Roos turn to Tasmanian fortress to get back on track
Sunday's first game is the highlight, where the Kangaroos will need to draw on their recent good form against the red-hot Eagles, in Hobart.
The game following this match is playing at a wet and chilly Mars Stadium in Ballarat, as the Dogs look to impress in front of their new supporter base.
Finally, Fremantle will have to perform at their best to account for a Hawks outfit with everything to play for.
AFL Odds: North Melbourne $2.00 (+3.5) / West Coast $1.80 (-3.5)
Sunday arvo footy kicks off in Hobart, with North Melbourne hoping to overcome the high-flying Eagles and keep their top eight chances within reach.
It'll be an odd experience for West Coast fans watching their team take to the field at 11am on a Sunday morning.
But if the Eagles keep playing like they have been this season, the early start time won't phase the Sandgropers.
With just five games left in the season, and the race for the minor premiership heating up, the Eagles will see this fixture as a chance to put bags of pressure on the first-placed Tigers, and perhaps even go to the lead.
However, the Kangas will be desperate for the win to make up for a poor performance last week.
The 66-point loss to the Magpies was a huge blow to the Roos, who will need to draw on their impressive record at Blundstone Arena to turn things around.
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Showers around and up to 30km p/h winds at the blustery ground. This will play into the Kangas hands as they are better accustomed to the unique conditions.
AFL Stats in Focus
So much of the Eagles success is down to the marking ability of their talls.
With blustery conditions, this big advantage will likely be impacted, ultimately reducing the Eagles scoring capacity.
Key AFL Stat
The Kangaroos have won 6 of their last 8 matches at Blundstone Arena when coming off a loss in the previous round: North Melbourne to win head-to-head @ $2.00
AFL Betting Tip: North Melbourne to cover the +3.5 point line @ $1.92
Reasoning: One of the harder games to predict this round, going with the line provides a small amount of safety for betting on the Roos, who will be up for a game in Hobart.
Missed our preview of Saturday's games? Read it here
AFL Odds: Western Bulldogs $3.02 (+18.5) / Port Adelaide $1.39 (-18.5)
From Hobart, AFL footy travels to Ballarat where the Bulldogs will host a stumbling Port Adelaide side.
After looking like genuine premiership contenders a few weeks ago, the Power have lost two games in a row and are in danger of slipping out of the eight if they don't turn things around.
True to their inconsistency over past years, this recent poor form probably means that Port will triumph by a huge margin in this clash.
The Bulldogs have been ordinary in past weeks, and will need to find something for this encounter to make the game compelling for their new Ballarat supporter base.
Having star man Marcus Bontempelli back after having his appendix removed will be a huge boost for the team from Footscray.
Marcus Bontempelli (Bulldogs), Steven Motlop (Port, likely)
Luke Dahlhaus (Bulldogs), Mitch Honeychurch (Bulldogs)
A freezing, wet day in Ballarat. Not the weather for entertaining, high-scoring footy.
With the Dockers now well and truly out of finals contention, they will be looking to consign Hawthorn to a similar fate with a win at home here.
While it hasn't been a total disaster for Fremantle this year, they never really looked like a team who could threaten to do something come the pointy end of the season.
Hawthorn meanwhile have been ticking all the boxes, winning all the games they should be winning apart from the two upset-losses to the Lions.
This shapes up as another of these games that you'd expect the Hawks to win in their quest to be once again, playing finals footy.
Harley Bennell (Fremantle, likely), Stephen Hill (Fremantle, likely) Shaun Burgoyne (Hawthorn)
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Sunny day in Perth, which could lead to a high-scoring Hawthorn victory.
AFL Stats in Focus
These stats point to a comfortable Hawthorn victory.
Even though Freo have been good at home this year, Ross Lyon teams generally struggle for points and that looks to be the case once again.
Hawthorn meanwhile should face no difficulties racking up the points.
Key AFL Stat
Hawthorn have won their last 4 games against the Dockers, by an average winning margin of 48 points: Hawthorn to win by a margin of 40+ points @ $4.40
AFL Betting Tip: Hawthorn to cover the -15.5 point line @ $1.92
Reasoning: On top of everything else, the Hawks just have too much to play for.
Jul 27, 2018 12:57 PM
AAP
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Showers around and up to 30km p/h winds at the blustery ground. This will play into the Kangas hands as they are better accustomed to the unique conditions.
AFL Stats in Focus
AFL Betting Tip: North Melbourne to cover the +3.5 point line @ $1.92
