2017 Ladder Predictions

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BlazeOfGlory

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1 GWS- A super talented list that added another 4 top 20 draft picks plus Deledio. I'd be gobsmacked if they didn't make a prelim at worst again next year.

2 Sydney Swans- A very good team and such a strong club. They'll be contenders again next year. They have a good mix of youth and experience.

3 Western Bulldogs- I can't see them having a premiership hangover. They're a terrific team who will push for back-to-back flags.

4 Melbourne Demons- I wanted to put a smokey in the top 4 and I've gone with the Dee's. I think their team is loaded with talent. Could surprise big time next year. Jones, Lewis, Vince, Hibberd, Garlett, Gawn, are all ready to compete and their young group of Viney, Tyson, McDonald, Hogan, Petracca, Oliver, Brayshaw, Hunt are starting to consistently make an impact at AFL level.

5 Adelaide Crows- I can't see them declining next year so they should finish around the same mark as they did in 2016. They have an outstanding forward line, their defence is solid, their midfield needs work but Sloane is a gun and hopefully for them their younger midfield brigade e.g. the Crouch brothers, Milera and Gallucci can make an impact next year.

6 West Coast Eagles- Nic Nat a big loss but Lycett/Vardy can manage the ruck and Sam Mitchell strengthens their midfield. Hard team to beat at home.

7 St. Kilda Saints- Almost snuck into the finals this year. Added some quality over the off season and gain Carlisle. I'd be surprised if they didn't sneak into the finals in 2017.

8 Geelong Cats- Lost some depth over the off season with the likes of Caddy, Vardy, Kersten and Smedts. I think they rely too much on Selwood/Danger but they should still make finals. I don't see them as contenders next year though.




9 GC Suns- They improved their list big time over the off season adding mature aged midfielders in Hanley, Barlow and Lyons plus 4 top 10 draft picks and if they have a better run with injuries they should finish around this mark. Their bookends are set with Thompson, May, Lynch and Wright and they are now starting to add the quality in the flankers and midfield with guys like Miller, KK, Fiorini, Ah Chee, Ainsworth, Bowes, Brodie, Scrimshaw ect.

10 Hawthorn Hawks- O'Meara is no guarantee to play many games next year and even if he does it'll take him time to return to form. Mitchell and Lewis are big losses and guys like Hodge, Gibson and Burgoyne will be another year older. They won't completely collapse as they still have some great players such as Roughead who will hopefully return, Rioli, Breust ect. but I see other teams passing them leading to them dropping out of the finals.

11 Essendon Bombers- A good list on paper and some terrific young talent. Can't see them making finals next year though. Maybe 2018 onwards. Heppell, Hooker and Hurley are all guns and they are loaded with A standard young talent with Zach Merrett, Daniher, Parish, Francis, McGrath, Fantasia and McDonald-Tinpingwuti.

12 Fremantle Dockers- Had a tough injury run in 2016 and should add Bennell, Hill, Hamling, McCarthy, Kersten and Logue to their best 22 next year. That is a great influx of talent plus the likes of Fyfe, Sandilands and Johnson will hopefully have injury free seasons meaning they'll add 9 quality players to their team that hardly played or didn't play at all in 2016.

13 Collingwood magpies- Defensive unit is a shambles, I don't rate Buckley as a coach and their forward line lacks scoring power. Midfield is quite nice but I can't see them getting anywhere near finals.

14 Port Adelaide- Their players just consistently underperform and I can't see that changing next year. I don't think they did anything drastic over the off season to improve next year and I see teams like the Suns, Bombers and Dockers passing them. Gray, Wingard and Wines all great players and I rate Impey plus Boak goes alright but the rest of the list is either fairly average or talented but inconsistent.

15 Brisbane Lions- We've had trouble with injuries and dysfunctional coaching over the past couple years but we do have a fair bit of talent on the list both young and old so I think we can win 6-7 games next year. DBeams, Rockliff, Rich, Christensen, Robinson, Martin, Bastinac a solid core plus promising young talent with the likes of Schache, Andrews, Cutler, Mayes, Hipwood, McStay, Gardiner, Mathieson, Keays and the new additions of McCluggage and Co.

16 North Melbourne I rate their list higher than most tend to do but I think they'll bottom out for a couple years to add that top end talent of the draft. They've got a good nucleus in Goldstein, Ziebell, Tarrant, Brown, Cunnington and Higgins plus some promising youth in McDonald, Wood, Clarke and Simpkin. Adding a top 3 draft pick both next year and the year after could see them start to build towards something.

17 Richmond Tigers- If they get off to a bad start I can see the wheels completely falling off. Prestia, Caddy and Nankervis all good additions but I don't think their draftees will have that big of an impact and Deledio is a loss. Overall I still think they lack the quality support for the likes of Cotchin, Martin, Riewoldt and Rance and they could easily finish bottom 2 if they have a tough run with injury/lose some confidence early.

18 Carlton Blues- I think one more year at the bottom to add another elite talent to their young core of Weitering, Cripps, Docherty and SPS before climbing up to the 10th-12th range and beyond that can start to look towards finals.

I would be surprised if Carlton were the Wooden Spooners. Surely Brisbane are the strongest contenders for it soon followed by North.
 
Jan 9, 2009
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I would be surprised if Carlton were the Wooden Spooners. Surely Brisbane are the strongest contenders for it soon followed by North.
Who knows. The Blues beat the Lions at Ethiad in 2016 whilst the Lions beat the Blues at the Gabba. Both teams in rebuild mode with some quality young talent but obviously inconsistent sides overall so I don't think it is out of the realms of possibility that either one could finish last whilst the other could finish 14th-16th depending on a few results falling a certain way.
 
Sep 2, 2008
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Lol so we have to go back to back to earn your praise??

Wow

No.

Remember how every one said Collingwood will go on to be a dynasty and win the next few flags? Yet looked what happend.All I'm saying is people should stop premature ejaculating about the Dogs winning the next few flags after 1 amazing year.
 
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Oct 16, 2006
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No problems Whiskers, I feel the same about Geelong ... I keep under-rating them !!

Again this year, I see Corey Enright out and I think how will they cover that?? For us Adelaide supporters, it means you will have to find another player for us to repeatedly kick it too when you play you in 2017 :) I see a fixture that doesn't hand games over for free - and wonder will the Cats hang in?

I think Adelaide have improvement yet, and should continue to climb in 2017 like we did in 2015 and 2016. We had 6 in the all-australian squad last year, and 7 in the 22-under-22. I'm expecting us to be sitting in the group behind GWS and the Bulldogs.

Of course it could all be wishful thinking and we end up being middle of the road ... all in good time I guess.

Using the no Enright reason for us coming back towards you is a very good reason.
I am quite concerned about his loss yes.
 
Oct 16, 2006
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The Crows finished a whopping 4pts behind Geelong in 2016, after Geelong had the luxury of return games against Essendon and the Lions.

To say that "injuries would bury them", like its something that wouldn't effect every other team is just odd.

The crows struck gold in terms of injuries in 2016.
Yeah every team experienced them.... except Adelaide.
 
Sep 2, 2008
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Haha yeah, blame it on them.

Shock!

Anti-doping agencies follow due process and investigate team and players accused (and later found guilty) of doping! It's almost as if they were doing exactly what they're supposed to do.

Don't blame them for the fact that your players were too mentally weak to deal with a proper investigation into their conduct (again, of which they were later found guilty).

I guess you also have lots of sympathy for criminals as they make their way through the justice system as well only to be found guilty of their crimes?

The 'downfall' was because you had a bunch of average footballers who had only played well when they were on the juice and then got found out when they didn't have their chemical boost. Yet apparently the return of those average players coming off a 12 moth layoff is going to catapult you into finals, or top 4 contention?

I can't wait until we beat, then finish above Essendon next season.

Yep you keep telling your self that.
 
All I'm saying is people should stop premature ejaculating about the Dogs winning the next few flags after 1 amazing year.

Most of the ejaculating i've read regarding the next few flags has been about the side we sent packing in the prelim.
 

Frank Gallagher

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Lot of people underestimating Collingwood, I mean bottom 4, seriously? Had a horrendous injury run last year and still managed to win 11 games with a very young list and some think we're going to win 4 or 5 games in 2017? hilarious.
 
Teams would be doing their homework on the Dogs this pre season too.

We heard this narrative a great deal prior to last season after we'd vaulted into the 8 from nowhere.

How'd that work out for everybody?
 

Lsta062

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We heard this narrative a great deal prior to last season after we'd vaulted into the 8 from nowhere.

How'd that work out for everybody?
There is a difference on how much attention a team who lost an EF get in comparison to a team who won the Grand Final from 7th, something that no one did under the current system.

It is up to Beveridge to change things around a bit to maintain the edge in the competition like Clarkson did with Hawthorn in 2013-2015. If they don't, they may be stunned to find that teams have worked out how to counter their gameplan efficiently over the summer and the 2017 season.
 

Kingfish73

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Richmond is not the only team that went down because they failed to improve their list enough. They are just one of the more recent examples.

I am just saying that there is a possibility that Adelaide could be another team that could go down because they haven't brought in star players or solid contributors. Reality is that Adelaide's drafting could prove to be enough to remain in the 8/improve, but if I were to say whether a rise or fall is more likely, then I would slightly lean towards a fall.
On Adelaide side is soft draw. But they don't have depth and midfield is one dimensional. Jacobs looks cooked. They get a flutter of injuries during season, things will become as frail as deck of stacked cards in afternoon breeze.

Melbourne hype. Yeah nah. Won't make 8.

Saints for me big chance of 8 and hope they get there. No easy ride for them getting to where they are now.

Gws, wbd and Sydney to challenge 2017 premiership
 

Lsta062

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On Adelaide side is soft draw. But they don't have depth and midfield is one dimensional. Jacobs looks cooked. They get a flutter of injuries during season, things will become as frail as deck of stacked cards in afternoon breeze.

Melbourne hype. Yeah nah. Won't make 8
Without calling their midfield one-dimensional, I agree with what you said about Adelaide. Don't think they'll survive if injuries hit their midfield. We already had a preview in Round 23 when they got comfortably beaten by West Coast without Sloane.

In regards to Mebourne, they have convinced me more than St Kilda to be honest. Their side is balanced with a decent amount of depth - especially in the midfield. I don't see a part of the ground where they have a glaring weakness. If I were to call out one part of the ground that they are weak in, it would be their defence, but that is still OK IMO.

St Kilda have decent ends but I don't see their midfield as particularly strong. They added Steele over the off-season so maybe that will address their issues in there.

Melbourne and St Kilda are my leading candidates of a top 8 finish from outside the top 8.
 
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passmark

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I do like the thread and (surprisingly) I think most of the predictions seem pretty fair.

I think the comp will be much more competitive this year across the board and I don't think there's too many basket case teams.

100 point thrashings should be rare.
 
Jobe is cooked.
Hooker was always overrated and can't kick.
Hurley is the only really good one.
Heppell is a B+ seagull
Ditto Merrett.
Goddard is king seagull.

Daniher would be good if he could kick.

Yeah. nah. Sorry just don't see it.

Bottom 4 for the dons.

Haha, enjoy the spoon.
Nice list.
 
There is a difference on how much attention a team who lost an EF get in comparison to a team who won the Grand Final from 7th, something that no one did under the current system.

It is up to Beveridge to change things around a bit to maintain the edge in the competition like Clarkson did with Hawthorn in 2013-2015. If they don't, they may be stunned to find that teams have worked out how to counter their gameplan efficiently over the summer and the 2017 season.

Oh, other teams weren't serious last year when all and sundry proclaimed that we were a flash in the pan and that they would pick apart or game plan over the summer and now that we are premiers they will finally get down to countering us out for real? I know that BigFooty loves to smash a narrative into the ground, but the proposition is as preposterous now as it was then.

If there is one thing that we have learnt from Beveridges coaching career thus far, its that it would be extreme folly to think that he is ever tactically static.
 
Naturally.

But, of course, I prefer facts and truth to delusion and denial.

You say that, but there's plenty of delusion and denial in this wall of text.

Alternatively...

True, we lost our best midfielder in Wells, but in the two years prior to this one he barely played and we made two prelims. Recent history proves that we can cope, and indeed, thrive, without him.

Harvey's attacking output and experience is irreplaceable, it will need a collective effort from our young half-forwards in Garner, Turner, Anderson, Hrovat, Wagner and Simpkin, as well as the return of a fully fit Higgins, to make up the difference. If there is a positive in that it is that all of those guys are significantly better defensively than Harvey, but, no doubt, we are a poorer team for his absence.

Dal Santo isn't really a big loss. Sure, he has experience, but he was slow and awful defensively. He also lost a lot of depth and class with his kicking since his hamstring injury. I'm pretty confident we won't feel his loss at all with MacMillan (a much underrated player outside of North) playing more midfield, the continued emergence of Clarke, the addition of Hrovat and McDonald returning to full fitness and moving to the midfield. In fact, an argument could certainly be made that we'll actually be better without him and with a more dynamic mix filling his position/role.

Petrie was lucky to not be dropped this season. He's not a loss at all based on the last 18 months. In fact, his output had diminished so much that I'm of the opinion that we'll be better without him. A tall/medium forward mix of Brown, Waite, Daw and Wood is exciting, dynamic, unpredictable and better without Petrie.

Firrito was solid enough over the last couple of seasons but ultimately he plays the role that is probably the easiest to replace. While decent, he was hardly crucial to our finals run and will be replaced by the returning Wright and a mix of Vickers-Willis (who most believed should have been given a debut this season, particularly after he played really well on Jake Stringer in the VFL) a young guy in Hibberd, the addition of Marley Williams and maybe even Hansen if he can return to his intercepting best. Perhaps not the best group of replacements with most inexperienced, but we don't lose much, if anything, by replacing Firrito with them.

To tally it up, we lose and will definitely miss a mid and a half forward of irreplaceable class and attacking output. But with the exception of experience, that's about it. In fact, by replacing Dal Santo and Petrie with better players or a different mix we may actually improve in those positions.

The positive to consider is the return to full fitness of a lot of players who missed large chunks of this season. Higgins, Wood, Waite, Garner, Jacobs, McDonald and Wright were all absent for significant periods of time and every single one of those guys make us a better side when they're back next season and fully fit. A majority of the replacements for our retirees come from those players, not the inexperienced youth that everyone seems to think we'll play next season. Our core group are all in that 21-26 age group. Turner and Anderson fully fit fit improves our depth as well. Hrovat is borderline best 22 but improves our depth and I'm personally of the opinion that if Marley Williams returns to his 2015 form he's comfortably best 22 by virtue of being better than Atley - although, admittedly, that's a low bar to set.

Anyway, I get that this isn't a North thread but some of the misconceptions from other fans about our retirements and where we're at are hilariously ill-informed and, frankly, absolute nonsense. Personally, I would be gobsmacked if we finish lower than 12th and disappointed if we're not at least challenging for the top 8. Willing to put a full off-season avatar bet on that too if anybody can be bothered remembering it for all of next season.
 

Lsta062

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Oh, other teams weren't serious last year when all and sundry proclaimed that we were a flash in the pan and that they would pick apart or game plan over the summer and now that we are premiers they will finally get down to countering us out for real? I know that BigFooty loves to smash a narrative into the ground, but the proposition is as preposterous now as it was then.

If there is one thing that we have learnt from Beveridges coaching career thus far, its that it would be extreme folly to think that he is ever tactically static.
So you think that Bulldogs got more attention over the off-season than a team like Hawthorn, who just completed a three-peat?

I personally think that Bulldogs' gameplan is tough to counter because of their speedy movement of the ball, but they'll get probably more attention now as the Premier than they did as the loser of an EF last year. This is not an unreasonable thing to state. Won't say that opposition teams will be successful in doing so, but I imagine they'll try harder.

Also, I never said Beveridge's gameplan was static. He just has his work cut out for him if he wants to maintain the edge over the competition. There is a reason why only 2 teams went back-to-back since 2000 (Brisbane and Hawthorn in their three-peat). Even the Geelong team in 2007-2011 didn't go back-to-back despite being one of the best sides in the modern era.

Moreover, you could have make a case for 7 teams winning the Premiership last year before the finals series (GWS, Geelong, Adelaide, Bulldogs, West Coast, Sydney and Hawthorn) and it wouldn't have been a stretch. That is how even the top 7 was IMO. Hence, they could easily be surpassed by most of these teams if they don't work hard enough.
 

Bokonon_

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I do like the thread and (surprisingly) I think most of the predictions seem pretty fair.

I think the comp will be much more competitive this year across the board and I don't think there's too many basket case teams.

100 point thrashings should be rare.
Lets hope. Except when we play Port, but that's personal.
 
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