So far in 2012, there have been so many ups and downs in the AFL season that no-one knows who will make the grand final, let alone who will be in the top eight.
There are four teams sitting outside the eight on 7 wins and 7 losses after 15 rounds, five if you count Brisbane who still could potentially make the finals if they win this week.
After round 15, in which Carlton upset Collingwood and a demolition of the Bombers by St Kilda, it has me asking the question: Could someone outside the four win the flag?
Geelong coach Chris Scott said earlier at the start of the year that he was aiming for his team to have a grand final berth even if they don’t make the top four. But Geelong have been far from their best this season, whether it is due to them trying to rebuild their list or because a lot of their mature aged players are finally getting too old and are looking to move on.
Which brings me to the Blues, who after last week’s win over Collingwood will be filled with confidence that they finally have their mojo back and are again moving in the right direction at a crucial time in their season. Once considered flag favourites, the Blues started out well early but consistently slipped further and further down the ladder after a horror run of injuries. They lost Andrew Carazzo early in the season and also Marc Murphy, Jarrad Waite, Jeremy Laidler and Lachie Henderson, and now also Shaun Hampson who hurt his knee last week against Collingwood.
And what of the Saints, another team who at the start of the year were thought to have been just another club in the rebuilding phase. They have a majority of their players who played in three grand finals getting to an average age of 28 and many thought them not to be a threat. But after smart drafting of younger players through the likes of Arryn Siposs, Jack Steven, Ahmed Saad and Terry Milera they still look like a fresh team who are hanging around ready to pounce when the opportunity arises.
What about the others, such as North Melbourne who in recent weeks have shown their true colours and shown that they can play really good footy when required. Richmond, at the start of their season had fans believing that they had finally overcome their long standing issues and were ready to produce a big season. They also may be contenders come finals time.
So could it be truly possible someone could achieve this feat?
If so, 2012 would be a fitting year to do it.
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