Richmond vs North Melbourne MCG -Saturday
Richmond 15th - 5-10- 75.72%
North Melbourne 9th - 7-8 - 81.31%
The now annual Eureka Clash pits the in form Tigers with a North Melbourne side desperate to keep it's finals hopes alive.
If the Kangaroos are to realise that goal of playing in September, a win on Sunday is imperative.
These two teams in many ways are the success stories of the year, fremantle aside, which is a strange thing to say given they sit 9th and 15th respectively on the table.
The Kangaroos have gone through a transition from the days under Dean Laidley where they were highly consistent and competitive hovering between 5-10 on the ladder as a rule without really every challenging for a flag, or for that matter falling away to bottom out.
They were expected to take some time to build back up after an inevitable slide in 2009 which resulted in many changes for the Shinboners.
With Brad Scott teaching them a new style of footy in 2010, inconsistency was to be expected, but despite the loss of quality young midfielder Liam Anthony for much of the year, and the absence of vice captain Drew Petrie they have managed to win seven games and could taste finals action in Scott's first year.
To pay North Melbourne due respect that would be an excellent result for them given where they were half way through last season.
Richmond are quite a remarkable case in themselves, 2009 was one of the worst years imaginable and the Tigers found themselves right at square one in terms of a rebuild with a young and inexperienced list and several players seen as nothing more then list cloggers.
As a result the outlook was bleak for 2010 and for the first 9 weeks it was going to script, with the Tigers being compared to the dieing Fitzroy team of 1996, in a season many expected would not net a single victory.
Fast forward to today and Richmond have won five of their past six, and sit behind probably only St.Kilda and Hawthorn as the form team of the competition.
In the past six weeks, Richmond have become the most effective kicking team in the comp, hitting a target 71% of the time.
In the first 11 weeks of the season they were ranked 14th.
In that time period they were also conceding 34 points a game directly from first posessions at stoppages, the worst record in the comp.
In the last six weeks they rank first, conceding just 20 a game.
They have also become the most effective stoppage team themselves, scoring 107 points in the past five weeks, number one in the afl and a staggering 58 points ahead of the next best team.
Deledio, Connors and Newman are now providing real headaches for teams with their rebound run, and of course they have the competitions number one forward up and about in Jack Riewoldt who appears destined to win his first Coleman Medal.
The Kangaroos will need to tighten up on a few areas if they are to stop the Richmond train this week.
They are the lowest tackling team in the competition over the past five weeks, and as a result have allowed their opponents more uncontested posessions then any other side, and more effective disposals.
Looking at the above stats from Richmond's recent form and that's an area the Kangaroos cannot afford to struggle in.
Scott Thompson will be an interesting match up for Jack Riewoldt, and you can guarantee he will annoy the hell out of the Richmond star and try to frustrate him all afternoon.
Collins, Nahas, White and co have been dangerous lately, and you would expect either Jayden Post or Mitch Morton to replace the injured Ben Griffiths.
Daniel Jackson will also miss through a suspension, and given Ben Cousins has been given the all clear to play by the coaching staff, he seems the logical replacement.
Ben Nason may need a rest too, the youngster has copped a pounding these past two weeks and might be a bit sore.
if so, then maybe Polo could get another run.
The Kangaroos missed a chance last week to jump into the eight, and will be eager to atone this week.
Aaron Edwards is a guy who I still believe has a place in their best 22, and despite the fact he isn't a player who is ever going to rip a game apart and kick seven, he provides a contest, can be a good link in the chain accross half forward and usually snares a couple of goals a game.
Warren and Smith, even Wright are developing ok, but Edwards I think has a place.
It would be good to see him get a run this week to help out the in form Lachie Hansen who is enjoying a break out year, and also the smaller brigade of Thomas and Campbell.
Harvey is in terrific form, and his likely shadow for the day in Jackson won't play, so he is a real danger man for the Tigers, and he will need to play well given the clearance strength of Cousins, Tuck, Martin and Cotchin for Richmond.
The Kangaroos should hold an advantage in the ruck through Goldstein and McIntosh, although Graham has been very good this year.
Some match ups you should see are Thompson to Riewoldt, Moore to Hansen and perhaps Thursfield to take Warren or Edwards depending on who plays.
Jake King should get one of either Thomas or Campbell, probably Campbell as Thomas might be a bit too good above his head for the nuggety Richmond tagger.
When North Melbourne take the game on, and play with confidence they are a very good side as was clear when they defeated Carlton a few weeks back and if they get some confidence early, they can really build and if that happens pound for pound, they are a better side then the Tigers.
The Tigers have plenty of confidence and momentum at present though themselves, and are playing with the type of passion that even the most ardent Tigers critic must surely appreciate.
Two clubs heading in the right direction, locking horns at the MCG, what better reason to go to the footy.
You sense their is a momentary fall somewhere for Richmond in the next few weeks, but they just keep defying the odds and right at this point in time they are simply in better form, and in a toss of the coin, they will make five it in a row.
Richmond by 1 point.
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