League continues to prosper, to a point

The AFL, Australian sport’s most powerful and successful professional competition, continues to polarise opinion. Record attendances and strong finances mean the league is on the verge of approving a new team on the Gold Coast and is seriously looking at a second Sydney club.

Thanks especially to Geelong, Hawthorn and the Western Bulldogs, the game has rarely been better to watch - thankfully, teams are moving away from a focus on defensive strategies.

But the issue of illicit drugs is like a slippery eel that the AFL cannot quite master.

Even so, the year ended on an exciting note when Richmond threw self-confessed drug addict Ben Cousins a lifeline with the last pick in the pre-season draft following a remarkable show of support from the passionate Tiger Army.

The wider issue of off-field player behaviour also bedevils the game, a common problem among professional football codes worldwide.

Also, even a body as powerful as the AFL will come under mounting pressure as the global economic crunch bites.

After a year dominated by Geelong, except on the last day of the season, here’s an overview of the 16 clubs.

ADELAIDE - Despite injuries to key players Brett Burton and Jason Porplyzia, the Crows only just missed the top four. But is that the best this current list at Adelaide can achieve? While they are well-drilled, they lack the all-round power of Hawthorn and Geelong.

BRISBANE - The post-Leigh Matthews era is underway. New coach Michael Voss takes over a side that blew too many chances this season and could easily have made the finals for the first time since 2004. It’s time for more youngsters to step up and give more support to established stars like Jonathan Brown and Simon Black.

CARLTON - “They Know We’re Coming.” The Blues’ 2009 membership slogan shows the old arrogance is back at Princes Park. Brett Ratten is impressing as coach and the recruitment of star midfielder Chris Judd has had the desired effect. The Blues have a young, talent-packed list and they are targetting their first finals appearance since 2001.

COLLINGWOOD - As always, the Magpies are hard to read - a gutsy, well-led list that seem to play better than they look on paper. Their resilience was never more apparent than when they won a final, despite the season-ending suspensions for Alan Didak and Heath Shaw. They badly need key forwards Anthony Rocca and Sean Rusling to return from injury.

ESSENDON - The Bombers’ much discussed hole on their list - some great veterans, plenty of young talent but too little in between - will be their Achilles heel for a couple of seasons to come. New coach Matthew Knights coped well with an early, eight-game losing streak, only for the Bombers to end the season with another four successive losses. Their new superstars - the next Hirds and Lloyds - are yet to announce themselves.

FREMANTLE - When you’re having a great season, you win the close ones. When your season goes pear-shaped, you’re like the Dockers - eight losses by less than 10 points. Fremantle have some great youngsters, especially Rising Star winner Rhys Palmer and Garrick Ibbotson. But until they realise their potential, there will always be a question mark over this club.

GEELONG - Like North Melbourne in 1998 and Essendon in `99, Geelong will long rue 2008. Last year’s premiers only lost twice this season - a stunning 86-point blowout to Collingwood and then the one that counted most, the grand final against Hawthorn. Had they become too “cute” in their attitude, or was the last Saturday in September just one of those days? The Cats are craving redemption next year.

HAWTHORN - A year or two ahead of schedule, the new Hawks machine has arrived. Superbly coached, well-administered and boasting a talent-packed list, Hawthorn showed outstanding courage to upset Geelong in the grand final. This list looks good for more flags over the next five years. Full-forward Lance Franklin is now a true superstar after kicking 100 goals and winning the Coleman Medal.

MELBOURNE - Chairman Jim Stynes’ new administration has major problems on multiple fronts - the worst team in the league, big financial trouble and a lack of passion among the fans. While there are some good young kids, the Demons must keep selling hope and asking for patience. Another challenging year looms for Stynes and coach Dean Bailey.

NORTH MELBOURNE - Off the field, the Kangaroos are rallying. On the field, they are not quite there. Having rejected Gold Coast relocation, the club is awaiting the construction of its new Arden Street headquarters and the mood is bullish. But North ended this season with two bad losses which undid so much good work.

PORT ADELAIDE - Going into last year’s grand final, the Power were a young team on the go. But the “go” since that record-breaking loss has all been downhill. The Power blew too many first-half leads this season and were never serious contenders. There has been massive change at the club, with several officials and support staff departing. Coach Mark Williams faces the greatest challenge of his outstanding career to turn the team around.

RICHMOND - Ninth, yet again, but this time it was a major improvement. As Matthew Richardson delighted fans with a stellar year, Richmond’s youngsters developed and the Tigers had the look of a team finally on the rise. Throw in the remarkable arrival of Ben Cousins and there will be a real feeling of excitement at Punt Rd in 2009 - the last year of coach Terry Wallace’s five-year contract.

ST KILDA - The Saints were barely going mid-season when coach Ross Lyon decided on shock treatment. He dropped Nick Dal Santo and Stephen Milne and the team soared to the top four. So St Kilda have shown they can play well consistently, but can they challenge the Cats and Hawks? As they start the post-Robert Harvey era, they need their younger players to come through quickly.

SYDNEY - Never write off Sydney. They made the finals for the sixth-straight year as coach Paul Roos kept finding ways to rejuvenate his hard-working, close-checking team. There is little doubt they will be competitive again next year.

WEST COAST - The post-Chris Judd, post-Ben Cousins era was always going to start hard for the Eagles. They plummeted from the top eight to second-last as officials worked hard at curing a poor off-field culture among some sections of the team. West Coast remain a strong club, but coach John Worsfold has a major challenge turning the team around quickly.

WESTERN BULLDOGS - Like St Kilda, the `Dogs remain a level below Geelong and Hawthorn, a fact emphasised in the finals series. Rallying from last year’s disastrous finish to make the top four was outstanding, but can they go the next step? Adam Cooney was a deserving Brownlow medallist and on their day, the hard-running Bulldogs are one of the best teams in the league.

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