CURRENT ladder position: 6th (Eight wins, six losses)

Form: WWLWL

The run home:

Essendon (Telstra Dome)
West Coast (the Gabba)
Richmond (Telstra Dome)
North Melbourne (Carrara)
Hawthorn (Aurora)
Western Bulldogs (the Gabba)
Carlton (the Gabba)
Sydney Swans (SCG)

What’s to come:

The next month is a vital one for the Lions, with games against four teams now in the bottom eight on the ladder – Essendon, West Coast, Richmond and North Melbourne. It’s certainly not an easy draw, with Essendon having won three straight, Richmond having looked a real finals threat until last week and North still eyeing a September berth. But if the Lions can win three or more of these games, it will be a huge boost to their finals hopes.

From there it’s a testing run home, with away games against Hawthorn and the Sydney Swans split by visits to the Gabba by the Western Bulldogs and Carlton. The Hawks, Swans and Bulldogs are all likely top-four prospects, while the Blues won seven of their last 11 to become a legitimate top-eight contender.

Don’t miss it:

Round 20: Bulldogs (at the Gabba)

A second trip back to the Gabba for in-form Jason Akermanis and a chance for the Lions to redeem themselves against a side that outplayed them in round 12 at the MCG. There won’t be any shortage of reasons to watch this clash – particularly with the finals just around the corner.

Medical room:

The Lions will be hoping Travis Johnstone, Jason Roe and Scott Harding are all good to go after the break, while hard-running Irish defender Colm Begley isn’t far off resuming from a lengthy stint out with a quad problem.

The player the Lions would most like to see come off the injury list is Nigel Lappin, who has been sidelined since round Five with Achilles soreness. Lappin’s return would add a four-time All-Australian with more than 250 games of experience to the Lions’ midfield.

Current injury list:

Travis Johnstone (Hamstring) - Available
Jason Roe (Hamstring) – Test
Scott Harding (Knee) - Test
Matthew Tyler (Hamstring) - Test
Pearce Hanley (Hamstring) - Test
Colm Begley (Quad) – 1 week
Pat Garner (Hamstring) - 4-6 weeks
Nigel Lappin (Achilles) – TBC

Player to watch:

Luke Power can’t be far off being the form player of the competition, averaging more than 30 possessions-per-game over the last seven weeks. The co-captain is now sixth in the league for disposals and, at $61 the win and $16 the place, might be the best Brownlow Medal long-shot going around.

But the Lion to keep an eye on is Jonathan Brown. The big spearhead has had a better first 14 rounds than he had in 2007, booting 46 goals compared to 33. Last year Brown exploded in the last eight weeks of the season, kicking another 43 majors en route to the Coleman Medal. A similar performance this year would indeed be something to behold.

One for the future:

He’s only played two games but Tom Collier has shown with his 29 possessions that he’ll fit right in the Lions backline. The Tasmanian product looks to have a natural instinct to turn defence into attack and take the game on with the ball in his hand. With further experience and tutelage from “young veterans” like Josh Drummond and Joel Macdonald, Collier could be a fixture in the back half for years to come.

The challengers:

The Western Bulldogs, Geelong and Hawthorn (12 wins apiece) seem to have a virtual mortgage on the top three spots of the ladder and many observers expect the Sydney Swans(9-3-1) to challenge strongly for fourth. The Swans are in good form but their run into the finals includes meetings with the Dogs, the Cats and the Hawks, as well as two clashes with Collingwood.

On paper, fifth-placed Adelaide (8-5) has a less daunting run in, while seventh-placed Collingwood (7-6) has five games in Melbourne (rounds 15-19) to seal its finals spot. The Crows, the Magpies and the Swans all play in the second half of the split round 14 draw, as does Geelong.

Carlton (7-7) plays six top-eight sides in the final eight rounds, North Melbourne (6-7-1) plays six of its next eight games in Victoria after a torrid run on the road, while Richmond (5-8-1) and Essendon (5-9) both remain in the hunt but will clash in round 16.