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Updated after King injury.
Edit at any time until the opening siren of the first round of the season proper.Came in here to change my ladder because Gold Coast's King's is a confirmed ACL
Whoops
.....don't have to bother with GC
View attachment 1325710
However, considering West Coast's issues.... kulak, what are the rules re adjusting my ladder? I'd hate to tarnish my utterly fabulous performance in this comp.
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Wow - brave predictions.
Yeah, that's probably fair enough. I was trying to shake it up a bit.
Where do you expect Collingwood's improvement to come from?
They’ve got at least 1 more year before that happens. When Danger, Selwood and co gone they are in for trouble
Fair points, but they're still too raw IMO. Their defence is solid but their forward line is impotent and their midfield doesn't deliver much promise this year. Sidebottom is cooked (he was awful last year( and Pendles is coming off a broken leg at 34. Fair play to them if they make the finals, but I have them firmly entrenched in the bottom 4 again.
We'd all love that but, realistically, we're a couple of years off.
1. Brisbane Lions
Pretty good last year despite some injury struggles. Neale will be better, Daniher will be better. If they can match Melbourne in the midfield they could beat them with their key position marking power.
2. Melbourne
Dominated the finals series. Key players are in the 24-26 zone. Should be set for a good run in the top 4 unless something goes wrong. Could be vulnerable to a strong contested marking team.
3. Richmond
I like how they add youth around their senior players. We made our team worse in 2018 by adding an aging Gibbs to an already aging squad. They made their team better by adding kids whose pace and enthusiasm will complement the senior players. Smart list management, smart coaching, key players still around the 29-30 mark. I think they still have a couple more years in the window, injury permitting.
4. GWS Giants
Worst percentage of finals teams at 99%. Deserved to lose comfortably to the Swans in their first final, deservedly eliminated in their second.
Loaded with talent who have all had clear pre-seasons. Josh Kelly is a superstar and seems to be fully fit. Tom Green is sensational, it's not just his contest winning, he uses the ball beautifully. Tim Taranto going for 20 uncontested possessions is a sign of bad coaching, you don't want players who can't kick racking up uncontested possessions.
If they can't compete for a flag this year, they will have no choice but to extend Leon Cameron for another two years of mediocrity.
5. Sydney
Played quality footy last year. Smashed the Giants in the 2nd half of the elimination final but kept missing at goal. Lots of kids who will improve. Well coached. But lost Dawson and Hewitt and quite a few quality kids still in their first few seasons.
6. Western Bulldogs
Minor round 5th, could easily have lost to Brisbane in the semi final. Smashed by Melbourne in the GF. Naughton, Bontempelli and Dunkley supposedly all with clear pre-seasons. JUH and Darcy too young to consistently influence key games. Could go either way. Not sure why but I feel like they are going to get a few unfortunate injuries and underperform expectations.
7. Port Adelaide
Lucky to be embarrassed in the prelim, to avoid a much greater embarrassment in the grand final. Coaches look better when the ball is in the hands of their skillful players, if Butters and Rozee have huge years I can see them top 4 again. But not if they get injured / have poor years. Hedging.
8. Carlton
They have put together a very well balanced group with the quality of Saad Williams Martin Cerra added to the grunt of Cripps, but no star Petracca / Martin midfielder to haul them to big finals wins with the failed Dow / SPS picks. McKay is an excellent forward and Weitering is an excellent defender. I like them for the next few finals series.
9. Essendon
Merett is great but Parish and Shiel gives them 2 robust midfielders whose ball winning is better than their ball use. Caldwell will be quality if he can get and stay healthy. Not keen on their forward line or defence. Last year they didn't have room to play Parish as an inside midfielder until injury struck, but now they drafted another inside midfielder with their first pick (Hobbs), not sure I understand the grand strategy.
10. West Coast
Forward line has Kennedy 34, Allen injured and Darling gone. Midfield has Shuey injured but NicNat (32) Gaff (30) Yeo (27) Kelly (27) still strong but lack polish without Shuey. Defence will stay robust with McGovern and Barass. I think without their power marking forwards and most skillful midfielder they won't be able to consistently beat good teams the kick-mark game anymore, and not sure how else they can make it work. I think they will struggle to score as they used to.
11. Geelong
Selwood and Hawkins 33. Dangerfield 32 interrupted pre season. Duncan 31. Stewart has done a lisfranc so he'll probably never be the same again. Chris Scott talking about ditching the slow kicking game plan when their list is older and slower than ever.
12. Gold Coast
This should be a defining season for Rowell and Anderson. Both entering season 3. If they are going to carry them to finals in future years, they should carry them to wins this year. Rowell Anderson Miller should be a strong midfield. A winning midfield will make their outside players like Powell and Lukosius look much better. I don't think they have enough quality players or coaching to make finals.
13. St Kilda
Jack Steele is quality, but Hunter Clark is injured and Max King still young. Full years from Ryder and Marshall and they compete for finals, otherwise I think they struggle.
14. Fremantle
Fyfe is 30 and physically starting to break down, Mundy is 36. Cerra gone. Brayshaw is a 30 percent contested ball magnet who isn't especially damaging with the ball and those players do not matter as much as their DreamTeam scores might imply they do. Serong is great, in his 2nd year and already winning more contests than Brayshaw, and I suspect he uses it better too, with hindsight clearly we should have drafted him instead of McAsey.
15. Adelaide
Workmanlike mifield. Keays and Laird can't kick and Laird has a broken hand. Schoenberg is in his 3rd season. Sloane is 32. Seedsman injured. Dawson is a 30 percent contested outside receiver who will find the going much tougher with us, and apparently in doubt for the start of the year with calf problems. Young forward line apart from Tex. Very young defence. Strong injury free years from Sloane, Crouch, O'Brien and Walker could carry us to close to finals. More likely we struggle again.
16. North Melbourne
In last two drafts they have used 3 * top 10 picks on the best midfielders available, that's how you build a premiership team. Thomas and Simpkin are already quality. Their good games last year were very good. Probably one more draft then they start flipping picks for missing pieces and push for finals in 2-3 years time.
17. Collingwood
Their midfield is Grundy and not much else. Adams is always injured, Pendlebury has been carrying injuries for years and is 34, Sidebottom 31. No forward line. Grundy, Moore, Maynard and Crisp should rack up some good numbers in losing teams.
18. Hawthorn
Their best player, Tom Mitchell is exhibit A for low impact ball magnets. Mainly uncontested player, 34 percent contested, and low hurt factor. Not much else on their list. Alastair Clarkson's excellent **** you to Sam Mitchell was going on a winning spree late in the year to make it look like the list might be okay, and sabotage his draft pick.
How many times over the last few years have we all said that with a pleading note to our voices ???
