The West Coast Eagles and the Fremantle Dockers renew acquaintances in one of the AFL’s more passionate rivalries on Saturday night.
The Eagles come into this match with plenty of questions being asked about them after an absolute capitulation at the MCG last week.
They’re a side with no lack of talent but they just haven’t gotten the ball rolling this year, never seeming to win by as much as they should – or just plain losing.
Both of their losses have come at the MCG, a ground they won’t play at again this year, at least not until September.
Fremantle on the other hand started the year poorly but have now won three matches in a row, the last two by less than a goal.
Both of those were miracle wins with last-minute goals, from Cam McCarthy against Melbourne and Shane Kersten against North Melbourne.
It’s hard to tell with matches being that close whether they have really turned a corner or not, but certainly the results would be giving them some confidence.
The Eagles have Kurt Mutimer to debut this week, plus Sam Mitchell and Jonathan Giles to come into the side, replacing Will Schofield who has been dropped, and Jamie Cripps and Jackson Nelson who are injured.
Fremantle have lost Stephen Hill to a hamstring, with two-gamer Harley Balic coming in as his replacement.
Those changes make it easy to see why West Coast are the favourites for this one – Hill is a big loss for the Dockers, Mitchell a big gain for the Eagles.
West Coast can also take confidence from the knowledge that they have won the last three matches between these sides in a row.
Still, the odds seem a little disproportionate, and $1.30 for West Coast to win doesn’t seem good value considering both teams are 3-2.
Fremantle at $3.55 for a win, or $4.33 to win by 1-39 points, has to be pretty tempting as it appears to be good value for a side that has won three on the trot.