Hawthorn Hawks vs Sydney Swans @Melbourne Cricket Ground, Friday 7:50pm

STAT FACT: Josh Kennedy will play his 200th AFL game against Hawthorn. But interestingly Kennedy was traded from Hawthorn to Sydney while his Grandfather also played for Hawthorn.

BIG TALKING POINT: Sydney captain Josh Kennedy will play his 200th game on Friday night against Hawthorn. He has always been a great player for Sydney and is a great role-model within the community. This is a great distinction for the proud player and he will no doubt have a game to remember against his former club.

WHAT WILL HAPPEN: Much has been made about Sydney’s current seven-game winning streak and the fact that they have won 10 of their past 11 games. Now they currently sit in 6th spot and are on track to make the finals despite no team having ever done so from the 0-6 position that they started their season in. This impressive streak will become 11 of 12.

WHAT WON'T HAPPEN: Sydney losing such an important game in the context of their season and for their captain. In each of the seasons he’s been at the club, Kennedy has finished around the top of Sydney’s Best & Fairest Award. For someone like him and so that they keep their finals spot safe they will not lose.

OUR TIP: Sydney by 24.

 

North Melbourne Kangaroos vs Melbourne Demons @Blundstone Arena, Saturday 1:45pm

STAT FACT: North Melbourne have not lost to Melbourne since 2006 and in the process they have won an incredible 16 games in a row against them.

BIG TALKING POINT: North Melbourne coach Brad Scott this week has been forced to address the idea that his team might be tanking. He described the concept as laughable and said that he and his team will be doing everything in their power to ensure they win their next five games. He would supposedly rather have a winning culture than a top draft pick.

WHAT WILL HAPPEN: The winning streak will be broken and despite what Scott believes in North Melbourne will be well on their way to obtaining a top-two pick in the draft.

WHAT WON'T HAPPEN: North Melbourne actually abide by what their coach is saying. They have been absolutely dreadful this year winning only four games which is the same as Brisbane. Despite their opponents' horrific injury toll North Melbourne will be lucky to keep this one close.

OUR TIP: Melbourne by 36.

 

Greater Western Sydney Giants vs Fremantle Dockers @Spotless Stadium, Saturday 2:10pm

STAT FACT: GWS have lost their past two games in a row while their two games before that were draws.

BIG TALKING POINT: A week after losing by 13 points to cross-town rivals Sydney, GWS lost by 19 to Richmond. After being a top two side for most of the season to many it now appears that the wheels are firmly falling of GWS’s title challenge. Are they able to arrest the slump or not is another question being asked of Leon Cameron’s side.

WHAT WILL HAPPEN: The slump will be arrested, if only because they’re playing a Fremantle side who are going through a well-publicised youth movement and have suffered a fair amount of injuries this season.

WHAT WON'T HAPPEN: Fremantle putting up a whole heap of points. Their kicking has been notoriously poor this season and they only have a 78.55% for goals. That’s good for second worst in the League.

OUR TIP: GWS by 20.

Port Adelaide Power vs St Kilda Saints @Adelaide Oval, Saturday 4:05pm

STAT FACT: Port Adelaide have won their past three clashes against St Kilda by an average of 51 points per game.

BIG TALKING POINT:­­ Much has been made recently about Port Adelaide’s inability to beat top eight teams. They only have one victory for the season against a team in the top eight and that was a come from behind win against a West Coast team that faltered badly in the fourth quarter. Thankfully for Port Adelaide, St Kilda sit in 11th place currently.

WHAT WILL HAPPEN: Port Adelaide are the only squad in the entire AFL with a clean bill of health. Some other teams have massive injury tolls so Port are quite lucky in that regard. Given this position and St Kilda’s well documented struggles recently it would seem everything is in place for Port to win and win big at that.

WHAT WON'T HAPPEN: St Kilda getting their first win against Port since 2011. Port have long dominated St Kilda and there should be no change to that early Saturday evening.

OUR TIP: Port Adelaide by 35.
 

Gold Coast Suns vs Richmond Tigers @Metricon Stadium, Saturday 7:25pm

STAT FACT: For Richmond this year Dustin Martin has 23.20 along with only one score assist.

BIG TALKING POINT: This season a lot of the talk has been around the fact that the Gold Coast have never made the finals in their existence, while other recently introduced club GWS have. Every season it seems like one of the burning questions will or will they not be participating at the business end of the season. This year they’ve blown it yet again as they’re on track to miss the finals. The pressure continues to build on this club.

WHAT WILL HAPPEN: Richmond by their own admissions have been an inconsistent top four team this year. But last week as is known throughout the AFL world they got a great 19-point win over the highly placed GWS. Another win of that nature is what many are expecting to happen.

WHAT WON'T HAPPEN: It still doesn’t seem all that long ago that the Gold Coast knocked West Coast of its perch in a famous win for the Men from the Tourist Strip. But history will not repeat itself and Richmond should be able to see it through with a victory.

OUR TIP: Richmond by 29.


Carlton Blues vs Geelong Cats @Etihad Stadium, Saturday 7:25pm

STAT FACT: While this game is 2nd (Geelong) vs 16th (Carlton) on the ladder, the last game between these two sides resulted in a 19-point win to Carlton.

BIG TALKING POINT: Zac Tuohy. He was traded from Carlton to Geelong in the off-season and has played excellently for Geelong so far this season. Coming up against your old team for the first time is always an interesting experience and this one should be no different. Whether they admit it or not, they always want to show their former employers what their missing.

WHAT WILL HAPPEN: Despite their sub-par season so far, Carlton still lead the league in marks with 105.3 per game. So if nothing else is guaranteed at least you can take solace in knowing Carlton will be winning the ball a lot.

WHAT WON'T HAPPEN: Geelong getting a heap of marks as they rank 17th in the league at that, good for 2nd last. Despite this Geelong are still considered one of the favourites for this years Premiership and rightfully so.

OUR TIP: Geelong by 50.

Western Bulldogs vs Essendon Bombers @Etihad Stadium, Sunday 1:10pm

STAT FACT: This season both teams have the same number of disposals and clearances in 399 and 35 respectively.

BIG TALKING POINT: For most of this season the talk has been around a hangover of a Premiership defence for the Western Bulldogs. As it stands they’d be lucky to make the finals let lone actually do any damage trying to defend what they won last year.

WHAT WILL HAPPEN: Neither team is regarded as particularly entertaining and given both teams' well0documented inconsistences this year, if nothing else it will be a fairly bland game to watch. One other thing that will happen is that both teams fan bases will be out there in numbers given that a loss to either side basically spells the end of their season for them with how tight the competition ladder is.

WHAT WON'T HAPPEN: The Western Bulldogs defending their title. Essendon sit just inside of the top eight and will be desperate to win and keep on doing so in order to give them a birth in the finals. Due to the nature of this year's competition this ensuing loss will mean their players will be watching this years finals series from the couch and unable to defend what is theirs.

OUR TIP: Essendon by eight.


West Coast Eagles vs Brisbane Lions @Domain Stadium, Sunday 2:40pm

STAT FACT: West Coast won the last game between these two sides by a fairly hefty 49 points.

BIG TALKING POINT: Will or won’t West Coast make the finals? This is a major question heading into the final bit of the season as they sit preciously in ninth spot knowing a loss or two could all but spell the end of their season. They’ve been a dominant finals force recently but it could all come crashing down pretty quickly for the men from Perth.

WHAT WILL HAPPEN: Commitment and growth from a young Brisbane side. Despite the losses piling up this year, everyone around the league can see the commitment that the young guns are showing as well as the growth that they are displaying. However, this doesn’t always translate into wins.

WHAT WON'T HAPPEN: A massive upset. West Coast are too good, too experienced and too desperate to lose this one.

OUR TIP: West Coast by 31.
 

Collingwood Magpies vs Adelaide Crowes @Melbourne Cricket Ground, Sunday 3:20pm

STAT FACT: Collingwood have won seven of their ten games against Adelaide at the MCG.

BIG TALKING POINT: Collingwood CEO Gary Pert resigned during the week and Nathan Buckley could be following suit at the end of the season if Collingwood fail to make the finals. Collingwood have been on a bit of a hot streak as of late but it remains to be seen how their CEO’s resignation will affect the team's performances on the field.

WHAT WILL HAPPEN: Regardless of whether or not this affects Collingwood’s players they will still get pumped by an Adelaide side who are widely regarded as one of the favourites for this year's Premiership. It’ll be close but Adelaide are too good and too talented to let game slip.

WHAT WON'T HAPPEN: Collingwood overcome all the obstacles to win. First the coach and now this. Collingwood’s players have been fairly resilient as of late but even this might be too much for them to handle.

OUR TIP: Adelaide by nine.