Round 17 should be an intriguing and entertaining round of footy to watch with plenty on the line for most of the teams.
Find out which player from each team needs to make a difference.
Richmond vs Sydney
Richmond: Nathan Broad finished the game in Round 16 against Brisbane, with eight intercepts and he never gave up; that’s what you expect from him when Richmond have their backs against the wall. It’s interesting to see who Richmond interim coach, Andrew McQualter, chooses as a match up for him to negate in Round 17 against Sydney as they have a plethora of small forwards.
Sydney: Angus Sheldrick finished the game with eight score involvements against Geelong in Round 16. He is an up-and-coming player that has plenty of potential; the last couple of games he has averaged ten score involvements. He has the capacity to hurt the opposition and he should be an asset in a pivotal game for Sydney against Richmond in Round 17.
Tom Liberatore kicks over Jordan De Goey. (Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)
Western Bulldogs vs Collingwood
Bulldogs: Tom Liberatore is a pivotal cog in the Western Bulldogs midfield. He has averaged 7.36 clearances per game and finished with nine clearances against Fremantle in Round 16, to go with 13 contested possessions, nine tackles and still had five score involvements. It will be intriguing to see what he can do against the best team in the competition.
Collingwood: Nick Daicos makes Collingwood a better team and he is always up for a challenge; there’s no rating, stats or data that would do his ability and footy intelligence justice. It will be interesting to see whether the Western Bulldogs choose to tag Daicos or let him roam free. If he does get tagged the likes of Jordan De Goey could be let off the leash.
Brisbane vs West Coast
Brisbane: Jaspa Fletcher may not have got an opportunity to play if Jack Gunston and Daniel Rich were still in the team. Fletcher has shown maturity beyond his years and is the icing on the cake for Brisbane. In Round 16 against Richmond, he had seven score involvements and four intercept possessions. He has an opportunity to play well against West Coast who have been struggling on the road.
West Coast: Bailey J Williams is a key piece is the West Coast team. He works hard around the ground as he has averaged 4.07 tackles per game. Williams had seven tackles to go with his 39 hit-outs in the narrow eight-point loss that West Coast suffered in Round 16 against St Kilda. If he can win the ruck duel against Oscar McInerney then that will go a long way to West Coast being competitive in Round 17 against Brisbane.
GWS vs Hawthorn
GWS: Sam Taylor has been a welcome addition to the GWS team following a long lay off due to injury. In Round 16 against Melbourne, he had 12 intercept possessions. Taylor is a player that’s been in the All-Australian team and arguably one of the most important players for GWS. He will be needed to curtail the influence of Mitch Lewis who is one of the best players for Hawthorn, which is a challenge Taylor should be up for in Round 17.
Hawthorn: Will Day had another good game in Round 16 against Carlton. His attack on the ball never wavered and he stood up when he could have easily given up, as the deficit was 50 points for Hawthorn at half-time. In the absence of James Sicily through suspension, he was a player who stood up. Expect the same when Hawthorn take on GWS in Round 17, when he will go head-to-head with Tom Green and Stephen Coniglio at times.
St Kilda vs Melbourne
St Kilda: Brad Crouch is one of the few St Kilda players that could hold their head up high following their eight-point win against West Coast in Round 16. He clearly worked hard defensively as he had 17 tackles and proved that he isn’t one dimensional as he finished the game with seven score involvements. When St Kilda take on Melbourne in Round 17, the game may prove to be a season defining game for both teams, St Kilda will need Crouch to be in the thick of the action.
Melbourne: Kysaiah Pickett performed reasonably well against GWS in Round 16, as he finished the game with a goal, six score involvements and five tackles. Despite that, he finished with two behinds; he wasn’t alone, but he needs to hit the scoreboard more if Melbourne are to defeat St Kilda. His so important when the ball is in dispute in the forward 50 and he should be a threat against St Kilda Round 17 as Jack Sinclair and Nasiah Wanganeen-MIlera are both attacking defenders.
Port Adelaide vs Gold Coast
Port Adelaide: Connor Rozee is a player that Port Adelaide rely heavily on, as he proved in Round 16 against Essendon; he finished the game with three goals and nine tackles and he is in a rich vein of form. He has to be in the conversation for the All-Australian team; Rozee is a player that always looks calm and composed and definitely won’t take the Gold Coast lightly and hopefully the team follows.
Gold Coast: Noah Anderson keeps producing and will need to be a key player if Gold Coast are to be competitive or cause an upset against in Round 17. In a post-match interview in their Round 12 comeback win against Adelaide, coach Stuart Dew outlined his significance; “Noah’s a star, for us coaches, he’s another coach out there. You can tell him one thing and he gets it done either by himself or through others.” He will need to keep on the same trajectory to help the team when they take on Port Adelaide in Round 17.
Geelong vs North Melbourne
Geelong: Tom Atkins polled a coaches’ vote as he was rewarded for laying 11 tackles against Sydney in Round 12. His teammates value him as in the Patrick Dangerfield summed up what he means to Geelong. “His been such an integral piece for us.” It’s clear that Atkins should bring the same tackling pressure against North Melbourne as it could prove to be a danger game if Geelong play the way they played for the majority of their Round 16 against Sydney
North Melbourne: Tarryn Thomas is such a talented footballer and is starting to show the ability that he possesses. In Round 16 against Adelaide he kicked two goals to go with 23 disposals and six score involvements. North Melbourne need Thomas to play to his optimum level if they’re to be competitive at the very least in Round 17 against Geelong.
Jordan Dawson of the Crows. (Photo by Sarah Reed/AFL Photos via Getty Images)
Essendon vs Adelaide
Essendon: Andrew Phillips played a good game in Round 16 against Port Adelaide. He punched the ball at least 20 metres in ruck contests on several occasions as Port Adelaide were without Scott Lycett. Phillips will be up against Reilly O’Brien in Round 17 when Essendon take on Adelaide, which is a tough task as O’Brien polled nine coaches’ votes in Round 16 against North Melbourne.
Adelaide: Jordan Dawson must continue his stellar form in Round 17 in what could be a season defining game for Adelaide and Essendon. It’s going to be a finals like atmosphere. The decision to make him captain has been vindicated as he is a player that lifts the team when they need his leadership. It will be interesting whether Essendon choose to tag him or back their system in.
Fremantle vs Carlton
Fremantle: Jye Amiss has only failed to kick a goal in one of two of his 14 games. He is a tough player to match up on as he is 196 cm, but is capable of kicking goals when the ball is in dispute and an asset of his game is that he can kick crumbing goal. There’s no disputing that he is a player that isn’t one dimensional and that Carlton will find it tough to find a match up for him in Round 17.
Carlton: Nic Newman will be playing at a ground in Optus Stadium against Fremantle in Round 17 that he was prolific at when Carlton faced West Coast in Round 7. In that game he polled seven coaches’ votes, he finished with 34 disposals, 14 marks, five tackles and 164 AFL Fantasy points. Those stats are remarkable for a defender as Carlton won the game convincingly. He will be important when Carlton take on Fremantle in Round 17 as he will probably get the role of negating Michael Walters who kicked four goals in Round 16.
