The business end of the year has arrived and in Round 20, there’s three big games that could be season-defining.
The first of these three matches arrives on Friday when Fremantle hosts Melbourne at Optus Stadium – could the Dees be out of the top four at the end of the night?
Looking ahead to Saturday, Collingwood takes on Port Adelaide in another big game but the main event is at GMHBA Stadium when Geelong hosts Western Bulldogs.
On Sunday, Brisbane’s premiership credentials go on trial once again as they return to the MCG to take on Richmond.
Here’s how we see all nine games playing out.
See our previews and tips for all nine Round 20 matches below:
All times AEST
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Fremantle v Melbourne
Friday – 8:10pm – Optus Stadium
This clash looks set to be an absolute belter.
The out of form Demons head West to face the Dockers in a match that will shape the top four.
Will this be the game the Demons reassert themselves and send a warning to the competition? Or will they continue to have critical lapses in their game?
Time will tell.
The last time these two sides met it was the Dockers who got the four points, dominating Melbourne by 38 points at the MCG.
The Demons will be buoyed after locking away Angus Brayshaw for another six years, they seem like a playing group that rallies together after signing of one of the clubs most popular players.
After leaking 110 points to the Western Bulldogs last week, Melbourne’s defence won’t let that happen against a Dockers side that has struggled to score in recent weeks.
As for the Dockers, they return home hungry having drawn with the Tigers in round 19.
If the Dockers are to win, they’ll need to find more avenues to goal.
After a quiet month, Matt Taberner will need to kick three or more goals if they are to win.
We can't wait to see these two midfields go at it. Andrew Brayshaw, Caleb Serong, David Mundy and Sean Darcy will do battle against Clayton Oliver, Christian Petracca, Jack Viney and Max Gawn.
Two well-oiled machines.
There are so many things to weigh up in what will be a great match, but we are tipping the Demons to dominate the Optus Stadium expanses again.
Tip: Melbourne by 34 points.
Hugh Fitzpatrick
Collingwood v Port Adelaide
Saturday – 1:45pm – MCG
10 weeks ago, Collingwood was 11th on the ladder and sitting with a 4-5 record off the back of a 48-point loss to the Western Bulldogs.
On Saturday, they’ll look to extend their winning streak to 10 games against Port Adelaide in a remarkable turn of form.
Craig McRae’s side has been down and out more times than you can count over the past two and a half months, yet the Magpies’ will to win has proven to be stronger than all others.
They’ve built a game plan that takes the game on at almost every opportunity, one which has allowed them to score quickly when called upon.
It’s the reason Power fans will still be nervous if they find themselves with any sort of lead in the dying stages of the clash against Collingwood.
The Pies have been down at three quarter time in their last three games.
On the flip side, Port Adelaide has been one of the form sides of the competition in recent weeks.
They’ve played three top four sides in recent weeks, losing to Geelong, Melbourne and Fremantle in nail-biters.
Finals are all but gone, and they’ll be playing for pride. But if the Power falls away to finish the year, Ken Hinkley could well find himself at a new club in 2023.
Ultimately, this game is about Collingwood. If they can convincingly beat Port Adelaide, they’ll announce themselves as genuine contenders. But they’ve only beaten teams outside the eight in recent weeks, and if they fall to an in-form side in Port, there will be genuine questions asked.
Tip: Port Adelaide by 14 points.
Seb Mottram
Sydney v GWS Giants
Saturday – 2:10pm – SCG
The Swans and Giants played off in last year’s elimination final, but their fortunes have been vastly different in 2022.
Since playing off in Round 1, it’s the Swans who have seen their stocks rise as their rivals have fallen.
While these ‘Battle of The Bridge’ games often offer tight contests, on-form, you’d expect the Swans to salute and quite comfortably.
In their last 10 games, the Swans have gone 7-3 while the Giants have contrarily gone 3-7 as their season has gone down with a whimper.
With a top-four spot within reach of John Longmire’s side, they’ll be desperate to pick up another win here as they charge towards finals.
One thing GWS will be hoping is that their form against the Swans at the SCG to hold up, with the younger brother taking the last three games away from home as they gun for a fourth.
Ultimately though, Sydney’s structure, form and improving youngsters should see them over the line against a side that hasn’t scored more than 80 points since Round 14.
Sydney’s firepower will be too much for their opponents in this one.
Tip: Sydney by 25 points.
Lachlan Geleit
St Kilda v Hawthorn
Saturday – 4:35pm – Marvel Stadium
St Kilda’s finals hopes go on the line for another week as they prepare to take on a Hawks outfit that have won three in a row.
The Saints did what they had to do against West Coast at Optus Stadium in the last game of Round 19 and now sit just percentage off eighth spot heading into the weekend.
While St Kilda is eyeing off a long-awaited finals spot, the Hawks have been out of contention for a while but have still showed plenty of promise across the course of the year under new coach Sam Mitchell.
These two sides have played each other this year already, with St Kilda notching up a comfortable 69-point victory at the MCG.
St Kilda should be too good again, but the Hawks are on a bit of a roll right now and should make it a close contest.
Tip: St Kilda by 11 points.
Laurence Rosen
Geelong v Western Bulldogs
Saturday – 7:25pm – GMHBA Stadium
Geelong has positioned itself for another premiership tilt.
The Cats extended their winning streak to nine games after overcoming Port Adelaide in a pulsating contest at Adelaide Oval.
Geelong is a game clear at the top of the ladder and look the team to beat with four rounds left in the home and away season.
Next up for the league leaders is a home clash against the eighth-placed Western Bulldogs.
Last week’s stirring win over Melbourne catapulted the Bulldogs into the top eight, with young forward Jamarra Ugle-Hagan the star of the show kicking a career-high five goals.
It’s been an up and down season for the Dogs, but back-to-back wins has revived their finals hopes.
GMHBA Stadium hasn’t been a happy hunting ground for the Bulldogs – they haven’t won in Geelong since 2003.
Their most recent trip down the highway ended in heartbreak after Gary Rohan kicked a goal after the siren to snatch victory for the Cats.
The home side will be keen to celebrate captain Joel Selwood’s 350th game in style.
Selwood will become the first player in Geelong’s history to reach the 350-game milestone.
Tip: Geelong by 18 points.
Alex Zaia
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Adelaide v Carlton
Saturday – 7:30pm – Adelaide Oval
Adelaide hosts Carlton in a round 20 fixture that could have implications on the top eight.
The Crows are playing for pride in the final few weeks of the season, but for the Blues, there is a lot left to play for.
Carlton enters the round occupying seventh position just one win outside the top four, so this match is important to their finals hopes.
Michael Voss’ outfit is coming off a comfortable win over GWS and will fancy themselves to make it two on the trot.
Their recent record against the Crows has been positive, beating them by 48 points when they last met in round 8. That was their third victory over Adelaide in the last four encounters.
Matthew Nicks’ Crows, who sit 16th with just five wins, have lost four in a row and will be keen to turn that poor run around. They have been somewhat competitive in those defeats at the hands of Melbourne, Hawthorn, Collingwood and Sydney.
While the Crows have the ability to stay in the contest, scrap and be reasonably competitive, they lack the overall quality required to beat Carlton.
The Blues will be eyeing a potential double chance and will travel to Adelaide, pocket the points and then return with September on their minds.
Tip: Carlton by 25 points.
Andrew Slevison
Gold Coast Suns v West Coast Eagles
Sunday – 1:10pm – Metricon Stadium
Gold Coast will be licking their lips in this match-up as they look to get back on the winner’s list having gone 1-4 over the last five weeks.
At home against the Eagles, the Suns enter this clash as hot favourites and would expect to salute in Sunday’s early game.
While West Coast has proven a tougher task in the last month compared to earlier in the season, they’re still lacking the firepower to match it with quality opponents.
A win here for Stuart Dew’s side would be their ninth for the campaign and only one behind their best season record of 10 set in 2014, something they look destined to eclipse in 2022 with a month of football remaining.
Last time out, it was the Suns who got the job done at Optus Stadium with Matt Rowell, Touk Miller and Izak Rankine leading their side to a 27-point win over a West Coast side that was decimated by COVID.
While the Eagles will have a better side to pick from this time around, Gold Coast’s improvement since the start of the year should mean that they’re again a class above their opposition, particularly at home.
Expect the Suns to claim this one in comfortable fashion.
Tip: Gold Coast by 34 points.
Lachlan Geleit
Richmond v Brisbane
Sunday – 3:20pm – MCG
Richmond and Brisbane meet in an intriguing game difficult to marry up form wise.
The Tigers are desperate for four points after blowing a 40-point lead to Gold Coast, kicking themselves out of the North Melbourne game and somehow emerging with a draw against Fremantle, despite multiple chances to kick the winning point.
This sees them outside the top eight and looking likely to stay there, unless they can win their last four games.
That starts against Brisbane here, a Lions team that has emerged from a COVID headache and now has started to put some form together.
They were neck and neck with Gold Coast for most of last weekend, but pushed away in the last quarter to record an impressive win.
These two sides know each other inside out. They have met in two Qualifying Finals since 2019. Due to COVID circumstances, their last five encounters have been in Queensland.
This one takes place at the MCG however, which you think would give Richmond an edge.
On form, you’d have to tip the Lions. The Tigers are missing too many key players and would have to be feeling the pinch after an incredibly tough three weeks.
However, at the MCG, with everything on the line, these are the kinds of games Richmond at their best can absolutely pull off.
Tip: Richmond by 8 points.
Nic Negrepontis
Essendon v North Melbourne
Sunday – 4:40pm – Marvel Stadium
It’s been a forgettable 2022 for Essendon and North Melbourne.
With four rounds remaining, the Bombers and Kangaroos are looking for positives to take into next season.
Both clubs are coming off disappointing defeats in Round 19.
Essendon's mini resurgence came to an end at the hands of Collingwood in the most dramatic fashion.
In a topsy-turvy encounter, the Bombers blew a 21-point final-quarter lead to lose by four points after Magpies forward Jamie Elliott coolly converted after the siren from the boundary.
The Bombers’ struggles without the ball were exposed late on, an issue that hasn’t been fully corrected under coach Ben Rutten.
After the high of upsetting Richmond which snapped a 14-game losing streak, the Kangaroos came crashing down to earth.
North was comprehensively beaten by Hawthorn in Hobart, going down by 57 points, as they failed to back up their breakthrough win over the Tigers.
The Roos remain rooted to the bottom of the ladder due to their slightly inferior percentage to 17th-placed West Coast.
Essendon boast a dominant recent record against North, winning their last seven games. They haven’t lost to the Kangas since Round 8, 2016.
Despite their obvious flaws, you’d think the Bombers will get the better of the bottom-placed Roos.
Tip: Essendon by 23 points.
Alex Zaia