I HOPE the Tigers muster their best effort when they take on the Western Bulldogs in Terry Wallace’s last game tonight.

Because it is a slap in the face to the outgoing coach if they don’t.

Richmond can be an annoying team but I’m sure they’ll fire up for this match.

It will probably be similar to last week and they’ll have a real crack – particularly in the first half, but the Bulldogs will shine in the end.

When you look at the stars in the Dogs team, Adam Cooney stands out for most people.

But Daniel Cross is the one for me.

If I could pick two players in the AFL that I’d select every week, they’d be Paul Chapman and Crossy, purely because of their work rate.

They are the type of players I really admire.

Crossy hasn’t got the profile of other midfielders in the league but I reckon he is a class act. I’m not sure what he averages in the possession stakes, but I’m sure it’s in the 30s and they are generally really hard-earned.

He is the sort of player who puts his head over the ball and gets it out to the blokes who are best at finishing it off. And he does it without the accolades.

Saturday: Brisbane Lions v Carlton
It’s not hard to see where this game will be won and lost.

Last week, I was worried about how the Carlton defence would go against West Coast but they really stood up.

However, this week will be the real test: how they stand up against two quality forwards in Jonathan Brown and Daniel Bradshaw.

I reckon if the Lions can get the ball inside their forward 50 between 46 and 50 times then Carlton will struggle. If it gets up to 50, Carlton is in deep trouble.

I just don’t think they can handle Brown and Bradshaw. They’ve played together for years now and generally when players have played with each other for a long period of time, they develop some sort of a bond.

These two know when it’s time to go and when it’s time to block. They have got it down pat.

As for Carlton, the jury is still out. They’ve got some polished players in that team but there are a lot who are inconsistent. Brendan Fevola is one of course, although he relies on what comes through the midfield.

I am definitely not set on Carlton being a real finals contender. There are a lot of teams you look at and you know what you’re going to get but with the Blues, I’m just not sure.

Sunday: Hawthorn v Sydney Swans
The Hawks could also cause some carnage against the Sydney Swans at the 'G.

And I reckon this could be the round that Buddy Franklin explodes back into action and kicks eight or more.

He thrives on playing on the best defenders. He has that strut about him and would love to go head-to-head with Craig Bolton.

I’m like a lot of people: waiting for Buddy to revisit his form of last season. I’ve been close to trading him out of my Dream Team for about eight weeks but I haven’t.

I fully expect Hawthorn to make the top eight but it will be an interesting game. Like a lot of teams that come up against the Swans, they’ll try and avoid their stoppage style of game.

You saw last week with the Bulldogs that if the Swans get opened up and don’t get the style of play they need, they get absolutely smashed.

So if Hawthorn can dictate that – run, link-up and handball, then it’s going to be the same sort of result as last week.

The views in this story are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL.