2008 Hawthorn premiership hero Campbell Brown has handed down his verdicts for two of the biggest remaining games in Round 15, predicting Richmond and St Kilda will triumph in their respective clashes.
Geelong’s game against Richmond and Sydney’s hosting of St Kilda are two enthralling games in a round featuring multiple mouth-watering clashes.
The Cats and Tigers have both lost just one of their last five games and head into the clash in good form, however Damien Hardwick’s side’s improvement has Brown giving them the edge.
With Richmond seeing off a strong Carlton outfit last week by 15 points, Brown designated them the “most improved side” over the last month.
“It’s a huge game and the bookies have got it pretty close and I think that’s about right, Dusty (Martin) coming back is significant for Richmond,” the former Hawk said on SEN’s Dwayne’s World.
“I think the Tigers, they’re the side that probably have improved the most over the last three or four weeks.
“I think Collingwood is another side in that discussion, but we’re starting to see some signs from the Tigers that we saw through their premiership era, didn’t we.
“I think Richmond (will beat Geelong) in a really close game, but you could probably flip a coin.”
That game will start at 4.35pm AEST at the MCG before all eyes turn to the SCG at 7.25pm.
Both the Swans and Saints suffered unexpected defeats last week and will be looking to turn the tables come Saturday night, but Brown is more worried about the form of Sydney.
John Longmire’s troops have defeated Melbourne, Richmond and Essendon in the past five weeks but have constantly found themselves facing significant deficits in games.
It’s not a method that will yield consistent results, according to Brown, who can foresee the Saints bouncing back hard.
“I think the Sydney Swans have been playing some good footy, albeit they’ve had to come from behind a few times and claw their way back in to win, which is a fantastic sign but eventually the wheels have got to fall off,” he added.
“I think we saw some signs of that last week, Peter Ladhams goes out of that side with suspension, and the Saints, you’d think after their disappointment of last week, would bounce back.”
Carlton versus Fremantle on Saturday marks the other remaining clash of top eight teams, with Melbourne smashing Brisbane by 64 points on Friday night.