AFL tipsters’ guide: Port skipper back
Port Adelaide’s Travis Boak will return to captain the AFL’s ladder leaders in Saturday’s clash with Sydney at the SCG.
Boak, goalsneak Angus Monfries and speedster Matt White have all recovered from injury and will tackle the Swans in the highlight of round 13.
“All three are ready to go and they’ll really add to the team,” Port coach Ken Hinkley said on the club website.
Sam Gray and Ben Newton were both dropped, but the absence of Jared Polec (ankle) is a setback for the Power.
The Swans fared far worse at the selection table, Ben McGlynn’s fractured thumb forcing him to join Kurt Tippett (knee) on the sidelines.
Pint-sized tackling machine McGlynn will miss two matches like Tippett, with Mike Pyke and Brandon Jack promoted in their absence.
Adelaide’s Brent Reilly will play his 200th match after earning a recall for Saturday’s clash with North Melbourne, who dropped Majak Daw and Sam Wright. Impressive first-year Crow Charlie Cameron is out injured, and Cam Elli-Yolmen has been dropped. Matthew Wright and Matt Crouch are also back in the team.
Dual Brownlow medallist Chris Judd, Richmond veteran Chris Newman, Hawthorn ruckman David Hale, GWS defender Phil Davis and West Coast’s Josh Kennedy are among the fit-again players returning on the weekend.
Judd will play his second game of the season, having lasted six minutes as a substitute in round five when he returned from pre-season Achilles surgery.
Upgraded Hawthorn rookie Ben Ross will make his AFL debut on Friday night against Carlton, Luke Lowden making way and Billy Hartung nursing an elbow injury.
The Blues dropped Jeff Garlett.
Former Melbourne midfielder Colin Sylvia will make his club debut with Fremantle after joining the Dockers as a free agent in the off-season.
Fremantle replaced injured key defenders Luke McPharlin and Michael Johnson with Sylvia and Alex Silvagni for Saturday’s game at the MCG against Richmond.
The Tigers made four changes.
Newman, Aaron Edwards, Dylan Grimes and Shaun Hampson come into the team that lost to North Melbourne after a poor second-half fadeout.
Ben Griffiths and Matt McDonough were both dumped, while Ty Vickery and Matt Thomas will miss the match due to suspension.
Brisbane named an unchanged side for Saturday night’s clash with GWS at the Gabba, while the Giants called on Davis, Jeremy Cameron, Josh Hunt and Josh Kelly.
West Coast will be well down on experience when they host Gold Coast on Saturday.
Retiring captain Darren Glass is joined on the sidelines by ruckman Dean Cox (soreness) and Sharrod Wellingham (omitted).
Rugby league convert Karmichael Hunt, who played his first game of the season in round 12, will miss the clash due to a knee injury.
FRIDAY, June 13
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Carlton v Hawthorn at MCG 7.50pm
Head to Head: Blues 102 Hawks 58
Last clash: Round 12 2013 – Hawks 15.12 (102) bt Blues 13.9 (87) at Etihad Stadium
Tab Sportsbet: Blues $5.25 Hawks $1.16
Sportingbet: Blues $5.50 Hawks $1.15
Hawthorn have taken the premiership points in the past 10 clashes between these two clubs. The Blues have disappointed a lot this season, but looked a lot better against Geelong last Friday night. Chris Judd is back for Carlton, but the Hawks regain David Hale.
Key: Jarryd Roughead. Averages three-and-a-half goals against Carlton and returned to his best with eight in Hawthorn’s crushing last-start win over West Coast. Can the Blues keep him quiet?
Tip: Hawks by 30 points
SATURDAY, June 14
Richmond v Fremantle at MCG 1.45pm
Head to Head: Tigers 16 Dockers 13
Last clash: Round 17 2013 – Tigers 12.12 (84) bt Dockers 8.9 (57) at MCG
Tab Sportsbet: Tigers $4.60 Dockers $1.20
Sportingbet: Tigers $4.25 Dockers $1.22
Fremantle can slip back into the top four in round 13 with a win and other results going their way, suggesting their season is back on track. The Dockers’ victory over Adelaide on Sunday did come at some cost, key defenders Luke McPharlin and Michael Johnson both suffering knee injuries.
Key: Alex Silvagni and Zac Dawson will be marshalling the Dockers’ defence while their All-Australian teammates miss the next few weeks. Enigmatic Jack Riewoldt is their first test.
Tip: Dockers by 40 points
Sydney v Port Adelaide at SCG 2.10pm
Head to Head: Swans 15 Power 7
Last clash: Round 13 2013 – Power 10.12 (72) bt Swans 8.6 (54) at AAMI Stadium
Tab Sportsbet: Swans $1.42 Power $2.90
Sportingbet: Swans $1.45 Power $2.75
Match of the round by some margin and could potentially be a grand final preview. Sydney have posted seven consecutive wins, while ladder-leading Port have enjoyed eight victories on the trot. Both sides are missing key personnel, with Swans key forward Kurt Tippett arguably the most influential of the sidelined stars.
Key: How does Swans coach John Longmire reshape his forward line in the absence of Tippett? Canadian ruckman Mike Pyke takes Tippett’s place in the side, but Sam Reid will probably be the man patrolling the goal square.
Tip: Power by 10 points
West Coast v Gold Coast at Patersons Stadium 4.40pm
Head to Head: Eagles 3 Suns 0
Last clash: Round 19 2013 – Eagles 20.10 (130) bt Suns 17.11 (113) at Patersons Stadium
Tab Sportsbet: Eagles $1.55 Suns $2.45
Sportingbet: Eagles $1.62 Suns $2.30
After making the most of a cushy draw, the Suns have failed their past two tests against more-fancied opposition. The expansion club arguably deserves a partial credit for the way they challenged the Swans, but honourable losses won’t bring about a maiden finals campaign. West Coast are down on form, confidence and experience.
Key: Inspirational leader Darren Glass has played his last game for the Eagles, with the club rotating the captaincy for the remainder of the season. Will there be a leadership void?
Tip: Eagles by 8 points
Brisbane v Greater Western Sydney at Gabba 7.40pm
Head to Head: Lions 2 Giants 0
Last clash: Round 21 2013 – Lions 18.15 (123) bt Giants 9.9 (63) at Gabba
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Tab Sportsbet: Lions $1.33 Giants $3.35
Sportingbet: Lions $1.33 Giants $3.30
Two weeks is a very long time in football. Beleaguered and bottom-placed Brisbane have managed to shake off those two tags with back-to-back wins. GWS have inherited last place on the ladder, but morale would also be up at the Giants given the way they’ve played over the past fortnight.
Key: GWS have leaked a league-worst average of 17.1 goals a game this season. The Lions’ feeble forward line has finally fired and it’s no surprise the club’s two biggest scores of the season have come in the past fortnight. Returning GWS co-captain Phil Davis is likely to man Jonathan Brown in what will be one of the game’s most crucial one-on-one contests.
Tip: Lions by 30 points
Adelaide v North Melbourne at Adelaide Oval 7.40pm
Head to Head: Crows 18 Kangaroos 17
Last clash: Round 20 2013 – Crows 11.13 (79) bt Kangaroos 10.10 (70) at AAMI Stadium
Tab Sportsbet: Crows $1.90 Kangaroos $1.90
Sportingbet: Crows $1.82 Kangaroos $2.00
North Melbourne’s hot-and-cold season reached new levels last Sunday when they were outplayed by Richmond up until halftime, only to crush the lowly Tigers in a one-sided second stanza at Etihad Stadium. Adelaide have been similarly inconsistent this year, but their best football has generally come at Adelaide Oval and, in round nine, it was enough to knock over Collingwood.
Key: North Melbourne haven’t beaten the Crows in Adelaide since 2003, but all those games were at AAMI Stadium and their interstate form this season has been sensational. Can the Kangaroos master the intimidating Adelaide Oval?
Tip: Kangaroos by 20 points
SUNDAY, June 15
Geelong v St Kilda at Simonds Stadium 1.10pm
Head to Head: Cats 127 Saints 82
Last clash: Round 18 2013 – Cats 21.11 (137) bt Saints 5.6 (36) at Simonds Stadium
Tab Sportsbet: Cats $1.01 Saints $16.00
Sportingbet: Cats $1.01 Saints $14.00
A record loss to Sydney and an underwhelming win over Carlton have led some to declare Geelong’s golden era is over. Baring a boilover, this match is unlikely to add much to that debate. St Kilda started the season competitively, but have suffered an average losing margin of 74 points in their past five hitouts.
Key: Tom Hawkins. Cats coach Chris Scott admitted this week the side’s heavy reliance on their key forward is cause for concern. But there’s no questioning the 25-year-old’s red-hot form, and the Saints will have their hands full stopping him.
Tip: Cats by 50 points
Collingwood v Western Bulldogs at Etihad Stadium 3.20pm
Head to Head: Magpies 106 Bulldogs 42 drawn 1
Last clash: Round 12 2013 – Magpies 15.9 (99) bt Bulldogs 9.11 (65) at Etihad Stadium
Tab Sportsbet: Magpies $1.09 Bulldogs $7.50
Sportingbet: Magpies $1.09 Bulldogs $7.50
Collingwood and the Bulldogs have both been workmanlike at times this season, but one look at the ladder suggests a vast difference in class. The Bulldogs have lost three games by less than 10 points, while the Magpies have found a way to get over the line in games where they’ve been well below their best.
Key: Collingwood’s midfield maestros Scott Pendlebury, Dane Swan and Dayne Beams. As Melbourne found out on Queen’s Birthday, it’s hard to keep three good men down.
Tip: Magpies by 40 points
Essendon v Melbourne at MCG 4.40pm
Head to Head: Bombers 127 Demons 80 drawn 2
Last clash: Round 2 2013 – Bombers 28.16 (184) bt Demons 5.6 (36) at MCG
Tab Sportsbet: Bombers $1.36 Demons $3.15
Sportingbet: Bombers $1.37 Demons $5.10
Melbourne kicked three goals in their last-start loss to Collingwood, their lowest haul in almost 20 years. But the master misers have excelled at the other end and are ranked fifth in the league for goals conceded. Essendon are ranked No.1 in uncontested marks this season, so this could degenerate into a game of keepings off.
Key: The spectre of the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority’s probe has loomed over the Bombers all season, but with reports of show-cause notices being issued it will be a bit harder for the players to put it to the back of their minds.
Tip: Bombers by 20 points
