THE ROAR'S AFL EXPERT TIPS AND PREDICTIONS: ROUND 7
0The Roar's AFL expert tips and predictions: Round 7
As if it wasn’t enough to be denied my first perfect 9 of the week by a one point loss. it just HAD to be my Bulldogs on the end of it. Thanks. Bevo. My reaction to the loss at the time was actually quite philosophical by my standards – I should have known that would only end in me screaming like Charlton Heston at the end of the original Planet of the Apes movie by Monday night. Despite my concerns. Round 6 actually turned out to be a relatively straightforward one – unless you chose it as your week to side with a few roughies. in which case it definitely backfired. Round 7 promises to be more of the same. with a lot of key favourites. the odd interesting clash between sides near the bottom. and one absolute doozy to finish off the round. Historically. this has been the round where my season has completely gone off the cliff (if it hadn’t already) – so let’s get it over and done with! Tim Miller (last week: 8) West Coast. Geelong. Adelaide. Melbourne. St Kilda. Carlton. Collingwood. Western Bulldogs. Brisbane After Thursday night and public holiday matches aplenty to start 2022. it feels a bit weird to have a round condensed to just three days. Maybe it’s that which has prompted me to make probably my craziest tip of the week – I just can’t shake the feeling West Coast will start us off with an upset and knock over Richmond at home. The Eagles have been seriously dire in their last fortnight; while the Tigers haven’t exactly set the world on fire themselves. they’re holding on to their old majesty with a sort of grim determination that’s quite admirable. Nevertheless. the Eagles feel due for a win at home for the first time since Round 19 last year (the same round. as it happens. that Melbourne last lost). and with Jeremy McGovern and Andrew Gaff back in the picture and the Tigers without a swathe of veterans. I’m going out on a limb and giving them my nod. Because of that. I’m playing Saturday by the numbers. Geelong should be too strong at their Kardinia Park fortress for a Fremantle without Matt Taberner and Sean Darcy; you couldn’t pick GWS on current form against just about anyone. much less a resurgent Adelaide on their home patch; Melbourne could probably beat Hawthorn even if everyone got COVID. the way they’re travelling; and the loss of Marc Pittonet would probably hurt Carlton more if they were playing anyone other than. y’know. North Melbourne. (Though the Roos did smash the Blues last year. so what do I know?) The most interesting game of the day might be St Kilda taking on Port Adelaide. At Marvel Stadium. the Saints would be almost a lock. but up in Cairns. it’s less certain. I’ll back the Saints because I’m a coward. but don’t be surprised to see Port give them a run for their money. Sunday also offers us plenty of intrigue. with Gold Coast looking to record victories over Collingwood at the MCG for two seasons in a row. Brodie Grundy’s out is a game changer for the Magpies’ midfield. and while I’ll tip them. Jarrod Witts could easily give a star studded Suns midfield enough opportunities to win the game for them. If the Bulldogs could have asked to face anyone this week. they’d probably only have had Essendon behind North and West Coast. The Bombers have had major struggles defending in recent weeks. and in recent times. this match has been a loose. free flowing game that has suited the Dogs greatly. Put it like this: if the Bulldogs lose. they’re just about cooked. Finally. the game of the round has been fittingly chosen for the prime time slot of *checks notes* Sunday. 4:40pm? Seriously. guys – we knew Brisbane and Sydney were good when the fixture was made! I’ve got a weird theory that the Swans are better away from the SCG than at home. where the smaller confines make it easier for teams to curb their speedy midfielders. Losing to the Lions here won’t really help me convince everyone that’s legit. but it’s at least given me a reason to back...
#news