2019 Multicultural AFL Football Show - Round 12

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The Multicultural AFL Football TV & Radio Show – Round 12

 by Fiv Antoniou 5/6/2019

Round 11 saw the continuation of the Sir Doug Nicholls Indigenous series of AFL games with Richmond’s unexpected loss to the Kangaroos and their new coach Rhyse Shaw. Collingwood at the MCG went down in a tight one to Fremantle in the last seconds of the game but not without video review umpire controversy and how valuable is Michael Walters? A one man winning machine for the Dockers!

Two umpires in close proximity and the video review umpire all missed the ball being touched off the kick and not a word from the League - And sorry isn’t going to cut it! As it is on face value, the Magpies lost the game because of that mistake!

In Alice Springs, Adelaide came from 41 points behind to beat the hapless Demons which squandered many chances in the last stanza. While Brisbane, also down by 31 points and goalless at the end of the first quarter, came back and thoroughly beat the Hawks by a healthy margin.

It was however, business as usual at Geelong sitting pretty on top of the ladder going two games clear. Shock/horror….on Monday, coach Brendon Bolton was sacked by Carlton with interim caretaker coach David Teague taking over the Blues' reins.

Round 12 is also the first of the ‘Bye’ rounds, which end after round 14 and will feature 6 games a week as all teams earn a week’s rest on rotation over the next 3 weeks. This week, Essendon, Fremantle, Hawthorn, Port Adelaide, St. Kilda, and the Western Bulldogs are the first to have a rest!

The competition kicks off on Friday night with a blockbuster from the MCG between the Richmond Tigers and the Geelong Cats who are on a roll these days regardless of whether they are playing at home or away. Richmond looked like they were finding some of their premiership year form, but sadly they dropped the ball against the struggling ‘Roos last week. I don’t think there will be any surprises - The Cats to win this one by 32 points.

The early game on Saturday from Marvel Stadium is the Carlton Blues, with David Teague at the helm, taking on the Brisbane Lions who demolished Hawthorn last week. Sorry Blues, new coach or not, one can’t unravel and fix everything overnight, it takes time, so patience is the key. Brisbane to defeat the Blues by a big margin!

The Gold Coast host North Melbourne which may develop as the game of the week. The Suns have a lot to prove and North Melbourne will be looking to continue exploring their winning ways. This is going to be a tough match and picking a winner is very difficult, but I have to go with North as presently, ‘the force’ is with them! The Adelaide Crows at home to the GWS Giants on Saturday night may also be a  tight match. Adelaide came from 41 points behind last round to turn the tables on the Melbourne Demons by 2 points, but it wasn’t as convincing a win as they would have liked. The Giants are out to consolidate their ladder position by beating as many teams as they can on the road and the Crows will be no exception. It will not be an easy game but the Giants have the speed and firepower to secure victory.

Sunday footy from the SCG will pit the Swans against the West Coast Eagles. On paper, the West Coast should win this game effortlessly, but the Swans have won three of the last four SCG encounters against the Eagles. Who is going to win this encounter? I am leaning towards Sydney to win and continue to frustrate the Eagles in the harbour city.

Monday's Queen’s Birthday game between Collingwood and Melbourne at the ‘G’ is also the "Big Freeze" Charity event. Celebrities and former AFL player will take the plunge to raise money and awareness to fight MND (https://fightmnd.org.au/). 

The game between Collingwood and Melbourne will only provide entertainment for Magpie fans. Over the years, there have been some great matches between these two traditional rivals. The Demons are coming off a dismal loss against the Crows in Alice Springs, while Collingwood was unlucky to lose in the final few seconds of their game last week. The Magpies will bounce back with a vengeance and impress with a big win. 

That’s it from me, catch you next week with more comment and tips.

Round 12, I am picking: Geelong, Brisbane, Sydney, GWS Giants, North Melbourne and Collingwood. (Progressive tip score: 62)

Top AFL tipsters form the AGE have 60 and from Foxtel 60.

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