This week's selection has identified an attractive motivation play at the pointy end of the AFL season.
With a number of stars on the sidelines for both West Coast Eagles and Melbourne Demons, suspect it could turn into a classic motivation driven scrappy contest.
Following a devastating 9 point loss to Sydney last week, the
will have no lack of motivation when traveling to Perth to take on second placed West Coast.
In addition to the pain incurred from the recent loss and it's impact on their Top 4 aspirations, the Demons received a barrage of negative attention throughout the week from major media outlets.
This match sets up nicely from a motivation angle whereby the Demons must win one of their two remaining games to be any chance of playing finals football this season.
The Eagles, on the other hand are safely through, albeit with the lesser motivation to finish top two and secure the desirable finals format.
Whilst the key stats suggest Melbourne will struggle, having lost their past five contests with the Eagles and having not beaten any top 9 teams from seven attempts this season, this history adds fuel to the motivation fire and can positively influence underdog sides.
The motivation stakes were raised even higher via key messages directed to the team throughout the week from media outlets, exposing players to negative commentary.
West Coast come off an “after the siren” victory against Port Adelaide last week.
Wins of this nature can often imbed a false sense of invincibility across the player group. This was evident in the same game last season when West Coast scored a post siren win against the Power only to come out the following week and perform dismally in a heavy loss to GWS.
Both teams are depleted on the injury front with the key outs for West Coast of Nic Natanui and Josh Kennedy (unlikely), and the Demons also losing key forward Jesse Hogan to injury this week. These senior player omissions point to a more gritty style of play for this one where motivation should be a prominent factor.
Aug 16, 2018 07:01 PM
AFL Betting Tip: Melbourne Demons head-to-head @ $2.35
