Which team from the bottom 8 will be the bolter of 2020

[tazaa]

I don’t think there will be a bolter.
The middle of the road teams will just alternate positions based on form injury and the fixture.

 

[Foucault1989]

No, no you didn't.

Our players didn't have a pre-season out side of Gawn.

May, Lever, Jetta missed the majority of the season.

Melksham missed half the season.

Hibberd missed about a third of the season.

Hore missed 6/7 weeks.

Hannan missed over half the season.

vandenBerg didn't play at all.

McDonald missed half the season.

We were destroyed by injuries, absolutely destroyed.

Wah wah wah.

Injuries cannot be used as an excuse. No other supporter bases get to use it as an excuse. Every side gets injuries. Deal with it.

 

[Dez!]

Wah wah wah.

Injuries cannot be used as an excuse. No other supporter bases get to use it as an excuse. Every side gets injuries. Deal with it.

They aren't an excuse, they are the reason.

 

[Bring-Back-Powell]

I can see Carlton having a Brisbane-like bolt.

I agree.

Carlton will play finals footy this year.

 

[Macpotata]

Carlton. They'll make the 8 this season.

 

[Foucault1989]

They aren't an excuse, they are the reason.

Seriously though...any team can make that argument but not all teams with heavy injuries perform poorly. Carlton have had a shocking few years with injuries but do we ever get any recognition? Nope.

 

[Dez!]

Seriously though...any team can make that argument but not all teams with heavy injuries perform poorly. Carlton have had a shocking few years with injuries but do we ever get any recognition? Nope.

Gawn was the only player that had close to a full pre-season, the rest were coming off surgeries and didn't even get half a pre-season.

Coupled with losing your entire starting back line for large portions of the season plus your two key forwards and best half forward.

Clearly it's not going to sink in for you so you'll just have to wait until the season rolls around and a significantly better Melbourne team turns up.

 

[Foucault1989]

Gawn was the only player that had close to a full pre-season, the rest were coming off surgeries and didn't even get half a pre-season.

Coupled with losing your entire starting back line for large portions of the season plus your two key forwards and best half forward.

Clearly it's not going to sink in for you so you'll just have to wait until the season rolls around and a significantly better Melbourne team turns up.

Excuses, excuses, excuses.

 

[nacnud]

Excuses, excuses, excuses.

Reasons, reasons, reasons*

 

[Forward Press]

I don’t think there will be a bolter.
The middle of the road teams will just alternate positions based on form injury and the fixture.

In the AFL era, more often than not, a team from outside the top 8 makes top 4 the following year - Brisbane was that team last year, Melbourne (technically after finals) the year before etc.

I still stand by my belief on page 1 that Melbourne will push for top 4 - the talent is there (maybe the coaching isn't) and they copped a wretched injury run.

 

[magpie_marty]

Lock in Melbourne due to the fixture in 2020.
2021 Carlton.
I expect Collingwood to drop due to poor drafting and lack talent coming through.

 

[Freomaniac]

I'm not expecting us to make the finals, but doubt we will be bottom 4 as many think.

Should be a more exciting, but inconsistent year as we play more younger players under 50 games given we have traded out plenty of experience.

Have lost 2 significant goals scorers in Jenkins & Betts, so wouldn't expect the same immediate output from Frampton/Himmelberg or Stengle/McAdam... though our forward line was terrible this year.

Keath is our biggest loss given we don't have an experienced quality CHB. Hope we play a younger guy rather than Hartigan.

Biggest change should be attitude as we just gave up in 2nd halves this year, so the changes at the club should rectify this.

The Dees should be the side to bolt into the finals. If they don't, surely Goodwin is gone. Not convinced he is senior coaching material.

Saints a decent chance as Ratten can coach.

I have put $50 on crows to make finals at $5. I see the crows being 6-2 after 8 Games

 

[Kane McGoodwin]

I have put $50 on crows to make finals at $5. I see the crows being 6-2 after 8 Games

Hope you make some money!

 

[Freomaniac]

Hope you make some money!

i have seen the crows draw. i expect them to be 13-9

 

[Kane McGoodwin]

i have seen the crows draw. i expect them to be 13-9

I would happily take that so long as we are playing plenty of our younger guys too.

Here's to your money success...

 

[HTT]

Hawthorn wouldn’t even count as a bolter imo. 6-2 finish to the year including wins against Geelong, Collingwood, GWS, West Coast. They probably had better form than most teams fighting for the premiership.
Could have been very dangerous from the lower half of the 8 if they adjusted to the loss of Mitchell more quickly (understandable that they didn’t).
It honestly wouldn’t surprise me if they made the top 4. They made it in 2018, and they’ve grown since then.

 

[Niggles]

Its a shame Hawthorn and Port Adelaide are excluded from being an option in this thread, having finishing bottom 9 and 10.

I didn't hold out much hope for the hawks next year anyway as they keep avoiding the elite end of the draft.

 

[CarnTheScray]

Not Melbourne.

 

[_Mike_]

Not really sure Hawthorn qualifies as a bolster. They were close last season and should make the 8 this season. Carlton is what I would consider the bolter from the lower half of the Botton 8, I wouldn’t be surprised to see them with a few scalps this season in shaping the 8.

 

[Freomaniac]

I agree.

Carlton will play finals footy this year.

You know what? I won't. Be surprised either.

I don't see Carlton go from bottom 6 to Top 4. If their 2nd half of the season of last year is anything to go by, they can finish between 5th to 8th.

 

[Captain chaos]

Pretty confident we will be back playing finals, got nearly everyone doing a full pre-season which will do wonders plus adding ready-made guys like Langdon and Tomlinson (more Langdon) with some young faces like Jackson, Pickett and Rivers.

May in rehab group again, gawn to miss five crucial weeks leading up to round one, same introverted coach and lack good tall catching forwards. Viney and jones not getting any quicker.

 

[Dez!]

May is fine and in excellent condition.

Gawn's injury is an inconvenience but he won't miss much, besides Preuss has dropped 10kgs and transformed his body.

Viney and Jones are having proper pre-seasons and are excelling at training, Viney is going to remind people just how good he is.

 

[juss]

Not really sure Hawthorn qualifies as a bolster. They were close last season and should make the 8 this season. Carlton is what I would consider the bolter from the lower half of the Botton 8, I wouldn’t be surprised to see them with a few scalps this season in shaping the 8.

Agree. I can see Hawthorn just making or just missing, 7th-10th. Either way they aren't a big bolter or slider.

 

[Swan4Life]

St. Kilda would be the front runners IMO. Have traded in some useful players.

Freo could be a chance, they have drafted 3 young guns so their chances will depend on how well they adapt to AFL footy.

Dont think the rest will be a threat.

 

[The Nostradamus]

North