The Roar
The Roar

AFL
Advertisement

Which unheralded AFL teams can challenge the top four?

DylanC new author
Roar Rookie
5th May, 2015
Advertisement
DylanC new author
Roar Rookie
5th May, 2015
16
1220 Reads

After just five rounds many believe the top four is already set with Fremantle, Hawthorn, Sydney and Port Adelaide firm favourites to occupy the higher spots in the table. However, who has what it takes to crack the top four and dislodge either of those teams?

At the beginning of the season you would have put Richmond and the Gold Coast in this category. They were both being touted as top four candidates but have had terrible starts to the season. Both will be very lucky just to make the eight.

Collingwood have impressed so far, but can they maintain that level for the whole season? They have had a relatively easy start to the year. The Bulldogs have been impressive but surely their young players cannot sustain their game plan for an entire season.

That leaves North Melbourne, Adelaide or Essendon. Are either of these teams capable of finishing in the top four this year?

North Melbourne
Are we going to see a repeat of their 2014 Jekyll and Hyde season? One week they look capable of winning the premiership, the next they are struggling against a bottom six team. On their day they are capable of beating anyone and are a better side than Adelaide or Essendon, but will we see that enough this year?

They have had a relatively tough start to the season and simply cannot afford to lose to Richmond this week. At 2-4 they can almost farewell any hope of a top four finish.

They still have a tricky patch of games ahead leading into their bye, but if they can negate their way through on the right side of the win-lose column they will be well placed. Their draw significantly eases in the second half of the season, giving them every chance to make a late assault on the top four.

Adelaide
Started the season like a house on fire and had people calling them top four after just one game. They have since come crashing back down with consecutive loses to the Bulldogs and Power but have the personnel to turn it around. On paper they have stars across all lines and when on, especially with a full house at Adelaide Oval, they can be awesome to watch and capable of beating the best teams.

Advertisement

Their biggest problem is their second-tier players and lack of depth. If you can shut down Patrick Dangerfield, Rory Sloane or Taylor Walker you can beat Adelaide. They are heavily reliant on these players to get them across the line. Like all teams injuries can derail your season but more so with Adelaide, especially if Daniel Talia were to get injured for an extended period of time. Adelaide are certainly capable of cracking the top four but will need a lot to go right for them to have any chance.

Essendon
Where are Essendon at? Much like Adelaide they had a great start to the season dominating Sydney for three quarters then backing it up with an upset win over the reigning premiers. The last two weeks, however, have been ordinary. They were dismal against Collingwood and weren’t much better against an unlucky St Kilda. They certainly have enough good players through the middle and back to turn it around, but do they have the fire power up forward?

Essendon are certainly good enough – as they have already shown this year – to match it with the top four sides. The biggest concern with Essendon is that they have shown over a number of years their form drops off significantly towards the end of the season. If we see a repeat this year then the top four will be out of the question.

A common theme across the three mentioned teams is consistency. When they are on they are all certainly good enough to beat the top four teams. It’s more a question of which, if any, can perform at their best consistently throughout the year.

Is the top four already set? Or does North Melbourne, Adelaide or Essendon have what it takes?

close