Western Bulldogs vs Greater Western Sydney Giants @Etihad Stadium, Friday 7:50pm

Stat Fact: The last clash between these two teams was in round six of this season and it was a narrow 75-73 win to GWS. While the time before that it was a one-goal 89-83 victory to the Western Bulldogs.

Big Talking Point: Steve Johnson has announced he will retire at the end of this current campaign. He played 253 games for Geelong kicking an impressive 452 goals, while during his current stint at GWS he has kicked 56 goals from only 34 games. He has won three Premierships and is also a three time All-Australian. He also won the Norm Smith Medal in 2007. He is a great player and a class act who will be sorely missed from the game once he has retired.

What Will Happen: A very tight affair. If you don’t want to go off recent history that’s fine, go off this then. GWS currently sit in second spot and are fighting for first, while the Western Bulldogs are only one win ahead of a number of teams vying to make the finals. The scene is set for what should be a cracker of the game and one that has some very serious potential ramifications depending on the result for some of the other teams.

What Won’t Happen: Reverting to prior form. Before their big win over Melbourne last week, GWS had been pretty inconsistent in their period of games before that. Expect them to stick to how they played against Melbourne and not let old habits come back to haunt them.

Our Tip: GWS by six.

 

Sydney Swans vs Fremantle Dockers @Sydney Cricket Ground, Saturday 1:45pm

Stat Fact: Since their disappointing 19-point loss to Carlton, Sydney have won 11 of their past 13 games.

Big Talking Point: Jarrad McVeigh has yet to be offered a contract by Sydney for next season. McVeigh was Sydney’s 2012 Premiership captain and would be an asset to any club that decides to pick him up. There have been a few quiet reports linking him to GWS. If this were to eventually be proven true it would be a massive blow to Sydney as no club ever wants to lose a talented player, let alone to your cross-town rivals.

What Will Happen: Sydney’s 12th win of the season. Given that they are still only one win ahead of Essendon, West Coast, Melbourne and St Kilda, Sydney’s finals berth still isn’t safe despite being in sixth place. They also desperately want to make the top four in which they are currently six points out of. Sydney’s only real option here is to win and nothing less.

What Won’t Happen: A close game. Thinking in terms of realness, Fremantle were out of the finals race a long time ago. They have no real incentive to win because it would just worsen the position of their draft pick. They won’t tank but with the form Sydney’s in they’re pretty much out of the game anyway.

Our Tip: Sydney by 50.


 

Geelong Cats vs Richmond Tigers @Simonds Stadium, Saturday 2:10pm

Stat Fact: The past three clashes between these two sides have all resulted in Geelong wins and they have been by margins of four, nine and five points respectively.

Big Talking Point: Will Dustin Martin re-sign with Richmond? Speculation has intensified recently that he will stay put with his current club beyond the conclusion of this current season. But there have also been big money offers linking him elsewhere and with the millions of dollars potentially on the table it may be a while yet before he is able to make a decision. In the run home and with Richmond trying to win the Premiership, will these rumours affect the squad at all?

What Will Happen: Josh Caddy kicking goals like Usain Bolt winning medals. Last week he kicked 4.4 and for the season he has 16.18. In what should be a closely contested game how many he scores could be the difference between a win or a loss for Richmond. Expect him to get a couple more in this game.

What Won’t Happen: Richmond missing out on the top four. A win here would go a long way to securing Richmond a top four spot. This would be a great boost to them while handing a loss to one of the teams they’re fighting with for a coveted spot with in Geelong. Both teams should put up top performances but it’ll be Richmond who come out on top.

Our Tip: Richmond by 5.

Brisbane Lions vs Gold Coast Suns @The Gabba, Saturday 4:35pm

Stat Fact: This season these two sides have combined for an appalling 10 wins from 38 games. Brisbane sit in last place with the Gold Coast in 15th.

Big Talking Point: The Rocket has been launched off the Tourist Strip. Rodney Eade was fired during the week from his role as the Gold Coast’s head coach and has been replaced by Dean Solomon. During his time with the Gold Coast, Eade had to battle with a horrific injury toll and the team went 16–46–1 under his tutelage. Given all that happened during his time there, I believe he was unfairly fired and rightfully deserves another coaching shot with a different AFL team.

What Will Happen: As is so often the case, Gold Coast will come out and blitz Brisbane in their first game under their new coach. Then after that the questions such as why didn’t they perform that well under Eade will roll in. It’s a weird trait that seems to be quite common, expect the Gold Coast to display it.

What Won’t Happen: It’s a relative unknown given the poor nature of both of these sides but given that both teams this season have notoriously struggled to kick goals, you can guarantee that it’ll be a low scoring clash.

Our Tip: Gold Coast by 20.
 

Essendon Bombers vs Adelaide Crowes @Etihad Stadium, Saturday 7:25pm

Stat Fact: Joe Daniher leads the AFL goal-scoring charts this season with 56.

Big Talking Point: Jobe Watson announced he would be retiring at the end of the season. He has been a once club man his entire career and captained Essendon from 2010-2015. Watson was stripped of his 2012 Brownlow Medal due to the supplements saga that engulfed the Essendon football club. He had already handed it back though knowing this decision was going to happen. But among the highlights of his career so far are making the 2012 and 2013 All-Australian team. Despite the ups and downs of his career he has been a good leader for the club and will be missed.

What Will Happen: A high-scoring affair as both teams have scored double digit points this season in 13 games (Adelaide) and 10 games (Essendon). This, combined with some of the best goal scorers in the league being on the books of both teams in the likes of Daniher and Taylor Walker, means that no matter the score of this clash, it'll at least be a good game to watch.

What Won’t Happen: The script being followed. Ladder positions suggest that Adelaide are in for quite an easy win. But despite this you can never discount a team desperate to make finals footy, and what has been proved on many occasions this year is that the little team can always be up for playing the big team. A real shock could occur in this game.

Our Tip: Essendon by 12.
 

West Coast Eagles vs Carlton Blues @Domain Stadium, Saturday 5:40pm

Stat Fact: Sam Docherty leads the league in marks per game (9.2 and 175 in total for the season).

Big Talking Point: There are some reports swirling that in the off-season Carlton will have some cash to burn as they have been linked to the likes of Josh Kelley and Jacob Hopper. This in an off-season where they could also have the number one draft-pick. Both players would be awesome signings for the clubs and would seriously help Carlton speed up a bit their rebuilding process. This news must be music to Carlton fans' ears.

What Will Happen: In their loss to Essendon last round, Bryce Gibbs made an impressive eight tackles in a very good defensive display. Against a West Coast side that can be very fluent with the ball at times he’ll have to play like he did last week to give his team a chance. Look for him to play strong defensively again.

What Won’t Happen: Carlton going down quietly. Despite their lowly ladder position last week they pushed Essendon all the way before going down 84-76. Despite that obvious lack of talent in their squad they’ll continue to make some noise, but it won’t be enough against the finals desperate West Coast side.

Our Tip: West Coast by seven.

Melbourne Demons vs St Kilda Saints @Melbourne Cricket Ground, Sunday 1:10pm

Stat Fact: Melbourne have had 405 disposals this year while St Kilda have had 397.

Big Talking Point: Both these teams sit equal with eighth-placed Essendon and are only just out the finals on percentage. Whichever side wins this game will give themselves a great shot in the arm of securing a finals spot. While for the losers it just becomes that much tougher to grab a spot in the eight. Both teams' seasons go on the line in this game and it should be an absolute thriller to watch.

What Will Happen: Melbourne will fight and scrap for the ball as they have done all season. Expect them in that regard to really give it to St Kilda in what should be quite a physical encounter between the two sides. This year Melbourne are ranked second in the contested possessions category.

What Won’t Happen: Jack Watts scoring. With Melbourne’s obvious lack of options, he really needs to step up to the plate and deliver for his finals desperate side and fan base. But recent form has indicated that he won’t be able to. That shouldn’t change this game.

Our Tip: Melbourne by four.

Hawthorn Hawks vs North Melbourne Kangaroos @University of Tasmania Stadium, Sunday 3:20pm

Stat Fact: Hawthorn have a dominating history against North Melbourne, winning seven of their past eight clashes against them.

Big Talking Point: James Sicily is out of contract at the end of the year but his current employers Hawthorn are trying to get him to stay beyond the conclusion of this current campaign. During the second half of the season he has played well and would no doubt have other suitors should he not sign with the club that drafted him with the 56th pick in the 2013 AFL Draft.

What Will Happen: Ryan Clarke being strongly involved in the game. Last week he had a career high 31 disposals against Collingwood and he should be in the thick of the action again this week against Hawthorn.

What Won’t Happen: Hawthorn’s dominating past continuing. There is really nothing to suggest that North Melbourne should win this game especially after being embarrassed by Collingwood last round. But North Melbourne coach Brad Scott clearly wants his team to try for the rest of the season and they’re due for a win sometime. Another upset is brewing.

Our Tip: North Melbourne by 10.
 

Port Adelaide Power vs Collingwood Magpies @Adelaide Oval, Sunday 4:10pm

Stat Fact: Robbie Gray bagged five against Collingwood back in Round 14 of this season.

Big Talking Point: Collingwood captain Scott Pendlebury has publicly backed the under-pressure Nathan Buckley to get a new deal as the club's head coach. Now this is normal as most players when their coach is under pressure come out and publicly vouch for them and put the blame on the team instead. But given Collingwood's rather woeful season, a new coach might actually be what’s best for the team. Collingwood will have a review very soon and this could potentially determine whether Buckley gets to stay or not.

What Will Happen: 58 points on average in their last three games for Port Adelaide. Many bush footy teams have a better attacking prowess than that. Port should bounce back though with a big attacking display against a Collingwood side that isn’t exactly known for its defensive tendencies.

What Won’t Happen: A blow out score-line. Despite Collingwood’s season so far, recently they have been more than competitive and that should come into play in Sunday afternoon's game. Collingwood won’t win but it’ll be close.

Our Tip: Port Adelaide by two.