Some mixed results in Round 8, where the Eagles continued their injury riddled slide, while the Saints kept their spot in the Top 4, but looked anything but convincing against the Roos. Some patterns are starting to appear, but while one pattern appears, another is wiped away by a change in form. So, without further ado, let's get right into our Round 9 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 9 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.
Richmond Tigers (15) V Geelong Cats (6)
Friday 12th of May - 7:20pm AEST at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne
Tigers finally got back on the winners sheet, but they face a much harder challenge now against the inform reigning premiers.
The Tigers were on a poor run of losses before they took the opportunity against the Eagles to get a win. The Eagles decimated list made it easy pickings for the Tigers, especially through the midfield, with 3 of the Tigers mids racking up 30 or more disposals in Hopper, Bolton and Taranto. On top of this, all 3 of them combined for 6 goals, making for an impressive day out.
The Cats put the Crows away, but it wasn’t a huge win. The Crows were able to keep the Cats honest around the ground, with the Cats highest disposal getter being Tom Stewart with a decent 24 disposals out of the backline. Despite this, the Cats key forward Jeremy Cameron put in another good shift, kicking 3 goals and having 15 disposals to add.
Prediction:
The Tigers got back to winning ways, but the Cats are in a different league to the Eagles, so they should get the win easily – Cats by 28 points
Jeremy Cameron – 110 GDS fantasy points
West Coast Eagles (17) V Gold Coast Suns (14)
Friday 12th of May - 8:40pm AEST at Optus Stadium, Perth
Both teams coming off losses, which of these teams can find winning form again?
It is starting to look dire for the Eagles, with their list getting thinner and thinner due to injury. They lost Jai Culley during their loss to the Tigers, which made another big loss hurt even more. The experienced Dom Sheed did everything he could to give the Eagles some momentum in that game, putting up 29 disposals with 9 clearances and 5 tackles.
The Suns nearly stole the win from the Demons, with Darcy Macpherson missing a set shot from directly in front of goal to tie the game with 15 seconds left. It wasn’t a bad outing from the Suns, with Noah Anderson putting up a game high 37 disposals against arguably the best midfielders in the comp.
Prediction:
Things are starting to tick for the Suns, but the Eagles may get a few players back this week, and back in WA, an upset is brewing – Eagles by 3 points
Tim Kelly – 120 GDS fantasy points
Sydney Swans (11) V Fremantle Dockers (12)
Saturday 13th of May - 1:45pm AEST at the Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney
The Swans slipped to a third loss in a row, meanwhile the Dockers reversed the roles in Round 8, finally delivering a big win rather than a big loss.
The Swans came up with a big second quarter after a slow start to lead the pies by 8 points at half time, but a 10 point second half ruined any chance of an upset. Although on paper it wasn’t a good outcome, there were plenty of positives, the main one being Errol Gulden’s performance. Nearly 200 GDS fantasy points came from a game high 37 disposals, 32 of which were kicks, 13 marks and 7 clearances.
Freo returned to WA after a couple of large losses with revenge in mind, and it came against the Hawks with a 69 point thrashing. Andy Brayshaw stepped up with a great game out of the midfield, getting 34 disposals and 2 goals, with 8 tackles as well.
Prediction:
Although the Swans have lost 3 in a row, they are due a change of luck, and the Dockers are yet to win away from WA – Swans by 12 points
Callum Mills – 110 GDS fantasy points
North Melbourne Kangaroos (16) V Port Adelaide Power (5)
Saturday 13th of May - 2:10pm AEST at Blundstone Arena, Hobart The footy returns to Tasmania for the first time since the announcement that they will have their own AFL club in the coming years. For now, they will have to make do with a struggling Roos outfit coming up against the in-form Power.
The Roos recorded their lowest score of the season in Round 8, kicking a measly 34 points in their loss to the Saints. Even worse was the fact that it was a dry game under the roof at Marvel, so no weather to blame for their inaccuracy and poor score. One shining light was Jack Ziebell, who was the first player of the season to break the 200 GDS fantasy point game barrier, scoring 202. He did so by getting 36 disposals, 18 marks and 4 tackles.
The Power are on the opposite track, winning their past 5, scraping past the Bombers in Round 8. The Bombers had the ascendency early, but the Power took advantage of the Bombers depleted defence and continued to generate scoring opportunities, racking up 65 inside 50’s to the Bombers 47. Much of this came from Zak Butters, who got 28 disposals, 6 tackles and 6 clearances in another strong outing for him.
Prediction:
The Roos just can’t seem to gather any sort of form, and Port will be looking to hand the Roos a big loss – Port by 48 points
Connor Rozee – 110 GDS fantasy points
Hawthorn Hawks (18) V Melbourne Demons (2)
Saturday 13th of May - 4:35pm AEST at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne
This could only get slightly more one sided, with last playing second on the ladder, in what could be a bloodbath.
The Hawks travelled to WA to face the Dockers in Round 8 with some hope that they could take advantage of the Dockers poor form in the lead up. That was the opposite of what occurred, with the Dockers putting them to the sword early. One big issue has been the Hawks lack of player disposals, highlighting their struggles to win one-on-one contests around the ground. Will Day did bounce back slightly in form, getting 26 disposals and a goal, with 7 clearances.
The Demons had looked incredible in the leadup to Round 8, with many expecting they would have an easy win over the Suns, but it didn’t play out that way. They were lucky to not draw, with a late shot from the Suns to tie the game missing, leaving them with a 5-point win. Christian Petracca had another strong game, getting 26 disposals and a goal, with 8 clearances as well.
Prediction:
The Dees will be disappointed that they let the Suns dictate the game in Round 8, and will be out to make amends here – Demons by 53 points
Clayton Oliver – 120 GDS fantasy points
Brisbane Lions (4) V Essendon Bombers (9)
Saturday 13th of May - 7:25pm AEST at the GABBA, Brisbane The Lions are on a roll, meanwhile the Bombers have now lost 3 in a row, all against teams in hot form. Will that trend continue here?
The Lions made light work of the Blues in Round 8, dominating the Blues in the premiership quarter to put the win beyond doubt and show they are a force to be reckoned with in 2023. Josh Dunkley had his best outing since joining the Lions, putting up 33 disposals with a whopping 13 tackles and 6 clearances.
The Bombers made it 3 losses in a row when they went down to Port by 5 points, suffering not only in the result but also in losing more of their defence to injury. Darcy Parish was once again leading the charge for the Bombers, racking up 37 disposals with 5 tackles and 9 clearances.
Prediction:
The Bombers will be calling up defenders from their VFL side for this matchup, and with ex-Bomber Joe Daniher in good form for the Lions, the Bombers will struggle to keep him quiet – Lions by 25 points
Joe Daniher – 100 GDS fantasy points
Carlton Blues (8) V Western Bulldogs (7)
Saturday 13th of May - 7:30pm AEST at Marvel Stadium, Melbourne
A mixed bag of results in the past few weeks has made the Blues difficult to pick, while the Bulldogs made it 3 wins in a row against the Giants and are starting to show some good form. This could be matchup of the round!
The Blues would have been full of confidence after their slaughter of the Eagles, but their game against the Lions didn’t pan out how they wanted, losing easily in the end. It wasn’t due to a lack of trying from the Blues mids, with Adam Cerra putting in a strong effort with 33 disposals and a goal, with 7 tackles and 7 clearances as well.
The Bulldogs travelled to the nation’s capital on a high, hoping they could knock off the Giants to keep their good form rolling. They certainly did that, with a strong 3rd quarter performance putting the game away before the Giants rallied late. Playing a key part in the victory was Tim English, who continues to put his hand up for AA Ruck Selection in 2023. He racked up 23 disposals with 6 tackles, on top of 40 hit-outs.
Prediction:
Both teams have the ability to pull out some good football, but I’ll be siding with the Dogs here – Bulldogs by 10 points
Marcus Bontempelli – 130 GDS fantasy points
Adelaide Crows (10) V St Kilda Saints (3)
Sunday 14th of May - 1:10pm AEST at Adelaide Oval, Adelaide
This is another game where the game could go either way, with both of these teams mixing form.
The Crows lost their 2nd game in a row, going down to the Cats in Round 8 by 26 points, although the margin was as little as 12 points late before the Cats kicked away. Leading the way for the Crows was Jordan Dawson, who continues his hot streak of performances with another 29 disposals, 6 tackles and 4 clearances. An honourable mention has to go to Rory Laird, who was a tackling machine, leading the stat with 14 tackles in the game.
The Saints reinstated themselves into the Top 4 with their win over the Roos, but it was done in the poorest fashion. Against a team that was dominated by 90 points in the previous round, they were only able to kick a measly 8 goals (in a dry game as well). The most impressive player on the day was Liam Stocker, who had 25 disposals from 16 marks, with 4 tackles as well.
Prediction:
The Crows have played well against 2 quality teams in their recent losses, and if the Saints play the same brand of footy again, the Crows will be too strong – Crows by 19 points
Izak Rankine – 120 GDS fantasy points
Collingwood Magpies (1) V Greater Western Sydney Giants (13)
Sunday 14th of May - 4:40pm AEST at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne
The Pies made it 4 wins in a row, meanwhile the Giants came back against the Bulldogs late but just couldn’t get the win.
The Pies continued in their winning ways, although it wasn’t the most convincing win over the Swans. The Swans mids dominated the Pies, being the first team to slow Nick Daicos in his amazing first season. Even with the Swans domination, Nick Daicos was still able to rack up 25 disposals and 5 tackles, but it was Scott Pendlebury who inspired the Pies to get the win, with 31 disposals and 5 clearances.
The Giants got out of jail against the Swans, getting the win late thanks to Toby Greene, but couldn’t replicate when they went up against the Bulldogs. Although they lost, their midfield can hold their heads high, putting up another strong performance, with Green, Kelly and Whitfield combining for a total 103 disposals. It was Tom Green who led the way, with his 38 disposals, 9 tackles and 8 clearances fetching him a very strong 196 GDS Fantasy Points.
Prediction:
The Pies haven’t been playing their best footy, but they won’t need their best against the Giants – Pies by 18 points
Taylor Adams – 110 GDS fantasy points