Richmond Tigers v North Melbourne Kangaroos
AFL Aussie Rules : Australia : AFL Premiership
Venue : Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), Melbourne
Sunday, 18th July 2010, Start 14:10 AEST

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What a match we have here. The Tigers are all of a sudden the hottest team going around with everyone willing to get on the bandwagon. I am one of them and they have been good to bet on in recent weeks.

With this game against a struggling Roos at the MCG, a venue the Tigers enjoy, I feel their run could continue.

Richmond Tigers (15th, 5-10) Form LWWWW

Against a better and more experienced side last week the Tigers played with confidence and maturity beyond their years. There is so much hype around this team now that some are suggesting a finals appearance is not far off as they are on a very hot streak. Personally I see it continuing at least another week anyway.

Defensively for the Tigers you have Mitch Farmer and Will Thursfield who are coming along rapidly as key position players and they shouldn’t have too many worries against a Roos forward line that doesn’t have any major names. They will be assisted by the experience and quality of Chris Newman and Brett Deledio across half back and there foot skills will go a long way to setting up plenty of Tiger forward thrusts.

In the midfield there are the likes of Daniel Jackson and Shane Tuck who have been around for a while but are enjoying this spell of success for the Tigers. The two main men are Dustin Martin and Shane Edwards. Martin has a huge future and it appears Edwards does too after an impressive display last weekend. Trent Cotchin is another youngster whose ability to get in an under and use the ball well has him highly regarded by rival
teams.

The man everyone is talking about is Jack Riewoldt. He has been huge for the Tigers averaging over 5 goals over game across the last 7 games. He has beaten good defenders also, which shows he can play at the highest level, and with his confidence sky-high there is no reason to suggest he will not have a similar outing. He will rely on support from the likes of Ben Nason and Andrew Collins who can chime in with handy goals at important times throughout the match.

North Melbourne Roos (9th, 7-8) Form : WWWLL

The Roos went to Sydney last Sunday and slumped to a 5 goal defeat. They only managed to score 55 points on a damp afternoon in the harbour city. There is still a chance they make the 8 but this is a game they will need to get 4 points from. The problem could be the venue as I don’t think the Roos really appreciate playing at the MCG.

Down back for North it is likely to be Scott Thompson playing on Riewoldt. Will he utilise his bag of dirty tricks on Jack? It will be an interesting match-up and if Thompson fails the Roos may move Robbie Tarrant onto Riewoldt. Michael Firrito and Brady Rawlings will need to show leadership down back as they are the two veterans and will be able to set an example for their younger backs.

Brent Harvey is the man for the Roos. If they win you just know Harvey stats will read something like 33 disposals, 6 clearances, 8 inside 50s, 3 goals. He has been the player of the last decade for the Roos and will need to be dominant on Sunday. The support will need to come from players like Ryan Bastinac, Andrew Swallow and Levi Greenwood. The Roos are a very young side with the exception of a few and essentially the battle in the midfield will be a battle of the young brigades for both sides. At this stage I feel the Tiger youths have a bit more class on their side and that could be the difference along with Riewoldt.

The forward line is led by Lachie Hansen. He has been a very useful player for the Roos this year contributing to the scoreboard with a few bags multiple goals. It won’t be enough for him to be alone this week, he will need Daniel Wells and Lindsay Thomas to fire. Wells can play in the centre but the coach feels he can be rotated and up forward his talents can have direct effect on the scoreboard. Thomas kicked 7 a few weeks ago so we know he is more than capable.

The Betting Tip

Expect another close Richmond game with the Tigers getting the win

FIXED ODDS BETTING :

Take Richmond to win by between 1-39 paying 2.48 at Centrebet
(Medium-High Stakes)