2012 the most exciting for the AFL in years

As season 2011 rapidly heads to its end, with the final eight shored up and the AFL world looking to the grand final, I can’t help but look further afield.

Not only because my beloved Crows won’t be playing in a couple of weeks, or because I just can’t stomach the thought of another Collingwood win, but because 2012 has so much worth looking forward to.

New coaches
With three clubs currently in the market for new mentors, and three clubs having debutant coaches this year, 2012 looks to be the year for fresh faces in the coach’s box.

10 of the future 18 clubs will have had their coaches for three years or less, including the Suns and Giants, and the controversial Malthouse/Buckley exchange.

Will this mean rejuvenated playing lists, as new coaches try to establish a new regime at their club? Will it result in new ways of playing the game, with fresh minds bringing about fresh tactics and approaches to football?

It certainly means more player movement, with clubs like the Crows, Demons and Bulldogs needing a shake up in the coming year, and clubs like the Suns, Giants and perhaps even Port Adelaide seeking out the best talent in the league to bolster their young lists.

A new North
North Melbourne’s rise up the ladder under Brad Scott has been remarkable to watch. Gone are the old days of the ‘shinboner spirit,’ replaced by a new, youthful image. The club now looks in good hands under the guide of young leaders like Swallow, Ziebell and Petrie, as well as the skipper Boomer Harvey.

Todd Goldstein looks to be a genuine talent in the ruck, and with any luck 2012 will see the re-emergence of big Hamish McIntosh to the centre square.

Finals seem the only option for a club who, only a few years ago, looked set to follow South Melbourne and Fitzroy into either re-location or an unhappy forced merger.

Rising Suns
The Gold Coast Suns have well and truly passed their audition. For the baby-faced Coasters, the sky really is the limit, and 2012 could see them make a genuine tilt at the finals.

For my mind the missing piece of the puzzle is still a big key forward, and whether this can role can be filled by Sam Day or Charley Dixon remains to be seen, but I would suspect that another raid on playing lists is on the cards.

The obvious target is Kurt Tippett, a Southport Sharks product and self confessed ‘beach boy.’

Whether the Crows can somehow benefit from losing the giant pinch-hitting ruck-forward they have nurtured and developed is the big question, but with the raft of young superstars on their list the Suns would have plenty to offer to get their man.

Footy’s giant leap
Phil Gould has been stating for years that rugby league’s heartland has been taken for granted, and that the West could easily be lost to one of the other football codes, something the AFL knows all too well.

Their new expansion team GWS Giants will burst onto the scene next year, with another bumper crop of young talent on display. The thing that excites me most about this? Israel Folau.

I loved watching Izzy play for the Broncos and Queensland, marvelling at his speed, strength and aerial abilities. Now, we can all marvel at the code-crosser’s sheer athletic ability and capacity as a sportsman.

Will he be the Giants’ leading goalkicker in 2012, or will he struggle with the change and the media pressure?

Goodbye, Kennett!
Nt really sure I need to say any more. Fairwell to the human headline-maker – dont let the door catch your scarf on the way out mate.

2012 looks like a year of change for the AFL with new challenges, new faces and new opportunities being revealed. So let old acquaintance be forgot, and bring on the new year!