Kildonan
11 Nov 2007, 04:04
Mine (I'm putting them in my order of best to worst this century 2001 -2007):
Port Adelaide - the opponent we have fared worst against this century. I have great respect for Chocco as a coach and believe that he is seriously underestimated by many - as has been Port, itself. I rate them as the best club given that they have had more wins than any other between 2001 - 2007 and have made several finals appearances. Unlucky to only collect one premiership in that time.
Brisbane - Matthews moulded Brisbane to be the best performing club (3 premierships) so far this century. They were due for a stint down the base of the ladder but appear to be on the rise again already. Once the kids have matured, they will no doubt again be a hard, tough outfit.
Adelaide - I still hold a grudge about 1997, so I can't say I hold much fondness for this club, let me just say that they have consistently been high performers but they are VERY wealthy club with every mod con including a waiting list for members wanting to join. They really have no excuses for failure.
Sydney - Quiet achievers. Were lucky to knock us out of that preliminary final, but deserved the result. I hate that they are portrayed as not having star players. They have been consistently high achievers for a very long time. They have some vocal stupid fans who are often thought to be representative of the fan base, but they have some very canny fans as well.
West Coast Eagles - another high performing club - have lost some quality players but will gain 4 early picks this draft and this added with their already very young list will ensure that they will continue to improve from whatever they do in 2007 and 2008. Another VERY wealthy club with absolutely no excuses come 2009/10.
Geelong - Wow didn't they have a great season. They are a heated recent rival of ours who simply stepped up in 2007 when we did not. They got their act together with player motivation / fitness / injury management. The club underwent a restructuring to allow specialists to manage each department. It appears that we may on the right track using the same approach. They are the only Vic club to genuinely have a home ground advantage.
Collingwood - bit of a middle of the road performer considering the wealth of the club, with their facilities and their ability to scour all ends of the world for talent. Not all their fans are feral and toothless, but you do see a few classic examples and you can't help but smile. They have a great list, but I'm not convinced on Malthouse as a coach anymore - maybe he'll surprise me, but it might not be too long before he goes the way of Pagan and someone more in touch with this century's footy is put in his place.
St Kilda - underforming due to chronic problems with injury management. It turns out that much of this may be due to serious underfunding in vital areas. The Saints have not set the world on fire despite being acknowledged as having a great list. When all cyllinders are firing there is not a more exciting team in the comp to watch. This is supported by the strong FTA backing. We haven't reached our peak yet given the large number of players from the 2001 draft are just maturing into their best football for say 2008 - 2010.
Kangaroos - moderate performer considering the poverty of the club, the lack of facilities and woeful football department funding. That said, it isn't widely recognised that they have the most recruits from the top 10 in the draft of any club. (or did have - I haven't checked recently). They are facing relocation which will only help them improve (even if their fans object) and if they do they will continue to improve and possibly become a real premiership contender.
Essendon Were a high achieving club early - In decline ATM. Tanked it in 2006 then full on tried in 2007 ending their season as a disappointment. Another middle of the road performer recently considering their wealth. They have embarked on a serious rebuild and I don't expect them to be a threat until 2009/10 or later.
Fremantle - Six + years in the basement region of the ladder has provided Freo with a fairly good list but the performances have not matched expectation. Many of the fans are ordinary too. I have no love or respect for the club. Mark Harvey is no brain surgeon (as attested to by his TV / radio interviews) so they may be in strife for a while longer.
Melbourne - have hit rock bottom. Their list is not as bad as the performance this year would suggest. They did have a number of injuries to key personnel but no worse than us - so they did the right thing and replaced the coach. They may have to undergo a restructure too - I don't know where they stand on that - but Melbourne have been the most inconsistent club in the competition for about a decade. They will improve in 2008, but they should be more of a force coming into 2009/10.
Hawthorn - on the improve - but had to - they have been poor performers so far this century, collecting a good many draft picks and trading away "dead wood". Their approach was a pure youth policy based on the St Kilda model but with a more scientific approach. They will become a contender over the next few years, but still have much development to go. Will peak 2010 - 2012 or thereabouts.
Bulldogs - they seemed so promising but if you look back at the results, the bulldogs have been the third worst performers in the AFL, this century, based on wins. They are a poor club and they are located in a region which is demographically fortuitous for them as they fulfill a vital role in competing with soccer. Otherwise they probably would be in a similar boat to the Kangaroos - seeing relocation signals everywhere they look. They are undergoing a restructure and will make some improvement based on a good young list and a better coaching set up. Unfortunately they have a few oldies that have carried them over the last few years and they are getting quite thin on the ground now - so some of the young 'uns will have to step up.
Richmond - supporters still delude themselves that they are one of the "big four". Richmond have underperformed for a very long time and I cannot see an end to it despite numerous early draft picks. They will improve as their young squad matures, but they still seem to lack a real spark.
Carlton - easily the worst performer so far this century. I HATE Carlton - not just for their cheating or the underlying mentality, but the sheer arrogance of their club officials and a good many of their supporters. Many prefer to believe that their club tanked, than accept that they were simply crap. Pagan had no clue. The players had no heart. They are now our whipping boys and boy I love that :). They have accumulated a great deal of talent (by virtue of being so crap for sooooo long). Their supporters are already jumping up and down about their great club and its fantastic squad. They have not done anything worthwhile yet. Even with Judd and a bevvy of No. 1 picks, I think we can maintain our nice little consecutive run of wins against them. They have found the money to go and rape Ireland of its best kids, yet still owe literally millions. Sure they have to improve on what they were: they were the worst by miles.
Port Adelaide - the opponent we have fared worst against this century. I have great respect for Chocco as a coach and believe that he is seriously underestimated by many - as has been Port, itself. I rate them as the best club given that they have had more wins than any other between 2001 - 2007 and have made several finals appearances. Unlucky to only collect one premiership in that time.
Brisbane - Matthews moulded Brisbane to be the best performing club (3 premierships) so far this century. They were due for a stint down the base of the ladder but appear to be on the rise again already. Once the kids have matured, they will no doubt again be a hard, tough outfit.
Adelaide - I still hold a grudge about 1997, so I can't say I hold much fondness for this club, let me just say that they have consistently been high performers but they are VERY wealthy club with every mod con including a waiting list for members wanting to join. They really have no excuses for failure.
Sydney - Quiet achievers. Were lucky to knock us out of that preliminary final, but deserved the result. I hate that they are portrayed as not having star players. They have been consistently high achievers for a very long time. They have some vocal stupid fans who are often thought to be representative of the fan base, but they have some very canny fans as well.
West Coast Eagles - another high performing club - have lost some quality players but will gain 4 early picks this draft and this added with their already very young list will ensure that they will continue to improve from whatever they do in 2007 and 2008. Another VERY wealthy club with absolutely no excuses come 2009/10.
Geelong - Wow didn't they have a great season. They are a heated recent rival of ours who simply stepped up in 2007 when we did not. They got their act together with player motivation / fitness / injury management. The club underwent a restructuring to allow specialists to manage each department. It appears that we may on the right track using the same approach. They are the only Vic club to genuinely have a home ground advantage.
Collingwood - bit of a middle of the road performer considering the wealth of the club, with their facilities and their ability to scour all ends of the world for talent. Not all their fans are feral and toothless, but you do see a few classic examples and you can't help but smile. They have a great list, but I'm not convinced on Malthouse as a coach anymore - maybe he'll surprise me, but it might not be too long before he goes the way of Pagan and someone more in touch with this century's footy is put in his place.
St Kilda - underforming due to chronic problems with injury management. It turns out that much of this may be due to serious underfunding in vital areas. The Saints have not set the world on fire despite being acknowledged as having a great list. When all cyllinders are firing there is not a more exciting team in the comp to watch. This is supported by the strong FTA backing. We haven't reached our peak yet given the large number of players from the 2001 draft are just maturing into their best football for say 2008 - 2010.
Kangaroos - moderate performer considering the poverty of the club, the lack of facilities and woeful football department funding. That said, it isn't widely recognised that they have the most recruits from the top 10 in the draft of any club. (or did have - I haven't checked recently). They are facing relocation which will only help them improve (even if their fans object) and if they do they will continue to improve and possibly become a real premiership contender.
Essendon Were a high achieving club early - In decline ATM. Tanked it in 2006 then full on tried in 2007 ending their season as a disappointment. Another middle of the road performer recently considering their wealth. They have embarked on a serious rebuild and I don't expect them to be a threat until 2009/10 or later.
Fremantle - Six + years in the basement region of the ladder has provided Freo with a fairly good list but the performances have not matched expectation. Many of the fans are ordinary too. I have no love or respect for the club. Mark Harvey is no brain surgeon (as attested to by his TV / radio interviews) so they may be in strife for a while longer.
Melbourne - have hit rock bottom. Their list is not as bad as the performance this year would suggest. They did have a number of injuries to key personnel but no worse than us - so they did the right thing and replaced the coach. They may have to undergo a restructure too - I don't know where they stand on that - but Melbourne have been the most inconsistent club in the competition for about a decade. They will improve in 2008, but they should be more of a force coming into 2009/10.
Hawthorn - on the improve - but had to - they have been poor performers so far this century, collecting a good many draft picks and trading away "dead wood". Their approach was a pure youth policy based on the St Kilda model but with a more scientific approach. They will become a contender over the next few years, but still have much development to go. Will peak 2010 - 2012 or thereabouts.
Bulldogs - they seemed so promising but if you look back at the results, the bulldogs have been the third worst performers in the AFL, this century, based on wins. They are a poor club and they are located in a region which is demographically fortuitous for them as they fulfill a vital role in competing with soccer. Otherwise they probably would be in a similar boat to the Kangaroos - seeing relocation signals everywhere they look. They are undergoing a restructure and will make some improvement based on a good young list and a better coaching set up. Unfortunately they have a few oldies that have carried them over the last few years and they are getting quite thin on the ground now - so some of the young 'uns will have to step up.
Richmond - supporters still delude themselves that they are one of the "big four". Richmond have underperformed for a very long time and I cannot see an end to it despite numerous early draft picks. They will improve as their young squad matures, but they still seem to lack a real spark.
Carlton - easily the worst performer so far this century. I HATE Carlton - not just for their cheating or the underlying mentality, but the sheer arrogance of their club officials and a good many of their supporters. Many prefer to believe that their club tanked, than accept that they were simply crap. Pagan had no clue. The players had no heart. They are now our whipping boys and boy I love that :). They have accumulated a great deal of talent (by virtue of being so crap for sooooo long). Their supporters are already jumping up and down about their great club and its fantastic squad. They have not done anything worthwhile yet. Even with Judd and a bevvy of No. 1 picks, I think we can maintain our nice little consecutive run of wins against them. They have found the money to go and rape Ireland of its best kids, yet still owe literally millions. Sure they have to improve on what they were: they were the worst by miles.