- Video
-
Club Roar
Captured a great grassroots sporting moment? We want to see it!Content Collections
The Roar Community
- Join
- Login
Fourteen teams can use the remainder of the AFL season to start warming up for 2014. The top four spots on the ladder have been locked up, and history tells us it’s all but impossible to win the premiership from anywhere else.
Sydney’s supreme effort in dismantling a willing Essendon, and Fremantle’s grinding away win over Adelaide, have ensured they’ll both be getting the double chance.
Hawthorn did what we knew they would against Melbourne, and Geelong were ultimately too good for a tough, honest Gold Coast Suns.
All four are a legitimate premiership threat this year, to the exclusion of all others.
The reigning premiers, the Swans, were afforded the luxury of a soft opening to the season against the expansion teams, and spluttered their way to a 6-2-1 record after eight rounds.
They mixed some breathtaking brilliance, highlighted by an eleven goal quarter against North Melbourne, with some poor play against strong opposition, being comprehensively outplayed at times against Geelong, Hawthorn and Fremantle.
But Sydney’s last two wins, against Collingwood and Essendon, have been the equal of anything we saw from them in 2012. Their depth through the midfield is unequalled, and each of them know how to sniff out a goal.
The Swans had thirteen individual goalkickers against the Dons, almost all of whom do most of their work through the middle of the ground.
Their forward line may not be functioning as smoothly as they’d like, but the imminent arrival of Kurt Tippett should help their structure in this regard. The Swans defence is still the envy of all, even in the absence of important cogs like Alex Johnson and Lewis Roberts-Thomson, working just as smoothly in the air as on the ground.
Sydney will win a minimum of nine matches from this point on, and with their last two games of the regular season to be against Geelong and Hawthorn, they’ll be hitting the finals well-conditioned and finals-ready.
The common expression is “defence wins premierships”, and when we think of defence, we think of the sides under Ross Lyon’s command.
Fremantle haven’t lost since round four, when the Hawks dismantled them down in Tasmania. Their feats have been all the more meritorious when we consider they’ve been missing the likes of Matthew Pavlich and Aaron Sandilands for most of the season, and Stephen Hill, Michael Walters and Nat Fyfe have also been absent for important matches.
Of course, Lyon relies on twenty-two ‘soldiers’ more than any other. He’s all about defensive system, fanatical pressure, and the oft-quoted process. Everyone knows their role, and if you don’t fulfil it to the coach’s requirements, you simply won’t play.
The Fremantle defensive press is a fearsome sight for the opposition to behold when up and running, and while it can be an exhausting system to implement, it’s even more tiring for the opposition to penetrate.
The Dockers will only likely start as the outsider in one or two matches for the rest of the season, and will be eyeing off a top two position. Underestimate them at your peril.
Geelong’s ability to continually produce quality AFL footballers makes everyone who doesn’t barrack for them sick.
Allen Christensen, Mitch Duncan and Stephen Motlop already have premiership medallions, but continue to establish themselves as the next generation of superstar down at Kardinia Park.
The support cast has got some talent too, let alone the established, experienced guns we all know so well.
The Cats are 9-1, and the match they lost was by only six points after being a couple of goals up halfway through the last. Chris Scott now has the luxury of rotating his players through a soft draw in the second half of the year, as he expertly did in the lead-up to the 2011 premiership.
Geelong are the best in the business at playing burst football, and really, have done so since 2008.
There is still no better sight in AFL football than a Geelong side in full flight, using quick hands and precise kicking through the middle of the ground, streaming from half-back in waves through any number of running players. When the blitzkrieg is on, it’s a mighty force, all but unstoppable, and we’ll be seeing them with the double chance come September.
Hawthorn have been the most impressive of all this year, but have almost flown under the radar in peeling off nine consecutive wins since their round one loss to Geelong.
Much has been made of Buddy Franklin’s inconsistent form while his contract talks have been put on hold until after the season, but the Hawks have still been the heaviest scoring team in 2013. They rank third in defence as well, a potent historical combination when it comes to achieving premiership success.
Sam Mitchell has continued the form that has made him the most reliably consistent midfielder of the last decade, while Shaun Burgoyne is having his best season since crossing form Port Adelaide, most importantly hitting the scoreboard regularly to go with his quality ball use.
What has been most pleasing for all football fans is the return of Luke Hodge to his penetrating best. Too long have we been denied his talents on a consistent basis through injury troubles, almost to the point where we think of his courage and leadership, but little else.
Hawthorn will welcome back Cyril Rioli in the second half of the season too, which will only make them more dangerous.
Of course, the Hawks have some mental demons to conquer, not least of which is the ‘Kennett Curse’ against Geelong. Even if they can offload that monkey, which has really become a troop of gorilla’s, the ‘chokers’ label still looms large come finals time.
Essendon, Carlton, Collingwood and West Coast form the next tier down, and currently hold the whip hand for the rest of the final eight spots, but none of these sides have shown nearly enough to suggest they can challenge for a top four position.
So keep your eyes on the Hawks, Cats, Swans and Dockers in the second half of the year when trying to work out who you think will win the flag. The rest of the competition can only dream.