Six down and three to go.
Here are the selections and analysis of what may happen on Sunday.
Port Adelaide v GWS Giants
Sunday, 1:05pm, Metricon Stadium
Port Adelaide’s recent record against GWS makes for grim reading.
The Power have lost their last five matches against the Giants with their most recent victory in this fixture coming back in Round 20, 2015.
After comfortably winning their opening four games, Ken Hinkley’s side fell to their first defeat of the season to Brisbane but still occupy top spot on percentage.
Sunday’s match at Metricon Stadium looms as another stern test for Port against last year's Grand Finalists.
Back-to-back wins over Collingwood and Hawthorn has lifted the Giants into the top eight with a 3-2 win-loss record.
Forwards Jeremy Finlayson and Harry Himmelberg kicked eight between them against the Hawks while reigning Coleman Medallist Jeremy Cameron found form with two goals and two goal assists.
The three-pronged Giants attack will stretch an undersized Power defence that struggled to cope with the height of Brisbane’s rangy forwards.
Tip: GWS by 22 points.
Alex Zaia
Richmond v Sydney
Sunday, 3:35pm, Gabba
It was only last year where Richmond were hit with multiple injuries to some of their best players, effectively forcing them to tread water through the middle part of the season knowing their last seven games were all at the MCG before eventually making up enough ground to become premiers.
Last Sunday against Melbourne, Dion Prestia (syndesmosis), Trent Cotchin (hamstring), Toby Nankervis (syndesmosis) and Tom Lynch (hand) all went down in the one match but unlike last year, the Tigers don’t have time on their side nor uncertainty about who and where they’re playing.
Ahead of this weekend’s clash against a Swans side who have won just two games so far in 2020, Richmond face the prospect of being without four of their most important players through injury as well as Shane Edwards and Bachar Houli, who have opted to not join the Gold Coast hub for personal reasons.
Sydney showed some positive signs against fellow strugglers West Coast last Sunday but were eventually overpowered and despite Richmond being well down in personnel, they should still be able to comfortably account for John Longmire’s side.
The story out of this match will just how many new Tigers players Damien Hardwick chooses to play and whether they’re able to adequately fill the injury void.
Tip: Richmond by 16 points.
Laurence Rosen
Carlton v Western Bulldogs
Sunday, 6:45pm, Metricon Stadium
Carlton and the Western Bulldogs have an interesting history, playing two frenetic games in 2019. They split the honours, but both were exhilarating matches under the roof at Marvel Stadium. Of course, this time they’re playing on the Gold Coast.
The Blues exploited one of the Dogs’ biggest weaknesses in 2019 on both occasions in that they struggled to defend multiple key position forwards. In the first game, Harry McKay kicked four, had seven shots on goal and took 11 marks, while Levi Casboult kicked three. Later in the year, it was Charlie Curnow who booted seven.
This time around, the Bulldogs have Alex Keath to bolster their backline, while McKay, Casboult and Mitch McGovern come into this game off a very quiet night against St Kilda.
Carlton’s forward line is the key to this one, given the Bulldogs have conceded scores of 33, 39 and 38 in successive weeks and if the Blues are to be any chance, they need a big game from one of their big three.
The Dogs will worry Carlton up the other end too, boasting numerous small forward options who can all hit the scoreboard and win the football doubled with Josh Bruce who sprung into life at his new club with a bag of six last weekend. How the Blues line up on the likes of Patrick Lipinski, Toby McLean, Laitham Vandermeer and Bailey Dale will be interesting given they’ve struggled to contain small/medium forwards all year.
Only twice sine 2005 have these two sides met somewhere other than Docklands and Carlton have shown better form away from Marvel Stadium this year, but the Bulldogs have too many weapons forward of the ball and are in great form down back. They should be too strong.
Prediction: Bulldogs by 25 points.
Nic Negrepontis