Fremantle shaping as team to beat, but Hawks have other ideas

William Demamp

Sports News

May 5, 2026

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Fremantle has been shaved in to 7.00 to win the 2026 AFL premiership after their hard-fought victory over the Western Bulldogs on Friday night. 

The Dockers have won seven from eight matches to be level wth Sydney, but second on percentage, just two points ahead of Thursday night’s opponent Hawthorn. 

The Dockers are 1.77 favourites with Australian betting sites to defeat Sam Mitchell’s Hawks (2.05) in what looms as match of  round 9, with both teams in solid form and in contention for a top four berth. 

Dockers coach Justin Longmuir said they “don’t need to go out their and prove anything” and downplayed the fact that the bulk of the teams they have beaten this year are in the bottom eight. 

“They’re in good form, looks like all phases of their game are in pretty good order,” he said. 

“The stats say they probably should have won on the weekend, but yeah they’re in good form and all three lines seem to be playing pretty well.. so it will be a good battle.”

The Dockers will be sweating on the fitness of captain Alex Pearce, but Longmuir said he had recovered well after a heavy hit against the Bulldogs. Demons recruit Judd McVee, who missed the Bulldogs game with illness, along with Brandon Walker (concussion) are expected to return but Longmuir was not drawn on selection. 

The Hawks, who kicked a goal after the siren to draw with Collingwood, have lost Calsher Dear with an abductor injury, and have confirmed defender Bodie Ryan would make his debut.

Meanwhile, on Friday night Brisbane (1.09) will clash with ailing Carlton (7.50) at the Gabba, with the  the reigning premier expected to easily account for Michael Voss’s team. The Lions will be forced into at least one change, with Ty Gallop suffering a concussion.

Port Adelaide (1.98) will be desperate to bounce back onto the winners list after their last gasp loss to arch-rival Adelaide last round, but the Western Bulldogs (1.86) returned to somewhere near their best against the Dockers, after a down month, punctuated by extensive inuries. 

In Saturday’s early game, North Melbourne (4.00) will fancy their chances of causing an upset against Sydney (1.25), despite their second-half fadeout against Geelong last round. 

The Giants (1.09) have an opportunity to notch up an important win against struggling Essendon (7.50) at ENGIE Stadium, with the Sydney club needing a win to stay in touch with the top eight. 

Gold Coat (1.41) will host St Kilda (2.92) in Darwin, in what looms as an interesting clash between two much-improved teams. The Saints were hopeful of a Max King return this week, but this has now been put on ice after he suffered a hamstring injury in the VFL.

Geelong (1.52) is a heavy favourite to defeat Collingwood (2.55) at the MCG on Saturday night. The Cats were impressive against the Roos, but the Magpies threw away a late seven point lead against Hawthorn, to record a draw, showing they will be no easy beat.

On Sunday, Melbourne (1.10) can continue their strong form against West Coast (7.00), who were shock losers to Richmond at home on the weekend. The Demons punched on for the bulk of their loss against Sydney, and if they can reproduce this fearless high-scoring brand against the Eagles, it might get ugly. 

Richmond (5.75), fresh off the win over West Coast, will close out AFL round 9 with a clash against Adelaide (1.14) at the MCG. 

AFL round 9 fixture & early tips

AFL round 9 kicks off on Thursday, May 7 and wraps up on Sunday, May 10, with another strong slate of matches across the country. Our early tips for the round are highlighted below.