Round 14

Selections for this round. All care but no responsibility taken.

Port to beat Collingwood. The Pies are no longer candidates for the wooden spoon as they appeared to be after a dreadful start to the season. They have played some great football and so far they are the only team to topple the West Coast. They have also showed a lot of ticker to stay in sight of the finals with so many key players watching from the sideline. Still, Port have shown flashes of the form that took them to the flag last year and they look as though they could explode any time (except the day they played West Coast, when they imploded).

Sydney to beat Richmond. Sydney are emerging as the quiet achievers of the competition. Still, this is a risky pick because Richmond are capable of great things if they can only convert opportunities into goals.

West Coast to beat Carlton. Maybe there have been more surprising reversals of form (Collingwood over West Coast this year?) but I dont expect to see Carlton make it happen this weekend.

Melbourne to beat Brisbane. A risky selection. Melbourne will have every other team in the comp in their corner and the Lions have a wretched record at home. Still this is a danger game for the Demons because you can bet that the Lions will come out breathing fire and the Gabba will be no place for faint hearted players in red and blue. The Dees need this kind of test to see if they have got the fibre that they lacked when they choked against the Dons in the first semi last year.

Kangaroos to beat Essendon. Not a confident selection. Essendon are getting some players back and they have shown enough on and off this year to suggest they can still sneak into the finals.

Adelaide to beat Freo. Adelaide showed from the start that they are going to trouble everyone this year and they have the second best for and against in the comp. Freo have fallen in a heap and it will be a miracle if they get back on track this season.

The Saints to beat Western Bulldogs. Saints have some key men back and they have got a lot to prove after a dreadful season so far. On paper they should be right up there and it is too much to expect the Bulldogs, decimated by injury, to win yet again against the odds.

Geelong to beat Hawthorn. Geelong looked like the team to beat early on and they have fallen in a heap as well. Hawthorn have been up and down like a yoyo, mostly down lately, so it is a battle of the underachievers this week. Not a confident pick.