Although we have focused on ourselves in several of the off-season threads, quite rightly I suppose, we have plenty to be hopeful about. However I think we should also remember that a few of our old adversaries are in their bunkers, weaving plans for their own success and our demise.
As HG once wrote :
"No one would have believed, in the last years of the nineteenth century, that human affairs were being watched keenly and closely by intelligences greater than man's and yet as mortal as his own; that as men busied themselves about their affairs they were scrutinized and studied, perhaps almost as narrowly as a man with a microscope might scrutinize the transient creatures that swarm and multiply in a drop of water."
Our scope for improvement is good. I feel most of the areas on the ground we have players that have still got improvement in them, but we are not alone in this.
Plenty of the teams that played well this year could claim this as well.
West Coast. I dread the thought of this being a force again but the team that represents and reminds us of ultimate failures of yesteryear are primed to go. The form in 05 is amazing similar to 01, for over ½ the season looking near unbeatable and finally falling at the last hurdle. This only hardened their resolve for the victories against us in 02 and 04.
Judd, Kerr, Fletcher and Cousins are classy on ballers.In fact have class every where even in the back pocket with a player like Wirrapunda. And they have haven’t bottomed out yet cause they have some classy young kids coming thru as well ,eg a kid called Morton is very impressive. Even in this years draft they picked up players like Hurn and McKinley who somehow fell to them. Hanson showed he has quality’s to play and Cox is about the best ruckman in the AFL.
Yes I know we flogged them down at the CatCage but I think they were in “don’t get injured mode”. I rate these guys #1 danger
One might argue that both Sydney and Adelaide present an extreme danger but they both had super runs with injuries last year. My next on the danger list would be Saints
Like us these guys had cursed run with key players in 05 but if all fit and confidient
I doubt there is a better young big man duo as a fit Riewoldt and Kosinski. Im sure if he stayed fit Riewoldt could kick a heaps of goals. They have enough quality around the ball to supply the forwards and to burn most side lead by Hayes and Ball. Guys like the two Clarke have heaps of upside. The question is with these guys is can their guys that got run down with injuries, stand up and can guys like Gehrig and Harvey go to the well again. At their best they remind me of us in the 90’s, awesome scoring created by a lot of forward running, they rely on this to protect their backline. If they stay fit I rate these guys #2 danger
I’ll pick an outsider as another danger. I’d say the best football last year was played by a side that didn’t make the finals, a side that only just started to awake to their potential.
The Doggie’s can be a problem side next year especially if these new rules work to make the run from the backline quicker. They have nice blend of young and old .West,Smith have their old mate Monty back but the new kids on the block really started to strut in 05. Cooney is class, Griffen has the moves of a smaller player which makes him dangerous. Just like the Saints the have stocked up with early picks, (good ridence to the PP) and under Eade they are gathering belief. Their weakness probably just like us they lack a quality forward but with Minson in the ruck, Darcy back in the forwardline, they look a very dangerous match up to us , Danger #3
Yes, we might well be a good side next year, we will have to be to do what we all want. Bring it on, I say, for all the highs and lows, its going to be a hell of a ride.