It's going to be a great finish to the year, with so many close match-ups which will end up shaping the finals:

Essendon-Carlton

North Melbourne-Collingwood

Richmond-Essendon

Sydney-Hawthorn

West Coast-Collingwood

North Melbourne-Fremantle

Hawthorn-West Coast

Geelong-Sydney

Carlton-St Kilda

It's still hard to pick who will finish top 2, top 4 and top 8. Hard to read Essendon; depending on who they get back from injury, they are definitely good enough to beat Richmond and Carlton (Carlton may have won three of its last four but they're still terrible; beating WB, Richmond and Brisbane says nothing really), but only if they are at their best, which they haven't been since we beat them.

St Kilda weren't impressive against us, but have beaten some good sides this year (e.g. Sydney) and have been competitive for most of the year. North Melbourne is peaking at the right time, but I still don't know if they're really that good. Fremantle has been mediocre at best but keep winning their home games and have a soft draw. Carlton is close on points but are just terrible.

As for the four, I think Adelaide and Collingwood will round out the year without losing again, and finish top 2, which makes Hawthorn's job to get to the finals tough. But I think Collingwood v Hawthorn will be the Grand Final.

Edited August 12, 201212 yr by titan_uranus

Love to see a Freo, West Coast sudden death final in the first week!

What is the deal with Freo and Adel, and us?

We beat Fremantle and they don't make finals.

We beat Adelaide and the don't get top two and most likely to be bundled out in straight sets..

Need the Doggies and Port to win one so we have space to play

I wonder if the Bulldogs are interested in nominating Jack Viney.

I wonder if the Bulldogs are interested in nominating Jack Viney.

Yeh bulldogs have games against sydney, geelong and then brissie at the gabba so in their form they wont win any of those.

So if we win 2 out of the next 3 then our percentage will be higher (we're currently only 1.93% below) and we'll finish 15th... but i think it'll be better to finish off the season with a big upset and confidence after such a shizenhaus season.

best chance is against crows at the g, amazingly last time we played we beat them way back in round 7 last year - 149 to 53 when beamer and adam marric got 31 possies and sylvia and petterd kicked 4 each. haha memories

and what a bizarre draw that you can go 37 rounds between playing a side!?

37 rounds ?? Wow.

We will win this week but that will be it for us. Adelaide won't drop a game to us when a Top 2 spot is up for grabs.

As for the draw related question, it is bizarre that we have played several teams twice (e.g., GWS, Saints, Tigers) before we have played Adelaide once.

I could not give a flying about the rest of the comp. The season is over as far as I am concerned. Would be happy to see 37 drawn games.

exciting ?

I just want it over

am already over it from the Dees perspective. Only the EOS Circus has any interest for me now.

Hoping Freo replaces Essendon (and the loss to us costs them their finals berth) and yes WC v Freo in week 1 would be outstanding!

exciting ?

I just want it over

am already over it from the Dees perspective. Only the EOS Circus has any interest for me now.

Same here. Last three rounds can't come quick enough. Don't know that I can bring myself to watch the finals this year either, though I've become a pseudo-Sydney supporter in the last month or two.

As long as I see the Bombers and Blues miss out on the 8 I'm happy.

This week has only increased the excitement, I reckon. With Collingwood and Adelaide both losing the top 4 changes a lot.

West Coast-Collingwood and Sydney-Hawthorn this week are utterly enormous matches. West Coast playing for top 4, but if they lose, they could finish as low as 7th. Collingwood looked certain for top 4 all year but if they drop this they might be in danger (although West Coast has Hawthorn in the final round).

Carlton-St Kilda looks likely to determine 8th, as between Carlton and Fremantle - Freo to lose to North but beat us means Carlton has to beat St Kilda and maintain percentage over Fremantle by smashing GC. Damn I hope St Kilda wins.