Rivalry round tips

St. Kilda vs. Western Bulldogs

This is a huge opportunity for St. Kilda to show that they belong in the same company as Geelong and Hawthorn. The Bulldogs are high on confidence, and will be pumped to win. Even if the Dogs win the midfield battle (unlikely) their forward line doesn't have the tools to match St. Kilda's elite defence. At the other end of the field the Dogs won't be able to cover Riewoldt, Gehrig AND Koschitzke. St. Kilda by 18

Kangaroos vs. Hawthorn

Finals rematch and a chance for Hawthorn to show that they've matured as a team. The elimination final loss last year was disastrous for Hawthorn, and they can take strides here to rectify it. The Kangaroos play hard but much like the case was when they lost to Essendon, I suspect Hawthorn will simply run them off their feet. Hawthorn by 28

West Coast vs. Fremantle

The best rivalry in Australia currently, considering the competitive unbalance between Collingwood and Carlton. Last year's round 18 derby was my favourite match of the year. It was hands down the most fiery and intense clash of the year, and the Cousins vs. The Carr brothers matchup was the best of the year. The great thing about this rivalry is that these two teams generally hate each other. The Dockers always get up for the derby, and considering the buildup I suspect that they might just want it a bit more than West Coast. Fremantle by 17

Essendon vs. Carlton

Given the closeness of their recent battles it'd be fair to see that this rivalry is now the best in Victoria. Both teams love to run, are one-dimensional up forward, and struggle defensively. This is going to be a ripper clash with the possibility of both teams kicking 20 goals. I'm going to go with Essendon, solely because they have legitimate finals aspirations and Carlton don't. Essendon by 3

Brisbane vs. Sydney

I'll never forget last year's clash where Simon Black's desperate run and give led to Jonathan Brown's game-tying goal from outside 50 in the dying seconds. The drawn match was an enthralling encounter. This is probably the most evenly matched fixture of the round. It could go either way, but I'm going to go with Sydney's experience and discipline over Brisbane's talent and youth. Sydney by 9

Geelong vs. Melbourne

Perhaps the most uneven match up of all time. Touted as the slaughter of the millennium, it'll be a test of Dean Bailey's mettle to see how he goes about this clash. If he loads the backline and plays for a 9 goal loss it'll send the wrong message to his young troops. If Melbourne lose by 12 goals but play hard then it's a good result. Geelong by 86

Port Adelaide vs. Adelaide

Adelaide have been a surprise so far and Port have been disappointing. The Crows play a structured free flowing game and more importantly they do the team things. They are a well-oiled team. Port on the other hand have some greatly talented players but they're soft and don't win the footy. Adelaide by 26

Collingwood vs. Richmond

Collingwood's problem last year was that they struggled against mediocre teams. They have to improve on that this year, and they can start Sunday by atoning for the shock loss to Richmond last year. One thing I would like to see - if Collingwood build a substantial lead at three quarter time, could they please for once hold it and not concede late percentage killing goals? Collingwood by 24