Round 22 Preview

The omission of Nick Daicos means that someone from the Magpies will have to stand up. Enter his brother Josh Daicos. Daicos should be able to fill his brother’s shoes and claim at least 25 touches on Friday.

In what is set to be a Friday night blockbuster, a win for the Cats would see them enter the top eight as the finals get closer and closer. The Cats have also won the past 16 of 18 against teams that were ranked higher than them on the AFL ladder.

At the start of every game, the Bombers have relied on forward Kyle Langford. Langford has managed to be the first goalscorer in four of the last seven games he has played against lower-ranked sides.

While the Kangaroos may not be winning games at the moment, including a loss to the West Coast Eagles, Jy Simpkin has been a standout performer for the club and has been able to claim at least one goal in his past three home appearances at Marvel Stadium.

When the two clubs face off against one another the matches have gone under the total score line in their previous four games.

Errol Gulden has been one of the best performers, not just for the Swans but has been one of the best wing players in the AFL. Gulden has been racking up the disposals and is set to continue his great form this weekend.

Brisbane Lions’ forward Joe Daniher has kicked at least two goals in his past six appearances against Adelaide. Going head-to-head against Taylor Walker, he will be looking to score more than his fierce rival.

The Lions go into the match as heavy favourites having won their last ten games at The Gabba. However, expect the Crows to give them a run for their money and keep the game relatively close for the majority of the match.

While not expected, the Demons’ last two games competing in the evening have seen forward Alex Neal-Bullen score the first goal in each of those games. This will be a unique bet to place but is probable to pay off.

The Melbourne Demons may be one of the most in-form teams in the competition and this has been proven by them scoring multiple goals against their opposition in high-scoring matches. The same could be said for the Carlton Blues.

After only their second win of the season against the Kangaroos two weeks ago, the Eagles backed up their performance against the Carlton Blues last week. Playing at home in the rivalry showdown against the Dockers, an upset could be well and truly on the cards.

While the West Coast Eagles may have struggled at the start to middle of the season, losing by a margin of more than 40 points, they have turned their season around and been relatively good in recent weeks, keeping the margin under 40 points.

Coming off a massive upset against Hawthorn, the Hawks will be eager to replicate that with another victory- this time against the Western Bulldogs.

A big part of the Hawks’ win against the Magpies was captain James Sicily. Working at the back of the park, Sicily showed his dominance with his interception marks as the Pies tried to enter the forward 50.

The retirement of Tigers’ midfielder Trent Cotchin will hopefully allow the team to be reignited on the weekend and deliver a win over the Saints- a club that needs to win to stay in the top eight and in finals contention.

In a surprising statistic, the Richmond Tigers tend to finish the end of each quarter strongly but fail to convert their chances into a goal (or six points).

In seven of the last eight matches the Power have played – bar the game against the Collingwood Magpies – Xavier Duursma has managed to at least get one goal in his past seven of eight matches.

The Power has struggled as of late and is on a three-game losing streak after the loss to Geelong last weekend. Despite the Giants losing to their rivals, the Swans, last week, they are likely to produce a stunning victory as underdogs.