WHO will come out on top?
Who will finish in the top four?
Who will face each other in the Qualifying Finals?
It all comes down to this weekend.
But before we look ahead to Saturday night’s blockbuster clash between Melbourne and Geelong, let’s rewind to Round 4 when the two sides last met.
The Demons were in control of the game from the first bounce, kicking the opening goal and comfortably keeping the lead for the remainder of the match.
Running away with a 25-point victory, Melbourne secured its fourth consecutive win for the season, going on to collect another 12.
Whilst Geelong has had an equally impressive year with 16 wins, a handy draw against Hawthorn in Round 18 puts Melbourne two points ahead of the Cats on the ladder heading into this weekend.
Saturday will see the Demons travel down the highway to GMHBA Stadium to battle it out against the Cats in the final round of the home-and-away season, where both teams will be looking to clinch that top spot heading into finals.
Melbourne’s defence will no doubt be looking to shut down Geelong forward Jeremy Cameron, who was absent from the clash back in Round 4.
Since returning from injury in Round 6, Cameron is averaging 2.9 goals per game and is coming off a four-goal performance in Round 22 that helped his side to a 14-point win over the Saints.
However, Cameron’s four-goal game last week doesn’t quite match-up to Melbourne forward Bayley Fritsch’s seven-goal haul against the Crows.
Fritsch’s impact on the scoreboard pushed the Dees to their 41-point win and if he brings that momentum into this week’s match, he’ll be a sure-fire danger for Geelong.
A looming factor for Melbourne this weekend is the fact that in the last ten years, it has only won two games at GMHBA Stadium, but coach Simon Goodwin told reporters on Wednesday that his side was ready for the challenge.
“This week’s a really important game for us to build some momentum,” Goodwin said.
“We’re playing a quality side in Geelong, who’s played some outstanding footy for a number of years, so we’ve got a really good chance to have a look at where we sit.
“Because after that, we know we’ll be stepping straight into finals.”
The Round 23 match will begin at 7:25pm (AEST) on Saturday 21 August, broadcast via Seven Network.
