STRUGGLERS LOOKING TO THE FUTURE

LAURENCE ROSEN

Sir Doug Nicholls Round shapes as one of the highlights of the season, with several tantalising clashes across three marquee days.

Port Adelaide will host Melbourne to open the round, before the Western Bulldogs and Adelaide do battle in Ballarat, then it’s the annual Dreamtime at the ’G clash between Essendon and Richmond and the QClash between Brisbane and Gold Coast on Saturday night. On Sunday, Collingwood and Carlton square off in what shapes as another high-pressure contest.

At the other end of the ladder, there’s similar intrigue around Hawthorn’s encounter with West Coast, which has already been billed as one of three ‘Harley Reid Cups’ this year.

Reid is widely tipped to be the No. 1 pick at this year’s NAB AFL Draft and looks a clear standout on exposed form at under-18 level.

He has already played two VFL games for Carlton, but was concussed playing for the AFL Academy side last Saturday –ironically against the Blues –and will sit out a week or two.

There’s no escaping Hawthorn and West Coast’s struggles this year, and alongside North

Bob Dikkenberg