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Every AFL team’s new year’s resolution

26th December, 2016
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Easton Wood is on the Bulldogs' captaincy shortlist. (AAP Image/Julian Smith)
Roar Guru
26th December, 2016
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Ahead of 2017, here’s a list of what your club is hoping to achieve next season.

Adelaide – to make the top four
The second half of the season saw the Crows not only winning, but emphatically. After the bye in round 13, Adelaide won eight of their last ten matches by an average winning margin of 57 points.

However, their last loss of the season proved the most costly, as it resulted in the Crows missing the cut for the top four, despite being expected to claim victory over the West Coast Eagles at home in the last round of the season before finals.

In 2017, Adelaide will be hoping to meet expectations and dig deep for victory in high-pressure situations. It’s clear that the Crows have the potential to win an abundance of games, but next year, they’ll be aiming to apply the finishing touches to finish where they deserve to on the ladder.

Brisbane – to avoid the wooden spoon
The Lions narrowly escaped the wooden spoon in 2016, due to the Bombers missing their senior players after the outcome of the supplements saga. But the Lions won’t have the same help if they struggle again with wins in 2017.

The Lions need to capitalize on any opportunities for a victory at home, as they play their best football at the Gabba. In 2016, Brisbane recorded just three wins, but won two of these games at the Gabba.

Moreover, they only lost to Sydney by three points there in Round 6, proving to the competition that when they play their best football, they can be a dangerous team.

Carlton – to turn Jack Silvagni into the next superstar
It was arguably the most anticipated debut of 2016 – Jack Silvagni, a third generation Carlton player, was set to pull on the iconic long sleeve navy blue Guernsey against Collingwood in Round 15.

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Silvagni earned his opportunity to play senior football thanks to his wonderful form in the VFL, booting four goals in the game before his debut in the navy blue. The young forward showed more and more promise with each game.

In 2017, Carlton fans will be hoping he will pick up from where he left off and fill the void left by Eddie Betts in the Blues’ forward line.

Collingwood – to unleash the power duo of Darcy Moore and Mason Cox in the forward line
Usually the departure of a long-term player causes feelings of regret and remorse to arise, but in Collingwood’s case, the departure of Travis Cloke clears some space for the talent of Mason Cox and Darcy Moore to be unleashed in 2017.

Darcy Moore Collingwood Magpies AFL

Cox had the most memorable debut of 2016, booting a goal with his first kick in the AFL.

Moore was always going to impress after being picked up as a father-son pick in the 2015 draft. The 20-year-old claimed a rising star nomination in Round 19 and came fifth overall for the award after kicking 24 goals. Cox shared some similar success in 2016, booting four goals against Brisbane in Round 8, which contributed to his goal tally of 17 goals in just 11 games in the black and white.

Combined, Moore and Cox will be a powerhouse in Collingwood’s forward line in 2017.

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Essendon – to bounce back better than ever
This new year’s resolution doesn’t come as a great surprise, as Essendon had a dismal season last year after twelve of their senior players were banned for the duration of the 2016 season.

In 2017, the Bombers welcome back the likes of Jobe Watson, Dyson Heppell and Brent Stanton to their line-up, who have been training hard behind the scenes at various locations in 2016 to keep in shape and come back bigger and better than ever in 2017.

If the Bombers can keep positive and start the season off well, then they have the potential to be 2017’s biggest surprise package. Before the supplements saga, the Bombers were always a team in contention to play finals and if the new-look Essendon side can find their feet quickly, 2017 could shape up to be a year of miraculous redemption for the Bombers.

Fremantle – to play Nat Fyfe consistently
Nat Fyfe was plagued by a leg injury in 2016, while the Dockers were plagued by a form slump that saw them finish 16th on the ladder after claiming the minor premiership in 2015. Of course, Fyfe wasn’t the sole person responsible for Fremantle’s 18 losses, but his injury was a huge factor in the Dockers’ dismal outcome to the 2016 season.

With the 2015 Brownlow medalist training hard in the pre-season and putting on even more size, the Dockers have plenty of reasons to be excited about his much anticipated return to AFL football.

However, with rumors floating around about his possible departure from the Dockers at the season’s end, Fremantle will be hoping to play him consistently and allow him to enjoy the feeling of victory to sway him to stay in the west.

Geelong – to provide more support for Dangerfield and Selwood in the midfield
Geelong’s 2016 success relied largely on the presence of Patrick Dangerfield and Joel Selwood in the middle of the ground, as they accumulated a combined total of 1441 disposals between them. This meant that they claimed 16% of Geelong’s disposals in 2016 – a number that needs to be decreased in 2017.

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Patrick Dangerfield Geelong Cats AFL 2016

With the likes of Sam Mitchell and Jordan Lewis bolstering the midfields of their new teams, Geelong now has more competition in the midfield department. The Cats will be hoping players like Mitch Duncan, Sam Menegola, Scott Selwood and Cam Guthrie can step up and contribute more through the middle of the ground to release the pressure off Joel Selwood and Dangerfield to consistently perform well.

Gold Coast – to have a better second half of the season
The Suns had an electric start to the year, winning their first three games by an average margin of 47 points. However, their luck quickly plummeted, as the Suns became plagued by injuries and lost their next ten games.

Gold Coast have already taken a step to rectifying things by electing new co-captains, Tom Lynch and Stephen May, to lead the side in 2017. The Suns will obviously be hoping to avoid another disastrous run of injuries but moreover, they’ll be hoping to show more resilience if bad luck happens to strike again next year.

GWS – to make the top two
After their gallant run in the finals, GWS are the talk of the town and are tipped as favourites to claim the premiership in 2017. With explosive midfielder Brett Deledio added to their senior repertoire, the Giants now have more experience and more potential than ever to go all the way in 2017.

GWS will be hopping players like Dylan Shiel and Toby Greene will be able to continue their domination in 2017, and anticipating big things from powerful forward duo, Jonathon Patton and Jeremy Cameron.

Hawthorn – to prove that they don’t need Mitchell and Lewis to finish in the top four
Hawthorn’s trade period was disastrous, as they waved goodbye to senior players, who left for Jordan Lewis and Sam Mitchell Melbourne and West Coast respectively.

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The Hawks will be hoping to overcome the doubts of the critics and prove that their three-peat wasn’t built on two players, but instead, that it was built on the domination and persistence of the combination of youth and maturity throughout their side. 2017 will put this combination to the test, but if any team can handle the pressure – it’s the Hawks.

Melbourne – to play finals
The Demons finished 11th in 2016 and claimed ten wins – a total they’ll be hoping to build upon in 2017. With the recruitment of Jordan Lewis, Melbourne now has arguably the most dangerous midfield group they’ve had in a decade.

With All-Australian ruckman, Max Gawn spearheading the midfield group, the Demons now look more likely than ever to claim their first finals berth since 2006.

North Melbourne – to give the young players a chance to shine
The biggest surprise of 2016 was surely the axing of Brent Harvey, Nick Dal Santo, Anthony Firrito and Drew Petrie. Harvey in particular was one of North Melbourne’s best players this year, as his electric speed and innate ball-carrying ability saw him shine through in what was another average Kangaroos season.

In the mindset of Brad Scott and the coaching group, this axing came about in a bid to reignite the excitement factors of the North Melbourne football club – which include the electrifying youngsters that have the potential to positively influence the club’s win-to-loss ratio in 2017.

The Kangaroos have elected a new captain in Jack Ziebell and will be encouraging players like Shaun Atley, Ben Brown and Jed Anderson to demonstrate their talent on the big stage.

Port Adelaide – to play more consistent footy
Port Adelaide was on the brink of playing a grand final in 2014, when they tragically and narrowly lost to the Hawks by three points in the preliminary final. Since then, the Power have struggled to rediscover this stellar form, finishing 10th in 2016.

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Port Adelaide Power walk off sadly

Next year will be a time of redemption for Port Adelaide, as they welcome back Patrick Ryder and Angus Monfries to the line-up from their suspensions.

Richmond – to rediscover their 2015 form
2015 saw Richmond finish fifth, entering the finals with a huge chance of lasting past the first round.

Next year, they’ll be hoping to do the same in a bid to reignite the spirit of the Tiger faithful and make amends for a below-par 2016 season.

With the recruitment of Gold Coast young gun, Dion Prestia, Richmond will have more of an opportunity to solidify their presence in the top eight next year.

St Kilda – to start the season well
St Kilda had a promising season last year, falling just short of playing finals. The Saints finished ninth and recorded 12 wins, the same amount as North Melbourne, who were lucky enough to finish in the top eight due to a higher percentage.

This year St Kilda only won one of their first five games of the season. In 2017, the Saints could be the lucky ones if they can have a better start to the season, as it will help to boost the confidence of players such as Tim Membrey, Jack Steven and Jade Gresham.

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Sydney – to get revenge on the Bulldogs
It’s safe to say Sydney will still be pretty filthy with their grand final loss in 2016. Going into the game, the Swans were hot favourites, but came up short in what was an inspirational performance by the Western Bulldogs.

Although nothing should be taken away from their performance, the Swans seemed to lose the game due to their slight lack of fight and spirit.

Next year, Sydney will be hoping to be more persistent in their endeavours, especially against the competition’s young and up and coming sides, who look set to take the 2017 season by storm.

West Coast – to push for the flag
The Eagles claimed the biggest scalp of the trade season, with Sam Mitchell joining the West Coast brigade. With the reigning Coleman medalist, Josh Kennedy, also in their side, 2017 will be the year to shine for the Eagles.

West Coast finished sixth last year and showed immense promise throughout, but they know that they need to win more games away from home. If West Coast can succeed in their aims, they will be a serious chance to contend for the 2017 premiership cup.

Western Bulldogs – to win a flag with Bob Murphy playing
The Western Bulldogs’ fairytale grand final win was the highlight of the 2016 season and made it one of the most memorable seasons in AFL history. Everything seemed perfect, but there was one man missing from the 22 that took the field on October first.

The Bulldogs will obviously be wanting to repeat history in 2017, but would want to make a slight tweak to one element of the premiership win.

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Next year, the Bulldogs would want more than anything to gift football’s favourite person, Bob Murphy, the premiership medal that he deserves.

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