There were plenty of tipstars who dreamed of a perfect 9 midway through Sunday afternoon… before Hawthorn and Collingwood came in and nodded.
It just shows how fantastic our fantasy of going 100 percent in a week is… but it never happens. I mean, we somehow deceive ourselves into thinking it could happen.
But it could happen to me this week!
Like Mick Molthouse in early 2015, before Carlton lost seven of his first eight and he was booted, I can’t hurt for any of the teams I’ve supported this week. It helps that six, or perhaps seven, are as straightforward as coming at this point in the year: in fact, across two of our four expert tipstars, only two out of 36 tips have gone against the grain!
And I have one of them. * Story *
Tim Miller (last week: 6)
Richmond, Brisbane, Geelong, Melbourne, Western Bulldogs, Gold Coast, St. Kilda, Carlton, Port Adelaide
Thank God Collingwood stunned Fremantle to set a blockbuster against Carlton last week, otherwise this weekend could be the dullest of the year.
I think there are six of the nine games this week that 90 percent of the serious tipstars (I’m not including if you’re supporting your team – you have to do it) will all choose the same result. And thanks to Max King, I can’t blame you after my plan to support Adelaide as an outsider failed miserably last week.
So, in those matches: Brisbane should bounce back against GWS at their home ground. No Taylor Walker has already killed Adelaide’s chances of upsetting Geelong on the street. Fremantle will be better, but not good enough for their first defeat to Melbourne in eight thousand years. How many Bulldogs against the West Coast. St. Kilda against North Melbourne that amount plus three. And Port Adelaide will end the round by defeating an Ascendon team that could show a bit more pluck and spirit than you might think.
onto toughies. We started with another great Friday night between Richmond and Sydney, with both sides needing a win to secure their place in the eighth.
Notably, the Tigers have not played in the SCG since being belted 100 points in the 2016 final round – they have won three flags since then. I have consistently said this year that swans are not suitable for SCG, so despite the Tigers being without Tom Lynch and Ken Lambert, I would agree to pull a trigger on their road.
Hawthorne sees the face of the Gold Coast in Darwin on Saturday night. I applaud Sons for being open to bringing footy to NT this week, after the fixtures were transferred to SCG last year due to Covid, but due to their form at Metricon Stadium this year, it could affect them.
Still, the Hawks’ midfield is their weakness, and it’s the power of the sun: that, and any suitable Rookman to oppose Jared Wits, gives Sun the edge in my book.
Then, of course, blues vs. pies. Both are in good form, and have played a number of tough fights in recent years.
Magpies play the footy of a great brand, winning or losing, and they have the weapon to crash. But the Blues’ confidence is skyrocketing, with a midfield that threatens everyone who comes against them. In a ripping contest that should be expected in front of a packed crowd, they will get my tip.
(Photo by Queen Rooney / Getty Images)
Dame Panopoulos (last week: 4)
Sydney, Brisbane, Geelong, Melbourne, Western Bulldogs, Gold Coast, St. Kilda, Carlton, Port Adelaide
What a push.
My tipping is in more controversy in the media right now than in North Melbourne, but I’m relying on myself to turn everything around. It doesn’t help when tipped crashes fall too low, when a Hawthorn crash advice isn’t worked on.
We start the round with an important little game to describe both the Tiger and the Swan. It’s important to remember that Richmond doesn’t just ‘do’ SCG. In fact, I clearly think the last time this match was played there – the Tigers lost by 19 goals and had to win three of the next four flags. Foreign conditions swing it in favor of the home team.
I don’t wear a hat right now but if I had stayed I would have offered to eat it if GWS had beaten Brisbane. This will not be one
Get closer.
Geelong should be blamed for the Crows for returning to their top-four dispute, though
I’m not sure Gary Rohan’s spot should be locked like that.
I do not subscribe to the idea that fremantles are no longer valid, although they should be
When it rains, they are more inclined to crime, no less. The monsters will be challenged, but it’s tough
Tip against them right now.
The Bulldogs need a nice little percentage boost on Saturday night; Eagle must do well
Provide it, then draft a gun on Wednesday night.
Gold Coast and Hawthorne should be provided with great optics and an entertaining competition at TIO Stadium. More direct than San Brisbane and I’m not sure the Hawks can score so much in two consecutive weeks.
Okay, I accept the possible comments, but this time last season it was the Kangaroos
Start playing the more direct footy. This is not a tip for the team, though it will be if Ben Mack returns to the defense. The Cents weren’t good last week despite losing to Adelaide.
Carlton’s Collingwood should be defeated if defensively strong, as the Magpies are throwing everything away to attack in 2022.
After all, this is a match that only a fantasy football player can choose. The Power likes to beat a very poor team and will do just that against Ascendon.
Nick Cofield takes a mark. (Photo via Daniel Pocket / AFL Photos / Getty Images)
Cameron Rose (last week: 6)
Sydney, Brisbane, Geelong, Melbourne, Western Bulldogs, Gold Coast, St. Kilda, Carlton, Port Adelaide
We got a nice round of footy before the season stopped during the awesome buy round.
Sydney hosts Richmond in the round match on Friday night. The Tigers have won four in a row against a moderate opponent, and are up for a tough test. They have lost to Melbourne, Carlton and St Kilder in their previous attempts against top-eight opponents this season.
But has the SCG adapted to Sydney? They lost to the Gold Coast and Brisbane there and fought to beat the North. The swan is not flying, but with a few major injuries to Richmond, that might be enough to give them an advantage.
Brisbane and Geelong should beat GWS and Adelaide, respectively, when they host them on Saturday. Melbourne will start the hot favorites against an external Fremantle unit, and that should be enough. The Bulldogs are the next team to feast on the West Coast, having started worse than the pea soup.
Gold Coast vs. Hawthorn did not expect to be one of the many good offers when drawing this round, yet it was a conspiracy match. If Sun can knock on the door of the final as long as possible, it can only be a good thing for the playing group and the whole club.
St. Kilda will enjoy four free points against the North, but let’s hope the Kangaroos play a physical game like theirs when they reasonably compete against Dis last week.
Collingwood and Carlton host a big game at the MCG, both clubs are somewhat relevant at the same time for the first time ever. The blues should be very strong.
Ascendon are not in the same league as West Coast or North Melbourne at the moment, but they do not look like a win, so Port could return.
Dylan Shill. (Photo by Queen Rooney / Getty Images)
Liam Salter (last week: 7)
Sydney, Brisbane, Geelong, Melbourne, Western Bulldogs, Hawthorne, St. Kilda, Carlton, Port Adelaide
It’s a rare weekend for me: I’m actually playing two games this weekend, not one person.
My first at-the-ground experience since before the epidemic, and I am interested… if you ignore the fact that one of these conflicts is my sudden misguided party against the powerful ruling prime ministers.
I’ll get to that game in a second, but let’s first shake through some easy-to-pick collisions – not that there’s much in it this weekend.
Geelong should have beaten a crow’s side that has fallen far short of its astonishing early-season form; The Dogs will secure the Eagles an obviously heavy favorite and 4 more points without too much fuss; St. Kilda is sure of a terrific costume in North Melbourne. And in spite of thinking a small part of me a catastrophe could happen, the lazy dons of power should prevail.
The other five games are very difficult to predict.
Round opener A clash between Sydney and Richmond. Despite being a favorite of the Sydney Tipstars, it’s a bit difficult to split. Home ground? Swans retain the advantage, especially since the Tigers were not named ‘Gold Coast’. Form? The Tigers lost four of their last four, while the Swans lost three at that time. Injury? The Tigers lost their main goalkeeper at Tom Lynch Plus Ken Lambert, where Sydney will be without Josh Kennedy.
I’ve got to turn a coin – as much as I want to be risky, I’ll go with the swan.
Brisbane over the Giants have started five games on Saturday, and despite the Lions’ embarrassing defeat to the Hawks in Round 10, I feel comfortable supporting them for the deeply unconnected Giants side (no, wins against the Eagles aren’t fully counted these days).
Melbourne hosting Fremantle a few hours later, and absolutely anyone with an ounce of logic would support the ruling premiers here (and probably should). Hopefully, I’m interested in believing that the dreaded fortnightly form of the Dockers is a distortion of humid weather, but even in perfect conditions, DIS has a clear edge here and it will win.
Eagles-Dogs In a predetermined conclusion, the only legally interesting Saturday night is (and I’m telling the truth here) the sun hosting hawks in Darwin. The Sons are the favorites here, but the Hawks’ incredible win last week turned down any chance of ticking the favorite box.
The Sun pushed the Dogs all the way last week, and it would be their third win in four weeks (I can’t really remember the last time Sun did it). But as much as I want to see Sun score points here, the gut feeling is that the Hawks are going to win a thriller.
(Dylan Burns / AFL photo via Getty Images)
The Collingwood Blues is hosting a huge Sunday game (and Game # 2 for me on the weekends). Both have had great victories over the past weekend and both are likely to move forward with minimal change. The Blues are the top four elements, and their football has been awesome lately. Magpies brought heat to another top-four side last weekend – Freo – and they will be full of confidence, knowing they are able to match the blues.
I suspect the margin in this one is too high; I’ll back the Blues, but the Magpies are a really annoying possibility.
| Round 11 | Team | Per | Cam | Liam | The crowd |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SYD vs. RCH | RCH | SYD | SYD | SYD | SYD |
| BL vs. GWS | BL | BL | BL | BL | BL |
| GEE vs. ADE | GEE | GEE | GEE | GEE | GEE |
| MEL vs. FRE | MEL | MEL | MEL | MEL | MEL |
| WCE vs. WB | WB | WB | WB | WB | WB |
| GCS vs. HAW | GCS | GCS | GCS | HAW | GCS |
| STK vs. NM | STK | STK | STK | STK | STK |
| COL vs. CAR | CAR | CAR | CAR | CAR | CAR |
| PA vs. ESS | PA | PA | PA | PA | PA |
| Rolling score | 62 | 52 | 53 | 58 | 61 |