Prediction Who rises, who falls?

[Cleric]

This year there are alot of team expected to have improvement over last year.
Essendon getting their banned players back and with their recent high draft picks will absolutly improve their position.

Freo with their ins (Hill, Bennell, McCarthy) together with getting Fyfe back should see them rise.

GWS will continue their improvement.
Melbourne should improve with their young talent.

St Kilda will be better this year.

Bulldogs will keep their form one would think.

Poort should improve next year with Ryder back. There is massive expectations for them to make finals again. Will be interesting.

Adelaide is interesting. We should have some improvement but I worry we could go backwards this year. Maybe I still am damaged after the Sando bump.

West Coast similar to us I think.

Sydney. While they might not make the GF again, they will be around the top 4 again.

Collingwood have to improve this year. They have alot of young talent and Bucks is under pressure.

Gold Coast you expect should improve this year. They still have talent and a second year under their coach should help.

So on the drop side
North Melbourne. Gonna do a Freo this year I think.

Hawthorn. Gonna tank this year.

Geelong I think will also dip down due to age profile.

Brisbane will be on the bottom of the ladder at the end of the year I think.

Richmond will continue to be terrible.

Carlton will finish just above Brisbane.

Thats my guess for next season.

 

[Danger in Texas]

Feel like Hawks will drop, but not because they will tank - largely due to the likes of Hodge/Gibson getting older and the fact that they just don't bat as deep.

North will obviously drop. I feel Geelong will drop slightly too (don't think Voldemort will have as big a year).

Freo will rise with their new additions, but not quite into the eight. Melbourne and Saints are still very inexperienced, but they have enough proven talent to take them to finals, IMO.

Collingwood is so stuck in no man's land it isn't funny.

As for us? With the draw we've got, I feel we can make a good run at a top four spot.

1: GWS
2: Sydney
3: Western Bulldogs
4: Adelaide
5: Geelong
6: West Coast
7: St Kilda
8: Melbourne
9: Fremantle
10: Hawthorn
11: Port Adelaide
12: Collingwood
13: Gold Coast
14: Essendon
15: Richmond
16: North Melbourne
17: Carlton
18: Brisbane

 

[Alwaysacrow]

According to the PAP supporters on the main board Port will be top 4 again...... sound familiar?

 

[Ramify]

Im going to go out on a limb and predict that GWS will struggle with ego's and infighting this year.

Deledio will curse them with the Tiger touch resulting in many a soft tissue injury to their younger stars legs. Johnson and Heath will cause friction as a factional war breaks apart the AFLs love child.

Prediction: 6th-8th after a strong start. Bow out elimination final.

 

[I Lost My Keays]

Rise: Saints and Melbourne
Drop: Hawks and North

 

[Crows4Eva]

Expecting Melbourne and St.Kilda to challenge for the 8 this year, Essendon, Gold Coast and Freo should all improve but I'm not convinced they make finals.

North to drop off hard, Hawks to dip and struggle to make the eight. Geelong should be fine but their reliance on Dangerwood could get them in trouble if either goes down with injuries.

 

[40porpoise]

Im going to go out on a limb and predict that GWS will struggle with ego's and infighting this year.

Deledio will curse them with the Tiger touch resulting in many a soft tissue injury to their younger stars legs. Johnson and Heath will cause friction as a factional war breaks apart the AFLs love child.

Prediction: 6th-8th after a strong start. Bow out elimination final.

I hope so but I'm predicting them to blow everybody out of the water and it scares me, because we might actually be a genuine chance without them

 

[Geoffa32]

Rise: Saints and Melbourne
Drop: Hawks and North

Pretty much how I see it.

Also think that Freo and Essendon will rise .

Geelong are my smoky to miss the eight. Enright was massive for them. He was their best player both times we played em.

Sent from my HTC_0P6B6 using Tapatalk

 

[marty36]

Freo the huge improver, but that happens when you tank a season

 

[JPetro83]

Im expecting the Hawks and Cats to drop out of the top 4 this year.. Hawks have lost a bit of experience as have Geelong with Enright and Bartel.
I think the GWS are a lock for top 2 and I think the Swans will also be in the top 4. As for the other two teams I am not sure.. throw a blanket over a few teams. But im going to go with the Dogs and Eagles to rise into the top 4. Crows and Cats could quiet easily also finish top 4.
I think the crows will finish 5-8th again.
North Melb will drop out of the 8 as will the Hawks.

I worried about us, we weren't tested last year with injuries/ suspensions until the last round and we all know how that went.

Going into the top 8 I think the Dees and Power will sneak in.

1: GWS
2: Sydney
3: Western Bulldogs
4: West Coast
5: Geelong
6: Adelaide
7: Melbourne
8: Port Power
9: Hawthorn
10: Collingwood
11: St Kilda
12: Fremantle
13: Gold Coast
14: Essendon
15: Richmond
16: North Melbourne
17: Carlton
18: Brisbane

 

[I Lost My Keays]

Pretty much how I see it.

Also think that Freo and Essendon will rise .

Geelong are my smoky to miss the eight. Enright was massive for them. He was their best player both times we played em.

Sent from my HTC_0P6B6 using Tapatalk

I completely agree. I think Saints and Demons are ahead of Freo and Essendon , that's why I put them in.

Geelong don't really have a forwardline or backline , but they have a great midfield.

 

[Scorpus]

Rise: Saints and Melbourne
Drop: Hawks and North

I'd also have Fremantle and Essendon rising, but not by enough to make the top 8.

Geelong and West Coast both possibilities to slide out of the eight. Hawks might just make the bottom part of the 8. North straight into bottom 4.

 

[marty36]

I'd also have Fremantle and Essendon rising, but not by enough to make the top 8.

Geelong and West Coast both possibilities to slide out of the eight. Hawks might just make the bottom part of the 8. North straight into bottom 4.

Freo have gotten away with so much from where they finished in 2015 to 2016 and no scrutiny has been placed on them, as soon as fyfe went down last year they put the cue in the rack. I see them as a certainty to play finals hopefully not at our expense

 

[Squiba]

Fremantle to rise into the 8, North dropping out.

Essendon 11th, lifting but not much. Brisbane still bottom. Sydney and GWS to top the ladder, with any order of Adelaide, Geelong and The Dogs filling out the top 5.

Bottom 3 teams in the 8 from Hawthorn, Fremantle, Melbourne, St. Kilda and perhaps Collingwood. Most likely Fremantle/Hawthorn/Melbourne in that order though imo

 

[Thetrader15]

Im expecting the Hawks and Cats to drop out of the top 4 this year.. Hawks have lost a bit of experience as have Geelong with Enright and Bartel.
I think the GWS are a lock for top 2 and I think the Swans will also be in the top 4. As for the other two teams I am not sure.. throw a blanket over a few teams. But im going to go with the Dogs and Eagles to rise into the top 4. Crows and Cats could quiet easily also finish top 4.
I think the crows will finish 5-8th again.
North Melb will drop out of the 8 as will the Hawks.

I worried about us, we weren't tested last year with injuries/ suspensions until the last round and we all know how that went.

Going into the top 8 I think the Dees and Power will sneak in.

1: GWS
2: Sydney
3: Western Bulldogs
4: West Coast
5: Geelong
6: Adelaide
7: Melbourne
8: Port Power
9: Hawthorn
10: Collingwood
11: St Kilda
12: Fremantle
13: Gold Coast
14: Essendon
15: Richmond
16: North Melbourne
17: Carlton
18: Brisbane

Crows 6th, then bowing out in the 2nd week of finals...yep, sounds about right

 

[Ramify]

Can't see Geelong doing as well this year.
THe Dangerfield spike effect is only good for a year and I have a feeling he is due for a major injury.
How have they improved whatsoever? Organic growth?

Prediction 9th.

 

[little graham]

Anything could happen this year apart from Carlton breaking out of the bottom four.

 

[Elite Crow]

I think the locks for the 8 are:

Bulldogs
Giants
Sydney
Geelong

I think the following teams should make it unless:

Crows, lose a couple of mids and we would be in a world of pain
West Coast, they tend to have roller coaster seasons and no Nic Nat for awhile
Hawks, their new midfield fails and old guys really fall off the cliff. Roughy back will help. Too much talent to bomb straight out, might happen in 2018 though

Definitely out:

North and badly

More than likely ins:

Saints, lots of upcoming talent and big inclusions
Freo, lots of new talent in, Fyfe fit and WA home ground advantage

Possibles:
Melbourne, new coach, new game plan could see a big lift and they had a heap of young talent, might be a year too early though
Essendon, the unknown, at full strength they will have a decent side and now have a good coach and will have a lot of motivation
Port, who he *s knows. Would need everything to go right and Dixon and Ryder to fire.
Richmond, again who the * knows



Unlikely:
Gold Coast, much will depend on injuries and their new midfield. They will be better but not good enough to make up the gap.
Collingwood, just don't think they are that good and they got desperate with their recruits

No chance:
Blues, a couple of years away
Brisbane, 5 years away

My prediction:

GWS
WB
SYDNEY
CROWS
GEELONG
HAWKS
WEST COAST
FREO
SAINTS
ESSENDON
MELBOURNE
PORT
RICHMOND
COLLINGWOOD
NORTH
GOLD COAST
CARLTON
BRISBANE

All in all it should be a very interesting season, those teams outside the 8 will be on the up so I don't think the top 8 will run away like they did last year.

Injuries and winning the close ones will be crucial.

 

[Kane McGoodwin]

Top 3 - GWS, Sydney, Bulldogs

Finals locks - Adelaide, Weagles

Probable top 8 - St Kilda & Dees (both improvers), Hawks (slide out of top 4)

Possible top 8 - Cats (slide at least out of top 4), Collingwood, Fremantle (improvers), Port, Gold Coast (improvers)

Battle for mediocrity - Kangaroos (big sliders), Richmond (slide), Essendon (though not as mediocre as 2016)

Battle of spoon - Lions & Carlton (slide)

 

[Barneythecrab]

I think Freo and GC will be contending for the top 8.

We will slide a tad maybe down to 7th. Just think we will play a bunch of guys with not as much experience playing in our team i.e. Hampton, Menzel, Polhoke, Wigg etc plus have guys play a bigger role in positions they are still learning i.e. CC on the wing, laird in the midfield etc.
And Cats to slide also age + danger selwood relience and coaches working them out of the game.

 

[Iron]

According to the PAP supporters on the main board Port will be top 4 again...... sound familiar?

They could though. Not a bad team. Just zero heart.

 

[JPetro83]

I just hope we don't suffer from 2nd year blues with Pykey....

 

[Pea Nut]

I actually think it's plainly obvious and easy to see that Port will have a year that will mimic the year we had in 2014. Expect massive meltdowns on their board, with lynch mobs roaming the streets. Coach will be sacked mid to late in the year, without any sort of contingency plan. The similarities with where they are currently, and where we were in 2014 are uncanny. They have zero depth, regardless of what all their optimistic fans post. They really needed to do something left field during the trade period, and did absolutely nothing. Bizarre.

 

[Pea Nut]

My other tips, North will completely drop away as expected. I predict the Hawks to drop away but still make the 8, with the true test being in the coaches box and with Clarkson, having lost his right hand man in Chris Fagan. If Hawks make top 4, Clarko could be one of the greatest coaches of all time. Geelong also to make the 8, but the players they have lost in the last couple of years makes you wonder how long it can continue. Their backline is a long, long way from where it was at it's peak. I think there are huge holes in Geelong's backline and I see this as their biggest deficiency. Essendon won't improve as much as some think, certainly not as much as the Essendon fans think they will. Bottom 6 for mine. Lions to win the spoon. Freo certainly could be the bolters if Sandi comes back fully fit and fires, with Fyfe and co supporting him. Will still miss the 8, but to be around the mark. Demons to move into the 8 with Goodwin making a name for himself as a head coach very quickly. Jordan Lewis is a huge addition for them. Just cos he's balding doesn't make him as old as he looks. It certainly will be another ultra competitive year, with little separating the top 8.

 

[Kickin Goals]

I was originally thinking the Cats were a lock for the eight but I forgot Enright & Bartel both retired. I know they got Zach Tuohy but Enright is irreplaceable.