This week's got a HOST of close games! Stay close to FF, and we'll guide you through!
Thursday night (3:20 am Th morning for the Mountain zone in the US):
Collingwood goes to Port Adelaide - the numbers argue in Port's favor, but don't believe them: Collingwood wins definitively. They are playing great footy right now, the equals of Hawthorn and Fremantle the last two weeks, while Port has realized they're not going to make any noise in 2015 and are riding out the string.
Friday night (3:40 a.m. Friday MDT):
Carlton at Richmond - the Blues have been getting better each week, but as I-man likes to say around here, "Better than bad isn't good." Plan on Richmond winning by plenty, although Carlton will fight hard and tackle well to keep it from being unreasonable.
Saturday's games:
Melbourne plays Essendon - this one's painfully easy, after watching the Bombers lose to St. Kilda by 110 points and watching the players and coaches not care about it. Bet the house on Melbourne. (Not your own house, silly!) I also don't see how coach James Hird can possibly survive nine more games this way.
Gold Coast travels to play the Western Bulldogs - B.A., we'd've said Doggies all the way. (B.A. means "Before Ablett".) With the Little Master's return last week, we suddenly saw the Gold Coast Suns we all thought were finals-bound back in March. Gold Coast in an upset.
Geelong at North Melbourne - The spread on this game is zero, and the ratings on this game are less than half a point, or essentially zero. Close game! We think having twenty days off (between a bye week and the cancellation last Sunday post-death of Adelaide's coach) is a GREAT thing for an older team like Geelong, so we're taking the Cats over the Kangaroos.
Adelaide travels to play West Coast, in the most emotional game of the weekend. Before becoming head man in Adelaide this season, the late Phil Walsh was second in command at West Coast, so both of these teams miss him terribly. When it comes down to nuts and bolts, though, the Eagles are simply better than the Adelaide Crows, probably by 30 or so.
Sunday's games:
St. Kilda at Greater Western Sydney - while the Saints looked great last week, they were playing "witches' hats", or traffic cones; no real competition. GWS figured some things out over their bye and came out strong against Richmond...and St. Kilda ain't Richmond. GWS by three goals.
Fremantle v Hawthorn in Tasmania, where the Hawks have only lost once at their "home away from home"...and as great as the Dockers have been in 2015, Hawthorn won't lose this one, either. Hawthorn by twenty.
Sydney Swans at Brisbane Lions - the one rout (on paper) of round fifteen. (Amazing. Usually, there are at least a few lopsided games!) Sydney's favored by 40, our ratings have it at 46, and the only thing keeping it from going out of hand might be cold weather, showers, or other possible inclimate conditions which might keep the game close for a while. But, like the Lions' valiant effort in Fremantle last Sunday, they'll fight hard and still come away without any premiership points. Sydney wins by about 25-35.
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