Round 22 Previews

[Danny Chook Fan Club]

I'd hate to waste my preview of the scintillating Brisbane/Sydney match ...

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The finals start a week early for the Edelstens, as they travel north to take on the Skases at Carrara. A win for the visitors could very well earn them a home final, but to do so means taking the points in the most hostile territory imaginable.

The Willessees had a nice soft kill last week against the Butterss, but this round brings them perhaps the toughest assignment in AFL football today. The Pelermans haven't lost at home in living memory, have won 438 games in succession, and consist entirely of cyborg footballers who feel no pain, remorse or pity for their vanquished foes.

The Coathangers have a handy set of ins, with captain Paul Kelly, star midfielder Wayne Schwass, solid bit-player Nic Fosdyke and object-of-ridicule Greg Stafford back in the side. Brad Seymour will be a loss after suffering a knee injury, while ticket sales for the Troy Luff farewell tour didn't do so well in North Gold Coast, consigning the Luffster to effective retirement a little earlier than he might have hoped.

Fitzroy's in column looks like an out-take from Land of the Giants, with Clark Keating, Darryl White and Sleepy Lynch all returning, bringing the home side to absolute full strength a week out from the September action.

In all seriousness, Brisbane are a fearsome combination at present. Any side boasting a bench of Keating, Des Headland, Luke Power and Brad Scott is obviously an extremely talented line-up. There are legitimate stars on every line, and the their mix of height, speed and skill is quite wonderful at present.

Mardi-Gras is a solid football team with some very good players, but they seem to lack the overall presence and strength of the Goodwill Games. Blokes like Daniel McPherson, Jared Crouch and Brett Kirk will be forced to man up to a classy opponent, and South Melbourne's only chance of winning is if these lesser-lights have absolute blinders.

It does seem however that many teams save their worst performances for the Cronins, and anything less than their absolute best will see the Bloodstained Angels fall short.

- Mark O'Connor

[Blues2001]

And here's my Carlton v Geelong preview:

Carlton will be in for a big shock if they think this will be an easy stepping stone to the September action. All year Carlton have made a habit of dropping games they are expected to win, usually the week after an excellent win. If that formula holds up, then Geelong will be sending off Buddha Hocking, who will be playing his last ever game, in style.

Carlton last week sent arch rival Collingwood on an early September holiday as they destroyed the Pies with fierce tackling, smothering and a winning midfield. Geelong on the other hand began well against the red hot Lions, only to slowly lose their grip on the game and go down pretty convincingly in the end.
If Essendon doesn't play dead against Richmond on Friday night then Carlton will be playing for a spot in the top four and a mouth watering first round finals clash against the Dons. I feel that if the Blues can get over their inconsistency problems, they should have enough talent to account for Geelong. It's a big if though.

The ruck should be fascinating, with gun Geelong ruckman Steven King up against the Allan/Porter combination, should Allan be fit to play. Last time these clubs met, Allan wasn't there, and King gave Porter a football lesson despite the Blues ending up victors. Justin Murphy will be returning to Optus Oval for the first time since his departure last year, and will have plenty to prove against the club that gave him the flick. Murphy, Hocking and Clarke will need to be given an armchair ride by King if they are to get on top of the Blues strong midfield contingent of Ratten, Camporeale, Koutoufides and Bradley.

Up forward for the Cats, Clint Bizzell, a player that has been named as possible end of season trade bait, will be looking to show his club that he is a necessary player for 2002. Ben Graham, like Bizzell was very quiet up forward last week and may be used in defence on Lance Whitnall, who ran the pies ragged last week. However, the last time these sides met Whitnall was B.O.G. when playing on Graham, so the cats may try someone else this week, perhaps the underrated Matthew Scarlett. They also need to find someone to match up on Matthew Lappin, who has been close to the Blues best player for the past two months.

All in all this could well be a fascinating clash, and I expect the underdog Cats to really take it up to the Blues on Saturday and put in a big effort for Buddha. That said, I just feel the Blues have a bit too much to play for here and that their overall edge in talent and home ground advantage should be enough for them to get home.

Tip: Carlton by 24 points.


Other tips:
Essendon by 63
Adelaide by 22
Hawthorn by 13
Brisbane by 36
Port Adelaide by 71
Collingwood by 5
Bulldogs by 26