Prediction Who are the teams keeping you up at night?

[bombard]

Comrades,

As the season CRAWLS towards us, and as the much-vaunted Subway thread slows down, I thought this might keep us occupied. As always, mods, feel free to delete.

With that, which are the teams you're most concerned about this year? Which are the ones keeping you up at night?

(By keeping you up at night, I don't mean the way Yeo keeps Dark Sharks up at night, just to be clear.)

I'll kick it off - as much as it pains me to say this - Freo remain a concern for me. If Harley stays on the straight and narrow, and if Fyfe stays fit - they do look like they MIGHT be able to squeeze another season out of their window.

Also, if Sydney can find a way of getting their forward structures working, maybe they can bob back up. Hawthorn are a constant, but surely - SURELY - the wheels fall off a bit this year?

Honourable mention to Port and the Dogs. Find it hard to see how the former can't bounce back - think the latter might tail off a shade this year with a tougher draw and more opposition scrutiny. They also had a charmed run with injuries last year if memory serves.

 

[kane249]

Hawks are the only ones that really worry me. The rest I think we are more than capable of beating.

 

[Dark Sharks]

You know that dream where you're in bed, and they fly in through the window?

 

[avishka5]

I dont really have any teams keeping me up at night but i think port are the sleeping giants of the comp. If they get back to the way they played in 2014, they will be unstoppable at AO and hard to beat anywhere. Their midfield is one of the best in the comp and their forward line with dixon in could fire up again.

 

[ArdentEagle]

Call me crazy but I think 2016 might be the year that GWS wake up.
A lot of talent on that list.

 

[Godfather32]

I dont really have any teams keeping me up at night but i think port are the sleeping giants of the comp. If they get back to the way they played in 2014, they will be unstoppable at AO and hard to beat anywhere. Their midfield is one of the best in the comp and their forward line with dixon in could fire up again.

Problem with Dixon is that he's injury prone, I think he's out for at least the rest of the pre-season with a knee injury.

 

[kane249]

Call me crazy but I think 2016 might be the year that GWS wake up.
A lot of talent on that list.

Especially if they can keep Mumford injury free

 

[bombard]

I dont really have any teams keeping me up at night but i think port are the sleeping giants of the comp. If they get back to the way they played in 2014, they will be unstoppable at AO and hard to beat anywhere. Their midfield is one of the best in the comp and their forward line with dixon in could fire up again.

Ryder out is a big one for them, however overrated I think he is.

 

[Ochre]

Hawks are the benchmark until proven otherwise.

But really, if football teams are keeping you up at night, seek help.

 

[avishka5]

Problem with Dixon is that he's injury prone, I think he's out for at least the rest of the pre-season with a knee injury.

True but if the midfield gets back to their absolute best like in 2014, they will still be scary good. Dixons addition will benifit their foward structure and will enable shultz to take the second key defender and create havok. Plus you chuck in a fit wines and polec into their midfield, anything can happen.

 

[avishka5]

Ryder out is a big one for them, however overrated I think he is.

Thats also true but the only thing hurting them is not having a pysically mature back up ruckmen. They decided to delist Mason shaw and mitch harvey at the end of last year for Butcher (LOL). Those two would have been handy forward rucks for them this season.

 

[bombard]

Hawks are the benchmark until proven otherwise.

But really, if football teams are keeping you up at night, seek help.

Why's it gotta be like that? I'm boycotting the podcast for that.

 

[Ochre]

Why's it gotta be like that? I'm boycotting the podcast for that.

Please don't. Things like that keep me up at night.

 

[ArdentEagle]

I think we know who is keeping who "up" at night.

 

[iLikeIt]

Not sure if this is the right place for it?

Fremantle - given their midfield I think anyone saying they are dropping out of the top 4 (or some even saying top 8) are crazy personally.
Hawthorn - still a strong list after losing some key players and I think they will drop a little bit further this year. Although come finals, if they make the GF again, they'll be just as tough to beat.
Sydney - predicting they'll still probably make the top 4 but can't see them beating any of the top 3 teams in the finals though.
Richmond - should make the top 8 but don't see them as a serious premiership contender.
Western Bulldogs - a slight drop down the 8 but should sneak in to the finals again.
Adelaide - could see them falling out of the eight with a couple of teams rising and anew coach finding his feet.
North Melbourne - drop out of the eight with a couple of teams going past them.
Port Adelaide - think they'll bounce back in to the eight and possibly even could go as high as the top 4.
Geelong - with their new recruits I think they'll rise in to the eight but not the top 4. Don't think them trying to buy a premiership will pay off (also hope they won't as it will be bad look for the "equalisation" of the game if it does).
GWS - A strong chance to make finals for the first time but thinking they'll just fall short - need a better coach imo.
Collingwood - Can't see them rising past Port, Geelong, GWS or any top 8 side from last year so thinking they'll hold steady.
Melbourne - Will improve but not sure who above them they could possibly displace.
St Kilda - Can see them staying in and around the bottom 4.
Essendon - Almost certainly favourites for the wooden spoon.
Gold Coast - Should bounce back after overcoming lots of injury last year, maybe move a couple of spots upwards but still major issues at their club imo.
Brisbane - will show improvement but staying in the bottom four.
Carlton - developing well but staying in the bottom four I'd think.

So predicting a ladder something like:

1. West Coast
2. Fremantle
3. Hawthorn
4. Sydney
5. Port Adelaide
6. Geelong
7. Richmond
8. Western Bulldogs
9. Adelaide
10. North Melbourne
11. GWS
12. Collingwood
13. Gold Coast
14. Melbourne
15. St Kilda
16. Brisbane
17. Carlton
18. Essendon

I'm not sure about the order of the top 3. I could see Freo finishing on top again but we'd have a good chance to beat them come finals, as would Hawthorn. Think they will still be clearly the best three teams like they were last year.

It's pretty clear to me after doing this just how important a good coach is. The top teams seem to all have them and I'd question almost all of the coaches of the bottom 8 teams - most of them just aren't at a high enough standard to take their teams further imo.

 

[DickDunn]

Hawthorn obviously. Even with Roughie out for the first half and an ageing list, they've still got an outstanding coach and enough quality to pose a real threat.

Freo won't be easy to beat as long as Fyfe is healthy.

Bulldogs are still developing and may well have a harder time this year but looked great in patches last season. They'll be tough at Etihad.

I almost would've said North too, purely because their midfielders seem capable of outmuscling us - but no games in Tasmania this year is a huge win for us.

 

[SpaceClef]

Freo for mine.

 

[Biggie]

 

[Keys]

West coast will be the only team keeping me up at night. We showed last year that at our best we are good enough but fall away from that and we get exposed

It's a matter of making sure we're ready to go week in week out and minimise the number of off days

Hopefully the coaches and players have taken note of the lesson hawthorn gave us

 

[Here2tellyouwhy]

Hawks are the only ones. They can be beaten but I feel for the team that plays them at the G last saturday of September.

Freo no forwards, can't kick a winning score.
Port dangerous but are easy to shut down and no Ryder really hurts them.
Sydney lost nearly 1000 games of experience so will go down not up.
Dogs to young.
North to old.
Richmond just lol. We won more finals last year then thay have in decades.

 

[Dark Sharks]

Hutchings is keeping you up? Who are you, Eaglemaniac or something?

 

[kempy]

For me it will be Leicester City.

11 pm or later kick offs. Hope they can shove it up the billionaire clubs.

 

[Biggie]

Yes

 

[ep2018]

Richmond just lol. We won more finals last year then thay have in decades.

Haha yeah, was thinking this the other day, how they've spent the best part of three years trying to make it past week one while we glided into a GF.

 

[donpyke92]

Haha yeah, was thinking this the other day, how they've spent the best part of three years trying to make it past week one while we glided into a GF.

'Glided', I,m not sure. Earned it with a good club culture, match committee, coaching and the players executing the game plan, (of course you need the cattle =talent, but we deserved a GF appearance, the demolition of the hawks at Subi is all the proof I need that we were genuine contenders). But, yes, poor ol' Richmond....I do feel a bit bad for their supporters. However, they only have themselves to blame from the top, (board) with coaches & recruitment, so a definite lol from me. Don't care, as long as we beat those campaigners at the G & I never have to live through another 10 goal performance from a clown like Jack Reiwoldt