Round 9 saw some predicted big wins, as well as a pretty big upset when the Tigers turned up against the Cats and stopped them in their tracks. We are creeping closer to the halfway point of the season, but it feels like the year has only just begun. So, without further ado, let's get right into our Round 10 preview! In this blog, we'll be previewing every game of the round and providing some insight into what we might expect in the week ahead. What do you think Round 10 hold for us? Let us know who you agree with and who else you might have selected down below on all of our social channels: twitter, facebook, instagram, discord.
Port Adelaide Power (4) V Melbourne Demons (2)
Friday 19th of May - 7:50pm AEST at Adelaide Oval, Adelaide
Both of these teams are on considerable win streaks, with both sides getting big wins in their last game. Who can break the others streak to kick off Round 9?
The Power have looked really strong in their past 5 wins, knocking off the Dogs, Eagles, Saints and Bombers, before meeting the lowly Roos and handing them a clean 70-point thrashing. Playing some of his best football through the middle was Zak Butters, who has stepped up in 2023 to a new level. He had 32 disposals, 9 marks and nearly 500m gained against the Roos.
The Demons have also been in good form, however the quality of opposition has been questionable. In their favour is the fact they dominated the Roos by 90 points, as well as a 54-point win over the Hawks in the last game. Had it not been for a poor 3rd quarter performance from the Dees, the score would have been much worse for the Hawks. In the 1st, 2nd and 4th quarter, the Hawks scored a combined total of 17 points, showing just how poor they are playing currently, as well as how dominant the Demons midfield is. Headlining that group was Clayton Oliver, who racked up 34 disposals and a goal against the Hawks, continuing his good form for the season.
Prediction:
Melbourne has had the Powers measure easily in recent encounters, but Port will use every ounce of home advantage to help them – Demons by 4 points
Max Gawn – 110 GDS fantasy points
North Melbourne Kangaroos (16) V Sydney Swans (14)
Saturday 20th of May - 1:45pm AEST at Marvel Stadium, Melbourne
Both of these teams are on losing streaks, although the Swans have put up 3 gallant efforts in 4 of those losses, where the Roos have had their score doubled in 4 of their last 5 games.
After starting the season well, the Roos have now had 7 consecutive losses and are getting closer to last place on the ladder. In their most recent game, they were utterly dominated by the Power after quarter time, eventually losing by 70 points. Attempting to give the Roos some hope was the seasoned campaigner Todd Goldstein, who is showing no signs of ageing, with a 24 disposal, 56 hitout and 11 clearances outing in an inspiring performance out of the Ruck.
The Swans started their game against Freo well, but gave up 6 goals in the 2nd quarter to allow the Dockers to take control of the game. It ended up as a 17-point loss, but the Swans would have been disappointed with the result, as they would not have anticipated sitting out of the Top 8 with the list of players they have. The fans would have been happy to see Errol Gulden putting his best foot forward against the Dockers, as he racked up 39 disposals and kicked 2 goals, as well as getting 5 tackles and 8 clearances, scoring a round high 184 GDS fantasy points.
Prediction:
The Swans have put up a fight in their past 3 games, while the Roos haven’t shown any signs of resilience as a team. This could be just the momentum builder the Swans need to get their season back on track – Swans by 41 points
Chad Warner – 110 GDS fantasy points
Western Bulldogs (6) V Adelaide Crows (8)
Saturday 20th of May - 2:10pm AEST at MARS Stadium, Ballarat
Both coming off wins with a lot of confidence, this will make for an interesting clash.
The Dogs will be very happy that they have found some form, putting up their 4th win in a row beating the Blues by 20 points. An integral part of that win was the huge effort that Tom “Libba” Liberatore put in for the Dogs, racking up 26 disposals and kicking a goal, as well as amassing 9 tackles and a huge 13 clearances.
The Crows bounced back off 2 close losses with a much-improved performance to smash the Saints by 52 points, which showed how strong their team has the ability to be. It was pure dominance out of the middle, with 6 of the top 7 disposal getters from the Crows side. The top 2 were Brodie Smith and Jordan Dawson, who combined for 65 disposals and over 1000 metres gained.
Prediction:
The Crows will be full of confidence after beating the Saints, but the Dogs higher disposal efficiency will make this a tougher matchup for the Crom – Dogs by 2 points
Marcus Bontempelli – 120 GDS fantasy points
Fremantle Dockers (12) V Geelong Cats (7)
Saturday 20th of May - 4:35pm AEST at Optus Stadium, Perth The Dockers have now won 2 in a row, finding some form for this big game, while the Cats showed they are beatable in their loss to the Tigers.
The Dockers bounced back from their big loss to the Lions with a big win over the Hawks, and then they carried that form in to their game against the Swans, and got over the line. Caleb Serong and Andy Brayshaw both had strong games, combining for 64 disposals and 15 clearances, as well as 9 tackles. Their strong performance helped the Dockers get over the line against some strong Swans midfielders, and will be important to have that impact against the reigning premiers.
The Cats were on a 5-game win streak when they came up against the 3-5 Tigers, and it did not play out the way the reigning premiers would have liked. The Tigers got out to a 17 point quarter time lead, on the back of some accurate kicking, and never looked back from there. It wasn’t all doom and gloom for the Cats, with some good performers on the pitch, including Mitch Duncan who found 25 disposals, a goal and 5 clearances in the loss.
Prediction:
It’s time for an upset, the Cats are playing outside Victoria for the first time since Gather Round, and the Dockers will make it 2 losses on the trot – Dockers by 15 points
Sean Darcy – 110 GDS fantasy points
Brisbane Lions (3) V Gold Coast Suns (11)
Saturday 20th of May - 7:30pm AEST at the GABBA, Brisbane
It’s Q Clash time! When these 2 teams met last year, they were essentially in the same position on the ladder, and yet it ended as a close result. Could this end up much of the same?
The Lions have found some hot form, pushing themselves into third on the ladder with a 42-point win over the Bombers in Round 9, taking themselves to a 7-2 record. While the Bombers caught the Lions napping and led at half time, the Lions showed how strong they are with a brutal second half performance blowing the Dons away. While Will Ashcroft continued his push for the Rising Star award by racking up another 28 disposals, it was Lachie Neale who took control in the Lions midfield, racking up 34 disposals with 5 clearances and 430 metres gained.
A month ago, I did not expect to be saying that the Suns would be entering this clash with 3 wins out of their past 4 games. While their 2 bigger wins were over teams running for the wooden spoon, it was their win over the Tigers and their 5-point loss to the Demons that showed that they are no pushovers. They were able to show their attacking prowess against the Eagles in Round 9, with 5 forwards scoring at least 2 goals each, and Matt Rowell dominating the midfield in a standout performance, racking up 29 disposals and kicking a goal, with an unreal 17 tackles and 6 clearances as well.
Prediction:
The Suns will come out firing, but this classy Lions side can be dominant, and their skills will shine in this game – Lions by 23 points
Hugh McCluggage – 110 GDS fantasy points
Essendon Bombers (10) V Richmond Tigers (13)
Saturday 20th of May - 7:40pm AEST at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne The Tigers have dominated the Clash of the Sash in previous years, and they have the form, but is all hope lost for the Dons?
The Bombers caught the Lions by surprise in the 2nd quarter in Round 9, leading by 10 points at the halftime break before the Lions took control to run out as convincing winners in the end. It was a tough game for the Bombers, with key midfielder Darcy Parish missing with injury, as well as key defenders Kelly and Ridley. In their absence, it was Mason Redman who stood up in the Bombers backline, racking up 30 disposals for a cool 568 metres gained.
The Tigers, on the other hand, found their first back-to-back win of the season when they took the momentum from their win over the Injured Eagles into their clash with the In-form Cats, and it got them over the line. Settling very nicely into the forward line for the Tigers is Dusty Martin, who although being known as a hard-bodied midfielder, has taken the new role very well. Against the Cats he kicked 4 goals as well as racking up 19 disposals, scoring 137 GDS fantasy points in the process.
Prediction:
The Dreamtime always makes for some good clashes, at this point it is unclear if Darcy Parish is back, but if he is, it’s the Bombers to lose – Dons by 4 points
Zach Merrett – 110 GDS fantasy points
Hawthorn Hawks (8) V West Coast Eagles (7)
Sunday 21st of May - 1:10pm AEST at UTAS Stadium, Launceston
This could be the game that decides the wooden spoon, and Hawks will be happy it’s a home game. Both teams have a 1-8 record, and a win here will be crucial for either side.
The Hawks most recent game was a 54 point loss to the Demons, which was a dire outing for them. They scored 32 of their 49 points in the 3rd quarter, meaning a total of 17 points was scored by the Hawks in the other 3 quarters in the game. It wasn’t all bad though, as the captain James Sicily had a strong 27 disposals with 8 marks and an impressive 501 metres gained.
The Eagles have been decimated by injury, with more starting players dropping like flies each week. While the score was overwhelmingly in the Suns favour, there was no doubt that Liam Duggan did everything he possibly could to inspire the Eagles. He racked up a game-high 32 disposals, with 4 tackles and a strong 662 metres gained.
Prediction:
Both of these teams have been dominated in recent weeks, but the Hawks have shown some periods of good footy, and they will be confident against the injury-riddled Eagles – Hawks by 19 points
Will Day – 110 GDS fantasy points
Carlton Blues (9) V Collingwood Magpies (1)
Sunday 21st of May - 3:20pm AEST at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne
Cold Blues vs the Hot Pies, winter is fast approaching and I think the Hot Pies will be the popular choice here.
The Blues are definitely feeling the cold at the moment, with 4 losses in their past 5 games, the only exception being their 108-point win over the Eagles. It has been a big fall from grace for the Blue-Baggers, dropping down to 9th on the ladder and now having to face the ladder leaders. Although the Blues were beaten all around the ground by the Dogs in Round 9, Sam Walsh continued his run of good performances with another strong outing, racking up 29 disposals and a goal, with 8 marks and 4 tackles, as well as 622 metres gained.
The Pies are in hot form, sitting clearly on the top of the ladder after extending to an 8-1 record after beating the Giants. There have been so many key performers for the Pies so far this season, with young Nick Daicos still putting his hand up for the Brownlow with another 41 disposal game, and Jordan De Goey showed his impact with a goal and 31 disposals to his name. Most impressive against the Giants was Mason “Telescopic” Cox, who had 19 disposals, 24 hit-outs and 2 goals to his name, in a great turn of form for the forward/ruck specialist.
Prediction:
The last 2 matchups between these teams have seen the Pies win by 1 and 4 points, and it looks like this might end up going a similar way, albeit by a bigger margin – Pies by 26 points
Tom Mitchell – 120 GDS fantasy points
Greater Western Sydney Giants (15) V St Kilda Saints (5)
Sunday 21st of May - 4:40pm AEST at the GIANTS Stadium, Sydney
Both teams are coming off big losses, but either team could turn around that result with the right mindset in this match.
The Giants copped a 65-point hiding from the Pies in Round 9, but should take a lot out of that clash, especially as many players held their own against the Pies strong outfit. Lachie Ash had a tough day chasing the Pies mids around, but got plenty of the ball when it was in the Giants possession, racking up 32 disposals and a goal, with 10 marks to his name as well.
The Saints were slow starters against the Crows in Adelaide, and that was all the Crows needed to run away with the game. The121 points the Crows scored was the highest score put on the Saints in 2023, the next closest being 83 points by the Power. While the Crows mids dominated, Brad Crouch found enough of the ball with 30 disposals, 4 tackles and 7 clearances to his name.
Prediction:
The Saints have lost their mojo, and with Toby Greene expected to be fit for this clash, I feel the Giants will be really hungry for a win here – Giants by 7 points
Stephen Coniglio – 130 GDS fantasy points