AFL Round 18, July 12th
Collingwood Magpies vs. Geelong Cats
July 12th
Round 18 of the AFL season kicks off with a blockbuster from the MCG as Collingwood attempts to snap a two-game losing streak against Geelong.
Having just fallen outside the eight following last week’s 12-point loss to Essendon, the Magpies will have the added pressure of reigniting their grand final defence. Injuries have curtailed Craig McRae’s men for weeks now and it doesn’t get any easier with Brody Mihocek the latest premiership player to be sidelined. Darcy Cameron, Jeremy Howe and Isaac Quaynor all need to pass fitness tests, while Jamie Elliot could return for the Friday night showdown.
Many experts were writing the Cats off just three weeks ago, but they’ve seemingly turned their poor form around with consecutive wins against Essendon and Hawthorn. While Jeremy Cameron (4 goals) led the way against the old foe in brown and gold, it was Tom Stewart’s return to form in the midfield (26 disposals) that will have Cats fans purring. Ollie Henry will likely return to the starting 22 as Geelong try to try more than one game between themselves and those outside the eight.
Suggested Bet:
Geelong to win at $1.72
Western Bulldogs vs. Carlton
July 13th
Are the Dogs done?
At $2.76 in the head-to-head markets, punters are certainly off them this weekend. And if they can’t bounce back from their 48-point loss to Port Adelaide with a ‘home’ game against the Blues, things will only get harder against Geelong and Sydney on the road in the next two weeks. Cody Weightman and Alex Keath will be two important inclusions for the 11th-placed Dogs, but they will be without Aaron Naughton, James O’Donnell and Liam Jones. Luke Beveridge will need to find an answer to the Patrick Cripps/Sam Walsh dilemma after watching Port’s mids do as they please for four quarters.
As for the Blues, they’ll enter the match as $1.45 favourites with punters expecting them to return to the winner’s enclosure quickly after going down to GWS in Sydney. It was an uncharacteristic defensive effort from Michael Voss’ troops last weekend (116 points against), with the loss of Jacob Weitering (quad) showcasing his importance to the back 50. Both Weitering and Tom De Koning (knee) will need to pass a fitness test, but should they come up for this week’s clash, expect a resurgent Blues to run all over the Dogs.
Suggested Bet:
P. Cripps 35+ disposals at $3.20
Gold Coast vs Port Adelaide
July 14th
Will the Suns ‘grow up’?
Gold Coast has been in the news for all the wrong reasons this week after once again failing to come home with the four points on yet another road trip. While they’ve saluted in all eight games at People First Stadium, Dimma’s Suns squad has been unable to crack the code on the road and lost seven on the trot. This includes last week’s 87-83 effort against North Melbourne, handing the Roos just their second win of the season. It won’t be as easy as just rocking up to play, however, with Touk Miller (wrist) and Sam Day (plantar fascia) both out for a month.
Port Adelaide and Ken Hinkley silenced a few doubters for another week, with their 48-point thumping of the Western Bulldogs solidifying sixth spot on the ladder. The Power’s midfield of Connor Rozee (36), Zak Butters (33) and Ollie Wines (30) were simply unstoppable. Esava Ratugolea (hamstring) and Ryan Burton (foot) are both expected to bolster Port’s backline, while Willie Rioli could return after missing for personal reasons.
There’s never been more pressure on the Suns to perform and it all depends on which Port side turns up.
