AFL GameDay Squad Round 10 Preview | Best Matchups, PODs & Key Trends

AFL GameDay Squad Round 10 Preview

The AFL GameDay Squad Round 10 Preview is here, bringing you the latest insights to help you dominate this week’s matchups. Join us for Round 10 as we break down the best positional matchups, highlight the top PODs, analyse key AFL trends, and keep an eye on noteworthy venues and weather conditions.

Plus, we’ll check in on BOBS team results and reveal our early starter squad for the round. If you haven’t signed up for AFL GameDay Squad yet, now’s the time!

Use our exclusive code BOBAFL at sign-up to unlock free packs and kickstart your squad. Let’s get into the AFL GameDay Squad Round 10 Preview and identify the must-have players for the week!

AFL GameDay Squad Round 8 Preview – Best Players by Position

DEFENDERS

Trying to work out who to play in your team is usually hard in every position except defence, as it’s nearly the safest position in all gameday squad. Let’s start with the locks, the St Kilda boys Sinclair and NWM verse West Coast especially if they get some time running through the midfield expect a bog day from them. Next is the chip mark brothers in Lachie Whitfield and Lachie Ash, they are up against Fremantle who last week let Collingwood take plenty of D50 marks! Expect some big scores.

A few pod defenders to keep an eye on are Bailey Dale vs Essendon. They let Blakey and Roberts last week take 21 marks combined and the important thing is they won so I would expect the same game style this week.

I also like Christian Salem vs Brisbane, they let defenders take plenty of marks and I fully expect Brisbane back at the Gabba to go no mercy against Melbourne and Salem will have plenty of opportunity to get some sneaky mark kicks trying to slow up play.

MIDFIELDERS

As mentioned in previous previews here have been plenty of great midfielders so far this season, but every round it feels like there are a couple of premiums that stink it up. When you get 2 or 3 of them in your side your round is pretty much over.

This week I really like the Essendon Vs Bulldogs game and recon Merrett and Bont will go massive in the Saturday night blockbuster. The bulldogs won’t worry any hard tags so Merrett will be able to run around doing what he wants, and the Bont will cop attention but won’t need to worry about that lock both in. 

Now a few POD to win you the round, Jack Steele vs west coast. Steele in the last few weeks has found some form and I fully expect him to continue and punish the eagles in Perth.

RUCKS

Some nice ruck match ups this week, but these picks come with some dangers as they haven’t been in the top 1 or 2 rucks this year.

I really like Tim English VS Goldy under the roof at marvel, his form speaks for itself, and he is a must play. Next is tricky I like Marshall vs West coast, but his form has been way to up and down. Gawn vs big O is a tough match up but Xerri has a nice match up vs Nank, but both are not locks.

The POD pick this week for me is big Witts vs first game of the year Reeves. Should be plenty of opportunity for Witts to use his experience around the ground and dominate reeves.

FORWARDS

The FWD locks like usual are Bailey Smith and Jack Macrae (Vs West Coast he could go crazy) apart from them the others have pros and cons.

I do like Matt Kennedy vs Essendon but when will his bubble burst, the last few weeks he has he has kicked goals to elevate his score. Rankine and JHF may attract attention in their match ups as they are the main tag targets. Maric will be good again as there will be plenty of ball in west coasts backlines.

My POD pick for the FWDs this week is Jack Graham and Mattaus Philippou. Both have good matchups and will getting good midfield minutes, but both will be very risky plays as they won’t be common.

POD Picks – Round 10

1.         Bailey Dale

2.         Christian Salem

3.         Jack Steele

4.         Jarrad Witts

5.         Jack Graham

POD Review – Round 9 Picks

1. Karl Amon – 91 GDS – Failed picked just didn’t find the footy

2. Isaac Heeney – 93 GDS – Another Failed pick, Heeney cant be trusted this year

3. Toby Nankervis – 111 GDS – Pass not a fail but also not amazing compared to the other premium rucks.

4. Ryan Maric – 110 GDS – Big tick score was good, but the role is better 

5. Luke Parker – 128 GDS – Massive tick, Parker is well and truly locked into the kangaroos midfield.

AFL GameDay Squad Round 10 Preview - AFL Trends Noticed by BOBS

It's important to consider the changing landscape every week—how teams are playing, who they are playing, and which players are coming into teams.

Since this is being posted before team announcements today, there are a few significant options to consider:

• Maric – He has been impressive for two weeks. If McGovern misses, Maric should continue to perform well. However, if McGovern plays, Maric becomes a fade for me.

• Connor Rozee – He is quickly becoming one of the most reliable options. His positional shift to half-back, coupled with his willingness to move into stoppages, makes him a difficult matchup and a must-pick. The key is identifying other players experiencing similar role changes.

• Avoid Fading Players – Another critical trend is understanding how player movements negatively impact others. A prime example is Harry Sheezel—his shift to half-back has significantly reduced Caleb Daniel's easy ball access.

Weather & Venue Watch – Key Conditions for Round 10

Before locking in your squad, consider these weather and venue factors that could impact fantasy scoring:

AFL Round 9 2025 Weather Forecast – Focus on Rain

Thursday, May 15

• Gold Coast Suns vs. Hawthorn

  • Time: 7:30 PM AEST

  • Venue: TIO Stadium, Darwin

  • Forecast: Sunny, temperatures between 24°C and 34°C

Friday, May 16

• Sydney Swans vs. Carlton

  • Time: 7:40 PM AEST

  • Venue: SCG, Sydney

  • Forecast: A shower or two expected, 0–8mm of rain, 70% chance

Saturday, May 17

• Collingwood vs. Adelaide

  • Time: 1:20 PM AEST

  • Venue: MCG, Melbourne

  • Forecast: Showers likely, 2–10mm of rain, 90% chance

• Port Adelaide vs. Geelong

  • Time: 4:15 PM AEST

  • Venue: Adelaide Oval

  • Forecast: A shower or two possible, 0–3mm of rain, 70% chance

• GWS Giants vs. Fremantle

  • Time: 4:15 PM AEST

  • Venue: ENGIE Stadium, Sydney

  • Forecast: A shower or two possible, 0–4mm of rain, 60% chance

• Western Bulldogs vs. Essendon

  • Time: 7:35 PM AEST

  • Venue: Marvel Stadium, Melbourne

  • Forecast: Showers likely, 2–10mm of rain, 90% chance

Sunday, May 18

• Richmond vs. North Melbourne

  • Time: 1:10 PM AEST

  • Venue: MCG, Melbourne

  • Forecast: Possible shower, 0–1mm of rain, 40% chance

• Brisbane Lions vs. Melbourne

  • Time: 3:20 PM AEST

  • Venue: The Gabba, Brisbane

  • Forecast: Possible shower, 0–1mm of rain, 40% chance

• West Coast Eagles vs. St Kilda

  • Time: 4:40 PM AEST

  • Venue: Optus Stadium, Perth

  • Forecast: Sunny, temperatures between 12°C and 27°C

Teams and Their Taggers

This will be an evolving area as we see trends develop:

1. Toby Bedford – He will be back and will be going to Serong or Brayshaw. The safe bet will be fading both.

2. James Jordan – Expected to go to Walsh, but who knows really I would be fading Walsh regardless.

3. Various players vs. Nick Daicos – In the last two weeks, we have seen teams return to super-hard tags on Daicos, using players we wouldn't usually expect. Anyone who fades him is both brave and smart. Given he is the best player in the competition, he is heavily tagged, but his ability to go huge is always present. He might be a player we have to consider more closely to fade against certain matchups.

Starter Team

Final Thoughts

Round 10 presents some juicy matchups, high-upside PODs, and key trends to watch. Keep an eye on final team selections and late changes before locking in your squad. Stay tuned for more insights from Blokes on the Ball, and good luck in GameDay Squad Round 10!