It’s a big round 10 for…

No rest for anyone. We’re straight into round 10 and Ashley Browne looks at who is under the microscope over the next five days.

Brisbane’s rapid rise in 2019 was one of the highlights of the season and there was a time, as they reeled off nine straight wins in the second half of the season, that one of the all-time ‘rags-to-riches’ premiership wins was in the offing.

But Brisbane’s march through July and August was matched by Richmond and it became apparent that the Tigers were the benchmark of the competition. Beat them, and perhaps they could win it all.

Alas, they could not and in consecutive matches at the end of the season, by 27 points in round 23 and 47 points a fortnight later in their Gabba qualifying final, the Tigers emphatically proved that they had Brisbane’s measure.

Which is what makes their first and only clash (so far) of 2020 so richly anticipated. The Lions are 7-2 and their only defeat since the restart was against Geelong at the SCG. The Tigers are 5-3-1 and have been patchy by their lofty standards, but the way they bossed the Western Bulldogs by 41 points last week would suggest they have turned the corner.

Dustin Martin was the star, with an imperious performance as good as we have seen from the great man in the last few seasons. But again with Richmond it was the systems and structure and in this case, a willingness to deviate from the gameplan that has brought so much success.

They were patient with their ball movement and a bit less manic. They kept the ball out of the hands of the crafty and skillful Bulldogs midfielders and were soon on top.

What makes this clash the most anticipated of the week is what it means for both clubs. The Tigers remain the team to beat for the flag, in the eyes of many, but they’re outside the top four and without the comfort of MCG finals this year, winning four straight finals might be beyond even them, if they can’t earn themselves the double chance.

For Brisbane it is obvious. The Lions have had the measure of just about every team in the competition in the last season and a half, except for Richmond, so Tuesday night represents the ultimate measuring stick for Chris Fagan and his men. Win that, and they will become true believers themselves, and so will we.

There was a reason why in the initial AFL fixture, this game was scheduled for a Friday night. Its importance, especially for Brisbane was plain for all to see. And nothing has changed, even on a Tuesday night at Metricon Stadium in the midst of this footy frenzy. It is the moist watchable game of the week.

It’s also a big week for…

1. Melbourne: Had to have a chuckle at Demon president Glen Bartlett’s “un-Melbourne like” remarks after the insipid loss to 51-point loss to Port Adelaide last Thursday. History would suggest the performance was very much in keeping with the Demons, a club with two Grand Final appearances since the last premiership in 1964 and which has largely been a bottom six club for the last 15 years. They remain one of the great teases in the competition and a club that is too easily on good terms with itself. Bartlett’s remarks naturally put the heat on coach Simon Goodwin, but the test for the Demons won’t come in the next fortnight against bottom-two clubs Adelaide and North Melbourne, after which the Demons might well be back in the eight. It’s what happens afterwards when their draw gets hard again. Every coach deserves a free pass in this logistical nightmare of a season, but life will get uncomfortable for Goodwin if the Demons somehow stumble against the Crows. It will be anxious few days for him back in his home town.

2. Max and Ben King: Thursday night at Metricon Stadium is the first of what should be many clashes between the pair, although given both are your classic key tall forwards, it remains to be seen whether they actually play close to each other. Max comes into the game in slightly better form, after three goals for St Kilda in the win over the Swans on the weekend. Ben was goalless against the Giants, but did take a brilliant and courageous mark late in the game, crashing blindly into oncoming traffic. Given that the game was well out of hand by that stage, it oozed toughness and team ethic. ‘Which is the better King brother?’ will be a hot discussion point going forward for years to come, but the truth is that both St Kilda and Gold Coast fans will be delighted in equal measure with what they’ve seen and what they have to look forward. And that’s what really counts.

3. Straight kicking: What’s quirky about this season are some of the winning scores. Teams are kicking remarkably straight in these shortened games, perhaps because they’re all over before the fatigue kicks in. Last round we had final scores of 14.5 (Hawthorn), 19.5 (North Melbourne) and 10.1 (Fremantle). Let’s hope this continues.

4. Carlton and Hawthorn: Don't take your cue from Nathan Buckley about how to kill time in Perth during your bye period!

Tips

Port Adelaide (17) v Western Bulldogs

Richmond v Brisbane Lions (2)

Geelong (19) v North Melbourne

Adelaide v Melbourne (14)

Collingwood (13) v Sydney

Gold Coast v St Kilda (18)

Essendon v GWS Giants (20)