AFL Football Round 7 Preview - Part 2
Well no one can argue that the Saints are in a bit of a rut at the moment and this week they come up against a Richmond side that is full of confidence. There is not change for The Tigers and for the Saints they have included Gehrig, M.Gardiner and Schneider and left out Rix, L.Fisher and Blake. The inclusion of Gehrig surprises me as he has not done much in the VFL to warrant a call up but then again this game is at the Telstra Dome.
Matthew Richardson has lead from the font for the Tigers and is a rejuvenated footballer after Terry Wallace has given him a bit more freedom to play up the ground. He looms as the key to the game and whether or not the Saints can curb his influence will go along way to deciding the game. Foley, Johnson and Tuck are going to need to work hard at stoppages and will be pitted against Ball, Hayes and Montagna. I always say this but The Saints forward line, on paper, is great but they just are not delivering at the moment and all of them need to pull their fingers out. Lenny Hayes has been their most consistent performer this year and is racking up the touches and tackles but he needs a few mates this week if they are to get over the line.
Richmond for me in this one, because of Richo and also the fact that St Kilda are playing the arthritis plagued G Train Fraser Gehrig.
Finally Scott Burns returns for the Collingwood side and will also play his 250th game. Anthony Rocca also returns at the expense of Wellingham and Cook for the game against Hawthorn which will be the match of the round. The Hawks have made no changes and are quite happy with the way they are going. The tactics of mid fielders Luke Hodge and Sam Mitchell have been under the spotlight being accused of deliberately CORKING their opponents. The Hawks are yet to be beaten and sit second only behind Geelong on the AFL Ladder and worked very hard to get over the line against the Tigers last week while the Pies easily accounted for the Bombers on Anzac Day.
The Hawks forward line proved as potent as ever last week, Lance Franklin was down but enter Jarryd Roughead who stepped up to kick the goals. The were a tad inaccurate last week and will need to be on their game this week. They can’t afford to miss those the type of goals they did last week if they are to win here. At the other end of the ground Paul Medhurst is playing the best football of his career I reckon and with Rocca back in the side the Collingwood forward line is looking very very strong as well.
That being said the game, as it so often is, will be decided in the middle of the gorund. There are some great match ups here with Pendlebury, Burns, Lockyer, O’Bree and Davis going head to head against Young, Mitchell, Bateman, Sewell and Hodge. Other key match up will likely be Nathan Brown v Lance Franklin (what a huge test for Brown), Heath Shaw v Cyril Rioli and Paul Medhurst v Campbell Brown.
There is a lot to get excited about in this game and promises to be a big one. A HUGE test for both clubs and they are both pumping themselves up for this one. The Hawks just.
Brisbane travel to Geelong this week to tackle a Geelong side that is very very difficult to beat at Skilled Stadium. No change for the Cats, but Brisbane have left out Johnstone (hamstring), Polkinghorne (shoulder), Henderson, Harding and have brought in McGrath, Clark, Selwood, Proud. There is also a HUGE Question mark on Jonathon Brown who did not finish training the other night. He is one that they can’t afford to lose especially this week.
What can you say about The Cats? I am repeating myself when I say that when looking at their side it is hard to pick a weakness but I guess every week they are one week closer to a loss as they say. But I can’t see it happening at Skilled Stadium against the Lions this week I am afraid. Unless it blows a gale and hails which may help the Lions a bit.
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Geelongs weakness is themselves as we saw last round.