The Roar’s AFL expert tips and predictions, Round 8: Rivalries galore on Election Weekend
As the nation prepares to head to the polls on Saturday, Round 8 of AFL action brings with it its own share of rivalries and settles to score.
While it’ll be Albanese vs Dutton taking centre stage, we’ve also got the most exciting QClash ever between a red-hot Gold Coast and reigning premier Brisbane, a critical Sydney Derby between the Swans and Giants, and perhaps the biggest grudge match of all on Thursday night … North Melbourne vs Kane Cornes.
In between, it looks like a fiendishly difficult round to tip – here’s what our experts expect to be in store!
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Tim Miller
Essendon, St Kilda, Western Bulldogs, Adelaide, Collingwood, Melbourne, GWS, Hawthorn, Brisbane
In a devilishly tricky round to tip, I’ve only gone for one underdog – St Kilda to knock over Fremantle.
Why? Well, how often have we seen teams rebound after a week of intense scrutiny and a bollocking from the coach with an improved output? That, plus my ongoing concerns about the Dockers away from Perth, has me leaning the Saints’ way.
I’m not quite convinced something similar will happen on Thursday night, but North Melbourne have certainly been in the gun this week, and between their firing back at Kane Cornes and a vulnerable Essendon as their opponent, this might be the time for Alastair Clarkson to draw a line in the send.
Election Day is fascinating, both at the polls and on the field. In order: the Bulldogs to beat Port Adelaide, though Port’s run of wins over the Dogs dating back to 2021 is a concern; Adelaide at home should be too strong for a back-in-business Carlton, especially with no Jack Silvagni; Collingwood are just travelling better than anyone at the moment, including Geelong; and while West Coast will give themselves a huge chance at home against Melbourne, I don’t think they have anyone capable of matching, let alone stopping, Max Gawn in the ruck.
Post-election, we’ve got two more massive rivalries taking place, and while it plays second fiddle, GWS and Sydney’s clash is one of the most important Sydney Derbies ever.
It’s big alarm bells for the loser here, which I think, based on little more than their respective injury lists, will be the Swans.
It’s Hawthorn by plenty over Richmond at the MCG, while in an extra-special Sunday night QClash extravaganza, my lingering doubts about the Suns’ bona fides against the major players has me leaning Brisbane’s way – especially given it’s at the Gabba.
Touk Miller. (Photo by Russell Freeman/AFL Photos via Getty Images)
Dem Panopoulos
Essendon, Fremantle, Western Bulldogs, Carlton, Collingwood, Melbourne, GWS, Hawthorn, Brisbane
It feels like every round these days features marquee games, which is all the AFL can ask for.
Sure, the primetime weeknight games are hardly inspiring, particularly with North Melbourne missing its most in-form player in Paul Curtis, but they’ll be plucky against the Bombers. Hopefully it’s not two teams playing a slow, possession-style game and there’s a bit of spice to it.
Many have different opinions on how Ross Lyon handled his players and team last week – supporters will be hoping it provides at least a momentary boost for the group. Fremantle are starting to settle in and find form hopefully a premiership charge and will welcome back a key player or two, so it’ll be tough for the Saints.
With Ballarat only being at half-capacity, in such a celebratory season for the Bulldogs, why didn’t they just play this game out of Whitten Oval and give something for the fans to celebrate? Port have won a few games in a row and are playing decent footy, but they’ve not faced a team as good as the Doggies. Home win.
Can Carlton keep this form up? Elijah Hollands, to me, is the big swing factor for the Blues of late, and offers Michael Voss something a little different to shake up stoppages, which he desperately needed for them to recapture some form.
The Crows continue to align with expectations – a good offence and bad defence, middle-areas sort of team. Hard tip here – Jack Silvagni out against one of the best forward line and Nick Murray out for a team struggling to handle bigs might cancel each other out. Maybe Carlton hold on.
Saturday night could well be a Grand Final preview – the Eagles have a good shot of beating the Demons. Seriously though, the Magpies and the Cats are playing really decent footy, and I’m not worried about the result for either at this stage of the season. I am slightly worried about an underdone Cats defence and another game facing an opponent with multiple days more rest.
It’s both true that the Swans are missing a heap of key personnel and that they’re falling apart disappointingly without an identity. Can they find that here against the Giants?
I’ve had GWS a couple of rungs below the top tier all season, such heavy reliance on one area of the ground has never worked in the modern era for any team. I just don’t see how Sydney maximises its inside 50s and puts a score on the board.
Finally, the Q-Clash, and what a game this will be. At this stage, I think the Suns are capable of a deeper September run, but Charlie Cameron is bound to find form eventually, isn’t he?
This feels like the sort of game he can break the Bodhi Uwland shackles.
Isaac Heeney celebrates a goal. (Photo by Matt King/AFL Photos/via Getty Images)
Liam Salter
Essendon, Fremantle, Western Bulldogs, Adelaide, Collingwood, Melbourne, GWS, Hawthorn, Gold Coast
The Kangaroos saw the muted response to tonight’s lacklustre fixture, and decided to make it a little enticing. Picking fights with everyone throughout the week, the Kangas desperately need to translate it on-field. This is a winnable game for them – and if they show the class of last week, they’ll be right in this one. The issue is they’ve lost some of that class with Paul Curtis’ suspension, and the Bombers are probably good enough to win the contest. High praise.
Pessimistically, Friday’s part two of a classic Freo sequence – play like a competitor, visit an under-fire team (you are here), drop a winnable game. Optimistically, the Dockers will be bolstered by the return of Luke Jackson and are – theoretically – a level of class or two above the Saints. I’ll back my boys, so tip against them accordingly.
A clash in Ballarat launches Election Day footy, and the Doggies head into their clash on a high. Their superb performance last weekend, great record in Ballarat and Port’s near-miss last Sunday has been leaning towards Luke Beverdige’s squad.
The Blues are back. Maybe? Beating the Crows at home will be another step towards legitimacy, but Adelaide in Adelaide is always a tricky encounter. Sprinkle a few injuries into the mix, and Carlton looks appealing, but I trust the Crows more.
As attention shifts to counting votes, an eye or two may be on Fox Footy as Pies – the best team in it? – host the Cats. Geelong will be ruing last week’s frustrating loss, a task that gets no easier on Saturday night. This’ll be a beauty, so let’s let the footy – not me – do the talking. The Pies to win.
For the Eagles, if there’s ever a game they win, this is it. I would’ve said two weeks ago. The Dees are a better side now than at the beginning of the month, and shouldn’t possibly drop this one. Right?
And Sunday’s bound to be fun, with two core rivalries on show. It’s a wildly important game for the languishing Sydney outfit, after a rubbish start to the season. Beat the Giants, and it could be the impetus for a bounce back. Lose, and honestly no shame except a hurt pride – GWS are a comfortably better team than the Swans thus far in 2025, so I’m on them. Next up, it’s the Hawks by a squillion over the Tigers, before a glorious Q-Clash.
Both Queensland teams are in the top four for the first time ever in a game. This game means much more to the Suns than the Lions – win this, and some more persistent doubts go away. The Lions are premiers for a reason. But to hell with it – sunny skies are coming.
| Round 8 | Tim | Dem | Liam | Crowd |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ESS vs NM | ESS | ESS | ESS | ? |
| STK vs FRE | STK | FRE | FRE | ? |
| WB vs PA | WB | WB | WB | ? |
| ADE vs CAR | ADE | CAR | ADE | ? |
| COL vs GEE | COL | COL | COL | ? |
| WCE vs MEL | MEL | MEL | MEL | ? |
| SYD vs GWS | GWS | GWS | GWS | ? |
| HAW vs RCH | HAW | HAW | HAW | ? |
| BL vs GCS | BL | BL | GCS | ? |
| LAST WEEK | 7 | 7 | 6 | 7 |
| ROLLING TOTAL | 39 | 45 | 41 | 47 |
