Round 10 kicks off on a Monday as this strange 2020 season continues along on its merry way.
We then take in games on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and finish up on Friday night.
See who we predict to win and why this week 👇
Monday, 7:10pm, Adelaide Oval
Port Adelaide bounced back from a tough loss to St Kilda in style, emphatically dispatching Melbourne in Round 9. They remain on top of the ladder and are proving they are a team to be taken seriously in 2020.
The Bulldogs meanwhile suffered a poor loss to Richmond and are a little harder to get a read on, having beaten Essendon and Gold Coast while losing to Carlton in the three weeks prior.
For once, we can actually point to home ground advantage as a key facet of this game. The Power will be keen to make the most of the games they get in South Australia given the uncertainty surrounding the fixture, though the Bulldogs knocked them off at Adelaide Oval in 2019.
The Dogs have regained Josh Dunkley in what is a big win for them, while Port Adelaide loses the injured Brad Ebert. This makes for a fascinating midfield battle, given the Power are ranked third for clearances and the Bulldogs’ on-ball brigade is getting back to full strength.
Expect the Bulldogs to bounce back from their poor performance against Richmond, but Port Adelaide have earned the right to be trusted in a game like this based on what we have seen so far.
Tip: Port Adelaide by 15 points
Nic Negrepontis
Tuesday, 7:10pm, Metricon Stadium
The footy frenzy continues on Tuesday night with a genuine blockbuster between two of the best sides in the competition as the Tigers and Lions battle it out at Metricon Stadium.
Both these sides had comprehensive victories last week, with Richmond beating Western Bulldogs by 41 points and Brisbane easily taking care of Essendon by 63 points.
It’s hard not to go past the midfield battle in this one looming large, especially on the back of Lachie Neale’s 33-disposal game against the Bombers.
The Lions will have to be wary of Dustin Martin too, who has played his best two games of the season in the last fortnight.
The good news for Richmond is they’ve got an exemplary record against Brisbane, having not lost to them since 2009.
Tuesday night’s blockbuster also marks the first time these two have met since last year’s qualifying final, where Richmond was far too good in a comprehensive 47-point victory.
This is a game not to be missed.
Tip: Brisbane by 3 points
Laurence Rosen
Wednesday, 5:40pm, Gabba
The Cats were pretty good on Saturday night but were just run over late by a very strong Eagles outfit while the Kangaroos had a huge win over Adelaide, posting the biggest score (119) of the season to date.
Geelong has now dropped two of their last three and will be intent on recovering from that downturn in a bid to cement their spot in the eight. North Melbourne managed to snap a six-game losing streak and the taste of victory will be strong.
But they face a club who they have failed to beat in their last five encounters, with the Cats enjoying an average winning margin of a tick under 30 points in that time. North will want to exact revenge for the Round 21 loss at GMHBA Stadium last year where they mustered just one goal. They will attempt to do that at a venue where they’ve lost their last two, including a defeat just under two weeks ago to Carlton. (They had won four on the trot here prior to that though).
Geelong has played at the Gabba three times in the last six years, winning twice and losing once which was a one-point defeat to the Lions last year.
While the Cats have copped a couple of losses of late, they are in decent form and will only need to hold what they produced against West Coast in order to win this comfortably. Not to discount North, however, as they will be throwing caution to the wind and attempting to release the shackles.
But will that be enough to get over a team who holds legitimate finals credentials?
Tip: Geelong by 24 points
Andrew Slevison
Wednesday, 8:10pm, Adelaide Oval
Melbourne cannot lose this one, right? Even with Max Gawn either out injured or playing under an injury cloud pending team selection, the Demons will surely bounce back from their poor performance against Port Adelaide.
Adelaide sits on the bottom of the ladder without a win and was just belted by the 17th placed North Melbourne, and yet there wouldn’t be a Dees fan out there who isn’t nervous given the side’s propensity to put up inconsistent performances.
The Demons beat the Crows the last time they met at Adelaide Oval back in 2018 and they have had a strong record against teams below them on the ladder so far this year. They should have too much firepower for an Adelaide team that cannot kick winning scores.
This is beyond a must-win game for Melbourne and one Adelaide has a genuine sniff in if they get off to a fast start and plant the seed of doubt. Having said that, the opposite is true. The Dees could kick away earlier and if so, this could get very ugly.
Tip: Melbourne by 44 points
Nic Negrepontis
Thursday, 5:40pm, Gabba
The Magpies are coming off a very lacklustre showing when beaten by Fremantle on Sunday night while the Swans were put to the sword by St Kilda the day prior.
The result suffered by Collingwood makes this is a more crucial encounter than it may have been if the Freo game had have gone to plan. Nathan Buckley’s side now sits outside the eight by half a game and a win here would see them right back in amongst it.
For the Swans, the season is getting away from them and John Longmire will only hope they are again competitive, which they were in patches against the Saints, before being blown away late.
The record between these two sides over the last four years is 2-2 with all games played at the SCG but they now meet at the Gabba which provides an interesting backdrop. The Magpies are yet to play at the venue this year but have won their last six here, including a 10-goal win over the Lions last year. The Swans on the other hand have lost both their 2020 matches at this ground and also went down to Brisbane when they travelled here in 2019.
If the Pies are to be taken seriously they must stamp their authority on Sydney early and win comfortably. They can do so by getting back to winning clearances and contested ball - areas in which they were pulverised by the Dockers. Their attacking efficiency was also below par and needs a little fine tuning.
Collingwood will be looking to kick off its time in the Queensland hub with a bang, but as is usually the case against the Swans, it will be hard work.
But they should be winning if they can successfully navigate the short turnaround.
Tip: Collingwood by 19 points
Andrew Slevison
Thursday, 8:10pm, Metricon Stadium
The intrigue around Thursday night’s match between St Kilda and Gold Coast centres around the King twins playing against each other for the first time at AFL level.
The forwards are two of the most exciting prospects in the game and have shown immense promise for their respective clubs in 2020.
Max booted a career-best three goals in the Round 9 win over Sydney to help the Saints cemented themselves in the top four, while Ben has been a towering presence at stages for the Suns who will be looking to return to the winners’ list after two straight losses against the Western Bulldogs and GWS.
Brett Ratten’s side are on a run of three consecutive victories and have won their last four games against the Suns, with the three latest meetings decided by less than a goal.
Another four points in the bank would push the Saints closer to a finals berth, and on current form, they should prove too strong in this one.
Tip: St Kilda by 22 points
Alex Zaia
Friday, 7:40pm, Metricon Stadium
Essendon have twice played at Metricon Stadium on a Friday night in 2020 and on both occasions have faltered, first against the Western Bulldogs and then last week against Brisbane.
They come up against a GWS Giants side this Friday night who looked comfortable throughout in their 26-point win over Gold Coast last Sunday.
These two sides played in a Thursday night thriller last season, with Cale Hooker’s goal with only seconds remaining sealing a Bombers victory in Round 15.
The Bombers’ strength at the moment is their defence and they’ll have to be on guard with Jeremy Cameron and Jeremy Finlayson both in form, while Essendon will be hellbent on not being outgunned in midfield again after the Dogs dominated them in the middle a fortnight ago.
GWS start favourites for this one and really shouldn’t lose.
Tip: GWS Giants by 25 points
Laurence Rosen