AFL Update with Libby Birch - Thu 19 Jun, 2025

Published Jun 19, 2025, 4:47 AM

3 time premiership player, and 3AW Football's Libby Birch joins Tony Moclair to preview Round 15 of the AFL season. 

Now on afternoons an AFL preview with Libby Birch. Shup waking, I'm sore or stiff a physiocre now custom fit your bed head of physiobedfitting dot Com.

Week As an AFL WU player, Libby Birch knows all about waking, up, saw and stiff, but she also knows a lot about the game itself and thus is our prognosticator. Libby Birch, good afternoon. Good Now, Look, it's a big round, it's a personal round. The reason you're not in today is because you and I literally cannot be in the same studio because our teams are squaring off and it would get too nasty.

Yeah, that's exactly right. I have to steer clear of the building today because.

I just could not be damn right. It could have got it could have got violent. Now let's talk round fifteen. Tell us who has a buye and then let's start by previewing tonight's match.

Yeah, well, h for Adelaide, Hawthorne, Melbourne and West Coast Eagles. I believe it's the last of the split rounds, so that'll be good. There's more footy to come, but this is a really exciting round. There's top two spots for grabs and these two expansion teams face off for a really high stakes class later in the round. But tonight we have Frio versus Essenon at Opta Stadium. It's eight ten start. I'll probably be in bed. I don't know about you, but it's a late start. But Freo are riding high after four straight wins. They managed to scrape past I remember you laughed at me last week for tipping North, but they only scraped past the ruse despite losing clearances and inside fifties, so they got away with that one. The Don season is slipping away fast on. I was away last weekend and I watched this game from the map from the boat that I was on the Dons verst along and it was pretty much just the training drill for Geelong. So Esson really need to bring some sort of intensity tonight other as the same thing will happen. My tip is Freeo. But the Dons are really really in trouble.

If they don't put up a fight, surely there will be riotous crowds besieging Windy Hill.

Surely, yes, I think so, and I live pretty close to Essendon, so I'll hear them if they coming.

On you all right, please be We hope it's a quiet riot for Libbey's sake. She does have a bit of sleep to catch up on Geelong the Brisbane. This has got to be a great match, as Tony Tadeo said twenty two years since Brisbane got up at Kadeinia Park with GM HbA. How do you see this onely?

Big? Yeah, this will be huge. Tune into this one on three a w. The Cats are red hot. They're five wins on the trot with an average of fifty points. Is their winning streak a genuine top two push from here on in and they say they've got the easiest straw heading into the back end of the season. All eyes will be on p Dangerfield three hundred and fifty game mile zone. Well done, champion of the game. Expect a really packed stadium. I believe the Cats are putting out Patrick Dangerfield t shirts throughout the entire stadium. They're going to have a seed of white to celebrate him and the Cats. So it'll be absolutely magnificent to be there. And of course it'll be a great match because the Lions have been so up and down this year, They're pretty hard to tip considering they've actually lost a couple of games at their home turf, which means that they've been pretty inconsistent. You never really have you never really lose your homeground of vantage, so to do that you must have some pretty inconsistent form heading into the back end of the year. But Logan Morris, he's been really important this year for them. Obviously Joe Danaher finished up last year, but a young star twenty year old who's already kicked more than his debut season. So my tip is to long. It'll be a close match, but I think Patrick Dangerfield it'll be a celebration of him in a huge game.

All right, Livvy, Livy Bird, who seriously you would you would tip North Melbourne if they are up against the German Army in nine point forty Carlton v. North Melbourne. How do you see this one going?

Well, I'm actually really really excited for this match. It's on Saturday about one twenty and the Blues got off to a flyer last week, so you must have been thrilled. In the first term they had seven goals, absolutely blew the Eagles apart in that first term. But step forward fifty efficiency remains an issue. I think it's the last in the competition. At the moment they're scoring forty percent from the inside fifties, so it's not looking good. And last season they were actually ranked second for the same stat. So we know that Mackay's out with a knee injury and Kerno I believe is still a test. After finishing at halftime last week we saw cast so it is looking extremely good for the room. I'm very excited. They had a very success for Fortnite out West. They had one win and nearly a second and six of their last seven games have been decided by ten points, so Tony, it's no longer a laughing matter. The tip is North Melbourne.

It would have been North Melbourne regardless, but I think I think you say what you say with a lot of confidence that is totally justified. Libby Port Adelaide and Sydney at Adelaide, oh All on Saturday.

Yes, this will be a four to fifteen match, Tony Shaw and I will be covering this from a three A debut.

You.

We're very excited about this one because these two teams again have been pretty up and down. But Port are creeping back into the finals Mixed after a pretty strong win against the D's. They've beaten Sydney in the last five meetings at Adelaide over I think it's actually nine out of ten wins across the board going Port's way, so they've got a pretty good match up against the Swans and the Swan's five and eight. Look, they had to beat Richmond before thereby they've just finished their bye and like Carlton, they're inside fifty. Efficiency has been a real weakness this year. They're ranked seventeenth, so just in front of your Blues Tony. The good news though for Swan fans, both Tom Papley and Earl Gordon are listed as tests this week. Now we know Paply had a fractured heel and Goulden had that pre season ankle broken ankle, so that'll be exciting.

My tip is Port Adelaide, Okay, what if Tom Pepley is playing though, what if?

What if he it'll certainly give them a sniff considering yeah, because he's a forward line genuine jet and Gordon is very very good on the wing, so it'll give them a sniff. But because it's the Adelaide Oval I believe port for this one.

All right, Libya, we'll get you to preview one last game in detail before just covering off the balance of the round Collingwood, Say Kilda and GWS and Gold Coast. How do you see Western Bulldogs and Richmond going well?

I think it'll be a steamroll for the Bulldogs. They're notching up their fourth win of seventy points plus this season against St Kilda, so huge opportunity for them to get another percentage booster against the Tigers. Sam Darcy was electric in his return three goals after seven weeks out and he's leading the comp in contestant marks in the front half of the ground by double of the next forward. Now, Richmond three and ten have shown flashes of brilliance, but they're still a developing side and they're coming off the by so they'll be fresh. But it's definitely the Bulldogs for me. And then the other games and one on Saturday that we're not covering Collingwood versus Sin Killed at Marble Stadium. My tip is the Pies and Sunday GWS versus Gold Coast. This is the two expansion sides with their biggest clash so far. GWS obviously lower down in that eight top eight, but Gold Coast right up there. My tip is Gold Coast just as it's going to be a very close match though, considering at GWS's home game.

I give you whatever. You giving me permission to bag the hell out of me if the if the US get up Libby, so look forward to hearing from you over the weekend. I know, trust me, I know Libby Birch LW Premiership player and part of aw's football coverage right here on threew. Thank you Lebby. Have a great weekend. Have your say on the threew open line one double three six nine three. With Amazing Mobile you can get one hundred and twenty gig for only thirty five dollars. That's every twenty eight days for twelve renewals. T's and sees apply Up next. A finance market update from Scott Phillips