It’s crunch time for the Western Bulldogs and St Kilda when they open Round 18 at Marvel Stadium on Friday night.
The 10th-placed Bulldogs and ninth-placed Saints need a win to keep their finals hopes alive.
Saturday night sees Carlton and Geelong do battle at the MCG followed by Fremantle hosting Sydney at Optus Stadium.
All four clubs sit inside the top eight heading into this weekend.
See our previews and tips for all nine Round 18 matches below:
All times AEST
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Western Bulldogs v St Kilda
Friday – 7:50pm – Marvel Stadium
The Western Bulldogs have one last chance to prove they’re a finals contender when they host St Kilda under the roof.
The Dogs have lost their last two games in disastrous fashion by a combined 94 points and now essentially sit two games outside the top eight given Richmond’s easy run home.
Their form over the past month has been far from what you’d expect of a finals contender, and over the 2022 season, far from what you’d expect from a premiership contender.
The only top eight teams they’ve defeated this year are Sydney and Collingwood, and if they are to keep the faintest finals glimmer alight, they have to win on Friday night.
It’s a similar story for St Kilda, who are equal with the Tigers on points but have the lowest percentage of the top 12 teams.
Their recent form has also left plenty to be desired, recording one win from their past five games.
Both sides’ defence has been poor over the past four weeks, and whoever can have the most-improved back six should win this clash.
Plenty rests on selection for this clash. If Aaron Naughton fails to overcome a jarred knee and Josh Bruce spends another week in the VFL, the mantle completely swings in favour of the Saints, even with Bailey Smith set to return.
However, if one or two of those talls play, they’re likely to create more problems for the Dougal Howard-less St Kilda defence, and should go close to winning this game.
Tip: Western Bulldogs by 13 points
Seb Mottram
Adelaide v Collingwood
Saturday – 1:45pm – Adelaide Oval
Collingwood will look to add to their seven-game winning streak against the Crows on Saturday afternoon.
Making the trip to Adelaide to face Matthew Nicks’ men, the Pies head into this clash as the clear favourites as they continue their push for the top four.
Collingwood’s record over Adelaide is strong, winning their last five battles by an average of 37 points.
The Pies will be without several stars including Jordan De Goey, Taylor Adams and Brodie Grundy – all who played in the side’s Round 2 win over Adelaide – will be absent due to injury.
Collingwood’s forward line will be causing Nicks some headaches during the week. Brody Mihocek, Jamie Elliot, Jack Ginnivan and Beau McCreery are all such dynamic players, and against a Adeliade side that leaks goals for fun – look out!
As for the Crows, they’ve been very disappointing the last 10 weeks, losing 80 percent of their clashes.
Despite showing signs of improvement in the second half against the Hawks last week, their slow start meant a win was never a legitimate chance.
Their obvious advantage is that this game is being played at Adelaide Oval, but the Pies have beaten them in their last four clashes at the venue…
In Scott Pendlebury’s 350th game, surely the Pies will get the win for arguably Collingwood’s greatest player.
Tip: Collingwood by 32 points.
Hugh Fitzpatrick
GWS v Brisbane
Saturday – 1:45pm – Manuka Oval
Saturday afteroon sees the struggling Giants host Brisbane in Canberra in a game the Lions simply cannot afford to drop.
Chris Fagan’s side has had a turbulent few weeks, losing five players to health and safety protocols before going down to the Bombers at home last week.
As it stands, Brisbane will regain the likes of Daniel McStay, Harris Andrews and Keidean Coleman this week but will be without Oscar McInerney, who tested positive for COVID earlier this week.
As for the Giants, they are coming off one of their lowest scores in their history against Port Adelaide and will be hellbent on an immediate response.
Put it simply, the season has reached a stage where Brisbane can’t afford to drop too many more games if they are to lock in a top four spot and on paper, this should be a relatively straightforward victory.
But as the past few weeks have shown, anything can happen in footy. In the first ever meeting between GWS and Brisbane in Canberra, expect a tense and tight tussle.
Tip: GWS by 8 points.
Laurence Rosen
North Melbourne v Richmond
Saturday – 4:35pm – Marvel Stadium
It’s been a tumultuous week for North Melbourne.
Following last week’s narrow loss to Collingwood – their 14th straight defeat – the club parted company with senior coach David Noble on Tuesday.
The Kangaroos lost patience with Noble, who won just five of 38 games at the helm, leaving the 1-15 Roos rooted to the bottom of the ladder.
North Melbourne’s VFL coach Leigh Adams will act as caretaker for the remainder of the 2022 season.
Adams’ first game in charge will be against Richmond at Marvel Stadium on Saturday.
The Tigers are coming off an after-the-siren loss to Gold Coast after leading by as much as 40 points in the third quarter.
While the defeat could prove costly, Richmond is still clinging onto eighth spot after teams around them slipped up.
Their finals destiny remains in their own hands.
The last time the Kangaroos changed coaches mid-season was in 2019 when Rhyce Shaw replaced Brad Scott on an interim basis.
In a quirky stat, Shaw’s first game as caretaker was against the Tigers, guiding the Roos to a 37-point win at Marvel Stadium, the same venue where this weekend’s match will take place.
However, it’s unlikely that history will repeat itself on this occasion.
Tip: Richmond by 40 points.
Alex Zaia
Carlton v Geelong
Saturday – 7:25pm – MCG
Is this the game of the season? Carlton and Geelong will meet on Saturday night in what will be an enormous test of whether the Blues are up to the standard of the top four teams.
Carlton has regained Jacob Weitering among others and is nearing full strength – can they match it with a Cats side that just knocked off Melbourne?
Weitering will likely get the matchup with Tom Hawkins, though how the Blues stop the in-form Jeremy Cameron is the greater question.
They don’t have a logical matchup and stopping Cameron will go a long way to getting the result on Saturday night.
Up the other end, the Cats will get a bit of their own medicine coming up against Harry McKay and Charlie Curnow. Can they stop the key forward pairing?
In the midfield, Carlton will be looking to take control of the clearances, while Chris Scott will be looking to keep the game moving and free flowing and out of stoppage situations.
Geelong are a fully formed top four side with Patrick Dangerfield back firing, while Carlton is still finding their way in the finals ecosystem.
At this stage, unless the Blues are more ready than we believe, the Cats should still be too strong.
Tip: Geelong by 10 points.
Nic Negrepontis
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Fremantle v Sydney
Saturday – 7:30pm – Optus Stadium
Fremantle hosts Sydney in what promises to be an enthralling contest under the Saturday night lights at Optus Stadium.
The Dockers return home after a successful business trip to Melbourne in which they banked four points for a convincing 41-point triumph over St Kilda.
That result has them embedded in the top four and banging on the door of the top two and a possible home final.
The Swans bounced back from their disappointing Round 16 defeat to Essendon by thumping the Western Bulldogs by 53 points last weekend. There was a lot to like about how they scored heavily, piling on 17 goals from 35 scoring shots.
John Longmire’s side will now meet a Dockers team who under Justin Longmuir has the second stingiest defence in the competition and should make life a little more difficult for the visiting Swans.
Sydney won at Metricon Stadium by 40 points in last year’s fixture between the two, but Freo won three in a row prior, all at Optus. Two of those, however, were by two points and one point, suggesting the Swans aren’t too frightened of the venue.
If this was being played on neutral territory it could be considered a genuine 50-50, but the Dockers are 7-2 at home this year which gives them the upper-hand.
Fremantle should be winning, but it will come with its challenges.
Tip: Fremantle by 18 points.
Andrew Slevison
Hawthorn v West Coast
Sunday – 1:10pm – MCG
Hawthorn earned their fifth win of the season against Adelaide in Round 17 and they’re a great chance to make it six against West Coast this weekend.
While both sides linger towards the bottom of the table, Hawthorn’s been a far more consistent outfit than the Eagles this year and they’re rightly favourites for this clash, particularly at the MCG.
Although the Eagles only have two wins to their name, their form has risen in the last month and they’re not the easy-beats they were in the early to middle parts of the campaign.
In saying that, they’ll do well to get over this well-coached Hawthorn side that has proven they can score heavily under Sam Mitchell.
Last time out it was West Coast who got the chocolates in Round 8, 2021, with the Eagles winning by 38 points away from home.
Considering their drop-off since then, Hawthorn should have enough firepower in front of the ball to kick a winning score on Adam Simpson’s side that holds a percentage of just 56.4 per cent.
Although it wouldn’t shock to see an upset in this one, it’s hard to pick the Eagles considering what they’ve dished up so far this year.
Tip: Hawthorn by 21 points.
Lachlan Geleit
Melbourne v Port Adelaide
Sunday – 3:20pm – TIO Traeger Park
Melbourne surrendered top spot to Geelong last week, falling to a 28-point loss at GMHBA Stadium.
It was the Demons’ fourth loss in their last six games that was further compounded by Clayton Oliver’s thumb injury, which will keep him out for just one week.
It means Melbourne will be without its star midfielder for Sunday’s match against Port Adelaide at TIO Traeger Park in Alice Springs.
The reigning premiers need a win to strengthen their grip on second spot with Fremantle, Brisbane, Carlton and Collingwood breathing down their necks.
The Power kept their flickering finals hopes alive thanks to a 55-point win over GWS at Adelaide Oval.
It was a good weekend for Port with eighth-placed Richmond (9-7), ninth-placed St Kilda (9-7) and 10th-placed Western Bulldogs (8-8) all losing.
The thumping win saw the 12th-placed Power improve to 8-8 while their percentage increased from 103.9 to 108.6.
Melbourne has won their past two matches against Port Adelaide, restricting them to just four goals in their previous meeting at Adelaide Oval in Round 4.
Expect the improved Power to be more competitive on this occasion, but the Demons should prove too strong and return to the winners circle.
Tip: Melbourne by 22 points.
Alex Zaia
Essendon v Gold Coast
Sunday – 4:40pm – Marvel Stadium
Win and keep our season alive. That’s what will be going through the minds of every Gold Coast player and coach when they take on Essendon.
Despite close losses to Port Adelaide and Collingwood, the Suns stealing four points out from under Richmond means they now can win five of their last six to get to 13 wins.
Their run home isn’t the toughest, but it all starts with the Bombers at Marvel Stadium.
It has not been a matchup the Suns have enjoyed, having only ever beaten Essendon on two occasions. They have not beaten the Dons since 2016.
The Bombers won by 58 points last season, restricting Gold Coast to just the four goals. They drew the year before.
Jake Stringer booted five in that game for the Bombers, while Touk Miller led the way for the Suns with 30 disposals.
For Gold Coast, they simply must win to keep their season alive.
Essendon is playing for pride and coming off a strong win over Brisbane in Queensland, where their spread and overlap run scorched the Lions.
However, the Suns simply have too much to play for to lose this one.
Tip: Gold Coast by 15 points.
Nic Negrepontis