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As I'm (we're?) in need of distraction - I'm kicking off the Round 2 thread early. Hardly before time, because are some tasty (and interesting) match ups this week. Classic battles between rivals and some teams who, after mediocre Round 1 performances, will be must-watch items this weekend. St Kilda v Richmond Richmond proved last week that they are something else in 2013. They are formidable in the midfield and potent up forward. Susceptible to the opposition getting a run on and, well, being Richmond, you can never say 100% that they'll be up. Nonetheless, I think they've turned the corner in a big way. St Kilda, on the other hand, will be reeling from their loss to Gar... Gold Coast. They'll be very keen to make amends back in Melbourne, where they'll notably be less affected by the heat. The Saints will welcome back Montagna but will rue this game being played at the MCG. Tigers for mine. 23 points. Sydney v Gar... Gold Coast An interesting game this one. Sydney just went against the Giants, probably due to a combination of a belated start to pre-season and the terrible state of the surface. They'll be better for the run and should improve this week. The other aspect to this game is how Gold Coast back up after their win. Widely criticized after last year, the Suns were impressive in their win against the Saints. Down south, however, against a side that has accounted for them easily in their two encounters to date should be another matter. The Swans should be too professional. Western Bulldogs v Fremantle Pre-season, this fixture would've looked like a nightmare. After the Doggies thrashing of the "in-form" Lions (upset of the round for mine) and Freo's win over their rivals, this could be a good game of footy. The Doggies will hopefully get back Boyd but will struggle against Lyon's Dockers in my view. Lyon knows Etihad well and his side will be very hard to score against on Saturday. Freo will not be as easy to run over as the Lions proved to be and the Dockers should get up. Fremantle by 36. Brisbane v Adelaide A clash of two sides expected to do much better in Round 1. Adelaide have had two weeks to stew, Brisbane get to return home to face the Crows. This should be a tight, tough match. Games between these two at the Gabba tend to be close affairs (their last three encounters have been won by a total of 22 point). Look for Taylor Walker to again be tough to stop. The midfield duel here is hard to pick. Dangermouse has shown that he struggles with a tag and, with him down on form, Sloane, Thompson and friends have their work cut out for them against a Lion side that, before Saturday, was looking much improved. In Adelaide I'd be confident with the Crows, but this is very hard to pick. Lions by less than 10. Essendon v Melbourne God. Port Adelaide v GWS Port Adelaide showed what a team that runs hard, works for each other and plays a simple game plan can do. They'll return home chock full of confidence and, while GWS would be happy with their effort against the Swans, I think this is a different proposition. They'll no doubt provide greater opposition than the Dees, but the Power will nonetheless begin season 2013 with a 2-0 record. Port by 45. SUPER SUNDAY! This promises to be a great day to be a footy fan (especially over a coffee and copy of the paper displaying celebrating Melbourne players). Geelong v North Melbourne To start it off is this tasty affair at Etihad. Geelong have, somehow, pulled off their tenth straight win against the Hawks while the Kangas came up short (after a spirited fightback) against the Pies. North have a strong midfield that matches up well against the Cats at Etihad (they won last year in Round 3). This will be a tussle all day but I don't think the Cats will back up from today as well as they might've. North in a close one. Carlton v Collingwood The front-running Blues were back to their best. Woeful for the most, but riding a wave of momentum almost snatched the win, the Blues are a tough team to get a hold on. They'll be better for the run (their first under Mallthouse) and should be more consistent. Collingwood, meanwhile, is almost the exact opposite. Consistent, tough and professional, they simply get the job done more often than not. Beams and Shaw returning will only help (their depth still makes me violently ill) and the Pies should be too good in front of 85,000 + fans. Mind you, I wouldn't be shocked if Carlton won by 10 goals (again) as they have won the last two. Collingwood by 5 goals. West Coast v Hawthorn To round out the weekend we have this little affair. I thought before the derby that one of the two were pretenders, could it be that team is West Coast? Without Nic Nat their midfield looks no where near as potent and their forwardline, by extension, suddenly a little pedestrian. Without Cox playing forward and with the loss of Lecras, West Coast will need to find a decent plan b. The Hawks looked comfortable enough for the first half against the Cats before the same old happened. Their medium players didn't do enough in the second and, once that happened, they were always a step behind. Guys like Breust, Savage and Shiels look great when the team is up, but god help them when Mitchell has a down day. West Coast should be too good for mine. Eagles by 12. Game of the Round Tough one - Blues Pies follower by Cats Roos/Lions Crows Thrashing of the Round Essendon Potential upset of the Round Dare I say it...