It’s that time of the year again. Where 18 teams become 8. The best survive the cull, the worst fade off in to the sunset and strive to come again bigger and better the following year.
It’s round 23 of the 2017 AFL season, the final weekend of the home and away campaign before we hit finals time. Well, almost. There is a pre-finals bye ahead of September, but I could write another piece on that on it’s own.
Of course with ten teams bowing out of action for 2017 the round is tinged with sadness, as several players are set to farewell the game having announced their retirement from AFL football. Luke Hodge, Matt Priddis, Sam Mitchell, Nick Riewoldt, Robert Murphy and Matthew Boyd among those set for their final outings as champion players of the game.
For some the finals dream is still alive, with St Kilda, West Coast and Western Bulldogs all still a chance of qualifying for September. All three teams are relying on an improbable Fremantle victory over Essendon to qualify, but in a season as crazily unpredictable as this one, you wouldn’t rule it out.
It sets up an emotion charged finish to the regular 2017 AFL season, kicking off with the Hawks-Bulldogs match under the roof on Friday night at Docklands. Here is a complete preview of the round.
Hawthorn v Western Bulldogs
The Hawks finals charge ended abruptly last week with a shock loss to Carlton, the Blues first win over Alastair Clarkson’s men since round 6, 2005. The Dogs appear long odds to make the 8 after a disappointing loss to the Power in Ballarat, leading at every change bar the last.
This game therefore has far less appeal on paper than it did say a month ago, but with a host of veterans farewelling the game in this fixture it still has a strong emotional appeal to kick off the final round of the season.
Luke Hodge will play his 305th and final game of AFL football, having achieved all there is to achieve in there is in the game. A four time premiership player, two time Norm Smith medallist and three time premiership captain among other career achievements, he is an instant hall of famer when he becomes eligible in 2021.
The Dogs farewell Robert Murphy and Matthew Boyd, two dependable veterans of the club for the past 15 years. Having amassed 602 games between them, they have been constant fixtures in the Bulldogs side and are among the most loved and respected players wear the red , white and blue jumper.
It’s been the most frustrating of premiership defences for Luke Beveridge’s men, injury and form slumps to key personnel robbing them of crucial momentum during the year. While a win here would keep them in the running for a finals berth, it would appear unlikely based on the body of work across this season to date.
Hawthorn’s loss to the Blues essentially came because of a sluggish start, Carlton capitalising and building momentum from there. Both teams have a debutaunt for the match, the Hawks unveiling mid sized defender Harry Morrison and the Dogs calling on Patrick Lipinski, a crafty half forward.
Considering they are going to chair off one of their all-time greats post match, I expect the Hawks to lift here and defeat the Dogs, officially ending the dream of back to back for the boys from Whitten Oval. Of course, those who are realistic know that dream ended a fair while ago. Hawthorn by 23 points.
ONE LAST HURRAH: Luke Hodge will play his final AFL game against the Western Bulldogs on Friday night. SOURCE: Sportal.
Collingwood v Melbourne
If Collingwood could have a theme song to sum up the past four seasons for their football club, it would be Greenday’s ‘Wake Me Up When September Ends’. Another season without finals for Nathan Buckley’s men means another year of failure, and you wonder if things will change in the short term for the AFL’s biggest club.
D-day looms early next week for one of Collingwood’s favourite sons, the board to make a decision on Buckley’s future as coach. You wonder whether the result of this game truly matters for the Magpies, and whether the decision has already been made one way or another.
Still the Magpies would love to finish the season with a victory, in what has been another disappointing year, yielding just 8 wins from 21 matches to date. They welcome back Brodie Grundy from a two game suspension to battle Demons giant Max Gawn, while veteran utility Tyson Goldsack returns to add some flexibility to the Magpies side. Josh Smith and Jarryd Blair lose their place, resigned to finishing the season in the VFL.
Melbourne have finally recalled Jack Watts after continued speculation about his future at the club, having kicked the match winner when the clubs met in round 12. Christian Salem joins him in the selected 22, Corey Wagner and Billy Stretch dropped.
While almost assured of a finals berth, Simon Goodwin’s men would love to march in to finals with a victory in the final round, setting them up well for what they hope will be a profitable finals campaign, their first since 2006.
The Pies will want to finish their season well, and they might just lift that little bit more for the match. Collingwood by 11 points.
WILL HE STAY OR WILL HE GO: Nathan Buckley’s future as Collingwood coach remains up in the air as he is yet to be offered a new coaching contract. SOURCE: Big Footy
Brisbane v North Melbourne
The battle for the spoon. The who cares who wins cup. Anyone remember the 2007 ‘Kruezer Cup’ between Melbourne and Carlton? Both teams tried not to win to gain the number one draft pick by finishing last in a match that had to be seen to be believed.
While no one expects the game to drop to those heights here, the same scenario confronts the Lions and Roos as that infamous day in September 2007. Brisbane appear to be playing the better football, having pushed Melbourne last week and defeated Gold Coast easily in the Q-Clash a fortnight ago.
North Melbourne have been ravaged by injury in recent weeks and appear to be limping to the finish line in 2017, captain Jack Ziebell (foot) ruckman Braydon Preuss (shoulder), young guns Daniel Neilson (concussion) and Taylor Garner (foot) all ruled out of the last match of the season. Cameron Zurhaar loses his place having been dropped.
The Lions go in with an unchanged team, far more settled and primed to record their 6th win of the season. Chris Fagan’s men should go in to 2018 with a confidence boosting win, and avoiding the wooden spoon. They could finish as high as 15th despite being bottom of the table since round 7. Brisbane by 32 points.
Sydney v Carlton
How good are the Swans? What a win in Adelaide last Friday night.
Having dominated the opening 45 minutes of the match the Crows then assumed control and appeared to have all the momentum in the final term, before late goals from Sam Reid and Tom Papley delivered a memorable interstate win for John Longmire’s men.
They will remarkably play finals despite a 0-6 start to the season, and this looms as a great opportunity for revenge for the red and whites, having lost to the Blues back in round 6 at the MCG. That seemed to be the tipping point for the Swans, but they have only lost two matches since, both to Hawthorn in round 10 and 19 respectively.
Back on their home patch, which has become a fortress again after some losses at the venue earlier in the season, they should account for a Carlton side that has found the second half of the season tough going, despite an impressive effort to defeat Hawthorn in their last home game of the season last week.
Last week’s last gasp hero Papley is out for the Swans with a knee complaint, while star midfielder Daniel Hannebery is out with a hip ailment. Harry Cunningham and Nic Newman have a chance to demand a spot ahead of finals.
Retiring Blue Dennis Armfield comes back for one last hurrah for Carlton, Jack Silvagni’s second season bought to a halt a week early with a shoulder injury.
Sydney will sense a swift and brutal kill here of the Blues, but expect Brendon Bolton’s men to be nuisance value as they have been most of the season. Sydney by 28 points.
FINALLY: Carlton players celebrate defeating Hawthorn for the first time since round 6, 2005 last week. SOURCE: SEN.
Geelong v Greater Western Sydney
Game of the round. The way the ladder is set up with one round to come, there is every chance these two clubs could meet again at the same venue in two weeks’ time.
The Cats are oh so hard to beat at Kardinia Park, the Giants yet to win at the venue in their brief history. The winner of this match will collect second spot, with GWS still an outside chance of winning the minor premiership should Adelaide lose to the Eagles and they emerge victorious here.
Geelong welcomes back integral players Tom Hawkins and Mark Blicavs from suspension and injury respectively. The Giants have included retiring veteran Steve Johnson to face his former side, Rory Lobb also back after being a late withdrawal against the Eagles last week.
When these two teams last met it was a thrilling draw at Spotless Stadium, the Cats leading nearly all night before the Giants came home with a wet sail, Hawkins missing a shot after the siren to win the match.
We can expect a similarly close game this time around, with so much on the line and both teams wanting to prove themselves against a genuine contender. Droughts are made to be broken, and reckon the Giants might have a little bit too much polish for the Cats. Greater Western Sydney by 12 points.
GUESS WHO’S BACK: Steve Johnson is back for the Giants for a clash against his old side Geelong on Saturday night. SOURCE: Zimbio.
Port Adelaide v Gold Coast
Less said about this the better. The Power had a great win over the Dogs in Ballarat last week, but again it was against a team that is outside the 8 and have shown to be mediocre at best all year.
The Suns have bigger problems than football at the moment, with an off field review underway and the club looking for a new senior coach following the sacking of Rodney Eade earlier this month.
This match should be a straightforward one, the Power expected to tune up for finals with an easy win that will see them secure a home final in the opening week of the finals, the Suns to disappear off in to the night with a whimper.
Gary Ablett again won’t play, and you wouldn’t expect to see him in a Suns jumper again as he intends to head back to Geelong in 2018.
Tom Jonas was suspended for a crude hit on Luke Dalhaus off the ball last week, and deservedly copped a two week holiday. Jasper Pittard comes back to strengthen the defence.
Wouldn’t be watching this game Saturday night, and I doubt many will, particularly with the Cats-Giants match on at the same time. Port Adelaide by 45 points.
Essendon v Fremantle
Never has a team metaphorically cried out: “We give up!” as much as Fremantle in the past fortnight. Beaten by 104 in consecutive matches against Sydney and Richmond, Ross Lyon’s men are limping to the finish line, keen for the season to finish as soon as possible.
The torture for players and fans alike will come to an end this Sunday, with one last fixture against Essendon at Docklands to come. The off-season will once again be a big one for the Dockers, with the need for more key position talent to compete with the best teams in the competition.
The Dons simply have to defeat the beaten up Dockers in this fixture to secure the 8th spot on the table and a subsequent finals berth, and it’s hard to see them losing this one based on recent performances from the men in purple.
Jobe Watson comes back for his last hurrah as an AFL footballer, the son of a gun hoping that his career extends at least another fortnight in to finals. Travis Colyer is also back, Josh Green’s season over with a foot injury and Craig Bird dropped.
Lachie Neale, Jon Griffin, Tom Sheridan, Sam Collins and Shane Kersten all get one last chance to impress in 2017 for Fremantle, Cam McCarthy, Griffin Logue, Ryan Nyhuis and Josh Deluca all dropped with ruckman Sean Darcy suspended.
Simply can’t see Fremantle offering much of a yelp here, they probably care more about their end of season trip. Bombers to win a book a place in September. Essendon by 43 points.
DIRTY DAY: Fremantle’s Hayden Ballantyne and Josh Deluca contemplate another dire defeat against Richmond last Sunday. SOURCE: Triple M.
Richmond v St Kilda
Take a deep breath Richmond fans. You are on the cusp of the top four. All you have to do is beat St Kilda, and the spot is yours. What’s that? You lost to the Saints by 67 points in round 16? Oh dear.
Surely they won’t replicate that performance this time with so much to play for, but with Richmond who can ever be sure? They were superb in Perth against a poor Fremantle side, Jacob Townsend the surprise packet with 6 majors in his first game of the season, Dustin Martin further enhancing his Brownlow credentials with yet another best on ground performance.
As expected St Kilda defeated North Melbourne at Docklands, a tearful Nick Riewoldt farewelling the ground he has had so much success on with a victory.
While they can still make the finals it appears unlikely due to their poor percentage and the Bombers expected to beat Fremantle, meaning this will be the man known universally as ‘Roo’ will most likely play his 336th and final AFL match on the home of football against his cousin Jack’s Richmond side in this fixture.
The real challenges start now for the Tigers, who despite having an outstanding season carry the tag of ‘chokers’ come finals, having lost three elimination finals from 2013-15 and failed to win a final since 2001.
Finishing top four will give them the best chance you would think, and I think they will secure their 15th win of a magnificent home and away campaign. Richmond by 22 points.
West Coast v Adelaide
Get the tissues ready, West Coast fans. It’s going to be a day of farewells. A farewell to Matt Priddis and Sam Mitchell, and a farewell to Subiaco Oval after 31 seasons at the home of football in Western Australia.
They will also most likely be farewelling their season, unlikely to push in to the top 8 even with a surprise win over top of the table Adelaide. Both teams are likely to know of their fate before this game commences, which could mean the game goes through the motions.
If the Giants lose to the Cats it will guarantee the Crows the McClelland Shield for the Minor Premiership, and render the result of this match meaningless. Should the Dons beat Fremantle, West Coast will also have nothing to gain from the match other than to send their retiring stars out on a winning note.
Josh Kennedy also has a Coleman medal at stake, leading by 4 goals going in to the final round. He has kicked a staggering 30 goals in his six games since returning from a calf injury, and is by far and away the best forward in the game currently.
His normal adversary Daniel Talia will miss the match due to an ankle injury, while Crows captain Taylor Walker has also been ruled out with a toe concern.
Mark LeCras is the only inclusion for the Eagles for what could also be his last AFL game, Josh Hill dropped after just 6 disposals last week against the Giants.
It will be an emotional day for the Eagles, but I can’t see them beating the Crows here. Adelaide by 18 points.
ABSENT FROM DUTY: Crows captain Taylor Walker will miss his team’s trip West with a toe injury. SOURCE: Triple M.
By Jacob Landsmeer.
Jacob Landsmeer is a sports broadcaster on 91.3 Sport FM in Perth. He blogs here at zombiecrowscricket. Follow him on Twitter: @jlandsme_93
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