AFL Round 13 will come to an end on Sunday when North Melbourne host Greater Western Sydney at Blundstone Arena in the final match of the weekend. As always, we preview the match and provide our best bet. Check it out below and good luck to everyone following!
Don’t forget, North Melbourne vs Greater Western Sydney will be our focus today, but you can head to our AFL Tips Page for a bunch of content for Round 13 in the AFL including preview and tips for EVERY GAME.
AFL Round 13 North Melbourne vs GWS
It’s an important match for both the Kangaroos and the Giants here for different reasons. The Kangaroos are looking to make it three wins on the spin and continue their surge towards the top eight, while the Giants are hoping to bounce back from a disappointing loss to the Crows in Adelaide last weekend.
North Melbourne
The Kangaroos have been in inspired form since caretaker coach Rhyce Shaw took over. They’ve won both matches fairly comfortably and look to be playing a really attacking brand. North’s most recent win came against week opposition in the Suns, who they dispatched by 27 points in the Gold Coast. Ben Cunnington was prolific again with 31 touches, while Jack Ziebell led from the front with 28 touches and two goals.
North Melbourne now face their toughest test under Rhyce Shaw when they host the rampaging Giants at Blundstone Arena. North have really struggled against top eight sides this season, so it’ll be a great barometer on Sunday. Unfortunately for the Roos, Shaun Higgins is set to miss an extended period of time through injury, which is exactly the sort of player they can’t afford to lose.
Greater Western Sydney
The Giants three-game winning streak came to an end in Adelaide last weekend when they were ran over the top of by the Crows. They led at every major break, but simply didn’t have the gas in the tank to withstand the onslaught by the home side.
History
Since the Giants inception in 2012, these two clubs have played eight times. North Melbourne lead the head-to-head 6-2, although both of the Giants wins have come in their last three meetings. Josh Kelly was at his damaging best for the Giants, collecting 34 disposals and kicking two goals, while Tim Taranto continued his breakout year with a huge 36 disposal, one goal performance.
The Giants have a perfect opportunity to bounce back with a win before they have a week off in Round 14. Their 8-4 start is probably about where everyone expected them to be at the halfway point of the year, but it’s still vitally important they head into the break with a win to bring some momentum into the second half of the season. We don’t expect too many personnel changes for the Giants this week, as injuries aren’t too much of a concern at this point.
Last five meetings:
2018 R9 – North Melbourne (112) defeated GWS Giants (69)
2017 R3 – North Melbourne (67) lost to GWS Giants (109)
2016 R23 – North Melbourne (63) lost to GWS Giants (100)
2015 R12 – GWS Giants (61) lost to North Melbourne (117)
2014 R20 – GWS Giants (51) lost to North Melbourne (126)
Prediction
North Melbourne arguably come into this as the form side of the two with three wins on the spin, although they’re still yet to prove themselves against a quality team. On the other hand, the Giants have shown the ability to play some of the most damaging footy of any team in the competition and will be hungry to rectify last weekend’s poor result. At the end of the day, the Giants have the far better list and have shown greater week-to-week consistency this season, so we expect them to get a comfortable win on Sunday.
