Apart from the first game of Round 12, the rest of the games were exciting and high scoring, exactly what we love to see from our beautiful game! Plenty of goals scored, as well as both Sunday games being settled by a single goal and over 200 points scored in each… we can only hope that Round 13 spoils us with a repeat of that! So, without further ado, let's get right into our Round 13 preview! In this blog, we'll be previewing every game of the round and providing some insight into what we might expect in the week ahead. What do you think Round 13 hold for us? Let us know who you agree with and who else you might have selected down below on all of our social channels: twitter, facebook, instagram, discord.
Sydney Swans (12) V St Kilda Saints (5)
Thursday 8th of June - 7:10pm AEST at the Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney
While these teams aren’t close on the ladder in position, only 2 wins separate them, and with the Swans taking full advantage of a Blues team that couldn’t find the big sticks in their last game, and Saints losing their last game to the Hawks, this game could go either way!
The Swans welcomed the Blues to the SCG in Round 11, knowing they would want to take a win into their bye in Round 12. And a win was what they found, thanks in part to the Blues woeful efforts on goal, but more importantly to the Swans high pressure tactics. Jake Lloyd led the way for the Swans, with a 35 disposal game that saw him rack up 627 metres gained by himself.
The Saints have been the definition of inconsistent, following each win by a loss in recent times. They were able to knock off the Giants by 2 goals, and then followed it up with a 10 point loss to the Hawks. It took a mammoth effort by the Hawks captain James Sicily to keep that trend rolling for the Saints, so they should take solace that they won’t see a knock like that this week. A standout for the Saints was the ever-reliable Brad Crouch, who found 26 disposals and a goal, as well as 5 tackles and 7 clearances in just 77% time on ground.
Prediction:
This game really could go either way, but I feel that the Swans at home might just get the choccies – Swans by 6 points
Errol Gulden – 120 GDS fantasy points
Western Bulldogs (7) V Port Adelaide Power (2)
Friday 9th of June - 7:50pm AEST at Marvel Stadium, Melbourne
The Dogs pushed the Cats all the way to 3 quarter time, before the Cats took over, handing the Dogs their 2nd loss in a row. Meanwhile, the Power broke a club record by winning 9 straight games, and doing it in style by kicking 16 first-half goals against the Hawks.
The Dogs looked to have bounced back well from their loss to the Suns, leading for a good chunk of their game against the Cats until they were down by 6 points at 3 quarter time. Unfortunately for the Dogs, they couldn’t finish the game off, only kicking 3 behinds in the 4th quarter and eventually going down by 22 points. In a losing affair, there were some strong performances by the Dogs side, none more impressive than Tim English who had a huge game by a ruckman, in which he had 27 disposals, 12 marks, 8 tackles and 30 hit-outs.
The Power now sit in 2nd on the ladder after a record breaking 9 game win streak, and the Adelaide-based side won’t be looking to stop that any time soon. Their latest win came against the Hawks, who they dominated in the first half. After a 9 goal to 2 1st quarter, they piled on the damage, leading 105-23 at half time. While the prospect of a 200 point Power score was on the cards, they seemed to put the cue in the rack in the 2nd half, drawing in the 3rd quarter, and then losing the 4th quarter 6 goals to 2. There was bound to be a range of goal scorers in a 23 goal side, but Jeremy Finlayson stood out with his 5 goals from 17 disposals, with 5 tackles as well.
Prediction:
The Power streak will continue, the question is just by how much – Power by 21 points
Zak Butters – 120 GDS fantasy points
Hawthorn Hawks (16) V Brisbane Lions (4)
Saturday 10th of June - 1:45pm AEST at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne
Bottom 4 vs Top 4, but is it as simple as that? The Hawks have had the Lions measure in recent meetings, including a thrilling 5 point win last season.
The Hawks won 2 on the trot before having to travel to Adelaide to face the in-form Port Power in what was an uphill battle. It started out dire, but they didn’t roll over and took it up to the Power in the 2nd half. While the record shows it was a 55 point loss, it was a tale of 2 halves and they still put on a good show. Jarman Impey was at his best against the Power, putting up 33 disposals and a goal, with 534 metres gained as well.
The Lions went into their matchup against the Crows with high hopes, after snagging some big wins in their previous matches. Unfortunately for the Lions, what could have been a dominant 3rd quarter, where they had plenty of the ball and could have given them the lead going into the last quarter, instead they kicked 1 goal and 9 behinds, leaving themselves 15 points down at 3 quarter time, which was a lead that they unfortunately couldn’t claw back. Lachie Neale put in a big effort for the Lions, racking up 26 disposals, with 8 tackles and 11 clearances.
Prediction:
The Lions will be upset they let their win streak lose to one quarter of poor goal-kicking, and will be out for revenge against the Hawks – Lions by 48 points
Zac Bailey – 110 GDS fantasy points
Adelaide Crows (9) V West Coast Eagles (18)
Saturday 10th of June - 4:35pm AEST at the Adelaide Oval, Adelaide The Crows lost in Darwin to the Suns, while the Eagles looked to have kept a lid on the Pies until a 4th quarter blowout saw them fall to a 4th 50+ point loss in a row.
The Crows jumped out of the blocks against the Suns, winning the 1st quarter by 4 goals, before the Suns won the next 3 quarters to run out 25 point winners. It was a stark contrast to the Crows performance in their last game against the Lions, highlighting the fact that they have been hot and cold. One player who hasn’t been hot and cold has been the hot running Jordan Dawson, who added another 30 disposals and a goal to his season tally.
The Eagles now sit at a 1-11 record for the season, continuing to struggle with their long injury list. If not for 6 unanswered goals in the 4th quarter to the Pies, their last game would have been the first time that the Pies had looked competitive in the past couple months. Although they have been struggling as a team, Dom Sheed certainly didn’t struggle to find the footy against the Pies, racking up 43 disposals and a goal, as well as 10 clearances.
Prediction:
Crows back at home, on their week to return to winning form, they shouldn’t show mercy to the Eagles – Crows by 65 points
Ben Keays – 120 GDS fantasy points
Fremantle Dockers (10) V Richmond Tigers (13)
Saturday 10th of June - 7:25pm AEST at OPTUS Stadium, Perth
The last 2 meetings between these teams have ended with less than a goal in a teams favour, and both sides have had close wins in their last game. Could we see history repeat itself?
On one side, the Dockers have found themselves on a 4 game win streak, the latest win coming in a 7 point win over the Demons. While the Demons had more scoring shots, the Dockers made the most of their chances to defeat the top 4 side in an upset away from home. Andy Brayshaw played a big part in that win, finding 29 disposals, with 6 tackles and 7 clearances.
The Tigers went into their matchup against the Giants hoping they could turn around their recent streak of losing close matches, and they did exactly that. When the game went in to the final 2 minutes, with the scores level at 104 points, Marlion Pickett stepped up and slotted a goal on the run, to see the Tigers clinch the close win that had eluded them against the Power and Bombers in the previous weeks. The talent of Tim Taranto has been on full display in 2023, with another standout performance this week, racking up 36 disposals with a goal, as well as 5 tackles and 9 clearances.
Prediction:
The Tigers got back on the winners list, but the Dockers in WA are another challenge and they are running hot – Dockers by 23 points
Caleb Serong – 120 GDS fantasy points
North Melbourne Kangaroos (17) V Greater Western Sydney Giants (15)
Sunday 11th of June - 3:20pm AEST at Blundstone Arena, Hobart The Roos losing streak has extended to 10 losses, meanwhile the Giants last 3 matches have been decided by less than 2 goals.
The Roos found themselves facing the Bombers in Round 12, hopeful that they could take some of the momentum they built in their game against the Pies and use that to possibly cause an upset. While it didn’t look like that would be the case early, they kept the Bombers goalless in the 2nd quarter, putting them behind by only 2 points at half time. The Roos found the lead late, but it was all in vain as the Bombers kicked a late goal to steal the game back. For the Roos, Will Phillips put up a good fight, finding 27 disposals and a goal, as well as 6 tackles and 8 clearances.
The Giants came so close to a consecutive close win when they were all tied up with the Tigers at 104 points each with less than a minute to go in the game. Unfortunately for them, in a similar circumstance to the Roos, a late goal to the Tigers took that away from them, handing them their 8th loss of the season. It wasn’t due to a lack of trying from one of their most experienced campaigners in Callan Ward, who racked up 32 disposals and kicked a goal, as well as making 7 tackles.
Prediction:
While I feel this could be easily controlled by the Giants, the Roos are due, and the Giants are easier opponents than their past couple matchups – Roos by 3 points
Luke McDonald – 110 GDS fantasy points
Carlton Blues (14) V Essendon Bombers (6)
Sunday 11th of June - 7:15pm AEST at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne
A Sunday night spectacular, with some old foe meeting in what shapes up to be a classic battle.
The Blues woes keep rolling on, with yet another loss, this time coming against the Demons. In what was an incredibly low scoring affair, the Blues struggled to generate scoring opportunities, recording 39 inside 50s for only 9 marks inside 50. This, along with some questionable goal-kicking by their key forward Harry McKay, and the Blues coach Michael Voss will be scratching his head as to how he will turn their form around . Adam Cerra certainly isn’t a problem for Voss, racking up 30 disposals for 471 metres gained, as well as 4 tackles and 4 clearances against the Demons.
The Bombers made it 3 wins in a row with their last minute goal to beat the Roos, albeit the quality of those sides are questionable. While their latest win has put them at 6 on the ladder, the Bombers faithful will still be sceptical that the Dons can keep this form up, considering they looked so dominant early against the Roos before letting them back in to the game all the way until the last minute. Thankfully for the Bombers, amidst some long term injuries, their captain Zach Merrett put up a huge performance in the midfield, finding 34 disposals and 2 goals, as well as 6 tackles and 8 clearances.
Prediction:
With a big crowd predicted, expect the Blues to step up for this, and what will be a close game might just end up a streak-breaker for both teams – Blues by 5 points
Sam Docherty – 110 GDS fantasy points
Melbourne Demons (3) V Collingwood Magpies (1)
Monday 12th of June - 3:20pm AEST at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne
What a treat! A battle of 2 premiership hopefuls on a Monday afternoon, what more could you ask for?
Although they are coming off a win, it hasn’t been all smooth sailing for the Demons, losing 2 games before their win over the Blues in their most recent game. Despite the lack of wins in recent weeks, the Demons are still sitting inside the top 4 and hopeful they might be able to hand the Pies their 2nd loss of the season this week. In their recent win over the Blues, Christian Petracca found plenty of the ball in Clayton Olivers absence, racking up 32 disposals and kicking a goal, with 4 tackles and 7 clearances as well.
The Magpies continued their winning streak in Round 12, putting the Eagles away late to run out 63 point winners in Perth. While the Eagles had a depleted team list, the Pies didn’t look as dominant as the final scoreline suggested, however many think they may have been ‘toying with their prey’ and only put their foot on the pedal in the 4th quarter. Continuing his push towards a Brownlow medal was young Nick Daicos, who found 30 disposals and kicked 3 goals, generating 626 metres gained in the Pies win.
Prediction:
It’s hard to see the Pies losing, but anything is possible, however I’d be more confident with Clayton Oliver back for the Demons. Without him, the Pies should be too strong – Pies by 14 points
Tom Mitchell – 120 GDS fantasy points