Northampton workhorse Jamie Cripps celebrates 250-game milestone in clash against cousin Patrick Cripps

Northampton’s Jamie Cripps will celebrate a milestone game when the Eagles take to the field against Carlton — a side skippered by his cousin Patrick Cripps — on Sunday. The match will mark game number 250 for the 32-year-old, whose career was highlighted by West Coast’s premiership triumph in 2018. The hard-working forward’s pressure has been his asset throughout his career, while his ability to hit the scoreboard has also been valuable with 308 goals to his name. He was taken with pick 24 in the 2010 AFL draft by St Kilda, where he played 16 games before joining the Eagles. His move to West Coast proved to be a fruitful one, with Cripps playing 12 or more games in each season. Remarkably, the 16th-placed Eagles are set to go in as favourites against Carlton, who sit outside the top eight on percentage. Cripps and Rovers product Liam Ryan will be looking for a third win in a row for the first time since 2021, when they take on the Blues. Patrick Cripps’ form has him in contention for a second Brownlow medal, but Carlton have dropped from second to ninth in the space of three rounds. Injuries have made life difficult for the Blues, who have been forced into six changes, including Towns’ Jack Martin who suffered a minor hamstring injury. Chapman Valley’s Jack Carroll could be in line for a return, after last playing in round 19. Fremantle and Railways product Jaeger O’Meara will be in a fight to stay in the top eight when they play GWS in Sydney on Saturday. On Friday night, Coorow-Latham’s Logan McDonald will be looking to find form after kicking three goals over the past month when the Swans take on Essendon. Northampton’s Brynn Teakle will face a challenge when North Melbourne play the Western Bulldogs on Sunday. Meanwhile on Saturday, ex-Rover Judd McVee and Melbourne will be looking to get back on the winners’ list, in their clash with Gold Coast.