After a few days to catch our breath from 14 games in 11 days over Rounds 5 & 6 we kick off Round 7 Friday night at AAMI between Port Adelaide & Hawthorn & conclude Monday night at먹튀검증with St Kilda taking on Carlton.
Geelong will look to stay undefeated with the Pies to set up a huge top of the table clash next week while Gold Coast and Brisbane will do battle on Sunday to see who goes into Round 8 on the bottom of the AFL ladder.
Don’t forget to claim your free St Kilda jumper just for making a $50 with Centrebet. The offer ends at the end of May so be quick! To see more info on this offer or to make a Centrebet account see their site here.
My best bet of Round Seven is Carlton between 1-39 against St Kilda which is paying $2.10 at Sportsbet where they give you a $200 free bet bundle just for signing up. See more info here.
Port Adelaide V Hawthorn Friday night at AAMI Stadium
Port Adelaide’s form over the last 2 weeks has been woeful and they will need to turn it around quick if they want to have any chance against the rested Hawks.
Hawthorn have lost Cameron Bruce for the next month with a knee injury but will welcome 2022 recruits Isaac Smith and Paul Puopolo to make their AFL debut. Hawthorn will have too much class all over the ground and should get the win easily.
Tip: Hawks by 45 points
Odds: Port 4.90 Hawks 1.18
Western Bulldogs V Sydney Saturday at Manuka Oval
The Dogs looked good in patches last week until Collingwood blew them away with 10 minutes of extraordinary football. Giansiracusa, Higgins & Hudson are all looking to break back into the side after injuries. Boyd, Murphy & Gilbee were among the dogs best last week & new recruit Justin Sherman is starting to fit in and kick some goals at his new club.
Sydney have lost 2 in a row and will be looking to rebound strongly against the dogs. They need to get more out of Adam Goodes in the midfield with the loss of reigning best and fairest winner Kieran Jack. Expect Sydney to try and slow down the pace of the game and keep it low scoring.
Tip: Bulldogs by 4 points
Odds: Western Bulldogs 1.75 Sydney 2.10
Geelong V North Melbourne Saturday at Skilled Stadium
The Cats are rested after the bye last week and will go into this match hot favorites. Chapman, Scarlett & Bartell were all terrific against the Hawks on Easter Tuesday and will take great form into the match.
The Kangaroos got their first win of the season last week against a very disappointing Port Adelaide. The Roos will fight hard but will not be able to win the one on one contests against Geelong all over the ground and will lose easily.
Tip: Cats by 79 points
Odds: Geelong 1.07 North Melborne 8.50
Richmond V Fremantle Saturday at the MCG
This could be the match of the round for me. The young Tigers fought hard last week for their win over Brisbane with Foley, Cotchin & Martin all superb. Brett DeLedio is in the best form I have seen him in and feel he is crucial to a Tigers win here.
Fremantle have the longest injury list in the AFL but still have a lot of class all over the ground. A hard fought come from behind win against the Bulldogs with their last start shows that they will not give up on games like in years past. Sandilainds, Pavlich, Hill & Mundy all need to dominate to get Freo over the line in Melbourne.
Tip: Dockers by 8 points
Odds: Richmond 2.35 Fremantle 1.60
Gold Coast V Brisbane Saturday night at the Gabba
The first battle between the 2 Queensland sides promises to have a lot of feel after Simon Blacks comments this week. Brisbane showed last week that they can play good football but need to do it for 4 quarters. With captain Jonathan Brown still 3 weeks away the lions look to get their first win of they year and put the Gold Coast on the bottom of the ladder.
Gold Coast got another expected flogging last week by the Bombers. I thought they fought the game out after a woeful start but they can’t let teams get to 50 point leads in the first quarter or it is going to be very hard in any game. My prediction is Brennan & Rischetelli will have standout games against their old club but will also be the target of some heavy hits from the Lions.
Tip: Brisbane by 42 points
Odds: Gold Coast 8.50 Brisbane 1.07
Essendon V West Coast Sunday at Etihad Stadium
The Bombers broke a first quarter record last week with 15 goals against the Suns, don’t expect to see this again though. Riemers found some form with 8 goals, Tom Bellchambers continues to impress and young gun Dyson Heppell is showing that he belongs on the senior list.
West Coast took care of Melbourne easily last week as they continue to impress this year. The Eagles beat the Bombers at Etihad last year with Marc LeCras kicking 13 goals. I don’t think James Hird will allow this in 2022. If the Eagles can show the same pressure they showed against the Hawks a few weeks back they will have a chance of a big upset.
Tip: Bombers by 34 points
Odds: Essendon 1.20 West Coast 4.70
Melbourne V Adelaide Sunday at the MCG
The Demons looked flat in Perth last week and will need a win to keep the pressure of coach Dean Bailey. Mark Jamar is having another big year in the ruck and Jack Watts showed a few signs last week of his potential. They will need a full team effort to beat a well drilled Crows side.
The Crows were impressive against the Saints last week but still need to show that they can put together 2 good games in a row. The Crows will need to shut down Moloney, Jones & Green to win this one.
Tip: Demons by 17 points
Odds: Melbourne 1.77 Adelaide 2.08
St Kilda V Carlton Monday at Etihad Stadium
I gave St Kilda one last chance last week and they let me down so I am forced to go against them this week. I am not sure what exactly has happened to the Saints this year but even superstars Reiwoldt, Goddard & Montagna do not look like the same players as last year.
Carlton on the other hand have turned things around and look to be a legitimate top 4 contender. Chris Judd was amazing in the wet last week against the Swans and is looking ominous for a 3rd Brownlow Medal. Play like they did last week and the Saints shouldn’t bother them.
