North Melbourne defender Aiden Bonar has aggravated an old wrist injury and will undergo surgery next week in a huge blow to his preparation for the 2022 AFL season.
Adelaide coach Matthew Nicks and his North Melbourne counterpart David Noble are bullish about the future as their lacklustre AFL seasons come to an end.
Who will win and why? The tips and predictions for Round 9
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There s some massive games to look forward to in Round 9.
The weekend starts with an intriguing encounter between the Saints and Cats, but all eyes will be on Saturday night when Port Adelaide takes on the Western Bulldogs.
While at the same time, an undermanned Richmond hosts GWS at Marvel Stadium.
North Melbourne will be eyeing their first win of the season when they play 17th-placed Hawthorn in Launceston.
Who will win and why this weekend?
Let s find out below:
St Kilda v Geelong
Friday night - Marvel Stadium
One positive and one negative from your club s Round 8 performance
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2021-05-10T16:15+10:00
It was a big round of footy and there were important storylines out of all nine games.
We have selected one positive and one negative from every club’s Round 8 performance.
See our thoughts below:
Positive: Sloane back in action
It was good to see captain Rory Sloane back in action after missing four weeks with a detached retina.
Sloane battled manfully all night and even copped another hit to his eye, receiving a nasty cut as a result.
He finished with 20 disposals, 10 tackles and a goal, and tried his hardest to lead his side against the odds.
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Collingwood s four-goal run late in the second term, which set-up a 30-point halftime lead, was the difference as the Magpies did enough to prevail 14.10 (94) to 11.10 (76) after their worst start to a season in 16 years.
North won the inside-50 count 55-52, even dominating possession in the final quarter, but let the Magpies off the hook with numerous wasted opportunities in front of goal.
After three games up forward, Darcy Moore was thrown back and the All-Australian defender had a field day, bringing down a career-high 19 marks and gathering 28 disposals.
Darcy Cameron (three goals) and Brody Mihocek (two), as well as a two-goal cameo from captain Scott Pendlebury, ensured the Magpies still had enough forward threats to win in Steele Sidebottom s 250th game.