Round 6 Preview

Round 5 was such a terrible round for tipping, let's hope we can do better this week:

Western Bulldogs vs St Kilda (Etihad Stadium) Friday Night.
Now, this is a tough one to tip. So many factors that could sway this game either way. The Dogs for mine are playing well but haven't set the world on fire. To me their best is yet to come! St Kilda lost to Port Adelaide in a real tough contest, the second game without Nick Riewoldt and will be eager to make ammends. The track of Etihad Stadium shouldn't favour any one team as both teams have played well on this track. St Kilda will want to beat the Dogs after they upstaged the Saints in the NAB Cup Grand Final. After the disappointing loss last week I believe that St Kilda will win this by 11 points.

North Melbourne vs Melbourne (Etihad Stadium) Saturday.
Another tough game to pick. North came off an impressive win against Hawthorn, Melbourne have come off three wins in a row. So all the sudden this game goes down as a possible match of the round. Given this game is away from the MCG and it is the first game for Melbourne away from the MCG, this could work in North Melbourne's favour. It's hard to believe that Melbourne have more wins than the likes of Hawthorn, but they have been playing better footy. The team that moves the ball quick on Etihad Stadium will win this game. In this occassion the smaller ground could work in Melbourne's favour. Should be a good game, Dees by 19 points.

Adelaide vs Port Adelaide (AAMI Stadium) Saturday.
Ah the showdown! If you thought that Carlton and Collingwood hated eachouther, then think again! Just like the ANZAC Day Clash it doesn't matter where each team is on the ladder, they want to win this one the most! There has been some bruising encounters over the years since Port came into the competition. This year Port Adelaide have definately been the better team because Adelaide well...um...haven't won a game yet. They are going to have to find something special from within in order to beat Port Adelaide who had a gutsy win against St Kilda. So based upon form I am going for Port Adelaide to win by 20 points.

Essendon vs Hawthorn (MCG) Saturday Night.
The matchup that all Hawthorn supporters have been waiting for! We all remember round 22 last year don't we? When the velvet sledgehammer (Matthew Lloyd for all who don't know) went through Brad Sewell causing a broken jaw and a massive brawl. The anger that came out of that game no doubt will still be there to this day. I wonder how that will go featuring in the game? These things you really have to consider when deciding who to tip, after all Essendon stopped the Hawks getting into the finals last year. This year though both teams only have one win and that will be another motivating factor. Because of the type of side that Hawthorn is, that's why I'm tipping them by 28 points because...well they have to!

Sydney vs Brisbane (SCG) Saturday Night.
Another good matchup. Sydney being on top of the ladder have been a real surprise packet. Brisbane have done well but had a surpise loss to Melbourne, which means that they will be hungry to make ammends. Sydney would want to continue their good form and this game at home will definately give them an edge. Will Jonathan Brown bouce back after having a couple of down weeks? And how will Daniel Bradshaw go against his old side? Time will tell. In this case I think that Brisbane will turn around last week's disappointment and upset the Swans by 5 points.

Geelong vs Richmond (Skilled Stadium) Sunday.
The Cats are coming off a rare loss to Carlton and I know that that will spur the Cats to want to well. The Tigers on the otherhand need a win, simple as that. They haven't been playing well considering that last week was a much better effort over in the west. Richmond do have to do better by applying pressure to have a real chance here. The Cats will have to play so much better to prove to the footy well that they still have got it. In this case though, I believe that the Cats will definately bounce back to win this one by 55 points.

Carlton vs Collingwood (MCG) Sunday.
Such a great rivalry between these two teams! It extends from home and away to Grand Finals and regardless these two teams don't like eachother! Carlton are coming off an impressive win against the Cats and Collingwood likewise against the Bombers. To me the questions of whose midfield would fire the best, these two teams have really good midfields as was displayed on the weekend. Either end can hold up for both sides, it's the midfield that is the key. At this stage I believe that Collingwood have a bit more firepower and they will win by 33 points.

West Coast vs Fremantle (Subiaco) Sunday.
Ah the derby! As well as some of the other games this weekend, this game produces so much rivalry and feeling. Fremantle are definately playing the best footy out of the two teams. West Coast need a win and they have some handy inclusions which will help. This game have some good matchups over the ground. I reckon that this game will be a close one and Fremantle will win by 2 points.

Well that's my tips for ya we'll see how we go!

More to follow...