Round 8 player ratings in the race for the AFL's MVP A Set the default text size A Set large text size
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Four weeks ago, I published an update on the individual and team ratings accumulated by our band of merry men and women at Following Football.
With Round 9 just getting underway, it’s time to take another look at where things stand after eight rounds.
As I’ve said before, we use 23 sources of voting and evaluations of AFL players each week: several teams of the week, Brownlow-style voting, best-on-grounds, fantasy scoring, statistical leaders and AFLCA voting.
Who will win and why? The tips and predictions for the rest of Round 8
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2021-05-08T10:19+10:00
Round 8 is upon us and as always there are a number of fascinating contests to dissect.
The Grand Final rematch commenced proceedings last night, the ladder leaders host the fourth-placed side and the Showdown takes place on another tricky weekend of tipping.
Check out our predictions below:
GWS v Essendon
Saturday - Giants Stadium
This game suddenly has a bit more riding on it for the Giants who have ignited their finals hopes over the past month.
GWS has won three of their past four, and a victory over Essendon would take them to an even 4-4 record and with the platform to make a tilt for the top eight.
"I mustn't have been going very well": Dashing Dog's surprise at new role
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2021-05-07T10:35+10:00
It came as a surprise to Western Bulldogs dasher Bailey Dale when coach Luke Beveridge proposed he switch ends at the huddle of a pre-season game.
Just months later, Dale is the No. 1 ranked general defender in the league, ahead of highly-touted names such as Adam Saad, Christian Salem and Jordan Ridley.
It comes less than two years after he booted 20 goals in six games as the Dogs surged into a finals place in 2019.
“I was a little bit taken aback,” Dale told
Who will win and why? The tips and predictions for Round 8
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2021-05-06T16:43+10:00
Round 8 is upon us and as always there are a number of fascinating contests to dissect.
The Grand Final rematch commences proceedings, the ladder leaders host the fourth-placed side and the Showdown takes place on another tricky weekend of tipping.
Check out our predictions below:
Richmond v Geelong
Friday night - MCG
The 2020 Grand Final rematch kicks us off in Round 8 and again it promises to be an intriguing battle.
After going down to the Demons, the Tigers last week regained their mojo by dismantling the Bulldogs in the second half to return emphatically to the winners’ list.
The player your club should sign to a long-term deal
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Which player should your club tie down to a long-term contract?
Let’s just pretend your club has the salary cap space and there is no consequence to offering a multi-year mega deal.
We have taken length of current contract into account when making these assessments.
See who we think your club should hand a lengthy contract to below.
Tom Doedee
There are no clear standout candidates at the Crows so Tom Doedee gets the nod.
The intercept defender position has become increasingly important in recent times and Doedee is building his craft nicely in the role.
"I think it is a mistake": Did the Dees go early on Petracca contract?
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2021-05-05T11:24+10:00
Melbourne has officially announced the re-signing of Christian Petracca until the end of the 2029 season – a seven-year extension.
SEN Chief Reporter Sammy Edmund believes the deal is worth more than $1 million per year, making the 2020 All-Australian one of the game’s highest paid players.
Petracca was originally contracted until the end of 2022 and Kane Cornes wonders why the Demons committed to such a long extension when they had another year up their sleeves.
“He’s 25, he’s done a knee previously, and he’s probably put together two very good seasons and it’s Dustin Martin-ish money,” Cornes told
SEN’s Rolling All-Australian team returns for 2021!
This team will attempt to reward season-long performance, rather than jumping week to week based on standout individual efforts.
The team is based on who has stood out early in the season.
Expect the squad of 22 to be in flux until players separate themselves from the pack.
The team will slowly take shape across the season, culminating in a final and settled All-Australian team after Round 23.
We have made five changes to the team this week, with veteran midfielders David Mundy and Travis Boak headlining the changes.
They replace the injured Dustin Martin and the unlucky Jack Steele. Josh Dunkley however holds his spot in the team despite his long-term injury. Dunkley was still among the best for the Dogs before dislocating his shoulder.
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Christian Petracca has made it clear he wants to be Tigers champion Dustin Martinâs successor as he led Melbourne to a dominant victory over the reigning premiers to stamp the Demons as a genuine premiership contender.
He was the most powerful player on the ground in the second half, while Martin had one of the quietest nights of his career, before being concussed in a marking contest in the third quarter.
Christian Petracca is congratulated by Alex Neal-Bullen after kicking a goal for the Demons in their win over the Tigers.
Credit:Getty Images
The knock means Martin will miss next Friday nightâs huge match against the undefeated Western Bulldogs.
The Demons are 5-0 - is this a drill? A Set the default text size A Set large text size
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You have to think back to 1994. That was the last time Melbourne went 5-0 to start a season.
After a fast start, they crumbled to lose seven of their next eight but steadied to play finals, finishing seventh with a 12-10 record. They eventually lost to the Eagles at the WACA in the preliminary final.
This year, they’ve jumped out of the blocks with five straight wins and Demons fans are probably wondering: is this for real?
Gawn monsters Hawks as Demons start 5-0 for first time in over two decades sen.com.au - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from sen.com.au Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.