I took a glance at the AFL ladder after Richmond’s thrilling four-point victory over Sydney at the MCG yesterday and was stunned to find the Swannies still in the top eight. I mean no disrespect to the Swans. They’re not a bad side by any means, but they’re hardly a genuine premiership contender.
But I was taken aback by their presence in the top eight, especially after losing to a team who had been bottom of the ladder all season.
Then again, upon closer inspection of the AFL ladder after 14 rounds as a whole, I realised who the Swans were ahead of and pondered to myself ‘there’s few quality candidates putting their hands up for that last spot in the finals’.
At the moment, the AFL ladder is quite regimented.
There’s a clear top four, followed by three challengers (although, the jury is still out on Carlton) on 32 points, then on the fringes of the eight are the Swans and Kangas who hold an eight-point buffer over the chasing pack including an in-form Adelaide.
I often wonder about the prize at the end of the race for the eight and whether it’s really worth the fuss?
You know the media will make a big deal out of the jostling for eighth spot in order to maintain ratings and public interest, but just look at Essendon’s example from last season.
The Bombers defeated Hawthorn in Round 22 to claim eighth spot (some ten points behind seventh-placed Carlton), before being bundled out in the first week of the finals by Adelaide to the tune of 96 points. They got hammered!
It’s hard to know if the players gained anything from that experience.
Maybe the club placated sponsors and members a little by reaching the finals, but what I do know is the Bombers are now 5-9 and sitting in twelfth, showing little progress from the players since that finals defeat.
And Essendon’s example is interesting when applied to 2010’s candidates.
If there really is only one spot in the top eight left up for grabs this year, what’s to gain from claiming that place?
Obviously AFL clubs go through cycles and they’ve each got their own different measures of success for every individual season. For some sides reaching the top eight (or even just scraping into it) is deemed a sign of progress.
Some clubs need to satisfy the sponsors and encourage membership numbers, so a finals appearance always helps.
But on the playing side, if you look back at recent AFL history you’ll realise rarely does a club’s level of progress follow a smooth line towards their ‘premiership window’. Recent Grand Finalists Geelong, St Kilda and Hawthorn have all had their ups and downs.
If North Melbourne were to grab eighth spot, then Brad Scott’s first season in charge would be deemed a big success. Imagine if Damien Hardwick’s Richmond stormed home to finish eighth! It’d be a massive success down at Tigerland!
But that’s no guarantee for future progress. It may boost confidence, but alternately it could invite complacency. Maybe missing out on the eight will force players to strive harder. Who knows?
I’m certainly not going to profess to know the answer to what goes on in a player’s mind, but with the race for the top eight beginning, it’s a point worth pondering.
Sure, we all want our teams to make the finals, but for those just making up the numbers, the real battle towards a premiership has only just begun.
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