Melbourne Demons vs Sydney Swans at Melbourne Cricket Ground, Friday, 7:50pm

A win for Melbourne would give them a massive boost in their pursuit of second spot on the competition ladder. But a win for Sydney would move them into a finals position, so a lot is on the line during this game.

In the last round, Melbourne escaped Perth with a hard-fought, well-deserved 99-96 win. Sydney in their last game were trailing by 19 with 10 minutes to go against Essendon before storming back to win 86-85 in a result that saw them temporarily move inside the Top Eight for the first time this season.

Amongst the injuries for Melbourne are Jake Spencer who has a shoulder problem and Pat McKenna who is nursing a hamstring strain. For Sydney those on the injured list include Alex Johnson and Sam Naismith (both knee).

Why Sydney will win: There are two major factors that should greatly contribute to a Sydney win on Friday night. First is Sydney’s dominating past history against Melbourne as they have won their past five clashes against them. Secondly, Sydney have made a habit of winning close games - last week it was against Essendon by one and the week before it was against Richmond by nine. This should be a tight affair and Sydney have shown recently that they’re more than capable of closing those out.

Our Tip: Sydney by six.

 

Western Bulldogs vs West Coast Eagles at Etihad Stadium, Saturday, 1:25pm

Only a win separates these two teams this season. The Western Bulldogs will be looking to leapfrog St Kilda into the Top Eight while West Coast will be looking to push their way closer to the Top Four.

In their last game the Western Bulldogs won a close one against North Melbourne 107-106. But given the difference between the two teams in terms of ladder position, talent and otherwise it should have never have been that tight. West Coast were pipped 99-96 by Melbourne in Perth.

For the Western Bulldogs, Travis Cloke is battling a rib injury, Dale Morris has a leg injury and Brad Lynch is dealing with a hamstring strain. West Coast’s injury list includes Drew Petrie (hand), Nic Naitanui (knee) and Jamie Cripps (ankle).

Why West Coast will win: Last week against Melbourne they kicked a fairly sizeable 12 behinds. With goal scorers like Josh Kennedy (34 this season), Jack Darling (21) and Mark LeCras (17) on their team they shouldn’t be kicking inaccurately for too long and, in what should be a close clash, the goal kicking will be the difference.

Our Tip: West Coast by four.