The 2018 Australian Open – Round 4

As a bonus set of articles for the Australian Open, The Weekend Preview will present a round by round assessment of the state of play in the Men’s Singles Draw. Before the Fourth Round, we discuss the impact of age and inexperience.

The 2017 W.S. Cox Plate

From a seemingly impossible position in the 1982 Cox Plate, Kingston Town recovered and etched himself into the history books by winning a 3rd consecutive Cox Plate. What drama awaits Winx this weekend as she attempts to join him as a 3-time winner? And is it profitable to back the favourite in the Cox Plate?

AFL Grand Final: Adelaide vs. Richmond

In 2017, both Adelaide and Richmond are celebrating Premiership anniversaries. Adelaide are celebrating 20 years since their maiden Premiership success in 1997. Whilst Richmond are celebrating 50 years since their drought breaking 1967 Premiership. And if you believe in omens their are some noticeable parallels between 2017 and the anniversaries both these teams are celebrating. 

AFL Preliminary Final: Richmond vs. GWS Giants

Pressure, Pressure, Pressure. Richmond's mosquito fleet of small forwards have been applying manic pressure on opposition defences all year. And now the Tigers are one win away from their first Grand Final in 35 years. The Weekend Preview has joined the bandwagon.

AFL Semi Final: Geelong vs. Sydney

I see it, but I don’t believe it! Re-living the 2005 Semi Final between Sydney and Geelong through the words of the players and coaches. And what does history tell us about Week 2 of the Finals when the Qualifying Finals losers play the Elimination Finals winners?

AFL Finals Preview Special

The 8 teams playing Finals represent the 8 best defences in the AFL. And if defence wins premierships, then who will we see in the Grand Final in 4 weeks time? As a bonus edition, The Weekend Preview assesses the strengths and weaknesses of all 8 finalists.

AFL Round 23: Geelong vs. GWS Giants

Geelong's record at Kardinia Park is remarkable. But why are they so good at home? Is it because the umpires are being overly influenced by a boisterous home crowd? The Weekend Preview investigates.

AFL Round 22: Carlton vs. Hawthorn

In the age of Free Agency and million-dollar a season contracts there is still room for some romanticism in the modern game. The Father-Son rule provides a link between the suburban era of the VFL/AFL and the ultra-professional sport we see today. But which teams have gained the most from the rule since the introdcution of the draft system?

AFL Round 21: Melbourne vs. St Kilda

Tackling as a form indicator is a contradictory premise, as the objective in football should be to get hands on the ball first. The Weekend Preview this weeks investigates whether tackle counts are a reliable form indicator.

AFL Round 20: Richmond vs. Hawthorn

Has the Number 1 pick in the National Draft historically been a safe choice? And where in the Draft have the best players been selected? This week The Weekend Preview answers those questions and looks back at the 2007 National Draft.

AFL Round 19: Collingwood vs. Adelaide

How much has Collingwood’s kicking woes cost them in 2017? And how reliant have the Crows been on accurate goal kicking? This week The Weekend Preview investigates the impact of accurate/inaccurate goal kicking on the make-up of the AFL Ladder.

AFL Round 17: GWS Giants vs. Sydney Swans

Is there a formula to win a premiership? Is investing in the draft the only path to success? Is the AFL doomed to an era of success by GWS? Sydney are proof that there is more than one way to build a successful team and they would enjoy nothing more than spoiling the Giants party.

AFL Round 16: Adelaide Crows vs. Western Bulldogs

Has the competition worked out the Bulldogs or are they just struggling with form and motivation? One tactic that has proven very effective is the hard tagging of Jason Johannisen. But how critical is Jason Johannisen to the success of the Bulldogs? This week the Weekend Preview tries to answer this question using a metric that is fast becoming one of the most popular match statistics - Metres Gained.

AFL Round 15: Melbourne vs. Sydney

The Paul Roos Cup is this week’s match of the round, with the two form teams of the competition facing each other under Friday Night lights. Paul Roos is of course both the architect of the Sydney Swans drought breaking 2005 premiership side and dare we say it the 2017 Demons premiership team?

AFL Round 14: Richmond vs. Carlton

Richmond appear to invent new ways of losing in heartbreaking fashion each week. But have we all been a little too harsh on the Tigers? There is reason for the Tigers to be positive and for a start there is arguably one team worse than the Tigers in close games.