Melbourne just need one more win to secure their first finals campaign in a decade when they host the Brisbane Lions at the MCG on Sunday.
The Demons have been the beneficiary of other results around the league – the Bulldogs and the Eagles dropping games yesterday means they now have a clear path to finals.
So long as they get a win over the Lions, their healthy percentage should virtually guarantee them a spot in the top eight.
They deserve it. They’ve played some great footy this year and it would be a shame for them not to feature in the finals series.
They’ve only won two of their last five, but don’t read into that too much. After a four-goal win over St Kilda last week, they’re ready to finish strong.
Brisbane on the other hand have a bit of fire up them now knowing that they must get a win in the last two weeks to avoid the spoon.
That’s more likely to come in a home game against North Melbourne next week than it is here, but that’s no reason not to have a crack.
The Lions have four wins from their last ten, which might not sound that impressive but is a big turnaround for the struggling club.
Last week, they handed their crosstown rivals the Gold Coast Suns a 58-point smacking, which must surely have been satisfying.
Jesse Hogan is back from a broken collarbone for Melbourne this week and Billy Stretch is in too, Jack Viney misses through injury and Sam Weideman has been dropped.
Brisbane have only one change, Alex Witherden into the side, Cedric Cox dropped to make way.
Melbourne have won the last two between these sides, though the Lions won five in a row before that.
Brisbane do cough up big scores, especially on the road, so Melbourne to win by 40+ for $1.72, while not being great value, seems like the most likely result.
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