Who will win the 2019 flag?

[kaiserchief13]

Which team? I think the teams who won't win are Brisbane, Carlton, Fremantle, Gold Coast, St Kilda

I don't think you can write anyone else off though

I think it may be time for GWS though

 

[juss]

I have a feeling about Melbourne, reckon they are a big chance and they're my tip. I think Eagles, Tigers and Giants are big contenders too.

I'm 90% confident the flag will come from one of Melbourne, Eagles, Tigers, Giants, Magpies, Bombers.

 

[My Tilly]

Richmond are certainties with Lynch added to the mix.
The one poor game they played all year is what stopped them from going b2b.

 

[kaiserchief13]

Richmond are certainties with Lynch added to the mix.
The one poor game they played all year is what stopped them from going b2b.

Other than the fact they lost 5 other games? They haven't copped bad injuries to any key player for a month or longer in years as well

 

[Procrastinator35]

I have a feeling about Melbourne, reckon they are a big chance and they're my tip. I think Eagles, Tigers and Giants are big contenders too.

I'm 90% confident the flag will come from one of Melbourne, Eagles, Tigers, Giants, Magpies, Bombers.

Bombers?....You been smoking that jungle juice then?

No forward-line whatsoever.

 

[emuboy]

Richmond are certainties with Lynch added to the mix.
The one poor game they played all year is what stopped them from going b2b.

If Richmond had beaten Collingwood in the PF, the GF result would have been a comfortable premiership victory to the Eagles as the Tigers don't match up well with West Coast who have their measure. Richmond are vulnerable in the air, and West Coast, Collingwood and other sides were able to exploit this in matches where the Tigers were beaten.

Anyway, adding a high profile full forward is no guarantee of premiership success. The Sydney Swans recruited Kurt Tippett from Adelaide after the 2012 season and Buddy Franklin from Hawthorn after 2013. How many flags did the Swans win with Tippett and Franklin in the team?

 

[Pee Tear Griffin]

My prediction is the Eagles will go B2B, much as it pains me to say it. The Bombers will be dangerous and could be a dark horse if Daniher can find top form, but I still think their midfield - even with the addition of Shiel - just isn't powerful/deep enough compared to last years top 4 (counting these as the pre-lim finalists rather than regular season ladder). They'll get bullied in a few matches and will have to rely a lot on their (admittedly excellent at times) rebound from defense to set up scoring opportunities.

 

[juss]

Bombers?....You been smoking that jungle juice then?

No forward-line whatsoever.

I'm obviously more confident on the first 5, but Bombers are the team I could see winning it from nowhere, if any.
*Largely depends on if Daniher has any impact on the season and their key players remain fit.
I personally don't see the flag coming from the other 12 sides, reckon it's coming from one of those 6.

 

[juss]

If Richmond had beaten Collingwood in the PF, the GF result would have been a comfortable premiership victory to the Eagles as the Tigers don't match up well with West Coast who have their measure. Richmond are vulnerable in the air, and West Coast, Collingwood and other sides were able to exploit this in matches where the Tigers were beaten.

Anyway, adding a high profile full forward is no guarantee of premiership success. The Sydney Swans recruited Kurt Tippett from Adelaide after the 2012 season and Buddy Franklin from Hawthorn after 2013. How many flags did the Swans win with Tippett and Franklin in the team?

This bolded part is correct, but it's not a guarantee they would have won.
Adelaide were expected to smash Richmond in 2017 as they had done so earlier in 2017 at Adelaide Oval. Didn't happen.
Richmond were expected to beat Collingwood, as they had beaten them twice in 2018 already. Didn't happen.

Just because West Coast beat Richmond very well early in the season at Optus doesn't guarantee they would have won. Sure they might have, could have, maybe would have, but its an unknown. They lost 1 game there of their last 22 or something like that, so by far have the best record there of any team recently. Not every result goes to prediction or expectation.

 

[My Tilly]

Other than the fact they lost 5 other games? They haven't copped bad injuries to any key player for a month or longer in years as well

So because they manage their players better than most and avoid major injuries, it's some kind of negative moving ahead?
They lost Prestia and Rioli for a good chunk of the season last year. Both are two of their most important players.

If Richmond had beaten Collingwood in the PF, the GF result would have been a comfortable premiership victory to the Eagles as the Tigers don't match up well with West Coast who have their measure. Richmond are vulnerable in the air, and West Coast, Collingwood and other sides were able to exploit this in matches where the Tigers were beaten.

West Coast always win in Perth and Naitanui dominated that day.
He missed the rest of the year so massive swing back in favor of Richmond.

Anyway, adding a high profile full forward is no guarantee of premiership success. The Sydney Swans recruited Kurt Tippett from Adelaide after the 2012 season and Buddy Franklin from Hawthorn after 2013. How many flags did the Swans win with Tippett and Franklin in the team?

Kurt Tippett was a solid forward and backup ruckman but he was never in the same class as Tom Lynch. Lynch has one of the best tanks for a big man in the game. His game is completely based around working his opponents into the ground (like Riewoldt). He also a better marking option than Franklin. You can look for Lynch on a wing to take a much needed contested grab whereas Franklin will never be able to do this for his team.
He's going to be a headache for all opposing teams in 2019.

Think of what Geelong was like before they got Brad Ottens. A player like that completely alters a teams destiny.

 

[Red Black and Blue]

Bombers?....You been smoking that jungle juice then?

No forward-line whatsoever.

Fourth best forward line in the competition according to champion data. That’s without Daniher as well. Not sure how you can look at Fantasia, Stringer, Smith, Tippa and come away with no forward line unless your football knowledge is lacking.

 

[Procrastinator35]

Fourth best forward line in the competition according to champion data. That’s without Daniher as well. Not sure how you can look at Fantasia, Stringer, Smith, Tippa and come away with no forward line unless your football knowledge is lacking.

And therein lies the rub....Champion data's new statistical format has entirely lost the plot as any kind of an objective measure whatsoever.

When Tippa is delineated as 'elite' then that's fairly well a dead give-away.

 

[Red Black and Blue]

And therein lies the rub....Champion data's new statistical format has entirely lost the plot as any kind of an objective measure whatsoever.

When Tippa is delineated as 'elite' then that's fairly well a dead give-away.

Dependent on how you weight certain attributes, is a multifaceted game that leads to a better team performance better than an individual that has good numbers yet lacks that influence. Aka Richmond 17’ vs Adelaide’s. Give me Tippas functionality over larger individual numbers.

 

[Procrastinator35]

Dependent on how you weight certain attributes, is a multifaceted game that leads to a better team performance better than an individual that has good numbers yet lacks that influence. Aka Richmond 17’ vs Adelaide’s. Give me Tippas functionality over larger individual numbers.

Sorry, but when they don't even rate the current Brownlow medallist, who has broken the league possessions record 2x in the past 2 seasons, in the Top 25 players; Then nothing anyone says about the current Champion Data format, is going to convince me otherwise of it's utter ineptitude.

 

[00Stinger]

West Coast, Collingwood, Richmond, Melbourne and Adelaide.

The winner comes from that group

 

[kaiserchief13]

So because they manage their players better than most and avoid major injuries, it's some kind of negative moving ahead?
They lost Prestia and Rioli for a good chunk of the season last year. Both are two of their most important players.



West Coast always win in Perth and Naitanui dominated that day.
He missed the rest of the year so massive swing back in favor of Richmond.



Kurt Tippett was a solid forward and backup ruckman but he was never in the same class as Tom Lynch. Lynch has one of the best tanks for a big man in the game. His game is completely based around working his opponents into the ground (like Riewoldt). He also a better marking option than Franklin. You can look for Lynch on a wing to take a much needed contested grab whereas Franklin will never be able to do this for his team.
He's going to be a headache for all opposing teams in 2019.

Think of what Geelong was like before they got Brad Ottens. A player like that completely alters a teams destiny.

There are soft tissue injuries and there are luck injuries- knee ankle shoulder leg break etc all luck. When did Richmond last have an ACL tear to one of their top 10 or 15 players?

 

[Bazza97]

For me, I reckon there are 10 serious contenders. Adelaide, Collingwood, Essendon, Geelong, GWS, Melbourne, North Melbourne, Richmond, Sydney and West Coast. I can see any of those teams winning it. At this stage, Richmond would be my early tip for the flag.

 

[OffTheBit]

There is only so long a fairly average list can maintain the intensity Richmond played with, cant see them being anywhere near it even with Tom "personality of a dormant agapanthus" Lynch. West Coasts home game are the biggest advantage any team has in the comp so i put them back in the final 2. For the other a spot im feeling a smokie this year. The other night after a warm shower i let my mirrow fog up and then flicked my tooth brush at it and stated that whatever letter i could make out would be the first letter of the 2019 premiers. Could clearly make out a B. Make of that what you will.

 

[Lsta062]

If Richmond had beaten Collingwood in the PF, the GF result would have been a comfortable premiership victory to the Eagles as the Tigers don't match up well with West Coast who have their measure. Richmond are vulnerable in the air, and West Coast, Collingwood and other sides were able to exploit this in matches where the Tigers were beaten.

I don't know about that because Richmond at the MCG is different to Richmond interstate, which is why Adelaide has lost the last 2 matches against Richmond here by 48 and 47 points despite dominating the air and smashing Richmond by 76 and 36 in AO during the same years. This is a side we match up worse against than West Coast or Collingwood. Therefore, being good in the air does not necessarily lead to victory here since Richmond's pressure at the MCG is so relentless.

In the whole of 2018, Collingwood is the only team that was able to beat Richmond in the air at the MCG to an extent that mattered, and that was only after Collingwood's third attempt for the year. It's no guarantee that West Coast would have done what Collingwood did having not played Richmond even once at the MCG beforehand just as the guarantee was not there for Adelaide in similar circumstances.

Anyway, adding a high profile full forward is no guarantee of premiership success. The Sydney Swans recruited Kurt Tippett from Adelaide after the 2012 season and Buddy Franklin from Hawthorn after 2013. How many flags did the Swans win with Tippett and Franklin in the team?

This I agree with. It is not a guarantee that Richmond win a Premiership after adding a high profile KPF. However, it does not necessarily mean that you will not win the Premiership either. Remember that Sydney made the Grand Final in 2014 and 2016 after finishing minor premiers in those years so I still think it was worth it.

 

[Procrastinator35]

For me, I reckon there are 10 serious contenders. Adelaide, Collingwood, Essendon, Geelong, GWS, Melbourne, North Melbourne, Richmond, Sydney and West Coast. I can see any of those teams winning it. At this stage, Richmond would be my early tip for the flag.

Essendon, Geelong, North Melb & Sydney as 'serious contenders'?.....You're having a laugh.

 

[Bazza97]

Essendon, Geelong, North Melb & Sydney as 'serious contenders'?.....You're having a laugh.

Nah not at all. I can see either of those teams improve their ladder position in 2019. There was not a lot separating the top 12 teams last year so I don't think it's beyond any of Essendon, Geelong, North Melbourne or Sydney to elevate themselves and become premiership contenders this year.

 

[Coach_Required]

If Richmond had beaten Collingwood in the PF, the GF result would have been a comfortable premiership victory to the Eagles as the Tigers don't match up well with West Coast who have their measure. Richmond are vulnerable in the air, and West Coast, Collingwood and other sides were able to exploit this in matches where the Tigers were beaten.

Anyway, adding a high profile full forward is no guarantee of premiership success. The Sydney Swans recruited Kurt Tippett from Adelaide after the 2012 season and Buddy Franklin from Hawthorn after 2013. How many flags did the Swans win with Tippett and Franklin in the team?

I dont usually comment about should have, could have, but that line about West Coast having our measure is utter garbage. We played one bad game in Perth and one bad game in the Prelim. People are quick to forget to suit their arguements. We travelled badly in 2018 but actually travelled pretty well in 2017 .. yet all I hear is we cant travel. The disappointing thing about comments like yours is we have played West Coast only twice in 2 years, once away and once at home and it's 1-1.

Any team in the league is vulnerable in the air if your midfield isnt doing its job., the pies smashed us out of the centre and our backline couldnt stop the quick supply doesnt mean we are vulnerable in the air, it means our midfield needs a kick up the arse.

As for the 2019 flag, its wide open and anyone who can gel together well enough and win a few games in a row is a chance. I dont buy into the Richmond, West Coast, Collingwood & Melbourne only bullcrap. The last 3 years have proven that

 

[Benny78]

As long as it's Geelong, Hawthorn or Sydney I'm happy.

 

[FalcoX]

Its Freos year

 

[OnceKicked50]

No-one had West Coast winning last year, Richmond the year before and Dogs the year before that. Opinion game, not factual statements thread that some may do well to remember.

Anyhow, my opinion is Melbourne fans are getting way ahead of themselves. I wouldn't be shocked if they missed finals, much like Essendon last year and their inability to live up-to the hype.

Essendon it remains to be seen they are anything other than frontrunners, and big question marks remain about their coach.

You would think Richmond, Collingwood, GWS and West Coast will be there when the whips are cracking. Adelaide might be in for a bounce back year and don't discount North finishing top 6.