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Something of a blockbuster round, in that all of the teams in the eight play another team in the eight. And it's generally quite adjacent, as well: 1 v 2, 3 v 5, 4 v 6 and 7 v 8. It's also pretty adjacent for the teams outside the eight, with them all playing against opponents in much the same part of the ladder. I'm not sure how to do the maths, but the AFL site says that since the introduction of the top eight, there's only been five rounds in 29 years where the top eight teams have all played each other. Which on an entirely superficial analysis, possibly makes the chances of that happening a bit over 100 to 1? Remarkable, but not exceptionally remarkable. What would be exceptional, if it randomly occurred that the games were 1 v 2, 3 v 4, 5 v 6 and so on, down to 17 v 18. Once again, not entirely sure of the maths, but I suspect it would be 17 x 15 x 13 x 11 x 9 x 7 x 5 x 3 x 1. Which appears to be 34,459,424 to 1. Hmmm, don't think that I'll be calling Sports Bet.
Anyway, the football opens with 1 v 2; with Brisbane being 1 and Melbourne being 2. Many people feel that this is a grand final preview, which might be the case, but sort of ignores the fact that Melbourne have lost their last three and Brisbane have lost two of their last four. Some people also say that getting May back will be a big boost for Melbourne, but that would have to be counterbalanced by Gawn being gone. Brisbane have also got a couple of important injuries (which is rare for them) with Zorko and Bailey going out. No idea who's going to win, so let's just hope that football is the winner.
Strangely, the AFL appears to have scheduled two Friday night games. The first is the Bulldogs v the Hawks. Not that long ago, I would have gone for anyone but Hawthorn, but after a few years of mediocrity, I despise them less.
The other Friday game is the Eagles hosting the Bombers. After having a highly spirited upset win over the Saints last week, I can easily see the Bombers losing this one, just to finish the job of driving their supporters absolutely bat@@@@ crazy.
The first Saturday match features perhaps the two surprise packets of the season, Carlton and Fremantle. Which shapes as a very important match. Will the talent packed but previously underachieving Carlton establish themselves as a genuine finals side? Or will a Fremantle side that has recently beaten Melbourne and Brisbane without Nat Fyfe, be even more of a contender now that Fyfe is fit?
Another blockbuster is next up with Geelong hosting Richmond at...err...the MCG. No idea who I want to win that?
That's followed by our perhaps season defining clash with St Kilda.
The first Sunday game is between two teams that have already defined their seasons as disasters: North and Adelaide.
Next up is another clash in which I have no idea who I'd prefer to win: the overachieving Magpies or the underachieving Giants?
And finally it's another game that should be a quality encounter: Port v Gold Coast. Will the Power continue their charge or will it finally be the year that the Suns make the eight?
Anyway, the football opens with 1 v 2; with Brisbane being 1 and Melbourne being 2. Many people feel that this is a grand final preview, which might be the case, but sort of ignores the fact that Melbourne have lost their last three and Brisbane have lost two of their last four. Some people also say that getting May back will be a big boost for Melbourne, but that would have to be counterbalanced by Gawn being gone. Brisbane have also got a couple of important injuries (which is rare for them) with Zorko and Bailey going out. No idea who's going to win, so let's just hope that football is the winner.
Strangely, the AFL appears to have scheduled two Friday night games. The first is the Bulldogs v the Hawks. Not that long ago, I would have gone for anyone but Hawthorn, but after a few years of mediocrity, I despise them less.
The other Friday game is the Eagles hosting the Bombers. After having a highly spirited upset win over the Saints last week, I can easily see the Bombers losing this one, just to finish the job of driving their supporters absolutely bat@@@@ crazy.
The first Saturday match features perhaps the two surprise packets of the season, Carlton and Fremantle. Which shapes as a very important match. Will the talent packed but previously underachieving Carlton establish themselves as a genuine finals side? Or will a Fremantle side that has recently beaten Melbourne and Brisbane without Nat Fyfe, be even more of a contender now that Fyfe is fit?
Another blockbuster is next up with Geelong hosting Richmond at...err...the MCG. No idea who I want to win that?
That's followed by our perhaps season defining clash with St Kilda.
The first Sunday game is between two teams that have already defined their seasons as disasters: North and Adelaide.
Next up is another clash in which I have no idea who I'd prefer to win: the overachieving Magpies or the underachieving Giants?
And finally it's another game that should be a quality encounter: Port v Gold Coast. Will the Power continue their charge or will it finally be the year that the Suns make the eight?
If there are teams where one player makes a huge difference, I think you could argue that it's the Demons + Steven May.
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