Footy Forecast: Your AFL Gather Round preview from Australia’s most diehard fans
As all 18 AFL teams touch down in SA for this year’s Gather Round, one AFL superfan gives InDaily their predictions.
Fremantle Dockers supporter Dean Wiggins will make his debut trip from Newcastle to Adelaide for this weekend’s Gather Round, earning himself a stay in the AFL-themed Superfan Suite at Peppers Waymouth Adelaide.
The room will be decked out in AFL branding and merchandise including life-size cut-outs of Wiggins’ all-time favourite Fremantle players Matthew Pavlich and Nat Fyfe, plus tickets to the games across the weekend.
The superfan will be attending as many Adelaide Oval games as possible this weekend, including Friday night’s match between Fremantle and Collingwood, and Saturday night’s Hawthorn and Western Bulldogs clash.
Outside of watching the football, Wiggins plans on exploring Adelaide’s top tourist sites including the Malls Balls, Hindley Street and a trip out to the Barossa Valley wine region, but not before he gives InDaily his predictions to this weekend’s biggest matchups.
Crows’ woes to continue tonight
The self-professed “hardcore footy fan” wasn’t afraid to rub salt in the wounds of Adelaide Crows fans after they suffered a nail-biting defeat to Fremantle last Friday night.
You might like
The Adelaide Crows went down by two points after a match-saving smother from Fremantle captain Alex Pearce in the dying seconds, making it the team’s third loss under 10 points in just four games.
“Alex Pearce with his smother at the end there, that was something that every single Freo Docker fan in Australia would have just about been in tears to see,” Wiggins said.
“He’s an amazing captain, and a wonderful player that doesn’t always get the credit he deserves.”
Adelaide Crows captain Jordan Dawson was among his team’s most influential players in the loss, finishing the game with 23 disposals and two goals.
“The Crows are pretty dangerous across the park and Jordan Dawson is a weapon that would walk into just about any starting lineup across the league.”
But Wiggins thinks the Adelaide Crows’ woes will continue, predicting an upset loss to Carlton in Thursday night’s wet and wild Gather Round opener.
Despite Adelaide only being two spots ahead of Carlton on the ladder at 13th and 15th respectively, the Crows are hot favourites heading into the matchup.
“I’m sure the Crows are comfortable favourites with good reason, but I just feel like Carlton at some stage are just going to switch on,” Wiggins said.
Stay informed, daily
“There’s a lot of young talent in the Blues outfit, and Michael Voss will hopefully have them chomping at the bit to bounce back and show what they can do.”
Port to maintain perfect Gather Round record
Port Adelaide remain undefeated in their three Gather Round matches to date and will take on St Kilda at Adelaide Oval on Sunday night.
Wiggins has tipped Port Adelaide despite St Kilda “looking better on paper” with the likes of star midfielder Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera and SA defender Callum Wilkie. But Wiggins said Port Adelaide’s midfield would be too strong, and powerhouse forward Mitch Georgiades was predicted to kick the match-winning goals on Sunday.
“Port’s midfield with guys like Zak Butters and Jason Horne-Francis can also be pretty damaging and hard to stop.”
Wiggins said former Fremantle midfielder Will Brodie, who made the move to Port Adelaide in the off-season, will be another player to watch if selected on the weekend.
“He’s a really good player, but he just couldn’t break into the Freo side for whatever reason. I hope he does well at Port because he deserves it,” he said.
But Wiggins is most anticipating Friday night’s match to watch his beloved Fremantle Dockers take on one of his “most hated” rival teams in Collingwood.
“I’m pretty confident, but I think it’ll be a close one either way. You never know against Collingwood because they’re such a dangerous team and can rip anyone apart when they’re on,” he said.
“But our team structures have looked pretty good this year, and all parts of the field are firing, so if they all stick to their current form, I think Fremantle should get the win.”
Brownlow favourite Nick Daicos and superstar veteran Scott Pendlebury will return to the Collingwood lineup this week, but Wiggins insisted Fremantle had its own secret weapon up forward.
“Josh Treacy is probably our best player at the moment. He’s just unstoppable up in the forward line,” Wiggins said.
Are you a diehard fan with a big opinion on how your team will fare this season? Share your thoughts by Wednesday, 5pm, each week at [email protected]
Want to see more stories from InDaily SA in your Google search results?
- Click here to set InDaily SA as a preferred source.
- Tick the box next to "InDaily SA". That's it.
