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Sport Nation
Find your Sport Nation frequencyWhy Round 10 could be the cut-off for sides outside the eight
Jaiden Sciberras • May 16th, 2025 9:01 am
West Coast premiership coach Adam Simpson believes Round 10 might be the cut-off for a number of teams outside the top eight.
Spots within the eight are continuing to tighten as the best sides establish themselves, meaning several teams on the cusp may be running out of opportunities to rack up important wins.
With the likes of Carlton, Fremantle, St Kilda, Port Adelaide and Sydney already a game behind the cut, Simpson believes that a loss this weekend could be the difference between September football and a September holiday.
“How many games are left?” Simpson told SEN’s Whateley.
“This weekend I’m thinking, if we don’t win, we don’t play finals. There is about four or five teams that I think are on the cusp of the sub-committee footy trip for the players.
“Carlton versus Sydney, the loser of that, they’re almost done. If you’re going to make finals, someone has got to drop out.
“That’s one of the games that I would have thought (you have to win), you’ve got to win nine of the last 12 games to make finals.
“When you start doing that math, you realise it’s tough.
“Port versus the Cats, I think Port will be starting to think that pretty heavily.
“Freo versus the Giants. If they don’t win this one, (they fall to) 4-6.
“The Bulldogs and the Bombers, both could get away with a loss there. The Richmond versus North, they’re on the sub-committee footy trip already.
“And then you’ve got Brisbane and Melbourne. This is a tough ask, but they (the Demons) have got to start winning.
“Then of course West Coast versus St Kilda. If the Saints don’t win this one, it’ll be one in the last six weeks.
“It’s about that time when if you’re a supporter you might not be thinking this, but if you’re a player or a coaching group you start thinking geez, this is getting tough, we’ve got to get on a serious roll.
“It’s an important round this week for the teams outside the eight.”
Sydney and Carlton kick off the battles below the eight on Friday night.
