Ok a little late than usual...

But these are my tips for the round 1 Clashes. I will have my ladder and preview later on.

Richmond vs Carlton (MCG) Thursday Night.
A lot of questions in this game that I'm sure will be answered in time. First of all. Will Richmond avenge last years losses to the Blues? Or will it be Carlton that will take this game out. Also what will come of the new recruits in each team? And will Carlton fill the gap left by Brendan Fevola's departure. All things that you will look to when trying to tip this game. I am excited about some of the Richmond youth plus the opportunities that now lie in the Carlton forward line. Who will step up? Looking at this game I believe that Richmond has a bit to go to get things in order than Carlton and Carlton will be too strong in this instance and will win by 32 points.

Geelong vs Essendon (MCG) Friday Night.
The reigning premiers have an uncertain game against the Bombers. Even though Essendon does have a bit to go to gain ground they still have recruited well and that will go a long way to their future. Geelong have their usual players in with the inclusion of Hunt who missed all of 09 and on Debut Mitch Duncan. At the MCG the Bombers like to compete here and it will be closer because of that. But in recent times Geelong have had the upper hand in the battle. I do believe that Geelong will be a tad rusty and Essendon will take full advantage of that. In this case though I do believe that the Cats will win but only just by 14 points.

Melbourne vs Hawthorn (MCG) Saturday Afternoon.
Interested in this game for a couple of reasons. For one the inclusion of the top two draft picks for Melbourne in Scully and Tengrove and hats off to Melbourne for playing them early.The other is the recruits of Hawthorn in Gibson and Burgoyne and the fact of where the Hawks sit as apposed to last years disappointing title defense. The experience in this game of Hawthorn will get the job done and they should win this by 46 points but don't count out a run from Melbourne.

Sydney vs St Kilda (ANZ) Saturday Night.
Tough in a way start to 2010 for St Kilda but they are a team that can rise to the occasion. Sydney have got some really good recruits and it will be interesting to see how they hold up. St Kilda will be burning after losing the Premiership and NAB cups and that's why they are my early prediction for the flag. This game was hard to tip as Sydney are at home and have a side in but so do St Kilda and they will be keen to make immense. I believe that the Saints will win by 3 points.

Brisbane vs West Coast (Gabba) Saturday Night.
Both teams have recruited well and that has been highly publicised so I won't go into that. The fact that this is at the Gabba will give the Lions advantage and it has been kind in the battles between these two teams. If West Coast can stop Brown and Fevola kicking goals then their midfield might just hold up and could give them the advantage they need. The opposite will happen if they don't. In this case I believe that Brisbane will hold up with challenges from the Eagles and will win by 26 points.

Port Adelaide vs North Melbourne (AAMI) Sunday.
The battle for the two improvers in 2010 in my book. Port showed something in the NAB Cup more than North Melbourne but still there is improvement there. Port has got a good mix of youth and experienced players whereas North have got tallented kids who will prosper soon. Given that this game is at AAMI Stadium that will give Port the advantage that they need and will win by 38 points.

Western Bulldogs vs Collingwood (Etihad) Sunday.
One game that has got the footy world excited already. With the recruits and early season form of the Dogs it's set up for a beauty. People have said that this should have been the season opener but I don't purely so it keeps the interest in the round pumping. I do like that these two teams are playing eachother early on and especially because they played in Round 22 last year in a Dogs win. These teams will make an impact in 2010 where I'm not sure. In this case though I believe that Collingwood will upset the Western Bulldogs and win by 7 points.

Fremantle vs Adelaide (Subiaco) Sunday.
I'm looking forward to this game. Freo have a young side and Adelaide have players out. It's very even in my book. There are a lot of questions that I won't go into but it will steam the flow of the game. If Freo's midfield can dominate then that will be the key for them. Adelaide will have to move the ball quickly. But I believe that Fremantle with their home ground advantage will win by 19 points.

More to follow...