, and in Round 20 they blew Port Adelaide away by 98 points at Adelaide Oval\u2014booting 20 goals\u2014with Taylor Walker, Ben Keays and Riley Thilthorpe each snagging three majors and Jake Soligo piling up 35 touches. Adelaide\u2019s attack is a real force (3rd in the AFL for goals kicked and 5th for inside\u201150s), plus they\u2019ve been relentless in the contest (3rd in tackling), so look for the Crows to keep their red\u2011hot form going against Hawthorn.<\/p>\n The Hawks have been ticking along nicely, sitting fifth on the ladder with a 13\u20136 record and fresh off a 24\u2011point win over Carlton at the \u2018G, where they kicked 13 goals (Jack Gunston bagged three). They\u2019ve been rock solid at home (8\u20131) and a decent 5\u20135 on the road, and they\u2019ve won two on the trot, pushing their last five to 4\u20131. Hawthorn\u2019s midfield is doing the hard work (ranked fifth in disposals) and their pressure game is top\u2011tier (fourth in tackling), so they\u2019ll fancy their chances of taking on the red\u2011hot Crows and keeping the momentum rolling.<\/p>\n Stadium Record<\/strong><\/p>\n Adelaide are 9-1 in their last 10 games at Adelaide Oval. Hawthorn are 1-4 in their last 5 games at this venue.<\/p>\n Head to Head Record<\/strong><\/p>\n The Hawks are 4-1 against the Crows in the last 5 meetings.<\/p>\n Best Bet<\/strong><\/p>\n Another game that I think could see an upset. The Hawks have the wood over the Crows, having covered in the last 5 meetings. The key will be their defence and pressure around the ball.<\/p>\n Hawthorn +14.5 = $1.90<\/a><\/p>\n The Demons have had a tough year, sitting 13th with a 6\u201313 record and dropping their last two games, including a 96\u201390 loss to St Kilda at Docklands where Bayley Fritsch still managed three goals. They\u2019ve struggled on the road (2\u20137) and been just below average at home (4\u20136), going 1\u20134 across their past five. Melbourne\u2019s tackling has been a real sore spot (14th in the AFL), so they\u2019ll need to tighten up defensively when they head up against the Eagles. With form and pressure both against them, the Dees will be looking for a turnaround.<\/p>\n The Eagles are having a horror season, sitting dead last at 1\u201318 and on a nine\u2011game losing streak heading into their clash with the Demons. They\u2019ve yet to win away (0\u201310) and have only scraped together one home win (1\u20138), and they were thumped by the Dockers 126\u201377 at Perth Stadium last time out. Perth\u2019s power has been nowhere to be seen\u2014they\u2019re bottom of the league for clearances, disposals, goals kicked, inside\u201150s and tackling\u2014so they\u2019ll be desperate for any spark of form against the Dees. At this point, they just need to find something to build on.<\/p>\n Stadium Record<\/strong><\/p>\n Melbourne are 1-4 in their last 5 games at this venue. West Coast are 1-9 in their last 10 games at Marvel.<\/p>\n Head to Head Record<\/strong><\/p>\n In the last 5 meetings, the Demons hold a 4-1 record against the Eagles.<\/p>\n Best Bet<\/strong><\/p>\n This is really a nothing game as both sides are out of finals contention. So hopefully they play free flowing footy and the Over is 4-0 in this matchup.<\/p>\n Over 171.5 = $1.87<\/a><\/p>\n The Suns are buzzing after a huge 66\u2011point win over the Lions at Carrara\u2014booting 20 goals\u2014and they\u2019ll look to keep the good times rolling against the Tigers. Sitting eighth with a 12\u20136 record (7\u20131 at home, 5\u20135 away), they\u2019ve snapped a four\u2011game skid to start the year with a 4\u20131 run over their last five and are on a one\u2011game streak. Gold Coast\u2019s engine room is unstoppable, ranking first in the AFL for clearances and inside\u201150s, while they\u2019re also top five for goals kicked (4th) and tackling (5th). Brayden Fiorini racked up 32 touches last time out, Noah Anderson (33), Matthew Rowell (37) and John Noble (31) were prolific, and the forwards\u2014Ben Long (4 goals), Ben Ainsworth and Jy Farrar (3 each), plus Bailey Humphrey\u2014were electric. Expect the Suns\u2019 midfield grunt and scoring power to give the Tigers plenty to worry about.<\/p>\n The Tigers have had a horror run this year, sitting 16th with just a 5\u201314 record. They\u2019ve been a bit tougher at home (4\u20136) but can\u2019t buy a win on the road (1\u20138), and they just copped a 36\u2011point hiding from the Magpies at the \u2018G\u2014though Jacob Hopper still managed 33 touches. Richmond\u2019s form has been dire across the board (bottom five in clearances, disposals, goals, inside\u201150s and tackling), so they\u2019ll need a major lift to stand a chance against the Suns\u2019 red\u2011hot midfield and scoreboard. After going 2\u20133 over their past five, the Tigers will be desperate to find something to get them moving.<\/p>\n Stadium Record<\/strong><\/p>\n Gold Coast are 7-3 in their last 10 games at this venue. Richmond are 11-3 at this venue since 2010.<\/p>\n Head to Head Record<\/strong><\/p>\n In the last 10 meetings, the head to head is squared at 5-5.<\/p>\n Best Bet<\/strong><\/p>\n A massive game for the Suns to make the top 8 and their Q-Clash performance was a massive tick. I think they do it easily again but I don’t see Richmond scoring over 60 pts, which should see the Under go 5-0 when these 2 sides meet.<\/p>\n Under 166.5 = $1.87<\/a><\/p>\n The Swans head into their showdown with the Bombers sitting tenth on the ladder at 9\u201310, having dropped their last game 102\u201358 to the Giants at the Sydney Showgrounds despite Will Hayward snagging three goals and Errol Gulden piling on 32 touches. They\u2019re 4\u20135 at home and 5\u20135 on the road, and while they\u2019ve gone 3\u20132 over their past five, that one\u2011game skid is something they\u2019ll want to shake off. Sydney\u2019s clearance work has been solid (ranked fifth in the AFL), but they\u2019ve really struggled to win the ball in general play\u2014sitting 15th for disposals\u2014so they\u2019ll need to find more of it against the Bombers if they\u2019re looking to tip the odds in their favour.<\/p>\n The Bombers are in a rut right now, sitting 15th with a 6\u201312 record and riding an eight\u2011game losing streak after getting thumped by 93 points by the Dogs at Docklands\u2014though Zach Merrett still piled on 30 touches. They\u2019ve been more competitive at home (4\u20135) than away (2\u20137), but have gone 0\u20135 over their last five and rank near the bottom for clearances (16th), goals kicked (16th) and inside\u201150s (15th), despite being second in the league for disposals. Essendon will need to tighten up around the ball and find a spark if they\u2019re going to snap this slide against the Swans.<\/p>\n Stadium Record<\/strong><\/p>\n Sydney are 3-2 in their last 5 games at this venue. Essendon are 1-10 at this venue since 2010.<\/p>\n Head to Head Record<\/strong><\/p>\n In the last 10 meetings, the Swans hold a 6-4 record against the Bombers.<\/p>\n Best Bet<\/strong><\/p>\n Injuries have crippled the Bombers and I don’t see them getting near the Swans on their home turf.<\/p>\n Sydney Swans -47.5 = $1.90<\/a><\/p>\n The Magpies are sitting pretty on top of the ladder with a 15\u20134 record and a fresh one\u2011game winning streak after putting Richmond to the sword by 36 points at the \u2018G in Round 20 \u2014 booting 13 goals with Josh Daicos racking up 30 touches and Nick Daicos piling on 42 of them (plus kicking three himself). They\u2019ve been rock\u2011solid both home (8\u20132) and away (7\u20132), and while they\u2019ve slipped up twice in their last five (3\u20132), their tackling is second to none (1st in the AFL), even if they\u2019ve been a bit loose at the clearances (14th). Expect Collingwood\u2019s fierce pressure game and elite contest work to put the Lions under the pump.<\/p>\n The Lions will be itching to bounce back after a 130\u201364 drubbing by the Suns at Carrara, which snapped their four\u2011game hot streak in an otherwise strong 4\u20131 run to sit third on the ladder at 13\u20135. They\u2019re a juggernaut around the contest\u2014ranked third in clearances and disposals and second for inside\u201150 entries\u2014but their tackling has let them down (16th in the AFL), so expect Collingwood to try and exploit that. Lachie Neale still piled on 36 touches and Cameron Rayner snagged three goals despite the loss, and with a solid 7\u20131\u20132 record away from home (6\u20133 at the Gabba), Brisbane will look to lean on their midfield grunt and scoreboard punch to get one back on the Magpies.<\/p>\n Stadium Record<\/strong><\/p>\n In their last 10 games at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, Collingwood holds a 8-2 record. Brisbane are 4-1 in their last 5 games at this venue.<\/p>\n Head to Head Record<\/strong><\/p>\n The Magpies are 4-1 against the Lions in the last 5.<\/p>\n Best Bet<\/strong><\/p>\n Brisbane were terrible last week in the Q-Clash and the trip to the MCG against the Pies is a tough one. I just don’t see Collingwood getting beaten at home with top spot on the line.<\/p>\n Collingwood -7.5 = $1.90<\/a><\/p>\n The Saints pulled off an epic comeback last time out, overturning the biggest fourth\u2011quarter deficit in AFL history to down Melbourne by six points at Docklands, kicking 15 goals in the process. They\u2019re sitting 14th on the ladder at 6\u201313 (4\u20137 at home, 2\u20136 away) and finally snapped a four\u2011game skid, but their return over the past five is still only 1\u20134. Jack Sinclair was everywhere with 32 touches, while Jack Higgins and Nasiah Wanganeen\u2011Milera each slotted four goals (Nasiah also had 34 disposals). Despite that heroics, St Kilda\u2019s inside\u201150 work remains a worry (14th in the AFL), so they\u2019ll need to keep that momentum going and tighten up their entries if they\u2019re going to take on the Kangaroos and pull off another shock.<\/p>\n The Kangaroos have had a brutal run this season, sitting 17th with a 4\u201314 record and on a five\u2011game losing skid after getting belted by the Cats by 101 points at Docklands. They\u2019ve been just 2\u20131\u20137 at home and 2\u20137 away, and they haven\u2019t picked up a win in their last five. North\u2019s clearances have been surprisingly strong (third in the AFL), but their inside\u201150 work is woeful (17th), so even despite Luke Parker\u2019s 31 touches, Cameron Zurhaar\u2019s three goals and Colby McKercher\u2019s 32 disposals last week, they\u2019ll need a massive lift in the midfield and forward setup if they\u2019re going to turn things around against St Kilda.<\/p>\n Stadium Record<\/strong><\/p>\n St Kilda are 3-7 in their last 10 games at this venue. North Melbourne are 2-8 in their last 10 games at this venue.<\/p>\n Head to Head Record<\/strong><\/p>\n In the last 5 meetings, the Saints hold a 5-0 record against the Kangaroos.<\/p>\n Best Bet<\/strong><\/p>\n A huge comeback for the Saints last week and Nasiah Wanganeen\u2011Milera is a star. They’re now 5-0 ATS and I think they continue the momentum against the checked-out Roos.<\/p>\n St Kilda -23.5 = $1.90<\/a><\/p>\n Geelong have been on fire lately, cruising to a massive 101\u2011point win over North Melbourne in Round 20 at Docklands \u2014 booting 22 goals, with Jeremy Cameron snagging 11, Bailey Smith piling on 43 disposals and Shannon Neale kicking four. Sitting fourth on the ladder with a 13\u20136 record (7\u20132 at home and 6\u20134 on the road), they\u2019ve won two in a row and are 3\u20132 over their past five. The Cats are a scoring juggernaut (ranked second in the AFL for goals kicked), they\u2019re elite at getting it inside 50 (fourth) and they bring brutal pressure through the contest (second in tackling), so they\u2019ll be licking their chops as they head to take on Port Adelaide.<\/p>\n The Power will be keen to bounce back after getting thumped 133\u201335 by the Crows at Adelaide Oval, but it\u2019s been a tough season overall\u2014they sit 11th with an 8\u201311 record and have dropped their last two, going 2\u20133 over the past five. Port have been pretty solid at home (6\u20134) but dreadful away (2\u20137), and while Zak Butters still piled on 34 touches last time out, their ball use has been a real issue (14th for disposals) and they\u2019re struggling to find the big sticks (15th for goals kicked). The one positive? They\u2019ve been fierce around the contest, ranking fifth in clearances\u2014so if they can win the midfield battle, they might just make things interesting against a red\u2011hot Cats side.<\/p>\n Stadium Record<\/strong><\/p>\n Geelong are 8-2 in their last 10 games at Kardinia Park. Port Adelaide are 1-4 in their last 5 games at this venue.<\/p>\n Head to Head Record<\/strong><\/p>\n In the last 10, the Cats hold a 6-4 record.<\/p>\nAdelaide Crows (2nd) vs Hawthorn (5th)<\/h3>\n
Melbourne (13th) vs West Coast Eagles (18th)<\/h3>\n
Gold Coast Suns (8th) vs Richmond (16th)<\/h3>\n
Sydney Swans (10th) vs Essendon (15th)<\/h3>\n
Collingwood (1st) vs Brisbane Lions (3rd)<\/h3>\n
St Kilda (14th) vs North Melbourne (17th)<\/h3>\n
Geelong Cats (4th) vs Port Adelaide (11th)<\/h3>\n