Who is the darkhorse for the spoon in 2016?

[Jugada]

Bombers forward line has been s**t for yonks but they cover elsewhere not to be bottom 2

 

[Dogsman16]

Bombers forward line has been s**t for yonks but they cover elsewhere not to be bottom 2

Hurley and Hooker will probably save them IMO. Best key defensive pairing in the league and only McGovern and Mackenzie come close.

 

[RedLegs#5]

Melbourne and St Kilda seem to be on the up but with a few injuries to senior players they could stumble. Would need Carlton/Brisbane to improve to happen though.

I know you barrack for them, but how have you not included Essendon in that sentence? Both Melbourne and St Kilda finished above them in 2015.

 

[BOMBERS 4 LIFE!!!!]

Hurley and Hooker will probably save them IMO. Best key defensive pairing in the league and only McGovern and Mackenzie come close.

Agree.

Hopefully Mitch Brown and Michael Hartley can join them.

 

[Suma Magic]

Don't think Essendon are good enough to be a dark horse candidate.

 

[ok.crows]

Very tough draw, lost their most important mid, new coach and game plan.

The Crows made the finals in 2015 with one and a half games and percentage to spare, after having played one less game for the 2015 season than 16 other sides, and they endured a major upset to their season.

No draw can be all that much harder than any other ... there are only five teams that a team plays twice and the rest (the majority) of the draw is essentially the same for all sides. Besides the Crows get to play North twice so it isn't all bad.

One important midfield player, another quality midfield hopefully returning from injury having not played in 2015, and from six new players coming into the side hopefully two or three of them can make the team replacing the most ineffective players from the 2015 first 22. This should see the Crows list improve a little in 2016, and hopefully add some speed.

The new coach brings with him the reputation for tactical smarts, and is thought to have had a significant role in West Coast's gameplan of 2015.

One player does not make a team, and even then the Crows won't actually be short a player ... it isn't as though they will have to play with only 21 players each week. The Crows are a very young side (which made the finals anyway despite that) and an extra year's experience for their players can only be a good thing and some improvement can be expected merely through the extra experience.

All in all there are arguably more positives than negatives here. I am quite hopeful for a rise of a few places in 2016 over the 2015 result (finished 6th) and certainly I would not anticipate a fall to last place because of one player!

 

[Dogsman16]

Agree.

Hopefully Mitch Brown and Michael Hartley can join them.

I'm very interested to see what Woosha comes up with in your forward line. Any thoughts on who could provide another avenue to goal (apart from Daniher obviously and swinging Hooker forward).

 

[BOMBERS 4 LIFE!!!!]

Bombers forward line has been s**t for yonks but they cover elsewhere not to be bottom 2

Tell me about it hopefully that changes this year with a few tall blokes in Brown,Hartley etc.

 

[BOMBERS 4 LIFE!!!!]

I'm very interested to see what Woosha comes up with in your forward line. Any thoughts on who could provide another avenue to goal (apart from Daniher obviously and swinging Hooker forward).

Would say one of Brown or Hartley with Leuenberger drifting forward and then have blokes like Coyler,Edwards,Z.Merret crumbing.

 

[frenchconnection]

So who do you think will be the worst side in 2016?
In 2015 i was personally a little surprised that Carlton and Brisbane sucked so much.

Could we have a surprise bottom dweller next year?

North Melbourne??

 

[Van_Dyke]

Hawthorn.....you heard it here first. Remember that. I want my accolades later.

You will hear it from my post first, I'll just edit out my last line

 

[RUNVS]

I know most will disagree but I don't think Brisbane are as bad as their results in 2015 indicate. I think they had a lot of injuries to key players in 2015 and if they can get their injuries right then they should be able to push a lot of really good teams.

 

[manboob]

Can't believe they got rid of Bell.
Thought he was one of the only young players that showed something for them last season.

Family member really ill as far as I can remember.

 

[manboob]

Dons or Suns.

 

[longsuffreosupp]

Essendon

 

[SBYM]

Family member really ill as far as I can remember.

Correct.

His dad is battling cancer...we should def have made him stay...

 

[emuboy]

If I was to pick a dark horse for the 2016 wooden spoon I would select the Richmond Tigers.

Am I saying that the Tigers will win the wooden spoon? Am I going to tip Richmond for the wooden spoon? Will I bet money on a Tiger wooden spoon in 2016? No on each count.

However, Richmond are the most enigmatic team in the competition. They are like the girl with the curl from the nursery rhyme; when they are good they are very good, when they are bad they are terrible. Their biggest problem is a finals hoodoo they have developed, ejected from the finals in three humiliating elimination finals in 2013, 2014 & 2015.

In 2013, 9th placed Carlton (elevated to the finals thanks to Essendon's disqualification) came from more than 5 goals behind to defeat Richmond by 20-points. To make things even worse for the Tigers, the Blues had overcome a deficit of more than 7 goals to defeat them late in the season, so Richmond obviously learned little from this and the adage 'shame on you if you fool me once, shame on me if you fool me twice' aptly described the Tiger humiliation. Then in 2014, Richmond scraped into 8th spot and were given an absolute thrashing by Port Adelaide in a game that looked more like one of the one-sided 1st vs. 8th McIntyre finals. Watching that game, it probably would have been better if Richmond had missed the finals and the Eagles or Crows had taken 8th position. Then in 2015, with Richmond (5th) holding a 21-point lead over North Melbourne (8th), the Tigers had no answer when the Kangaroos turned the game onto their own terms and ran at Richmond, overtaking them and eliminating them from the 2015 season.

All of this must have an effect on the team, especially given Richmond has not won a final since 2001. The Tigers are not a young team, and the majority of players have been together some time. If they were to do something big, it should have happened by now, but it hasn't. Given that Richmond often seem to lack a Plan B when an opposition plays the game on its own terms and has developed a habit of dropping games unexpectedly to lower-ranked opponents, if things go badly for Richmond early in 2016 and their season unravels, yeah a Tiger wooden spoon wouldn't be completely out of the question.

 

[Mr Commissioner]

Essendon have a seriously average midfield - and that's the main issue.

Just got belted too many times. Kids they got early will help, in a few years, but not this year.

 

[LeverPuller]

Geelong.

Why?

Think about the worst case for Geelong.

Enright, Bartel, Mackie, Lonergan fall all the way off the cliff. Menzel and Clark get hurt. Dangerfield simply ain't as good in Geelong. Duncan doesn't come back as well. Motlop has an average year. Stanley doesn't go on with it, Smith fails to fire. Henderson decides to maintain 2015 form.

If some of the above go wrong Geelong don't play finals. If all of the above go wrong, all of a sudden you have a Menegola playing footy out of need rather than want.

 

[Dogsman16]

Would say one of Brown or Hartley with Leuenberger drifting forward and then have blokes like Coyler,Edwards,Z.Merret crumbing.

Not sure how reliant I'd be on Brown or Hartley to kick 25+ goals a season.

I rate Colyer highly, nice player and certainly as a mid can hit the scoreboard.

I'm talking about genuine forwards though. Would be the major concern of mine if I am woosha

 

[manboob]

Geelong.

Why?

Think about the worst case for Geelong.

Enright, Bartel, Mackie, Lonergan fall all the way off the cliff. Menzel and Clark get hurt. Dangerfield simply ain't as good in Geelong. Duncan doesn't come back as well. Motlop has an average year. Stanley doesn't go on with it, Smith fails to fire. Henderson decides to maintain 2015 form.

If some of the above go wrong Geelong don't play finals. If all of the above go wrong, all of a sudden you have a Menegola playing footy out of need rather than want.

That was this year and we missed the finals by a game.

 

[LeverPuller]

That was this year and we missed the finals by a game.

The difference though is who your depth is. Pretty good when Steve Johnson is a depth player. When Smedts is player 23 rather than 27 or 28 it starts to get problematic.

 

[BOMBERS 4 LIFE!!!!]

Not sure how reliant I'd be on Brown or Hartley to kick 25+ goals a season.

I rate Colyer highly, nice player and certainly as a mid can hit the scoreboard.

I'm talking about genuine forwards though. Would be the major concern of mine if I am woosha

Well we did have one until you blokes came along and stole him

 

[Komrade_Tiger]

The Tigers are not a young team, and the majority of players have been together some time.

Wrong on so many levels

 

[BOMBERS 4 LIFE!!!!]

Wrong on so many levels

Agree with emuboy.

Tigers list isn't that young any more it's at a stage where it should be entering it's prime and dominating.