Round 9 begins with a intriguing clash between Collingwood and the Western Bulldogs in what is one of the hardest games to tip for the round.
An all-Victorian clash between Hawthorn and Richmond will take place at the MCG, while another big day of footy in Melbourne rolls on as the Saints do battle with Geelong in one of the highlights of the round.
Looking ahead to Sunday, GWS takes on Carlton in Leon Cameron’s final game in what promises to be an emotionally-charged contest.
See our tips and predictions for Round 9 below:
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Collingwood v Western Bulldogs
Friday - 7:50pm - Marvel Stadium
Collingwood hosts the Western Bulldogs at the latter’s home ground of Marvel Stadium in a crucial Friday night clash.
The ninth-placed Magpies sit one game clear of the 10th-placed Bulldogs with both clubs placed just outside the top eight after nine rounds.
Craig McRae’s side was overpowered by Richmond’s forwards in their 27-point loss last time out.
Darcy Moore has come in for criticism for allowing Tigers forward Tom Lynch to get off the leash in their duel. Five of Lynch’s six goals came in a dominant first half display.
Moore and the Magpies defence will be tested again this week when they come up against Bulldogs spearhead Aaron Naughton.
Naughton, the Dogs’ main target inside 50, kicked a game-high four goals in the club’s 17-point loss to Port Adelaide but has lacked support for most of the year.
In a further blow to the club’s forward stocks Cody Weightman, their second leading goal kicker, will miss at least the next two weeks after undergoing collarbone surgery.
Tim English (flu) will also miss, but in better selection news for the Dogs, captain Marcus Bontempelli and Alex Keath will both face the Pies.
Last year’s Grand Finalists have been extremely inconsistent this year – which Bulldogs team will turn up on this occasion?
This is a tough one to call.
Tip: Western Bulldogs by 5 points.
Alex Zaia
Hawthorn v Richmond
Saturday - 1:45pm - Optus Stadium
The Hawks and Tigers bring two very different form lines into their clash fixtured for Saturday afternoon at the MCG.
Richmond are coming off two strong wins over the past fortnight, having smashed West Coast to the tune of 109 points before backing it up again when beating Collingwood in Dustin Martin’s return game.
Damien Hardwick’s troops have been able to move the ball with increased fluency in their recent wins, and Tom Lynch’s resurgence up forward is a prime example of Richmond getting some momentum into their season.
It’s an opposite record to the Hawks, who started the year well but have faltered in recent weeks, despite playing some solid footy.
They’ve lost three on the trot, the most disappointing coming against an undermanned Bombers side last week as Sam Mitchell’s men faltered in the last quarter.
When at their best, both sides are high scorers but have been prone to leaking big scores, while the makeup across the middle of the ground is also similar for the two teams in relying on a team brand of football.
Hawthorn hasn’t been that far off the pace in recent weeks, but the Tigers are on a roll and it will take an upset to derail their momentum in what should be a high-scoring clash.
Tip: Richmond by 11 points.
Seb Mottram
North Melbourne v Port Adelaide
Saturday - 2:10pm - Blundstone Arena
After an 0-5 start, Port Adelaide head in favourites to win their fourth straight game as they look to breathe life into their September hopes against North Melbourne.
Just as the Power have caught form, the Kangaroos have looked poorer by the week, as they last got within 50 points of an opponent in Round 4.
With a month of heavy defeats under their belt, North Melbourne will be glad to head to their home away from home in Hobart for the second time this year.
While they fell by a wide margin to the Cats in their first game of the season at Bellerive, they hold a decent record when flying south with three wins, one draw and four losses from their last eight games at the venue.
Against Port Adelaide though, the Roos have gone down by comfortable margins in their last two meetings head-to-head, with the Power easily winning in both 2020 and 2021.
Power midfielders Ollie Wines and Travis Boak have dominated the Roos in recent games, with the pair polling five Brownlow votes each from their past two games against the Shinboners, and they loom as potential game-winners again.
While North will feel more comfortable in Hobart than they would in Adelaide, it’s too hard to pick them due to their failing form-line, particularly as the Power trend upwards.
Tip: Port Adelaide by 36 points.
Lachlan Geleit
St Kilda v Geelong
Saturday - 4:35pm - Marvel Stadium
In arguably the game of the round, St Kilda will play host to Geelong at their actual home ground of Marvel Stadium.
Following back-to-back losses, St Kilda will be desperate to get their season back on track against a side they haven’t beaten in their last six attempts.
If the Saints are to claim their sixth win for the year, ruck duo Paddy Ryder and Rowan Marshall will need to dominate the returning Rhys Stanley from injury.
Young forward Max King has a strong recent record against the Cats, notching up 12 shots on goal in their last two clashes, and against a lack of an obvious opponent, King will be eyeing off a bag.
On the other hand, Geelong flexed their muscles against the Giants last week and will take confidence into this clash, such is their dominance over the Saints.
Geelong’s star forwards pose a huge threat to any defence in the competition, let alone an undersized St Kilda one.
Tom Hawkins and Jeremy Cameron have combined for 47 goals this year - Dougal Howard, Josh Battle and Callum Wilkie will have their work cut out for them.
Chris Scott’s Geelong will also welcome back skipper Joel Selwood, 334 games worth of experience any side would love.
Containing Geelong’s firepower, on paper, should be too much to handle for St Kilda.
Tip: Geelong by 14 points.
Hugh Fitzpatrick
Sydney v Essendon
Saturday - 7:25pm - SCG
Essendon will be looking to make it back-to-back wins as they eye off their first interstate trip of the year against the Swans at the SCG.
While Sydney is still well within touching distance of the top four and the Bombers anchored within the bottom four, it was Ben Rutten’s side who won last week while John Longmire’s men went down to Gold Coast in the shock of Round 8.
This fixture has some serious history and promises to be another thrilling battle – with several close results taking place between both these sides in recent years. Who could forget the dramatic scenes back in 2017 when Gary Rohan kicked the winning goal after the siren?
Fast forward five years and Saturday night’s encounter sees Sydney probably enter as favourites, but it’s impossible to predict what Essendon will dish up after seemingly appearing to find a more attacking style of game against the Hawks last week.
Settle in because this could be a Saturday night special in front of what is sure to be a big crowd.
Tip: Sydney by 3 points.
Laurence Rosen
Adelaide v Brisbane
Saturday - 7:40pm - Adelaide Oval
Saturday night footy in the City of Churches and the Adelaide Crows may just need a minor miracle here.
Of course, nothing is impossible, but they’ll have to turn it around quite dramatically if they are to return to the winners’ list.
The Crows had enjoyed a nice little patch of form until a fortnight ago when they were crushed by the Giants before Carlton had their way with them in Round 8.
After successive defeats of 59 and 48 points, Matthew Nicks will be looking for a response now they’re back at home. The Crows’ best can be competitive, but they simply haven’t shown it across the last two weeks.
On the other hand, the Brisbane Lions are humming with a near-faultless 7-1 record as the competition’s highest scoring team with a monster percentage to boot.
They’re fresh off the easy kill of a 75-point win over West Coast which was their fourth victory on the trot and has them as the second most in-form team in the league, only behind the all-conquering Melbourne.
Chris Fagan has overseen three in a row against the Crows, most recently a convincing 52-point result at the Adelaide Oval in Round 16 last year.
With recent form in mind and despite Joe Daniher and Dan McStay sidelined with injury, the Lions should be taking care of business as they continue another march towards September.
Tip: Brisbane by 32 points.
Andrew Slevison
Gold Coast v Fremantle
Sunday - 1:40pm - Metricon Stadium
Fremantle, one of the surprise packets of the 2022 season, will fly to the other side of the country on Sunday afternoon, where they’ll take on a Gold Coast outfit coming off the biggest win of their season.
The Dockers will be searching for their seventh straight win at Metricon Stadium in Round 9 and appear all but locked in to play their first finals series since 2015.
The question now is can they give themselves their best chance to go deep into September, and Justin Longmuir’s side will need to win games like this if they are to make the top four at the end of the season.
They’ve been elite defensively, conceding the least number of points across the league, while their offence is also on par with Melbourne, averaging just three points less than the reigning premiers in 2022.
Fremantle are no longer flying under the radar and are a serious proposition, however the Suns at home is no mean feat.
Gold Coast kept some sort of optimism alive for their season with a remarkable win over Sydney last week. The win was built off pressure around the ball and beating up on the Swans midfield, but it’s not a trait that’s brought every week.
In contrast, the Dockers have been a picture of consistency and they’ll expect to bring their best again.
Tip: Fremantle by 27 points.
Seb Mottram
GWS v Carlton
Sunday - 3:20pm - GIANTS Stadium
GWS will farewell coach Leon Cameron on Sunday afternoon when they host Carlton at Giants Stadium.
Cameron has resigned from his post as coach as the club looks to go in another direction beyond 2022. Will the players respond and send him off a winner or will the lack of effort from the last few weeks continue to translate?
One thing to consider is the Giants have played five games on the road in a row – including two Manuka Oval ‘home’ games. That likely took a toll on the playing group, but they have now had a full week in their beds to rest and prepare for what is a huge game.
Carlton meanwhile will need to cobble together a forward line after losing Harry McKay to a knee injury. Without another healthy key forward on their list, the Blues will go smaller and more pressure will fall on Charlie Curnow.
GWS has proved a bogey side for the Blues. Carlton has only beaten them once since 2015 and lost their last six to them.
The Giants will likely come out hot to farewell Cameron and the Blues are undermanned going into an interstate trip. Do we ignore their recent form given the circumstances?
It would be a great win for Carlton’s top four hopes if they can grab the four points at Giants Stadium.
Tip: GWS by 8 points.
Nic Negrepontis
West Coast v Melbourne
Sunday - 5:20pm - Marvel Stadium
West Coast is having a horror season – and it doesn’t get any easier this week.
Melbourne returns to Perth for the first time since their Grand Final triumph last year and will look to inflict further pain on the struggling Eagles.
The Demons’ premiership defence has been flawless to date winning their opening eight games of the season to be sitting pretty undefeated at the top of the ladder.
Simon Goodwin’s side extended their unbeaten streak to 15 games by comfortably beating St Kilda last week out to sound out another emphatic statement.
As for the Eagles, they have lost four games on the trot and are rooted to the bottom of the ladder with a 1-7 win-loss record.
After losing by 75 points to Brisbane last week, it’s another daunting task for Adam Simpson’s side as they continue to navigate COVID outbreaks and a lengthy injury list.
The Eagles have won four of their last five meetings against the Demons but lost last year’s encounter by nine points at Optus Stadium in Round 21.
West Coast have been leaking goals at will, conceding over 100 points in four straight games and six of their eight matches this season.
It could be a long afternoon for the home side if the Demons are in a ruthless mood.
Tip: Melbourne by 40 points.
Alex Zaia