GWS come into the 2017 season as heavily short-priced favourites to win the premiership. The Giants showed immense promise throughout the 2016 season, capped off by a qualifying final victory against cross-town rivals, the Swans.
They fell short to a spirited Western Bulldogs outfit in the preliminary final, but have had an instrumental off-season by recruiting Richmond’s Brett Deledio and re-signing their first ever number one draft pick Jonathon Patton for another three years.
The Giants’ modern and attacking style of play will be a force to be reckoned with in 2017.
A prospect which may disappoint Victorian fans is the prospect of two Sydney teams finishing on top of the ladder.
Unfortunately for them, this prospect looks like becoming a serious reality, as Sydney have been a prolific side in the last five years, making their way into the grand final in 2012, 2014 and in 2016.
Out of these three grand finals, the Swans have only experienced premiership glory once, and would be hungry to relish this feeling again in 2017.
Despite the loss of Sam Mitchell (West Coast) and Jordan Lewis (Melbourne), the Hawks have, in a way, compensated for these losses by claiming the scalp of 2013 Rising Star, Jaeger O’Meara (Gold Coast) and tackling machine, Tom Mitchell from Sydney. In addition, the boost of Jordan Roughead’s return means that Hawthorn’s golden era is far from over.
The Bulldogs achieved what seemed like a miracle in 2016, going on a fairytale finals run and ultimately claiming the 2016 premiership cup.
After finishing at seventh on the ladder, the Bulldogs, led by the spiritual guidance of injured captain, Bob Murphy, unleashed an inspiring act of determination to make their way towards breaking a 62-year premiership drought.
The Western Bulldogs are a certainty to finish higher in 2017, but can they grasp the opportunity to play in their second grand final in a row?
Adelaide should’ve made the top four last year, but succumbed to a defeat against the Eagles at home in what should’ve been an easy win for the Crows. Their fate looks much the same in 2017, still maintaining the strong stars of their team and their brilliant coach, Don Pyke.
Adelaide are on the cusp of experiencing premiership success, but will need a few more years to continue to build experience in their young, yet powerful, list.
West Coast have been a consistent side, but have struggled to win away from home, giving them the label of being ‘flat-track bullies’. The Eagles have had a busy off season, due to welcoming in now brownlow medalist, Sam Mitchell and star forward, Drew Petrie from North Melbourne.
Nathan Vardy has also made his way over to the West from Kardinia Park in a bid to restore the form that got him drafted. This experience added to their side will be vital in helping them overcome the deadly interstate trip.
St Kilda will be the big movers in 2017, after only missing out on finals in 2016 based on percentage. Their young leaders look set to break through the ceiling, led by newly named skipper, Jarryn Geary.
Nick Riewoldt will still be an instrumental mentor to players such as Tim Membrey and Josh Bruce, who will provide a lethal combination in the Saints’ forward line. If Jake Carlisle joins them in the attacking 50 in 2017, St Kilda will be unstoppable.
The Cats were criticised in 2017 for an over-reliance on captain, Joel Selwood and Brownlow Medalist, Patrick Dangerfield, in the midfield. Geelong are still a strong side, even if their fringe players aren’t pulling their weight, meaning that their spot in the eight is seemingly safe. However, they will have teams below them consistently knocking on the door to threaten them for their coveted spot in the finals.
Collingwood will make a huge charge for the eight in 2017, thanks to the recruitment of an abundance of stars such as Daniel Wells (North Melbourne), Chris Mayne (Fremantle) and Will Hoskin-Elliott (GWS).
These players will complement the electric form of Adam Treloar and Scott Pendlebury in the midfield, as well as the brute strength of Darcy Moore in the forward line. Father-son pick, Peter Daicos, is also an exciting prospect for Magpie fans, and will be instrumental in helping the Pies experience a more successful 2017.
Melbourne had a ground breaking year in 2016, highlighted by their defeat of premiership favourites at the time, Hawthorn.
In 2017, the Demons will be led by Nathan Jones and will be mentored by their new recruit, Jordan Lewis. 2017 may not be their year to break their eleven year finals drought but it will be a year of immense progress and will provide hope to all Melbourne supporters this year.
North Melbourne have come into the past couple of seasons with high hopes, but have failed to live up to these expectations. Now, with the loss of AFL games record holder, Brent Harvey as well as Drew Petrie, Nick Dal Santo and Anthony Firrito, the Kangaroos’ list seems a little thin. 2017 will be a huge test for North Melbourne’s youngsters, as they need to show some serious fight in a bid to restore the hope instilled in their supporters.
Fremantle were the shock package of 2017, only recording four wins after winning the minor premiership in 2015. The Dockers will be motivated to turn their fate around in 2017, and have made one huge step towards making this prospect come true.
The team from the west will be led by 2015 Brownlow medalist, Nat Fyfe, who has had a prolific pre-season and looks set to take the competition by storm once again.
The Tigers, like Fremantle, also experienced a disappointing season in 2016, after finishing fifth in 2015. It will take a couple of years for Richmond’s to re-develop their 2015 form, but have made huge in-roads by recruiting the likes of Dion Prestia from the Gold Coast and Toby Nankervis from the Swans. 2017 may not be their year to explode out of the blocks, but will show promising signs for a year of the tiger in the future.
All eyes will be on the Bombers in 2017, as their suspended players will make their long-awaited return to the big stage. Led by newly-named skipper, Dyson Heppell, Essendon will be looking to show the rest of the competition that the drugs saga hasn’t phased them one bit.
However, a year away from first-class Aussie rules is a difficult feat to come back from, and therefore, the Bombers are unlikely to experience immediate success this year- but watch out for the red and black army in the years to come.
Port Adelaide have continued to downfall after their narrow three-point loss to Hawthorn in the preliminary final in 2014. Robbie Gray has been the shining light in a bleak Power side and will continue to be prolific in 2017.
However, doubt surrounds his teammates, who haven’t been able to match the form that saw them reach a preliminary final. The Power are likely to experience a much-needed wake-up call this year, which will mask as short-term pain in what will be a long-term gain in terms of experience and a reinvigoration of their renowned determination.
The Blues have experienced immense changes to their side in the past couple of years, being forced to play an array of inexperienced youngsters on the big stage.
They are in the middle of a massive redevelopment of their line-up and therefore, Carlton fans will have to be patient with their inexperienced team. 2017 will be the beginning of what will be a long, but valuable learning curve for the young Blues.
Gold Coast were plagued by injuries in 2016 and look likely to struggle to rediscover their promising form in 2017. Like the Blues, the Suns will be looking to build on the fundamentals of their game plan this year, in a bid to experience the success that GWS has experienced in the years to come. Tom Lynch will continue to be a robust figure for the Suns, but can’t carry the side solely on his shoulders in 2017.
Although the Lions have been fortunate enough to recruit a new coach in Chris Fagan, their list still looks a little thin, packed full of youngsters with a small amount of experience. Under the captaincy of new skipper, Dayne Beams, the Lions will be looking to record more wins in 2017 to build on the positive in-roads made in 2016.
Although it was a largely disappointing year in 2016, if Brisbane can continue to inject more experience in their youngsters throughout this AFL season, their success, although long-awaited, will come with a bang in the years to come.
Predicted ladder
1. GWS
2. Sydney
3. Hawthorn
4. Western Bulldogs
5. Adelaide
6. West Coast
7. St Kilda
8. Geelong
9. Collingwood
10. Melbourne
11. North Melbourne
12. Fremantle
13. Richmond
14. Essendon
15. Port Adelaide
16. Carlton
17. Gold Coast
18. Brisbane
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We’re taking a look at one player from each team that needs to make a difference this week, starting with the ANZAC Day games.
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