Nothing out of the ordinary last weekend, really.
The NRL’s ‘Magic’ round apparently was magic because more people probably watched it live than any other normal round of rugby league in living memory.
Hopefully the teams that sacrificed home ground advantage and lost appreciate the extra money in their bank accounts.
The AFL seems to be settling down, though no one is standing out, and four or five teams would have to like their chances. Brisbane and North Melbourne’s places in the top eight looks soft, but I don’t think there’ll be more than two teams from outside the eight breaking in from this point on.

NRL (last round 7/8; season tally 48/72)
Melbourne
Penrith
Easts
Gold Coast
Parramatta
Souths
Newcastle
Cronulla

AFL (last round 6/9; season tally 38/72)
West Coast
Collingwood
Adelaide
Geelong
Essendon
North Melbourne
Port Adelaide
Richmond
Greater Western Sydney

Well, it was good to get back to normal last week.
The NRL are playing all their games at Lang Park in Brisbane this weekend. Which won’t make much difference in Sydney because hardly anyone goes to watch the games live, anyway.
It does make a difference in that some teams who would generally get picked because they are playing at home aren’t playing at home, which makes them harder to pick. And Brisbane, who I wouldn’t have picked if they were playing Manly in Manly get picked because it’s hard to tip against them when they play in Brisbane.
The AFL still can’t figure out what’s going on. Geelong are not going to win the premiership. But who else is really going to step up? No team looks to be setting the pace really.

NRL (last round 6/8; season tally 41/64)
Cronulla
Wests
Brisbane
Newcastle
Saint George
Melbourne
Easts
Souths

AFL (last round 4/9; season tally 32/63)
Essendon
Western Bulldogs
Collingwood
Melbourne
West Coast
Adelaide
Geelong
Greater Western Sydney
Fremantle

I can’t remember the last time I got all the tips right in a round.
The AFL came good last weekend. I’m not holding out great hopes for this weekend. There’s a couple of games where I just can’t make myself pick the favoured team, and one where I don’t want to pick Brisbane, but don’t feel like I’ve got a choice.
NRL, on the other hand simply continue to prove that if they were racehorses, the stewards would always have work to do.

NRL (last round 4/8; season tally 35/56)
Souths
North Queensland
Melbourne
Canberra
Manly
Easts
New Zealand
Parramatta (it’s their rostered weekend on)

AFL (last round 9/9; season tally 28/54)
Port Adelaide
Hawthorn
Greater Western Sydney
Brisbane (kiss of death)
Richmond
West Coast
Carlton
Geelong
Fremantle

Well, I now have no confidence whatsoever in the AFL. This is my worst start forever.
Anyway, here’s some tips.

NRL (last round 6/8; season tally 25/40)
Cronulla
Souths
Easts
New Zealand
Manly
Gold Coast
Canberra
Parramatta

AFL (last round 3/9; season tally 14/36)
Collingwood
Essendon
West Coast
Greater Western Sydney
Melbourne
Richmond
Western Bulldogs
Adelaide
Geelong

So, are situations settling down and trends being set, or is it still pretty random in football land?
I think it’s still to early to say, particularly in the AFL.

NRL (last round 4/8; season tally 19/32)
Brisbane
Penrith
Melbourne
Souths
Manly
Easts
Saint George
Canberra

AFL (last round 5/9; season tally 11/27)
Sydney
Collingwood
Geelong
Brisbane (yeah, right)
Melbourne
Port Adelaide
Greater Western Sydney
Adelaide (don’t know why)
West Coast
Gold Coast
Hawthorn

Normally my correct tally of AFL tips catches up to my tally of NRL tips within a couple of weeks.
Normally.
Not that the NRL tips are running away, mind you, but I’m usually happy with anything above 50%.

NRL (last round 4/8; season tally 15/24)
Easts
New Zealand
Wests
Souths
Canberra
Cronulla
Melbourne
Newcastle

AFL (last round 3/9 – ouch; season tally 6/18)
Geelong
Melbourne
Sydney
Greater Western Sydney
Port Adelaide (if Brisbane win footy will break in half)
Collingwood
Western Bulldogs
Hawthorn (I was right to doubt you, if North lose badly we could have our first coaching casualty)
Fremantle