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David Shortte’s AFL Round 6 Preview

Posted on | Posted by David Shortte

THURSDAY

Carlton v Collingwood, MCG, 5.30pm

Collingwood sit in 13th spot on the table with a 2 win and 3 loss record and they were in front for a long way last week in their 6 point loss to Fremantle in bleak conditions at the Adelaide Oval. Superstar Nick Daicos plays his 100th game here and what a start to a career it has been!

The Blues are in 16th spot with just 1 win and 4 losses and their second half fade outs remain a significant stumbling block.

The Pies will be missing Moore, Sidebottom and DeGoey here while Carlton have a clean slate injury wise. The Pies have had the better of this contest in recent times winning the last 4 in a row and 19 of the last 23. I’ll go with the Pies to be too strong in the second half.

VERDICT: Collingwood to win by 11 points

Same Game Multi: Either team to win by 39 or less, Adam Cerra to get 20 or more disposals, Sam Walsh and Nick Daicos to get 25 or more disposals and Lachie Schultz to kick 1 goal or more @ $4.20*

FRIDAY

Geelong v Western Bulldogs, GMHBA Stadium, 5.20pm

Geelong have hit their straps with wins at 3 of their last 4 and the loss was a 1 point defeat to the in-form Hawthorn. They dominated their Gather Round clash against West Coast winning by 46 points in a match where Smith and Holmes were highly influential.

The Western Bulldogs won 4 on the trot to kick off their season prior to a 40 point loss to Hawthorn last week. They were missing key personnel in that clash and there are question marks on a number of their players going in here namely English, Liberatore and Richards.

The Cats are likely to welcome back Dangerfield and Martin for this one and they have home grounds favours to boot. I rate the Doggies very highly but they might be gettable here with a couple of their star players under a cloud.

VERDICT: Geelong by 13 points.

Same Game Multi: Joel Freijah and James Worpel to both get 15 or more disposals, Tanner Bruhn, Gryan Miers and Ryley Sanders to all get 20 or more disposals and Bailey Smith to get 25 or more disposals, @ $3.75*

Sydney v GWS, SCG, 5.50pm

Sydney sit on top of the AFL ladder after an excellent start to the season and they were far too good for the Suns in Gather Round winning by 32 points in a match where Heeney and Warner were elite.

GWS looked good in their 56 point win over Richmond but this looks a lot tougher. Cadman was awesome but unfortunately he will be missing here due to concussion protocols as will veteran Coniglio.

The Battle of The Bridge generally throws up a great contest but the way Sydney are playing of late I expect them to be too strong.

VERDICT: Sydney by 23 points.

Same Game Multi: Joe Fonti and Riley Bice to both get 15 disposals or more and Chad Warner and Justin McInerney to both get 20 or more disposals @ $3.25*

SATURDAY

Gold Coast v Essendon, People First Stadium, 11.15am

The Suns hit the ground running with 3 straight wins but they have come back to the pack with losses to Melbourne and a 32 point loss to Sydney last week. Petracca and Humphrey are likely valuable inclusions here but gun midfielder Noah Anderson is out after an appendix operation.

After 17 straight losses over 2 seasons the Bombers returned to the winner’s list last weekend at Gather Round with a commanding 45 point win over Melbourne. Archie Roberts, Darcy Parish and Zach Merrett all had 30 plus disposals and Nate Caddy showed promising signs up front.

Gold Coast looked sharp in their first three wins and while they have been disappointing over the last fortnight they get plenty in their favour to bounce back here.

VERDICT: Gold Coast by 32 points.

Same Game Multi: John Noble to have 20 or more disposals, Christian Petracca to kick 2 goals or more and Ben King to kick 3 goals or more @ $3.15*

Hawthorn v Port Adelaide, Marvel Stadium, 2.15pm

There is a lot to like about the Hawks in season 2026 and their 40 point win over the Dogs last week was impressive. They have a tremendous defence and plenty of gun powder up front with the likes of Gunston, Lewis and Watson.

Port Adelaide hung in there against Saint Kilda last week before eventually going down by 14 points. Zak Butters, Ollie Wines and Jason Horne-Francis all had plenty of the ball and they will again need to fire to have any hope of knocking off the Hawks here.

Hawthorn are proving one of the premier teams in the competition while Port just don’t have the depth. I like the Hawks to win this well.

VERDICT: Hawthorn by 57 points.

Same Game Multi: Hawthorn to win by 25 points or more, Jack Ginnivan, Josh Ward and Connor MacDonald to all have 15 or more disposals, James Sicily have 20 or more disposals and Jack Gunston to kick 3 or more goals @ $4.50*

Adelaide v St Kilda, Adelaide Oval, 5.35pm

Adelaide showed positive signs in their 28 point win over Carlton in the Gather Round Opener last week and importantly two of their fire starters Josh Rachele and Izak Rankine got some much needed confidence out of the match.

Saint Kilda improved their season record to 2 wins and 3 losses with a 14 point win over Port Adelaide. Wanganeen-Milera shone brightly with his 28 disposals and 2 goals.

The Crows are likely to welcome back defender Jordon Butts for this one and I expect them to get the job done here.

VERDICT: Adelaide by 17 points.

Same Game Multi: Max Hall to get 15 disposals or more and Rory Laird, Josh Rachele and Callum Wilkie to all get 20 or more disposals @ $3.65*

SUNDAY

North Melbourne v Richmond, Marvel Stadium, 11.10am

North Melbourne sit 7th on the AFL table with a 3 win, 2 loss record and they were far from disgraced in their 26 point loss to Brisbane in Gather Round. After many years of turbulence they are starting to show signs of improvement and this looks a very winnable game.

Richmond are now the only side left without a victory and sit on the bottom of the table with a percentage of just 56.4% Their 56 point loss to GWS last week was pedestrian and while they have a lot of very young players they would be hoping for better than what we have soon over the last month.

Another tremendous opportunity for the Kangaroos to show the competition they are on the improve.

VERDICT: North Melbourne by 33 points

Same Game Multi: Sam Banks to get 15 disposals or more, Luke Parker to get 20 disposals or more, Luke Davies-Uniacke to get 25 disposals or more and Cooper Trembath to kick 2 goals or more @ $3.45*

Melbourne v Brisbane, MCG, 1.15pm

It was a match to forget for the Demons last week losing to the Bombers by 45 points and Melksham and Salem both suffered injuries in the clash and Trent Rivers was injured in match simulation this week to boot. I liked what I had seen from them in the month prior but these injuries have come at a rotten time with a match up against the reigning premiers on the menu.

After a slow start the Lions have come out and gone Bingo, Bango, Bongo and won three on the trot in fine style. They will lose Zorko for this one but an able replacement in Noah Answerth is the likely swap.

Brisbane may not yet be fully wound up but over the last three seasons they have made a habit of winning the games you expect them to and this is certainly one of those.

VERDICT: Brisbane by 23 points.

Same Game Multi: Zac Bailey to get 15 or more disposals, Max Gawn and Jack Steele to both get 20 disposals or more and Logan Morris to kick 2 goals or more @ $3.50*

West Coast v Fremantle, Optus Stadium, 3.10pm

It has been a tough couple of weeks for the Eagles with a 128 point loss to Sydney and then a 46 point loss to Geelong in Gather Round. Prior to that though they had shown a bit with wins over Port Adelaide and North Melbourne and they will be looking to recapture some of that form here. The potential return of both Elliot Yeo and Milan Murdock is cause for optimism for Eagles fans.

Fremantle sit 2nd on the AFL table and they have strung together four wins on the bounce. Their most recent come from behind win against Collingwood in Gather Round was not pretty but it rates as one of their more gutsy performances in recent years. Sean Darcy will miss here with concussion protocols and that potentially leaves the door ajar for former Magpie Mason Cox to make his Dockers debut. Hayden Young and Michael Frederick are also potential returns to the side if they pass their fitness tests.

You would expect West Coast to be revved right up for this contest and it is likely to be a tough contest but I think Freo have a class and experience edge and should prevail.

VERDICT: Fremantle by 29 points

Same Game Multi: Harley Reid, Luke Jackson and Shai Bolton to all get 15 disposals or more, Murphy Reid and Jordan Clark to both have 20 disposals or more and Josh Treacy to kick 2 goals or more @ $3.65*

*Odds correct at the time of publication.

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