Melbourne is hoping a key change that has been critical to its recent turnaround – and therefore premiership race – continues to pay off.
Also, Freo will have to correct one aspect of their game to stay in the hunt for flags.
Every club’s burning question ahead of Round 21, as well as the Fox Footy Podcast ‘Cups’ and commentators for every Fox Footy match in our ultimate weekly preview: the blower!
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AFL ROUND 21 (all times AEST)
MELBOURNE – COLLINGWOOD (Simon Buckley Cup)
Friday, August 5, 7.50pm at MCG
How to watch on Fox Footy: Channel 504 from 7pm, presented by Garry Lyon with Nick Riewoldt, Jonathan Brown, Kath Loughnan and Jon Ralph, followed by Fox Footy live with Drew Jones, Cameron Mooney and Gerard Healy.
The Demons’ Burning Question: Does the Ace-to-Sleep Change Hold the Key to Change?
The Demons’ key switch to a hybrid forward line since round 18, playing an extra mid-sized player in attack instead of a high key, has paid massive dividends so far. It has seen Melbourne improve from 18th in the competition for intercept marks against in their forward 50 in the first 17 rounds, to fifth since and get better value for their entries in attack The Dees have also gone 2-1 since making the switch after a bit of a rut during their season where they lost four of their previous games. Look out for Jake Melksham, who was the extra forward in Round 18, to potentially line up with one of the Pies’ star interceptors in the likes of Darcy Moore and Jeremy Howe after successfully quelling the influence of Brennan Cox at the weekend past in a role of denial. . “That’s an ace up their sleeve, I think Melbourne will stay in the finals when we know they’re going to be up against strong interceptors,” Saints big man Leigh Montagna said. AFL 360″. As the ball has gone low to the ground in Melbourne’s forward line, they look much more dynamic. Kysaiah Pickett and Bayley Fritsch are scoring more goals: They have scored 20 goals between them in the last three weeks, after just 14 in the previous five games.
Goodwin and Fagan discuss trade rumors | 03:43
Magpies burning question: Are the Pies disrespected in the flag race?
Collingwood’s remarkable 10-game winning streak has seen the club climb to third on the ladder, an unthinkable result during pre-season given how unlikely even a finals berth looked. Of course, the Pies’ winning streak has been filled with tight games, including an average margin of victory of 10 points, while they haven’t faced a top-eight seed since mid-June. It has led many to question whether or not Collingwood is the real deal and a genuine premiership threat. But Roos great David King has heard enough of the criticism, saying he believes the ability of the Pies, who top the competition in key non-football stats this season, to fight tooth and nail for each other others is what sets them apart. other contenders. “This is a club in sync, you can say what you like about the numbers, the stats, the possessions contested… this is building something very special, and there’s no reason why they can’t (win the flag) this year.” he said AFL 360. “That’s big, come with it … you need a point of difference to win it, and his point of difference might not be in stats, it’s in effort and buy-in, and he (Craig McRae) can be a special coach. I don’t know if I love them or not, but what I do love is what they’re doing for each other.” AFL 360 co-presenter Gerard Whateley added:“Surrender to the idea, it’s a powerful idea.” It’s fair to say that a second upset win over the Demons, which would see Collingwood move up to second on the ladder, would certainly sway even the most skeptical of McRae’s Pies.
“Why not Collingwood?” Kingy back Cakes | 02:24
HAWTHORN v GOLD COAST (Mitch Hallahan Cup)
Saturday 6 August, 1.45pm at the UTAS Stadium
How to watch on Fox Footy: Channel 504 from 1pm, presented by Sarah Jones with Mark Howard, Dermott Brereton, Leigh Montagna and Ben Dixon.
The burning question for the Falcons: Can they bring heat from the first bounce?
Hawthorn almost completed an unthinkable comeback in last weekend’s 12-point loss to St Kilda, with the Hawks kicking the last five goals of the game despite trailing by as many as 44 points in the third term. “I’m torn between being very disappointed in the first half and reasonably pleased to fight,” Mitchell said after the game. This week Hawthorn fans will be hoping to see their team come out firing from the first bounce, especially at UTAS Stadium, where the Hawks usually play well. The loss to the Saints came after a solid stretch from Mitchell’s side, where they won their previous three games, albeit against Adelaide, West Coast and North Melbourne, as the Hawks look to bounce back.
The burning question for the Suns: They still can’t play in the Finals…can they?
As unlikely as it may seem, the Suns are still a mathematical shot at making the finals after last week’s thrilling three-point win over West Coast. It saw Gold Coast improve to 9-10 on the season and move up to 11th, which would mark the club’s highest finish on the ladder if they can maintain it, sitting two games behind eighth-placed Saints . Stuart Dew’s side need almost everything to go well in the way of other results if they are to quality for the post-season, but with three rounds remaining, they cannot be completely written off just yet. The Suns will also be hoping to break – or at least equal – the club record 10-game winning streak set in 2014, a season in which they finished 12th in the standings. Take care of business against a Hawks side they will go in as heavy favorites against and will be getting closer to all of the aforementioned goals. One thing is for sure, Dew’s suns are moving in the right direction.
GWS GIANTS v ESSENDON (Kurt Aylett Cup)
Saturday 6 August, 14:10 at the GIANTS stadium
How to watch on Fox Footy: Channel 503 from 2pm, with Brenton Speed, Kelli Underwood, Brad Johnson, Nick Dal Santo and Alastair Lynch.
Giants’ burning question: How are players responding to Mark McVeigh’s brutal criticism?
Much has been made of interim manager Mark McVeigh’s scathing post-match assessment of last week’s 73-point defeat by Derby, which he branded “disgraceful” and accused the players of “checking”. It seems to be almost the last lever a manager can pull to try and get a response from the group, so how they fare in a winning game against Essendon, who sit like the Giants on the ladder, will be fascinating. It comes as several Giants players face uncertain futures in western Sydney and have been linked with trade talks as the club juggles a tight salary cap. After a promising start to life under McVeigh when he took over from Leon Cameron in Round 10, GWS have now lost their last four games in a row. You sense that if McVeigh wants to be a genuine shot at taking over the coaching reins permanently, the Giants will need to show more down the stretch than they have in recent times and get a couple of wins.
McVeigh out of bid for GWS job? | 01:21
The Bombers’ burning question: Is Jake Stringer back?
Stringer has been below his sparkling best form in 2022, scoring 24 goals in 12 games after a career-best season in 2021 (41 goals in 19 games, ranks first in the official player rankings for the AFL in the second half of the campaign) when Essendon did. ends But we saw a glimpse of Stringer at his devastating best last week in the Bombers’ win over North Melbourne, kicking a season-high five goals, including three in the first quarter alone. It comes after Stringer booted four goals at Gold Coast two weeks earlier in something of a late-season resurgence, while the Bombers have now won five of their last seven games. So is Stringer really back or is he just a purple patch in the midfield/forward dynamic? An in-form Stringer will massively boost the prospects of Essendon continuing their winning ways, both against GWS and beyond.
WESTERN BULLDOGS v FREMANTLE (Stephen Koops Cup)
Saturday 6th August, 4.35pm at Marvel Stadium
How to watch on Fox Footy: Channel 504 from 4.30pm with Dwayne Russell, Jason Dunstall, Garry Lyon and Cameron Mooney.
The Bulldogs’ burning question: How does Sam Darcy fit in?
It’s a pretty decent card that Luke Beveridge has decided to play, debuting last year’s second draft pick in round 21. Of course, the Dogs’ finals hopes are on the line, but the future looks incredibly bright for Darcy considering what he has shown. VFL level. What it does do, though, is give Beveridge a healthy selection headache. The Dogs’ top ring is almost as well stocked as their midfield, with Aaron Naughton, Josh Bruce, Jamarra Ugle-Hagan, Tim English, Stefan Martin, Josh Schache and Alex Keath just a few of those players. Keath’s drop last week would suggest Beveridge is open to all possibilities to tweak the side’s set-up, but Darcy is expected to start in defence. How the side works with him will be the big question.
The Dockers Hot Question: Can they score again?
In the past three weeks against opposition they will likely face in September, the Dockers have scored 65 points (vs Sydney), 52 (vs Richmond) and 39 (vs Melbourne). This comes after the first eight games of the season where they went 7-1 and scored 100 points three times. Their lowest score in that run was 55 points and, you guessed it, they lost to St Kilda in that round two clash. Jonathan Brown said after the loss to the Demons that clubs seem to have figured out the Dockers and have taken advantage of their slow ball movement and defensive mentality. They are…