After lifting their form in recent weeks, Hawthorn will look to take a shot at the king when they host the GWS Giants in Launceston.
The Hawks aren’t having the kind of 2017 they would have liked to – they’ve dropped to the lower reaches of the ladder and finals is pretty much a pipe dream. That said, they’ve played some really good footy in their two weeks since the bye – recording a massive upset against Adelaide, and then putting in a strong effort to beat Collingwood last week. As a result they’ve risen up to 13th on the ladder with a 6-8 record, after spending most of the year so far moored in the bottom four. Don’t fool yourself though – after the Giants they still have Geelong, Sydney and Richmond to play again in their run home. There’s no finals miracle coming here.
The Giants on the other hand could make an argument for being the best team in the league at the moment – all they’d have to do is point at the ladder. They’re on top, with 10 wins, four losses, and thanks to Tom Hawkins’ miss after the siren last week, a draw. Injuries have started to catch up with their from lately though, and they’ve been a little shaky – a routine win over Brisane is their only victory from their last three. Their current injury list includes Stephen Coniglio, Brett Deledio, Toby Greene, Ryan Griffen, Steve Johnson and Zac Williams – just to name a few.
The Hawks have Grant Birchall out due to a knee injury this week and Kade Stewart in.
The Giants have lost Johnson and Jeremy Finlayson, both to knee injuries, with Tendai Mzungu and Harry Perryman in.
The upset is tempting but the Giants should win this one, and $1.92 for them to beat the -11.5 points line is excellent value.
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