2023 Snakes and ladders.

[maddog37]

Who do we think will be the teams to beat in 2023 and why?

Who will drop off??

Im thinking the Saints will struggle under Ross until he sorts the wheat from the chafe. Collingwood also to struggle as other teams put more defensive work into them.

North to improve as they have a lot of good kids due to improve and a bit of Clarko magic dust.

Freo to continue to climb under a very astute coach.

 

[weltschmerz]

Carlton really should make the 8. Richmond top 4.

 

[Dogs_r_barking]

Carlton to make the 8
Brisbane bottom part of the 8
Richmond top 2
Melbourne bottom part of the 8
Freo to miss the 8
Geelong top 4
Collingwood top 2

 

[Fossie 32]

Geelong oldies to crash

 

[bobs head soup]

Curious as to why people are so bullish on Richmond?

Have been very reliant on a handful in their 30s and not getting any better (Martin, Reiwoldt, Lynch, Edwards, Cotchin, Nank, Grimes etc) and don't see a heap of really good youngsters or even players in their prime.

I see them around midtable, maybe missing the 8.

The team I reckon can really push for the top 4 and go very deep is Freo. Really rate the young midfield they are assembling.

There are always surprises, but my predictions would be;

Top 6 -Dogs, Melbourne, Geelong, Freo, Brisbane, Sydney.

Middle tier - Carlton, Collingwood, Richmond, StKilda, North, Port, Suns, Adelaide

Bottom few - Essendon, GWS, Hawthorn, WCE,

 

[BallaratBulldog]

Collingwood probably get a tougher draw and might not be in the end of so many close games that they fall a bit

 

[Al dente]

I think a fit Melbourne are the team to beat

Just heard a rumour Marcus Adams hasnt recovered from concussions and his career is in doubt. the guy has had no luck

 

[TiAn_]

Carlton to make top 4
Freo or Dogs to drop out

 

[doggies ftw]

I think a fit Melbourne are the team to beat

Just heard a rumour Marcus Adams hasnt recovered from concussions and his career is in doubt. the guy has had no luck

Feel for the guy, rotten luck. Leaves Brisbane pretty underwhelming in defence (which is a good thing for us mind you)

Freo have a pretty awesome team coming together but geez how do they kick a score? No Lobb, even Logue was one of their best talls up there - Jackson isn’t a good forward.

Melbourne gonna be hard to beat but due to their forward line also, not unbeatable - I honestly think we have a more balanced team now across the park.

Sydney will be there abouts again but we know first hand what a grand final demolition can do to a side. Geelong a bit unknown if they can back it up. Tiges could be very good but a lot hanging on their oldies I’d guess lower parts of the 8 finish, same for Collingwood I don’t think they’ll have it as easy as they had it this year and their close game record should revert closer to the norm - bottom of the 8/just missing.

Carlton have the potential to finish top 4 but are still Carlton so just as likely to s**t the bed.

The battle for the 8 is going to be immense but honestly the top 4 race is wideeee open IMO, a LOT of unknowns going into the year.

I honestly think we’re as well placed as any list-wise to capitalise - so absolutely zero excuses for us. Early vibes from Preseason are great - things feel good for us this year, which they did not last year…

 

[doggies ftw]

Carlton to make top 4
Freo or Dogs to drop out

Curious to hear your thoughts on Dogs mate? I think we’re in the top handful of lists currently personally so missing the 8 altogether would be a hugeee failure

 

[ScragCity]

1. Geelong
2. Brisbane
3. Sydney
4. Carlton
5. Melbourne
6. Richmond
7. Collingwood
8. Gold Coast

9. Freo
10. Port
11. Bulldogs
12. North
13. Saints
14. GWS
15. Essendon
16. Hawks
17. Crows
18. West Coast

 

[ScragCity]

Curious to hear your thoughts on Dogs mate? I think we’re in the top handful of lists currently personally so missing the 8 altogether would be a hugeee failure

List strength is only one factor. I think coaching and overall team morale are way more important. Look at Collingwood last year. They outperformed a lot of better lists because they had a great system, a lot of energy and a lot of belief. Geelong's list isn't amazing but they are incredibly well-coached with a strong winning culture.

 

[hutchy31]

Someone will jump from out of finals into top 4 or 6. Carlton the obvious possibility, my guess is Port get off to a better start and comfortably make finals again. If (and it’s a big if) they can keep Dixon and Lycett on the park they’ve got a good enough core and some young players ready to take another step forward imo.

Wouldn’t be surprised to see any of dees, lions, swans drop off. As we know injuries to a few critical players exposes teams and I’m not sure any of those teams are solid enough from a list, coaching or leadership perspective. Same questions could be asked of the dogs tbf, so we’ll see what happens.

I understand the Richmond buzz to a degree - they probably gave away two or three wins last year and should’ve won their final. Theoretically they’ve got better by adding to their mids with the GWS pair but they’ll still be looking to a fairly ageing core and that can be tricky. My guess would be 5-8 again.

I’m a fan of what Freo are doing, but they’re my candidate to drop out next year. I think it’ll be a bump in the road and they’re building a contending core, but they’ll struggle to score and that always leaves you vulnerable.

Best guess is that Freo and one of swans/lions/dees/dogs drops out. Replaced by Port and Carlton.

 

[Maverick Dog]

Cats, Pies snd Swans will all drop. Either 1 or 2 of them will drop out. Dogs should not fear anyone. We have a better list than the majority. Just hope our coaching and team selection is solid and players are united and committed. The fwd line is scary, perfect balance with Lobb, Naught and JUH, midfield is still one of the best and defence looks better.

 

[NthBondiDoggies]

I hope Brisbane drops out - love the coach but just really start to s**t me. Doubt it though.

Agree Cats likely to drop on age but also desperation. Like us in 2016 the oldies dropped off quickly after getting to the mountain. Biggest snake.

Richmond recruited spectacularly - their weakness is now a strength, with Balta playing permanently back, Martin coming back I think they can come back into being contenders. Biggest ladder.

Port and Melbourne will shift up a bit - with either capable of going all the way. Reckon Freo will drop - a like where they were going but lost a bit and still will struggle to kick enough goals.

Adelaide will get better and maybe the best riser also. They have some very good kids and think we will see this. Gold Coast should be better but jeez we say that every year.

North should improve but at the start of the latest rebuild so don’t expect a lot. Same with GWS and Hawthorn.

St Kilda will rise with Lyon - guy is a dick but they were so inconsistent and that is his strength.

Sydney, Carlton will all be around the same and expect we will rise from Bradburying in to be genuine contender.

 

[TiAn_]

Curious to hear your thoughts on Dogs mate? I think we’re in the top handful of lists currently personally so missing the 8 altogether would be a hugeee failure

We barely scraped in this year and I’ve no reason yet to believe we’ll be markedly better. New players won’t fix big problems like our Swiss cheese defensive press or completely disappearing when good opposition gets a run on. Also need to be convinced about English and our midfield as week to week propositions after this year. The defence can be fixed at least.

 

[CarnTheScray]

The battle for the 8 is going to be immense but honestly the top 4 race is wideeee open IMO, a LOT of unknowns going into the year.

I feel like we say this every year, and by round 6 we know who the contenders are