AFL Football Is Back For 2008 – Round 1
It has certainly been a long time coming but the AFL Football Season is finally here, and as I mention in another article Lets Talk Some Football, It’s a tipping nightmare Round 1 and all of you that are in a comp like I am where you have to pick one winner each week then good luck. My certainty last year in Round 1 lost and that was it for the year!! I talked about The Blues vs The Tigers and also Geelong and Port in that article so check it out if you haven’t already.
Collingwood Tackle The Dockers
OK lets get it on, Collingwood tackle Fremantle at the MCG and we will see if the new Fremantle traveling regime will have in ampact on their ability to win games away from home. New coach Mark Harvey has started the mind games early.
“They’ve obviously been playing, as we’ve read, all over the world, so it’s been a fairly hectic campaign … we don’t complain when we travel,”
I love it, he has learnt form the master Kevin Sheedy. Both teams will enter the game with strong lists with only Haselby to miss for the Dockers while the Pies have Jaxson Barham (shoulder/5 weeks), Simon Prestigiacomo (foot/indefinite) and Brad Dick (knee/season) out of the lineup. Scott Pendlebury, Rhyce Shaw and Travis Cloke have enjoyed some good practice game form and with new skipper Scott Burns eager to shine in his new role all is positive for the Pies. Rocca needs to compete up forward to allow Cloke a bit more freedom and if he can that then the smaller forwards will benefit. For the Dockers new coach Mark Harvey will be looking to exploit the inexperience of the Collingwood defence and will rely heavily on Pavlich and Tarrant and with Farmer lurking around they have the more potent of the two forward lines. But I think the Pies have been working towards Round 1 and being in Melbourne I think the Pies can get up.
The Saints Take On The Swans
St Kilda vs Sydney looks set to be a good one but the Swans will be missing Everitt, Ablett and Crouch. Where the Saints will likely be without Fraser Gehrig, Steven Baker (suspension), Jayden Attard and Mcguire will probably miss another week. Interesting to note that the Swans have won their opening game only twice in the past six years are historically slow starters and the Saints are up and about and have unearthed some great youngsters in Armitage, Jones, Jarryn Geary and Jarryd Allen. Jason Gram is in great nick and veteran Robert Harvey is as fit as a fiddle. I like the Saints in this one and they should win comfortably.
West Coast And The Lions
The Brisbane Lions have a tough ask first up when they travel to the West to take on the West Coke, I mean West Coast Eagles. The Lions form over the pre season hasn’t been all that impressive but many regard them as
finals contenders. There are doubts over Ashley McGrath (knee) and Daniel Merrett (knee) and for the Eagles skipper Daniel Kerr is yet to prove his fitness from his hamstring strain. The Eagles have been playing some good footy in the last couple of weeks, Andrew Embley has been in good form and Cox (after his extension) and Seaby have been in ominous form and are likely to the up there as the best ruck duo in 2008. Tough one to pick this one, I like the Lions with Brown, Black, Power, Johnstone and Lappin leading the way but the Eagles may be to good in a tight one first up.
The Adelaide Crows And The Western Bulldogs
The Adelaide Crows should notch up a win in Round 1 when they tackle the Western Bulldogs at the Telstra Dome on Sunday. The Crows have been in great form in the NAB Cup> They will be without Rhett Biglands (knee), Chris Knights (quadricep), Nick Gill (calf) and Trent Hentschel (knee). For the Doggies their injury list consists of Everitt, Williams, Wight, Ray, Harbrow, Skipper, and also Brian Lake is still in doubt. The fact that the doggies have a few defenders out will hurt them and look for Kurt Tippet to continue his great form down forward. The midfield will be a good battle, the Crows mid fielders have been impressive and Boyd, Cross, West and Cooney will need to accountable for them. The Crows are playing are good brand of footy at the moment and should account for the Western Bulldogs in this one.
The Hawks vs The Demons
If there was a certainty in Round 1 this would be my pick. The Hawks should easily account
for the Demons and get their season off to a flyer. The Demons have the worst defensive line up in the AFL I reckon and will not
be able to contain “Buddy”, Williams, Roughhead, Boyle. Even though the Hawks will be without Shane Crawford (3 weeks), Jordan Lewis (2 weeks), Luke Hodge (1 week) and Campbell Brown (1 week) all through suspension they will get over the line. Melbourne will be without Matthew Bate (hamstring – 2 weeks) and Jack Grimes (groin – 6-8 weeks) are the only injuries but Colin Sylvia will also be an absentee after a club-imposed one-week ban. The Demons will want to put all their off field dramas behind them and get out on the park and play some footy but they will be up against it here. David Neitz and Russell Robertson will have to be the main goal kickers as they will need to be for the entire year which is not a good sign to the Demons. They just don’t have the cattle the Deomons and the Hawks will win this one.
North Melbourne vs Essendon
The Bombers and the Kangaroos will be a good one. North Melbourne will be close to full strength and with big gun Nathan Thompson raring to go will be up and about. But the Bombers (sorry for the bias here) have been impressive and if they can keep the free flowing running game going then they may just give the Kangaroos some issues. Lloyd and Lucas will need to fire while the speed machines through the middle will need to be just that. The Kangaroos have beaten the Bombers the last 6 times they have met and will want to keep that record going. Their in an under style of play will be the key and they look to have some good avenues to goal which will test the Bomber defence. Yes I am going to tip the Bombers in a close one.
Good Luck to all your teams and tipping for the weekend and I will settle down with a few scotches and take in all the action. I may even venture out to see the Bombers and The Kangaroos.
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If Collingwood, St Kilda, Freo, Adelaide, Western Bulldogs and Sydney want to be top 4, they need to win games like this. So it should be an interesting round…
Im tipping:
Richmond
Geelong
Collingwood
West Coast
Hawks
St Kilda
Bulldogs
Kangaroos