There's some massive games to look forward to in Round 9.
The weekend starts with an intriguing encounter between the Saints and Cats, but all eyes will be on Saturday night when Port Adelaide takes on the Western Bulldogs.
While at the same time, an undermanned Richmond hosts GWS at Marvel Stadium.
North Melbourne will be eyeing their first win of the season when they play 17th-placed Hawthorn in Launceston.
Who will win and why this weekend?
Let's find out below:
St Kilda v Geelong
Friday night - Marvel Stadium
St Kilda returns to Marvel Stadium after a hard-fought and ugly win over the Suns on the Gold Coast.
The Saints battled away and in the end did what they had to do to get over the line, but they’ll need much more than that this weekend.
Geelong produced one of the most impressive displays of the season, particularly in the second half when blowing Richmond away at the MCG last Friday night.
Chris Scott’s side was powerful all over the ground, but particularly in the forward line with Tom Hawkins, Jeremy Cameron and Gary Rohan combing for 15 goals. That presents a giant task for the St Kilda defence.
Geelong has won the past four between the two clubs at an average winning margin of almost 43 points, including 10 of the last 12, and that trend is likely to continue on Friday night.
The Cats were just far too good to ignore last week and with things up and running in attack, they should prove too classy for the Saints, who must play their best footy to cause an upset.
Tip: Geelong by 27 points.
Andrew Slevison
Sydney v Collingwood
Saturday - SCG
Sydney will look to solidify their place in the top eight when they host Collingwood at the SCG.
The gallant Swans fell nine points short of inflicting Melbourne’s first loss of the season, despite winning the centre clearances against the star-studded Demons midfield 17-4.
After winning their opening four games, the sixth-placed Swans have lost three of their last four with several clubs snapping at their heels.
Collingwood released the pressure valve with a much-needed win over North Melbourne last time out.
The 18-point victory against the winless Kangaroos snapped a five-game losing streak with Darcy Moore’s return to defence paying immediate dividends.
Moore starred with 28 disposals, 19 marks and 11 intercepts while maligned forward Jordan De Goey found form with a season-high six goals.
This match-up has produced some thrillers in recent times.
The last four matches between Sydney (5-3) and Collingwood (2-6) have been decided by nine points or less with the Magpies getting home in another tight contest last season.
Will it be close this time around?
Tip: Sydney by 23 points.
Alex Zaia
Hawthorn v North Melbourne
Saturday - University of Tasmania Stadium
The battle between the bottom sides on Saturday afternoon down in Tasmania promises to be intriguing, as North Melbourne seeks their first win under David Noble.
The Roos coach is chasing process rather than results as he said in a press conference last week, but make no mistake that this game against Hawthorn presents one of one their best chances to finally taste victory in 2021.
Noble’s side is facing somewhat of an injury crisis heading into this one, with Aiden Bonar and Jaidyn Stephenson the latest names this week added to their growing casualty list.
How the Hawks approach the game will be interesting on the back of a game against West Coast last week which saw coach Alastair Clarkson attempting to lock the game down in the opening quarter, before it eventually opened up and the Eagles took complete control.
It’s hard to say who are favourites for the game, but on the balance of things Hawthorn should be able to get the job done against the winless Roos.
But after showing small glimpses at stages in games the last few weeks, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see North Melbourne finally taste victory on Saturday.
Tip: Hawthorn by 4 points.
Laurence Rosen
Gold Coast v Brisbane
Saturday - Metricon Stadium
Brisbane and the Gold Coast will meet in the 20th Q-Clash and one of the most interesting.
The Suns have been up and down this year, but their best footy will challenge the Lions if they bring it.
They haven’t been competitive in the Q-Clash for a while, losing their last four meetings by an average margin of 47 points.
Lachie Neale (33 disposals) and Cam Rayner (3 goals) did the damage in the matchup last year and neither will be available this time around.
Gold Coast hasn’t beaten Brisbane since 2018 and the Lions come into this one in great form. They have won their last four games and have risen to fifth on the ladder.
For the Suns to win, they will need their midfield to get right on top and take advantage of a Brisbane group without Neale. A tag on Hugh McCluggage may go a long way.
Star forward Ben King will likely face-off with Harris Andrews in a mouth-watering matchup.
Given where both teams are at, it’s hard to tip against the Lions in this one and they should be too strong.
Of course, if Gold Coast plays the style of footy we saw against Collingwood and Sydney, they could give Brisbane a scare.
Tip: Brisbane by 30 points.
Nic Negrepontis
Richmond v GWS Giants
Saturday night - Marvel Stadium
No one would have believed that both Richmond and GWS would share the exact same win-loss record and a similar percentage at this stage of the season.
There’s no doubt the Tigers have had the tougher draw, and the injury bug has well and truly bitten … but it’s still impressive that GWS are thereabouts after their poor start to the year.
Both sides have clear weaknesses going into this weekend’s game, with Richmond’s midfield depleted following several injuries and the Giants backline noticeably undermanned with injury concerns of their own.
If the Giants are to cause a boilover, it’ll be as a result of their more experienced midfield getting on top of a Tigers on-ball brigade that haven’t played much football together.
It is a possibility, particularly as Jacob Hopper, Tim Taranto and Callan Ward’s form increases - but surely Tom Lynch, Jack Riewoldt and Dustin Martin will be able to do enough to kick a winning score.
With Lachie Keeffe going down with an ACL, Sam Taylor, Connor Idun and potentially even Jake Riccardi will be faced with the monster task of matching up on Richmond’s dangerous talls.
Ultimately, Richmond should be too strong under the roof at Marvel and too potent going forward for the young and inexperienced GWS defence to handle.
Lynch in particular would be licking his lips after hauling in 12 marks against the Bulldogs two weeks ago … the star forward could be set for a big bag.
Tip: Richmond by 28 points.
Lachlan Geleit
Port Adelaide v Western Bulldogs
Saturday night - Adelaide Oval
Fresh off a third straight Showdown win, Port Adelaide would be entering Round 9 feeling pretty good about themselves.
The Power saw off the challenge from Adelaide to bank their sixth win of the season which has them sitting in third position pre-round.
It sets up a fascinating meeting with the second-placed Western Bulldogs who themselves will be chipper after managing to chase down Carlton, returning to winning ways in the process.
These two sides have met at the Adelaide Oval twice in the last two seasons, enjoying one win apiece. Ken Hinkley has his side up and about on home soil this year with four wins from four and they will hope to strengthen that form when a fellow top-four hopeful comes to town.
The Bulldogs trailed the Blues by as much as 27 points in the third quarter last weekend but managed to fight their way back. In enemy territory, Luke Beveridge will be intent on avoiding a similar scenario against a much better opponent.
The club is in pursuit of its 900th win in the history of Footscray/Western Bulldogs and to do it on the road against a genuine contender would be some achievement.
This has the potential to be a high quality affair given the ability of both sides, but the home comforts narrowly give the Power the nod in a fixture that promises plenty.
Tip: Port Adelaide by 11 points.
Andrew Slevison
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Essendon v Fremantle
Sunday - Marvel Stadium
Essendon hosts Fremantle in a fascinating clash at Marvel Stadium.
The Dockers sit only percentage out of the eight, while the Bombers sit only percentage above 17th – and yet it feels like a 50-50 contest.
The Bombers have had no trouble scoring, ranked second in the league for points for. Simultaneously, they have one of the worst defences, also ranked second for points conceded.
Fremantle meanwhile sits in the middle of the pack in both categories and is coming off a poor fortnight of performances against West Coast and Brisbane.
The narrative around Essendon is far more positive, despite averaging 100 points per game against across the last five weeks.
They have an exciting mix and move the ball at speed.
Essendon has won four of their last five over Fremantle, including by a goal in Round 1, 2020.
Freo had no answers for Charlie Cameron last weekend, kicking 3.5 and the Bombers will challenge them in the same way with Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti.
The midfield battle will be intriguing given both teams boast young stars throughout.
The Dockers will challenge Essendon defensively, but the Bombers have the scoring power to cause them some headaches.
In the end, it might come down to Fremantle captain Nathan Fyfe and whether he can find some accuracy in front of goal.
Tip: Fremantle by 5 points.
Nic Negrepontis
Melbourne v Carlton
Sunday - MCG
It's fair to say Melbourne has the wood over Carlton heading into Sunday’s clash at the MCG.
The undefeated Demons have won their past five meetings with the Blues, including last year’s match by a solitary point.
Simon Goodwin’s side extended their unbeaten start to eight games after seeing off Sydney by nine points in a tight and tough contest.
Melbourne currently has the best defence in the competition with their work without the ball a key factor behind their rise to the summit of the ladder.
The Demons would be confident of continuing their recent dominance over a Blues side that slipped to 3-5 after a regrettable loss to the Western Bulldogs.
Up by as much as 27 points late in the third quarter, Carlton conceded eight of the last nine goals to lose by 16 points, despite Eddie Betts (five) and Harry McKay (four) kicking nine majors between them.
Carlton's defensive deficiencies continue to be major concern, especially against the top teams of the competition like Melbourne.
Tip: Melbourne by 15 points.
Alex Zaia
West Coast v Adelaide
Sunday - Optus Stadium
West Coast is back on home soil after notching up their first win away from Perth on Sunday, taking on a Crows side who put up a fight but were ultimately beaten easily in the Showdown last Saturday night.
The Eagles are battered and bruised at the moment, with their latest injury issue centring on Josh Kennedy and a calf complaint that is likely to see him miss several weeks.
Adelaide has injuries themselves to contend with after a bruising Showdown and have also opted to rest leading goalkicker Taylor Walker for the trip west.
The Crows face one of the most daunting tasks in football as they try and pull off a big upset away from home having lost four on the trot.
For West Coast, this is another opportunity to notch up a victory at home as they count down the weeks until some of their key personnel return from injury.
It’s hard not to escape the feeling that this could be a one-sided contest if the Eagles get a hold of a vulnerable Crows outfit, but Matthew Nicks’ side has shown plenty of promise throughout the year so shouldn’t be completely written off.
Tip: West Coast by 34 points.
Laurence Rosen
