Crikey’s NRL Hot Form Chart

The Melbourne Storm has become the Melbourne Mizzle. Plodding, predictable and pedestrian, this is a team that is all Sancho Panza and no Don Quixote. They need a windmill to conquer but it won’t be New Zealand despite the Warriors own indifferent form.

The Storm’s most recent tormentors, the Tigers, must have Tim Sheens wondering why they cannot duplicate the intensity of last week more often. If they bring a similar effort on Sunday, they’ll make it two in a row over the Knights.

Questions are being asked about Origin selection, in particular the overlooking of some big name Roosters. Perhaps the selectors cast a wizened glance in the Hot Form Chart’s direction before naming their squad. The Roosters, you see, aren’t much chop; a verdict that will be borne out by defeat at the hands of the Dragons.

Tonight, Cronulla will show why they sit last on both the NRL ladder and Crikey’s Hot Form Chart (could Ricky Stuart lose two coaching gigs inside 12 months?), and Brisbane will fix up the almost as disappointing Parramatta.

In fact, the form from north of the border is almost universally impressive. No more are the Titans pencilled in for a loss every time they travel more than 20km from Orchard Ave. They should retain top Hot Form billing at Penrith’s expense, with the Dogs nipping at their heels after fixing up Canberra.

And just when the word ‘resurgent’ was slotting in nicely in front of the word ‘premiers’, Manly learn that their talisman Brett Stewart will be missing for 12 weeks, this time through injury. Shame really, because the Sea Eagles’ tropic adventure against North Queensland was shaping up to one of the games of the year.

Form* Team Last week NRL ladder position Sequence
1 Titans 2 1 L-W-W-W-W
2 Bulldogs 3 3 W-L-W-W-W
3 Newcastle 5 5 W-L-W-W-W
4 Brisbane 4 2 W-W-L-W-W
5 Dragons 1 4 W-W-W-W-L
6 Manly 14 12 L-L-L-W-W
7 Tigers 12 9 L-W-L-L-W
8 Warriors 13 8 W-L-L-L-W
9 Cowboys 15 10 W-L-L-L-W
10 Canberra 8 14 L-L-W-W-L
11 Melbourne 6 7 L-W-L-W-L
12 Rabbitohs 7 6 L-W-W-L-L
13 Penrith 9 11 L-W-W-L-L
14 Roosters 10 13 W-L-W-L-L
15 Parramatta 11 15 W-W-L-L-L
16 Cronulla 16 16 L-L-L-L-L

*Form over the past five games

Crikey’s Hot Form Tips for round seven are:

  • Brisbane
  • Rabbitohs
  • Cowboys
  • Dragons
  • Warriors
  • Bulldogs
  • Newcastle
  • Titans

Last week: 4 (Season total: 30)

Crikey’s AFL Hot Form Chart

The last time St Kilda beat Port Adelaide in Adelaide, Diana Spencer was killed in a car crash in Paris. So put Fergie in cotton wool because the Hot Form Chart reckons it’s about to happen again. Sure, Port fixed up Hawthorn last week, and the Saints have run out of West Australian teams to flog, but viral footy is the new black and its kings are St Kilda.

The Hawks themselves are denying a premiership hangover despite waking up in a stranger’s bed wearing nothing except the back end of an alpaca costume. Tassie and the one-week-on, one-week-off Eagles should come to their rescue though.

The Cats will stay pretty at the top of the Hot Form Chat with a win at home over Brisbane, and Adelaide will halt Melbourne’s winning streak at one.

Hot Form sliders the Blues take on the Bulldogs in a match that will remind Carlton fans of where they have been rather than where they are going.

North was abysmal in victory last week, but play Richmond. Freo face Sydney and will lose.

But of course the round is all about Essendon and Collingwood. All matches have their prelude of 20 seconds’ silence but this is the only fixture when it approaches the full minute or any significance. The Form Chart predicts a Magpie victory and a handful of inappropriate war analogies.

Form* Team Last week AFL ladder position Sequence
1 Geelong 1 2 L-W-W-W-W
2 St Kilda 2 1 L-W-W-W-W
3 Port Adelaide 4 4 W-W-L-W-W
4 Bulldogs 3 3 L-W-W-W-L
5 Sydney 10 7 L-L-W-L-W
6 Collingwood 11 6 L-L-W-L-W
7 West Coast 13 10 L-L-W-L-W
8 North Melbourne 14 11 L-W-L-L-W
9 Essendon 8 9 L-L-W-W-L
10 Adelaide 5 12 L-W-L-W-L
11 Brisbane 9 8 L-W-L-W-L
12 Hawthorn 6 13 W-L-L-W-L
13 Carlton 7 5 L-W-W-L-L
14 Richmond 12 15 W-L-L-L-L
15 Fremantle 15 16 W-L-L-L-L
16 Melbourne 16 14 L-L-L-L-W

*Form over the past five games

Crikey’s Hot Form Tips for round five are:

  • St Kilda
  • Collingwood
  • Hawthorn
  • Sydney
  • North Melbourne
  • Geelong
  • Western Bulldogs
  • Adelaide

Last week: 2 (Season total: 17)