What The F-Arc Review
North Melbourne vs. Port Adelaide:
โWhat the f-arc?โ indeed. The stand-alone fixture for Saturday failed to cure the footy fix we had all craved, with this game as entertaining as watching paint dry. Port Adelaide were dominant from the word go, with the Kangaroos offering a training drill-eque performance to the Port midfielders. Travis Boak looks in fine form, with many believing heโs a sniff for the Brownlow Medal. One highlight for North Melbourne for the night was Channel 7 gifting their fans 12 seconds of dead air, with the broadcast cutting out what seemed to be the longest game of football all season.
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St Kilda vs. Hawthorn
An exciting match early on, with nine goals kicked between both sides in the opening quarter. Alistair Clarkson was looking to pull off another โmaster-classโ coaching display, only for the rampaging Saints to come out on top after the final break. Hard to read the Saints at the moment with these nervous performances, that five-goal win over Port seems an eternity ago. Nick Coffield had a blinder for St Kilda and looks to be progressing nicely in 2020. Saints need a strong finish in their run home if they want a chance of a finals victory.
Geelong vs. Essendon
It seemed the Bombersโ chances of winning were over before the match had started, with the peak-hour Brisbane traffic limiting them to one hour of preparation for Sundayโs clash. If they had any confidence of turning those chances around, it surely would have faded by half time. The Cats were at their best for a stellar four-quarter effort with Tom Hawkins all-but securing the Coleman Medal while Sam Menegola looks to be a great shout for an All-Australian selection on the wing. Interesting to see the Bombers laughing in their huddle when they were down by 10 goals, it mustโve helped as they only lost by 66 points instead of 150.
Keep calm and let Gryan go to work ๐ผ Our @GordonTAFE goals of the week #GeelongStrong pic.twitter.com/8QsyhjqY0F
— Geelong Cats (@GeelongCats) September 7, 2020
Western Bulldogs vs. West Coast
Whatโs the saying? Itโs a game of inches? Well according to Marcus Bontempelli its perhaps closer to โa beeโs d**kโ. The Bulldogs skipper stood up when it mattered to secure four points for his side in a must-win match. The Eagles canโt seem to get the chocolates away from home in these night matches; with their premiership odds plummeting after the Gabba got the nod for the grand final. Josh Dunkley looks to be in the running for All-Australian ruckman after another impressive effort in the middle, while it seems nobody told Jack Macrae it was shorter quarters with the amount of possessions heโs racking up at the moment.
Huuuuuuuge moment.#MightyWest @peopleschoiceAU pic.twitter.com/xTvBCXATBs
— Western B_lldogs (@westernbulldogs) September 7, 2020
Melbourne vs. Fremantle
Hard to tell whoโs doing it tougher at the moment, Melbourne as a city or Melbourne as a football team. The Demons drop another game to a side that have nothing left to play for in 2020. Credit to Fremantle though, their ability to stick it complacent clubs when they want to is causing major headaches for the top eight. Yes the conditions didnโt favour fans of high scoring affairs, but itโs time we say goodbye to the โfirst team to 100โ rule. Two goals kicked until half time made for an exciting yet disastrous affair on a Monday night. Now lets never speak of it again.
Adam Cerra ๐ฎ#ColesGoals | #AFLDeesFreo pic.twitter.com/S06jGR3l3o
— AFL (@AFL) September 7, 2020
Lower The Eyes
Adelaide vs. Greater Western Sydney
Iโm sure all footy fans are looking forward to a clash between bottom-placed Adelaide and finals hopefuls Greater Western Sydney at 5:40 on a Tuesday. The Giants will be without some of their best names due to injury, while the Crows will be without star names due to the fact they have none. The win against the Hawks lifted a huge weight off the shoulders of Matthew Nicks, who is hoping to keep his undefeated September run alive against the Giants. For Leon Cameron, heโll be hoping to put this game to bed early, but weโre sure the Crows will come out firing once again.
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Carlton vs. Sydney
It would be so Carlton to come close to the top eight only to finish in the bottom six. Tuesday nightโs clash is their final chance to make the top eight, as they need a near-perfect run home whilst rival sides must fall at every hurdle. The Blues will be looking to put the Giants loss behind them after giving up a defendable lead at three quarter time. The Swans were flying against Melbourne last week and will be looking to do the same at Metricon. If Tom Papley is still keen on a move to Ikon Park, heโll be dictating the amount of zeroโs in his contract in this match.
Brisbane vs. Gold Coast
Ah the Q-clash, footballโs most enticing derby. To be fair, this seasonโs match is offering as a tasty four quarters for the neutral fans. Brisbane should roll the Suns with comfort, but expect a young Gold Coast crew to throw everything theyโve got in the opening quarter. Weather forecast suggests another wet evening in Brisbane, so we could get a nail-biter after all. A win places the Lions temporarily in 2nd place with the Cats facing Richmond on Friday, with their hopes of a Gabba-fest come finals on the line against their biggest rival.
St Kilda vs. West Coast
Round 17 opens with two sides desperate to prove their doubters wrong on Thursday night. The Saints wonโt match up well against the Eagles given their lack of height forward and inconsistent defensive structure, but they have the upper-hand in the midfield. The Eagles will be without Elliot Yeo and Luke Shuey while questions remain on the fitness of Nic Naitanui. The Saints will be struggling to regain key names too, with Max King and Tim Membrey also hoping to come back from injury. This game seems like one of those matches where either side could win comfortably, but youโd put your money on West Coast to get the job done.
