AFL Finals Prediction – As everyone knows, strange and marvelous things occur in finals footy so really, anything can happen!
I thought I would just give a short AFL Finals prediction of what results I think we could possibly see in the first week of finals. Weather conditions will be a factor in WA this weekend with rain forecast for Friday and Saturday.
West Coast Eagles v Hawthorn Hawks
Our first finals game of the season takes place on Friday night between West Coast Eagles and Hawthorn at Domain Stadium, bounce down at 6.20pm.
This is going to be huge! In the second half of the season, these two teams arguably produced the best and most dominating performances. West Coast will have the home ground advantage; will that be enough to take down the Hawks? Hawks have a lot of big, strong bodies and perform well in heavy weather conditions. They have also obviously had a lot of finals experience, winning the last two Premierships.
Eagles have stepped up to the mark this season and have shown great individual improvements and adaptability around the ground. Personally, I think the Eagles are going to be hungrier for the win on the day and I’m tipping West Coast to win by 8 points.
Fremantle Dockers v Sydney Swans
The next finals game of the weekend between Fremantle Dockers and Sydney Swans will also be played in Perth (lucky us) at Domain Stadium, bounce down at 1.20pm on Saturday.
The Swans have been rocked by injuries and the shocking withdrawal of Buddy Franklin due to mental health issues. Sydney will be without Buddy in the forward line, co-captain Kieren Jack, midfielder Luke Parker and defender Nick Smith.
The Dockers have the home ground advantage, which I think will be a big help for Freo. The Dockers are the best in the competition for clearances, averaging 41.8 per game, and I think this is where the game will be won. With the return of several key players after taking a rest last week, I think Fremantle will be fresh and will be able to finish strong and get the win. I’m predicting a low scoring encounter and I’m tipping Dockers to win by 20 points.
Games not involving WA teams:
Western Bulldogs v Adelaide Crows
Now we head over to the MCG where the Adelaide Crows take on the Western Bulldogs on Saturday, bounce down at 7.20pm. I would love to see big Tex Walker lead the Crows to victory; however this will be Adelaide’s second week on the road, which could have a negative impact on the team.
After the heartbreaking death of their coach Phil Walsh during the season, I think Adelaide will give absolutely everything they have got to get the win for Phil. I’m tipping the Crows to get the win over the Bulldogs by 13 points.
Richmond Tigers v North Melbourne Kangaroos
To wrap up the first weekend of finals, Richmond Tigers play North Melbourne at the MCG on Sunday, bounce down at 3.20pm. The Tigers have had a great season and even though the Roo’s rested a lot of players last week I think Richmond will be too strong. I’m tipping the Tigers by 25 points.
It’s going to be an exciting weekend of footy!
Join the discussion and let us know your #AFLFinals predictions: @TweetPerth @Emmalianapayne
