Round 10: Previews and predictions

Geelong vs. Port Adelaide Thursday, Simonds Stadium 7:20pm, AEST Back to the Thursday night fixture, this week the Cats will play at Simonds Stadium for the second week in a row. The Power will make the trip down to the Cattery for this big clash. Port Adelaide will be missing Chad Wingard, who has been ruled out with a calf injury, he will be replaced by Aaron Young. Nakia Cockatoo (hamstring) and Tom Lonergan (rested) will both miss for Geelong. It's another week that the Cats will need to bring the intensity and pressure, as Port Adelaide have been a very physical side so far this season. Coming off the bye, it will be interesting to see how the Power respond. At home, Geelong should get over the line. Tip: Cats by 17 Sydney vs. Hawthorn Friday, SCG 7:50pm, AEST Before the start of the season, many fans would have marked this as a marquee match-up. But currently it's a battle between 12th and 17th. The Swans have won three in a row and look to be getting back to some of their best form. They also have welcomed back a number of their stars who were injured at the start of year. Hawthorn don't look to be getting back to the team they were and this lull in form may be more of a problem than some originally thought. The Swans on the other hand look as if they could begin to dominate sides again after some crucial wins and it could continue with the Hawks. Tip: Swans by 39 Western Bulldogs vs. St Kilda Saturday, Etihad Stadium 1:45pm, AEST The Bulldogs have struggled more than most expected so far this year, with discussions this week about a possible 'premiership hangover'. However, if you look a their results, they have lost some close games, to some great opposition and have been improving. The Saints were disappointing last week against the Swans and their fans expect more from the young and talented outfit. They will have to face the Dogs without star Nick Riewoldt, who is expected to miss. This poses a big challenge to the younger generation of Saints. The Bulldogs are too good to slip out of the eight and drop to 5-5. They should be fired up considering some of the criticism they have received this week, it could be another tough week to be a St Kilda supporter. Tip: Saints by 32 Melbourne vs. Gold Coast Saturday, TIO Traeger Park 4:35pm, AEST The Suns enjoyed a week off in round nine and it came at a great time, considering their huge loss to the Power in China. Melbourne on the other hand couldn't get over the line against North Melbourne, in what was a disappointing loss for their fans, but a thrilling, fiery encounter for the neutral. Gold Coast are one of the most confusing teams in the competition, at times they look like a potential finals side and at others they look as though they look amateurish. This is a game the Demons have to win, and if they don't, the faith of their followers will begin to peter out. They should claim the victory, but hopefully the Suns make them work for it. Tip: Demons by 18 Richmond vs. Essendon Saturday, MCG 7:25pm, AEST Another chapter of the 'Dreamtime at G' game sees Richmond and Essendon go head-to-head once again. It is two very different stories for each side in this game. The Tigers are coming off four straight losses, three of which have been under a kick, while the Dons have won two on the trot and are playing some inspired footy. The form of Joe Daniher has been riveting to watch. Since his commitment, passion, and goal-kicking was questioned, the forward has been on a tear. It set to be an amazing match-up between Daniher and Rance, and hopefully we see a lot of it. This should be an epic clash, with the league hoping that 80,000+ fans will be in attendance. It is a tough game to predict, however, it looks to go against form. Tip: Tigers by 7 Adelaide vs. Fremantle Saturday, Adelaide Oval 7:40pm, AEST This is set to be a massive test for Fremantle and the football world will be able to get a gauge on where they are at. The Crows are a force at Adelaide Oval and managed to return to the winner's list last week. The Dockers have a relatively strong record at Adelaide Oval, winning as many as they lose in recent years. The loss of Aaron Sandilands is massive for Fremantle, as the big man is a crucial part of their set-up. The Crows will be slightly less worried about the prospect of the Dockers now, and should take the win. Tip: Crows by 31 Collingwood vs. Brisbane Sunday, MCG 1:10pm, AEST Could this be the start of a finals run for the Pies? They claimed a massive come from behind win last weekend and now play the lowly Brisbane Lions. Collingwood cannot afford to get ahead of themselves, as they have a great opportunity to string some wins together. If they do happen to drop this game, Nathan Buckley's fate could be sealed. Hopefully the Lions offer up a good effort and who knows, they could potentially cause an upset. But it's tough to pick them at this stage and the Pies need the win. Tip: Pies by 33 Carlton vs. North Melbourne Sunday, Etihad Stadium 3:20pm, AEST Some may mark this as one to miss this weekend, however, both sides look to be in some kind of form and should provide an exciting contest. The Blues have shown some excellent form in patches, while the Roos' favourable run has some thinking that they could push for finals. Inconsistency has been the crux of the matter for both of these sides. Which version of each club that decides to show up, will most likely decide the game. The Kangaroos have so far had a better track record and look to be improving each week. Tip: Roos by 23 West Coast vs. GWS Sunday, Domain Stadium 4:40pm, AEST This shapes as potentially the game of the round. The Eagles are back on their favoured home turf and will have to battle it out with the injury struck GWS. Through five games, the Giants have never beaten West Coast. However, their most recent match-up, which was in round 21 last year, was only decided by one point. Taking that game out, the Eagles average winning margin is just below 95 points. The Giants are injury riddled at the moment and playing West Coast away is always a tough experience. Hopefully it will be a great game, however, the Eagles should do enough to bounce back from their loss to the Bombers last week and take the win. Tip: Eagles by 11

		P	W	L	PTS	%
1	SYD	23	17	6	68	126.7
2	PORT	23	16	7	64	114.8
3	GEEL	23	15	8	60	112.2
4	GWS	23	15	8	60	109.1
5	BL	23	14	8	58	121.9
6	WB	23	14	9	56	125.1
7	HAW	23	14	9	56	118.5
8	CARL	23	13	10	52	110.2

Round 10: Previews and predictions

Richmond vs. Essendon

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