Round 19 sees a Friday night blockbuster as Richmond hosts Fremantle at Marvel Stadium – a venue the Dockers have played well at this year.
Saturday sees two potential blockbusters as the Dogs and Dees do battle in the second Grand Final rematch of the season, while up north Brisbane and Gold Coast take on each other at the Gabba.
A triple header on Sunday sees three important clashes, with upwards of 70,000 expected at the MCG for the much-anticipated clash between Collingwood and Essendon.
See our previews and tips for all nine Round 19 matches below:
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Richmond v Fremantle
Friday – 7:50pm – Marvel Stadium
Fremantle and Richmond will meet on Friday night in what looms as a contest with huge ladder implications either way.
The Tigers must correct their course after dropping a 40-point lead to Gold Coast and losing to North Melbourne in successive weeks, while the Dockers also have something to prove after going down to Sydney at home.
The Tiges could be in danger of missing finals altogether if they don’t find a few wins, but this will be far from straightforward against a strong Freo side.
Fremantle broke a run of four straight losses to the Tigers in 2021 in a low-scoring thriller at Optus Stadium.
They face off at Marvel Stadium, a venue they haven’t played together at since 2010. The Dockers recently took down St Kilda at Docklands, showing they play the ground well.
Will Richmond’s inaccuracy in front of goal rear up again? Have teams begun to work out Fremantle’s style in recent weeks?
These will all be questions asked in a contest between two teams that desperately need the four points.
Tip: Richmond by 7 points.
Nic Negrepontis
North Melbourne v Hawthorn
Saturday – 1:45pm – Blundstone Arena
Hawthorn and North Melbourne will do battle in an intriguing clash on Saturday afternoon.
The Hawks claimed their sixth of the season in a fairly dominant performance over West Coast last week, reigniting their run and dash style of play that fans came to love at the start of the year.
Hawthorn's recent record over the Kangaroos is strong, winning their round 1 clash by 20 points at the MCG – James Sicily was best on ground with 27 disposals and six marks.
As for the Roos, they head into this clash in form, snapping a 14-match losing streak in a thrilling four-point win over Richmond.
In caretaker coach Leigh Adams’ first game in charge since taking the reins from David Noble, the Kangaroos were exciting – something that has been foreign to their playing style for the whole year.
Cam Zurhaar was the hero, booting six goals in a clear best on ground performance, Jy Simpkin (34), Luke Davies-Uniacke (28) and Bailey Scott (26) all played arguably their best game for the year.
If North Melbourne plays like they did last week, Hawthorn will have their work cut out for them in what looks a legitimate 50-50 game.
Tasting victory does wonders to a young side, so am tipping the Kangaroos to claim back-to-back wins for the first time this year!
Tip: North Melbourne by 14 points.
Hugh Fitzpatrick
Sydney v Adelaide
Saturday – 1:45pm – SCG
The Crows managed to push Collingwood all the way last week, but they’re likely to face a stiffer challenge in Round 19 at the SCG.
Their best form has come at home in 2022, with three of their five wins coming at Adelaide Oval. At the venue once again, they put up a strong fight against Collingwood last Saturday but ultimately went down by five points.
Matthew Nicks’ men continued their trend of being strong on the inside in that clash, winning contested possessions and centre clearances.
However, they struggled to defend on the outside, and that’s the area Sydney will exploit if given a walk in the park.
Against Fremantle last week, the Swans’ ball use was too classy. They were able to strike a balance between aggressive and safe kicks, particularly in the second half, and broke down the Dockers’ defensive system.
If given too much time with the ball once again, and if allowed to mark the ball at will (John Longmire’s men took 138 marks to Fremantle’s 79 last week) Sydney will have a walk in the park.
Adelaide will look to quickly close off spare options and show the desperation the Dockers didn’t.
Given Fremantle and Collingwood both face tough games this weekend, if Sydney win, it could well find itself inside the top four for the first time since Round 6 this year.
Tip: Sydney by 24 points.
Seb Mottram
Port Adelaide v Geelong
Saturday – 4:35pm – Adelaide Oval
Port Adelaide remains in the finals hunt despite losing to Melbourne by 14 points last week.
The Power put up a competitive showing against the Demons in Alice Springs. Kysaiah Pickett’s six goals proved the difference in a see-sawing contest.
With five games remaining, Port (8-9) are a game and percentage outside the top eight.
Ken Hinkley’s side welcome ladder leaders Geelong to town in what shapes as another crucial game that will determine their finals fate.
The Cats are flying after recording their eighth straight win in Round 18.
Geelong’s 30-point victory over Carlton at the MCG consolidated their position at the top of the ladder.
It was another statement of intent from Chris Scott’s chargers following their emphatic win over reigning premiers Melbourne the previous week.
The Cats beat the Power by 35 points in Round 10 which kick-started their active winning streak.
They split their two meetings at Adelaide Oval last season with Port running out 43-point winners in their Qualifying Final clash.
The Cats are a well-oiled machine underpinned by their star forward pairing of Jeremy Cameron and Tom Hawkins.
While the Power away from home is no easy task, Geelong and their seasoned campaigners should take care of business.
Tip: Geelong by 15 points.
Alex Zaia
Brisbane v Gold Coast
Saturday – 7:10pm – Gabba
One of the biggest Q-Clash's in history arrives on Saturday night as Gold Coast battles to save their season against Brisbane in front of what should be a packed crowd at the Gabba.
The Suns are coming off their worst performance of the season against Essendon, leaving themselves with plenty to do to play finals for the first time.
As for the Lions, they’ve been dealing with all manner of COVID complications in recent weeks, but notched up an important win against the Giants in Round 18.
Brisbane is currently on a seven-game winning streak against Gold Coast, with the Suns not winning this fixture since Round 5 2018 – a streak Stuart Dew’s side will be hellbent on ending.
This could land up shaping up as the battle of the key position players, as Joe Daniher and Eric Hipwood face off against Levi Casboult and Mabior Chol.
Brisbane don’t lose many at the Gabba and should be favourites for this one, but you cannot discount the plucky Suns.
Tip: Brisbane by 10 points.
Laurence Rosen
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Western Bulldogs v Melbourne
Saturday – 7:25pm – Marvel Stadium
It’s safe to say that the season will be on the line for the Western Bulldogs on Saturday night.
Last season’s runners-up picked off St Kilda last weekend to reignite their finals hopes and will be looking to claim a massive scalp in Round 19.
They now meet a Melbourne side that got things back on track by accounting for Port Adelaide in Alice Springs on the back of a disappointing loss to Geelong.
Despite a slow start last weekend, the Dees finally got into gear and saw off the Power by 14 points, courtesy of a six-goal haul from Kysaiah Pickett.
The Dees have won five on the trot at Marvel Stadium including a Round 11, 2021 defeat of the Doggies, so it’s plain to see the venue holds no fears for Simon Goodwin’s men.
The last time these two met was in round 1 when the Demons saluted by 26 points at the MCG. It was their third win in their last four encounters with the Bulldogs, including, of course, the 2021 Grand Final.
While there is plenty for the Dogs to play for, it will take an almighty effort to overcome the Demons, who are eyeing a top-two finish.
Even with Dogs skipper Marcus Bontempelli in vintage form last week, it may just be a bridge too far for Luke Berveridge and his charges.
Tip: Melbourne by 8 points.
Andrew Slevison
Carlton v GWS Giants
Sunday – 1:10pm – Marvel Stadium
Carlton will be looking to keep their top four hopes alive when they host GWS at Marvel Stadium on Sunday.
A victory would take the Blues to 12 wins on the season, which would be their most since the 2011.
While the Blues won their most recent clash against the Giants earlier this season, their overall recent record against GWS tells a different story with Carlton going 1-5 in their last six head-to-head games.
Simply put though, the Giants and Blues seemed to have swapped spots this season as one looks to contend and another looks to rebuild, with Carlton rightly entering as favourites.
The Giants failed to contain a hot Brisbane forward line in Round 18 and that won’t get any easier against the Blues with Charlie Curnow and Harry McKay up front.
Last time out the Blues were able to reach triple figures without McKay in the line-up and GWS will be hard pressed to restrict them enough to give themselves a chance to win.
While this won’t be a walkover for the Blues, they should respond after going 1-2 in their last three weeks and almost secure a finals spot with a win in this one.
Tip: Carlton by 26 points.
Lachlan Geleit
Collingwood v Essendon
Sunday – 3:20pm – MCG
Collingwood are charging towards the finals.
The Magpies made it eight wins on the spin after pipping Adelaide by five points in a thrilling encounter at Adelaide Oval.
Craig McRae’s side have developed a knack of winning the close ones.
Collingwood’s last four wins over GWS, Gold Coast, North Melbourne and the Crows have all been by under 11 points.
Sitting in fifth spot with a 12-5 win-loss record, the Pies are a chance to claim an unlikely top four berth given they won just six games all of last year.
Essendon will be out to snap Collingwood’s winning streak and continue their improved form in the second half of the year.
The Bombers made it a hat-trick of victories after easily accounting for Gold Coast by 48 points at Marvel Stadium last time out.
Ben Rutten’s men have won four out of their last five, beating top eight opposition Sydney and Brisbane in that period.
Collingwood won the most recent clash between the two sides on Anzac Day, running out 11-point victors thanks to five-goal haul from small forward Jack Ginnivan.
It’s hard to go past the Pies, though you do sense a loss is around the corner.
Tip: Collingwood by 8 points.
Alex Zaia
West Coast v St Kilda
Sunday – 4:40pm – Optus Stadium
Optus Stadium hosts two of the most out-of-form teams in the competition on Sunday afternoon.
West Coast and St Kilda have won just two of their last ten games combined, with both sides coming off disappointing fortnights.
The storylines will go one of two ways in the aftermath. The Saints will have either kept their slim finals hopes alive, or, if they somehow lose to the Eagles, it’s set to be an off-season of pain at RSEA Park.
Following last week’s loss to the Western Bulldogs, Brett Ratten highlighted his side’s poor ball movement and was disappointed with an underperforming midfield.
While he’ll be looking for a response this week, the Eagles’ midfield are easy beats.
They’ve won the clearance battle against Hawthorn and Richmond in the last three weeks, and this could well be where the game is decided on Sunday.
The Saints' forward line also presents as a defining aspect of the clash. Since Round 14, the Eagles have conceded scores of 97, 128, 116 and 102. In that period, the Saints have averaged 62.75 points for.
The blueprint is there for St Kilda to gain a big advantage in attack, but their form in recent weeks suggests they’ll struggle to.
They should win this, but if they don’t kick a big score, they don’t deserve to play in September.
Tip: St Kilda by 24 points.
Seb Mottram