The one thing I’m confident of is Port finishing top 4.
They finished top after the H&A season last year and were edged out by only a goal to the eventual premiers in the prelim.
But more than this, they are the team that has so much natural improvement left in them as a group. So many gun young players who should only get better - Rozee, Butters, Georgiades, Marshall, Duursma, Ladhams, Lachie Jones is a ready made player who will slot in as well.
They also brought in Aliir, who whilst not a proven gun will assist in what is their weakest area (key defence). Raz if he is half fit would suit their style also.
Top 4 certainties for mine unless absolutely ravaged by injury.
Yep. Although if we do follow Brisbane’s script we will still need to recruit a potential premium power forward to seal the deal. Ie just like the tigers have, cats have gone out and got etc.
Will be nice being on the buying end.
That’s unless one falls in our lap like it seems to have had for say Sydney.
I think this is a great way to frame it and I agree with the groups.
Gonna be a really tight battle for that middle group on who can sneak into 7 and 8!
Then there’s Port Adelaide who were in a worse position , they were at their lowest ever point in 2011-12. Next year Ken Hinkley comes in, they finish 7th and even win a final. It can be done
Ok here is a go at it. Bit different because why not.
Port on the up
Bulldogs on the up
Brisbane on the up
Richmond peaked
Gold Coast on the up
Geelong treading water
StKilda on the up
GWS in decline
West Coast in decline
Collingwood in decline
Melbourne in decline
Fremantle on the improve
Adelaide rebuilding
Hawthorn rebuilding/bottoming out
Essendon rebuilding bottoming out
North rebuilding bottoming out.
Premiers: Port
Coleman: Joey with 80
Brownlow: Dangerfield
Rising Star: Rowell
Essendon B & F: Merrett
Essendon top goal kicker: Walla
Essendon most improved: Draper
Off season Smokey trade target blitz will go into meltdown over: Nick Blakey.
I probably rate West Coast higher than most. To me they were the favourites coming into last year, but completely underperformed.
They cracked the sads about having to do hub life at the start of the season and had only one 1 of their first 4 games with a percentage of 68%. However, for their last 14 games (including the elimination finals loss against Collingwood), they only lost 3 games and went at a percentage of 136%.
Kelly in particular struggled, but you can imagine that was also in part due to his unique family circumstances and having to be away from home for the start of the year. A lot comes down to how bad Yeo’s injury is, which it seems like West Coast have been doing an Essendon with his injury
