- May 28, 2013
- 25,333
- 27,162
- AFL Club
- North Melbourne
- Other Teams
- Seattle Seahawks
1st Hawthorn – the team to beat for me. The loss of Buddy has been off set with Roughie taking up the reins on the forward line – add Gunston, Bruest and Hale and they have plenty of players to cover the loss of Buddy’s goals. A great mix of seasoned tough veterans in Lewis, Sewell and have added some outside run and skill with Anderson, Hill and Smith. Suckling and Shoenamkers will be 2 good in’s for 2014 and I think they have the steal of the draft if they can get Garlett’s head right. I liked the move of Mitchell back – when joined with Hodge they have 2 players that use the ball so well out of the backline. Lake, Gibson and Stratten are good key backs. They had an incredibly hard draw in 2013 and only lost to 2 teams – won’t make the same mistakes after 2008 and will be right in the mix to go back to back.
2nd Sydney – gone are the days of under rating this side. Fantastic midfield that is hard working and skillful – Kennedy, Jack, Hannebery are exceptional – Parker and Rohan are also coming along nicely. Buddy and Tippett could be a big problem for a lot of teams that do not have 2 very good tall backs. Pykie has turned into a very good ruckman and McVeigh a very good backmen. They have elite players on ever line and will be extremely hard to beat. They will still get good service from Goodes and O’Keefe but the reliance on these players have shifted to the new stars coming through. A Hawks V Swans Grand Final would be interesting!!
3rd Fremantle – have to back it up after the disappointment of losing a Grand Final. That should keep the fire burning during the pre-season and push them to top 4 again. There will be a lot of players that will want redemption after a really poor Grand Final. Pav and Sandlinds can stay fit they should be looking at top 4 again. Lyon is good coach but needs a flag to be great. 4 Grand Finals with no silver ware is a worry – the thing he does is make average players good and can instill a confidence in his team. Rarely broken open in games this team is the hardest to score on. Fyfe, Barlow and Mundy are fantastic mids and the hard working Crowley is rarely beaten and the best lock down pinching tagger in the comp. Ugly football to watch but very effective.
4th Collingwood – their midfield is far too good to slip as some predict. I could not find a better 3 mids than Pendles, Swan and Beams. If Beams gets back to 2012 form then the Pies will win a lot of games. Cloke is still the best contested mark in the comp and Ben Reid one of the best swingmen. They have drafted well – a good young aggressive ruck in Grundy last year and with 2 top 10 picks this year who could put pressure on some senior players. I think it will be positive getting rid of Didak, Johnson and Shaw. With 8 kids making their debut in 2013 should see Collingwood very competitive.
5th Geelong – remarkable that they are still in contention – drafting has been great and they keep fighting even after losing champions – this year it was Chapman and Corey. My big query is on them is if Hawkins can stand up for a full year. With Pods gone the back up looks thin. The VFL kids are yet to prove themselves at AFL level. But they plan a tough hard brand of football lead by their courageous captain. Under rated players like Christenson, Duncan and the skill and flair of Motlop and Stokes will keep producing wins for them. Will be very hard to beat in Geelong and have one of the strongest home ground advantages in the AFL.
6th North Melbourne – one of the hyped teams in this off season. Had a good year in the sense of no team really blew us away – but the bad was not icing games and losing too many close ones. I see this as a good sign and this can change quickly with the maturing of a young team. The addition of Dal Santo will be a positive one and should help release with Wells or Harvey or both. Few teams tag 2 players. 2014 is the year Ziebell and Cunnington need to make the jump from good to very good. With Thompson now an elite defender we look strong on most lines. A fit Grima, Thomas holding his form and a couple of the kids improving should see us playing finals. Would like to see one of Atley or Mullet push into the midfield as McDonald takes a position on the back flank.
7th Richmond – I like what Hardwick has done with this team. The recruiting of tough young kids like Ellis, Valastin, Morris and Conca has really complemented the gun mids of Cotchin, Deledio and Martin. Defense can be a worry but Chaplin has been a good pick up. Riewoldt can be as good as any forward on his day but can also sook and put in a shocker – reducing these shockers will only help his team. They also need more out of Vickery and Maric to get back to his 2012 form. Saying that - this is a different Tigers from the last 30 years when they would play finals and then become pus for many years after.
8th essendon– the Dr Jeckal and Mr Hyde of AFL – start seasons very well and end them terribly. 2012 was injuries, 2013 drugs scandal. Will be interesting to see what excuse the bomber faithful come up with in 2014. Could be a mixture of both or they many invent a new one. Watson is finally getting some help in the midfield from Goodard and Heppell. The concern is the players like Zaka and Stanton only willing to run one way. Melksham finally had a good year but off set the poor year from Myers and Jetta. Backline is solid with Hooker becoming good down back, Hibbard having a very good year and Carlisle having a great 1st half of 2013. The problem is the forward line – their leading goal kicker of the last 3 years walked out, Hurley had another really disappointing year, Winderlich keeps breaking down and Daniher is just a kid not ready to lead a forward line. Chappy like Winderlich has a big question mark after only playing 8 games in 2013. If the rumors are true they are going to switch their best KP back to the forward line the hole could open up there. Can’t see them kicking enough winning scores to finish higher than 8th. 3 peat in 2014 would be MASSIVE and I know Lance Uppercut was looking foward to this prediction.
9th Port Adelaide – I thought they took a lot of teams by surprise in 2013 and also got off to a flier defeating – Dees, GWS, Crows, Suns and WCE – all non-finalists – it’s hard to miss finals with a 5-0 start. Still it was a great effort I am not sure they will get the same flyer and teams will put more work into them. They found a future star in Wingard, Boak is a fantastic player and have some fire power with Schutlz and Westoff. Harlett need to break the shackles of the tag and become more consistent. Wines made a great impact early and faded and will be better with another pre-season. Carlile and Trengove are solid down back. Monfies had his best season after escaping from windy hill.
10th Carlton – speaking with a Blue official I am now convinced they won’t play finals in 2014. You need a decent level of improvement in a few players to go forward and only Henderson did that in 2013. Yarren and Garlett have never been taught to play in the midfield which would be handy as Judd, Murphy and Carrazzo still shoulder most of the work here. Henderson is their best back and forward and they really need 2 of him. Jamsion is good but without Henderson back the defense looks brittle. Waite is good but his body lets him down and without Henderson forward the attack looks brittle. Still not getting enough from Kreuzer who does not how to get an easy kick – a lot of 8-3 games. Also Gibbs plays the quarter back role well but still does not impose himself on enough games as a number 1 draft pick should. Winning that final handed them a harder draw which will hurt in 2014.
11th West Coast Eagles – home ground advantage should see them win enough games without bottoming out. With Cox’s career coming to an end Nic Nat needs to shoulder most of the ruck – this means staying fit. The midfield is an issue and not much flair once Gaff is locked down – it looks very one paced. The new ducking rule will affect this team more than any other. Defense is solid with Waters, Hurn, McKenzie and Glass and Forward line does have potency with Darling, Kennedy and the class of LeCras– like the Swans opposition teams will need 2 very good KP backs – flip a coin for 8th between WCE and the Crows.
12th Adelaide Crows– really tough to predict the Crows. Would not be surprised if they played finals of finished bottom 6. A lot of what if’s for me. Tex missing until round 15 is a big loss and will cost the Crows finals. Dangerfield, Solane and Thompson look like they have some back up in Crouch and Grigg. Good tall backs in Rutten and Talia. Eddie Betts will be handy in the forward line and with Petrenko could be handful. Hard to see finals without Walker for most of the year.
13th Gold Coast Suns – will be harder to beat again in 2014 – especially at home. The Suns really struggle away from Meticon and that is due to having a young list and their results are deplorable. In 2013 they only defeated one team that played finals and 6 of their 8 wins were against bottom 4 teams. A harder draw will negate the improvement in the kids. The midfield will be very good shortly – if the hype around Martin is true the rising star is heading to QLD again. Midfield is a strength and the back line is good. Still a question mark on the forward line with the bigger kids needing more time. Ablett is still the game’s best player and will do his thing again. I am tipping 2016 as the year the start their move – hopefully teams have long memories when finally their players become free agents.
14th Western Bulldogs – I like what McCarthy is doing with the Dogs. Of the bottom 4 they have the most to look forward to in 2014. Griffen took a step into the Elite midfield group and Minson the best ruckmen in 2013. Libba exceeded all expectations and became a contested beast. As above – to go forward you need players to have decent improvement and these 3 defiantly did. Carmeri will add some fire power which was needed as the forward line is an issue. Actually key backs and forwards are a worry. Grant and Jones show glimpses forward but only go in patches and at the other end Roughead and Talia are works in progress. Fast track the development of McCrae, Stringer, Hunter, Hovat and Bontempelli should see them on the move.
15th Brisbane – trouble here. 5 players walked out on the club, coach sacked midyear and difficulty with their bottom line. Their supporters will argue the 5 that walked are in the best 22 but they were picks – 5, 8, 12, 25, 30, Three 1st rounder’s and two 2nd rounder’s will hurt. The midfield is good as the triple R’s can play, Zorko and Hanley were good in 2013 and. Mayes showed he will be a player, Leuenberger is looking very good but no back up if he goes down. Merret and Patfull solid down back and they get good support from Adcock and Maguire.
The forward line is a mess however - Brown is on his last legs but still kicked the most goals in 2013. Don’t know where the goals will come from. Long year ahead for the Lions.
GAP!!!
16th Melbourne – no surprise to see these next 3 down the bottom. Dees get the nod because of their forward line. A fit Clarke, Dawes, Hogan and Howe could provide some headaches. Jones still battles away and hopefully gets more support from Trengove, Tyson, Viney and Toumpas. Cross will get games as these kids will need support. Frawley is a very good backmen but he and Garland are like the little boy with his finger in the dyke. Hopefully Watts can start to show something and they should be more competitive under Roos. You are going to have to be patient Dee fans.
17th St Kilda – Ross Lyon saw the writing on the wall and got as far away from this ship wreck as possible. 2010 must seem like a life time ago. It is hard to believe they played finals in 2011. Goodard and now NDS have moved on and Roo, Montagna and Hayes are heading towards the end of their careers. Really like Jack Stevens and Armitage tries hard – but the midfield is weak, the back line short and the forward line terrible apart from Riewoldt. Big holes that will take a while to dig themselves out of. Not sure even Plugger35 can continue to blame the umpires for the losses they will racked up in 2014.
18th GWS – This is the 1st time that GWS is a chance of avoiding the wooden spoon. They could finish above the Saints or Dees. Cameron is a superstar in the making – add Boyd and Patten and the Giants forward line is as potentially potent as the Suns midfeild. But the KPP kids will take time and this is why I have them last. Shaw, Hunt and Mummy will add some much needed experience to help bring the kids along. The backline is developing but still raw and they will struggle against some of the big power forwards in the comp. Midfield is more grunt than the Suns and they look like a very good contested ball team in the future.
2nd Sydney – gone are the days of under rating this side. Fantastic midfield that is hard working and skillful – Kennedy, Jack, Hannebery are exceptional – Parker and Rohan are also coming along nicely. Buddy and Tippett could be a big problem for a lot of teams that do not have 2 very good tall backs. Pykie has turned into a very good ruckman and McVeigh a very good backmen. They have elite players on ever line and will be extremely hard to beat. They will still get good service from Goodes and O’Keefe but the reliance on these players have shifted to the new stars coming through. A Hawks V Swans Grand Final would be interesting!!
3rd Fremantle – have to back it up after the disappointment of losing a Grand Final. That should keep the fire burning during the pre-season and push them to top 4 again. There will be a lot of players that will want redemption after a really poor Grand Final. Pav and Sandlinds can stay fit they should be looking at top 4 again. Lyon is good coach but needs a flag to be great. 4 Grand Finals with no silver ware is a worry – the thing he does is make average players good and can instill a confidence in his team. Rarely broken open in games this team is the hardest to score on. Fyfe, Barlow and Mundy are fantastic mids and the hard working Crowley is rarely beaten and the best lock down pinching tagger in the comp. Ugly football to watch but very effective.
4th Collingwood – their midfield is far too good to slip as some predict. I could not find a better 3 mids than Pendles, Swan and Beams. If Beams gets back to 2012 form then the Pies will win a lot of games. Cloke is still the best contested mark in the comp and Ben Reid one of the best swingmen. They have drafted well – a good young aggressive ruck in Grundy last year and with 2 top 10 picks this year who could put pressure on some senior players. I think it will be positive getting rid of Didak, Johnson and Shaw. With 8 kids making their debut in 2013 should see Collingwood very competitive.
5th Geelong – remarkable that they are still in contention – drafting has been great and they keep fighting even after losing champions – this year it was Chapman and Corey. My big query is on them is if Hawkins can stand up for a full year. With Pods gone the back up looks thin. The VFL kids are yet to prove themselves at AFL level. But they plan a tough hard brand of football lead by their courageous captain. Under rated players like Christenson, Duncan and the skill and flair of Motlop and Stokes will keep producing wins for them. Will be very hard to beat in Geelong and have one of the strongest home ground advantages in the AFL.
6th North Melbourne – one of the hyped teams in this off season. Had a good year in the sense of no team really blew us away – but the bad was not icing games and losing too many close ones. I see this as a good sign and this can change quickly with the maturing of a young team. The addition of Dal Santo will be a positive one and should help release with Wells or Harvey or both. Few teams tag 2 players. 2014 is the year Ziebell and Cunnington need to make the jump from good to very good. With Thompson now an elite defender we look strong on most lines. A fit Grima, Thomas holding his form and a couple of the kids improving should see us playing finals. Would like to see one of Atley or Mullet push into the midfield as McDonald takes a position on the back flank.
7th Richmond – I like what Hardwick has done with this team. The recruiting of tough young kids like Ellis, Valastin, Morris and Conca has really complemented the gun mids of Cotchin, Deledio and Martin. Defense can be a worry but Chaplin has been a good pick up. Riewoldt can be as good as any forward on his day but can also sook and put in a shocker – reducing these shockers will only help his team. They also need more out of Vickery and Maric to get back to his 2012 form. Saying that - this is a different Tigers from the last 30 years when they would play finals and then become pus for many years after.
8th essendon– the Dr Jeckal and Mr Hyde of AFL – start seasons very well and end them terribly. 2012 was injuries, 2013 drugs scandal. Will be interesting to see what excuse the bomber faithful come up with in 2014. Could be a mixture of both or they many invent a new one. Watson is finally getting some help in the midfield from Goodard and Heppell. The concern is the players like Zaka and Stanton only willing to run one way. Melksham finally had a good year but off set the poor year from Myers and Jetta. Backline is solid with Hooker becoming good down back, Hibbard having a very good year and Carlisle having a great 1st half of 2013. The problem is the forward line – their leading goal kicker of the last 3 years walked out, Hurley had another really disappointing year, Winderlich keeps breaking down and Daniher is just a kid not ready to lead a forward line. Chappy like Winderlich has a big question mark after only playing 8 games in 2013. If the rumors are true they are going to switch their best KP back to the forward line the hole could open up there. Can’t see them kicking enough winning scores to finish higher than 8th. 3 peat in 2014 would be MASSIVE and I know Lance Uppercut was looking foward to this prediction.
9th Port Adelaide – I thought they took a lot of teams by surprise in 2013 and also got off to a flier defeating – Dees, GWS, Crows, Suns and WCE – all non-finalists – it’s hard to miss finals with a 5-0 start. Still it was a great effort I am not sure they will get the same flyer and teams will put more work into them. They found a future star in Wingard, Boak is a fantastic player and have some fire power with Schutlz and Westoff. Harlett need to break the shackles of the tag and become more consistent. Wines made a great impact early and faded and will be better with another pre-season. Carlile and Trengove are solid down back. Monfies had his best season after escaping from windy hill.
10th Carlton – speaking with a Blue official I am now convinced they won’t play finals in 2014. You need a decent level of improvement in a few players to go forward and only Henderson did that in 2013. Yarren and Garlett have never been taught to play in the midfield which would be handy as Judd, Murphy and Carrazzo still shoulder most of the work here. Henderson is their best back and forward and they really need 2 of him. Jamsion is good but without Henderson back the defense looks brittle. Waite is good but his body lets him down and without Henderson forward the attack looks brittle. Still not getting enough from Kreuzer who does not how to get an easy kick – a lot of 8-3 games. Also Gibbs plays the quarter back role well but still does not impose himself on enough games as a number 1 draft pick should. Winning that final handed them a harder draw which will hurt in 2014.
11th West Coast Eagles – home ground advantage should see them win enough games without bottoming out. With Cox’s career coming to an end Nic Nat needs to shoulder most of the ruck – this means staying fit. The midfield is an issue and not much flair once Gaff is locked down – it looks very one paced. The new ducking rule will affect this team more than any other. Defense is solid with Waters, Hurn, McKenzie and Glass and Forward line does have potency with Darling, Kennedy and the class of LeCras– like the Swans opposition teams will need 2 very good KP backs – flip a coin for 8th between WCE and the Crows.
12th Adelaide Crows– really tough to predict the Crows. Would not be surprised if they played finals of finished bottom 6. A lot of what if’s for me. Tex missing until round 15 is a big loss and will cost the Crows finals. Dangerfield, Solane and Thompson look like they have some back up in Crouch and Grigg. Good tall backs in Rutten and Talia. Eddie Betts will be handy in the forward line and with Petrenko could be handful. Hard to see finals without Walker for most of the year.
13th Gold Coast Suns – will be harder to beat again in 2014 – especially at home. The Suns really struggle away from Meticon and that is due to having a young list and their results are deplorable. In 2013 they only defeated one team that played finals and 6 of their 8 wins were against bottom 4 teams. A harder draw will negate the improvement in the kids. The midfield will be very good shortly – if the hype around Martin is true the rising star is heading to QLD again. Midfield is a strength and the back line is good. Still a question mark on the forward line with the bigger kids needing more time. Ablett is still the game’s best player and will do his thing again. I am tipping 2016 as the year the start their move – hopefully teams have long memories when finally their players become free agents.
14th Western Bulldogs – I like what McCarthy is doing with the Dogs. Of the bottom 4 they have the most to look forward to in 2014. Griffen took a step into the Elite midfield group and Minson the best ruckmen in 2013. Libba exceeded all expectations and became a contested beast. As above – to go forward you need players to have decent improvement and these 3 defiantly did. Carmeri will add some fire power which was needed as the forward line is an issue. Actually key backs and forwards are a worry. Grant and Jones show glimpses forward but only go in patches and at the other end Roughead and Talia are works in progress. Fast track the development of McCrae, Stringer, Hunter, Hovat and Bontempelli should see them on the move.
15th Brisbane – trouble here. 5 players walked out on the club, coach sacked midyear and difficulty with their bottom line. Their supporters will argue the 5 that walked are in the best 22 but they were picks – 5, 8, 12, 25, 30, Three 1st rounder’s and two 2nd rounder’s will hurt. The midfield is good as the triple R’s can play, Zorko and Hanley were good in 2013 and. Mayes showed he will be a player, Leuenberger is looking very good but no back up if he goes down. Merret and Patfull solid down back and they get good support from Adcock and Maguire.
The forward line is a mess however - Brown is on his last legs but still kicked the most goals in 2013. Don’t know where the goals will come from. Long year ahead for the Lions.
GAP!!!
16th Melbourne – no surprise to see these next 3 down the bottom. Dees get the nod because of their forward line. A fit Clarke, Dawes, Hogan and Howe could provide some headaches. Jones still battles away and hopefully gets more support from Trengove, Tyson, Viney and Toumpas. Cross will get games as these kids will need support. Frawley is a very good backmen but he and Garland are like the little boy with his finger in the dyke. Hopefully Watts can start to show something and they should be more competitive under Roos. You are going to have to be patient Dee fans.
17th St Kilda – Ross Lyon saw the writing on the wall and got as far away from this ship wreck as possible. 2010 must seem like a life time ago. It is hard to believe they played finals in 2011. Goodard and now NDS have moved on and Roo, Montagna and Hayes are heading towards the end of their careers. Really like Jack Stevens and Armitage tries hard – but the midfield is weak, the back line short and the forward line terrible apart from Riewoldt. Big holes that will take a while to dig themselves out of. Not sure even Plugger35 can continue to blame the umpires for the losses they will racked up in 2014.
18th GWS – This is the 1st time that GWS is a chance of avoiding the wooden spoon. They could finish above the Saints or Dees. Cameron is a superstar in the making – add Boyd and Patten and the Giants forward line is as potentially potent as the Suns midfeild. But the KPP kids will take time and this is why I have them last. Shaw, Hunt and Mummy will add some much needed experience to help bring the kids along. The backline is developing but still raw and they will struggle against some of the big power forwards in the comp. Midfield is more grunt than the Suns and they look like a very good contested ball team in the future.
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