Port Adelaide and Gold Coast are on their early bye this week, meaning we get 8 games of footy in round 10. The best of these matchups looks to be Adelaide vs. Melbourne in Alice Springs. Here is your full round preview.
Collingwood vs. Western Bulldogs (Friday at Etihad Stadium)
The Bulldogs have dominated this series in recent years, and both teams are on the precipice of finals contention at 5-4 for Collingwood and 4-5 for the Dogs. Both teams made changes this week with Alex Fasolo, Daniel Wells, and Sam Murray slotting out for the Pies (Levi Greenwood, Josh Daicos, and Ben Reid are in), and Lukas Webb, Josh Dunkley, and Mitch Wallis out for the Dogs, giving way for Josh Schache, Tory Dickson, and Roarke Smith.
Collingwood has the most potential here, as the likes of Brodie Grundy, Steele Sidebottom, and Jordan De Goey have really high ceilings, but the Dogs have Brownlow contender Jack Macrae to lead the way. I have a feeling Collingwood has more firepower and produce enough goals to win. Collingwood by 23
Richmond vs. St Kilda (Saturday at the MCG)
7-2 vs. 1-7, even though Richmond is coming off a loss, they should be heavy favorites at their MCG home in this one. The Saints have been a disaster this season, and slot out Nick Coffield, Mav Weller, and David Armitage in their multiple outs this week. The Tigers return Jack Higgins, and they have simply been better all over the ground than St. Kilda this year. This game could get ugly. Richmond by 55
Brisbane Lions vs. Sydney (Saturday at the Gabba)
Brisbane comes off a win but I’d expect the Swans to continue their winning streak in the h2h series. The outs of Callum Mills and Gary Rohan will ding Sydney a bit, but the Swans forward line has improved with Ben Ronke and Will Hayward stepping up. The Lions hope should be that this game is competitive. Sydney by 36
Geelong vs. Carlton (Saturday in Geelong)
Geelong is a tough team to project, but Carlton at 1-8 is a bottom feeder on the ladder, completely devoid of confidence. The Cats return Esava Ratugolea and Brandan Parfitt this week, while Jamaine Jones will debut. Look for Gary Ablett to step up in the face of the critics to give Geelong a win. The loss of Marc Murphy (and Jarrod Garlett) this week will hurt Carlton, even with their star pairing of the Curnow brothers returning. Geelong by 60
GWS Giants vs. Essendon (Saturday at Spotless Stadium)
Essendon got a critical win last week, and frankly this is a must win game for both of these disappointing sides (GWS at 4-4-1 and Essendon at 3-6). The Giants have won the last 3 matchups and Josh Kelly and Jonathan Patton are major ins this week for their side. The Bombers swap Andrew McGrath for Dylan Clarke, and they could win this, but GWS has a better chance to rise playing at home. GWS by 17
Hawthorn vs. West Coast (Sunday at Etihad Stadium)
Hawthorn is at home but the Eagles are red hot. Jaeger O’Meara, James Frawley, and Will Langford return for the Hawks, but unless Tom Mitchell balls out I’d expect Shannon Hurn, Andrew Gaff, Nic Nat, and Josh Kennedy to lead the soaring Eagles to another win. West Coast by 31
Melbourne vs. Adelaide Crows (Sunday in Alice Springs)
The game of the round with both sides at 6-3 and coming off victories. Adelaide has accomplished more over the past year, but Melbourne looks to be rising. Matt Crouch and Wayne Milera return for Adelaide, while Dom Tyson, Cam Pederson, Jayden Hunt, and Jeff Garlett are in for the Dees. Without Tex Walker in the Adelaide side, I’ll back Max Gawn and Melbourne to grab a big win. Melbourne by 13
Fremantle vs. North Melbourne (Sunday at Optus Stadium)
Fremantle won both games by a narrow margin last year, and they are at home at Optus where they play much better. That said, North has shown tremendous progress this season, and this game looks like a juicy one. Taylor Garner, Luke Davies-Uniacke, and Nathan Hrovat are ins for North, with Majak Daw out. The Dockers drop Mitch Crowden and bring in Shane Kersten, Stefan Giro, and Stephen Hill. Ben Jacobs will likely trouble Nat Fyfe with a tag, but at home I’ll give Freo a small edge to get the win. Fremantle by 17
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