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Football is back and it’s that time of the year to predict premiers, wooden spoon, the Brownlow medallist, the Coleman medallists, the rising star, where Lance Franklin will go and what could be the season’s biggest headline.
Premiers: Adelaide
No Tippett – no problem. The Adelaide Crows tick all the boxes to make a premiership run and win it after losing by five points in last year’s preliminary final.
They’re biggest deficiency last year was the lack of a key defender after being robbed of both Nathan Bock and Phil Davis. Daniel Talia answered their prayers and has emerged as the best young key defender in the competition.
The most pleasing thing for coach Brenton Sanderson will be that their youngsters all had breakout seasons at the same time. Patrick Dangerfield is vying for the title of best player in the league and has finally found his footing under the tutelage of Sanderson.
Rory Sloane will play an integral role in the Crows midfield this year’s and the tackling pressure he brings has been devoid at Adelaide since Mark Bickley’s retirement.
Sam Jacobs was unlucky to miss out of All Australian selection last year but he is the games best tap ruckman and his ability to play across the ground and win contested possessions will make him the team’s most important player down the stretch of the season.
Taylor Walker is expected to gather much more defensive pressure in the absence of Tippett but during the preseason, Josh Jenkins has stepped up as a big body capable of playing the forward/ruck role.
Overall, the Crows have a solid core of game breakers who are in the prime of their career. They have a lot of respect for their coach who bought out the best of his youngsters in just his first year at the helm. Sanderson comes from the Mark Thompson tree of coaching and in the space of twelve months, Sanderson has invigorated the Crows and turned them into a premiership winning team.
Runner Up: Hawthorn
Hawthorn are too good not to make it to the final Saturday in September but there’s a number of factors which suggest the Hawks will struggle to improve this year.
The name we’ll tire of hearing is Lance Franklin. Speculation will be rampant throughout the year and prolonged contract negotiations of the game’s highest profile players have proven a distraction in the past.
The Hawks have been struck hard over the offseason with the loss of Matt Suckling, who tore his ACL during the preseason. The departures of Clinton Young and Tom Murphy will not be known until the Hawks depth is tested later in the season.
The loss of Leon Cameron to GWS will be a hurt but with an experienced core of midfielders, the loss should not be too drastic.
There is no obvious weakness in the Hawks list and they will be itching to avenge themselves after last year’s disappointing grand final loss. Unlike other teams however, there is little improvement available to the Hawks.
Wooden Spoon: Greater Western Sydney
It’s the easy option but GWS will struggle again this year. They’ll show a bit of improvement but based on the make up of their list, they won’t be competitive until their fourth or fifth season.
It’s a lot to ask of guys like Tony Greene, Lachie Whitfield and Stephen Coniglio to carry their midfield for 22 games of the year so much more will be expected of Tom Scully.
Unlike Gold Coast who locked up mature players, GWS just has too many players in the 18-22 age bracket for them to play out the entire year competitively. They’ll win a few games here and there but unless they can win five or six games, they are destined for the spoon.
Brownlow Medal: Patrick Dangerfield
Patrick Dangerfield is the league’s most explosive player since Chris Judd broke out for the West Coast Eagles. Last season, the 22-year-old capped off an excellent year as runner-up in the Crows best and fairest and can be considered unlucky not to have won it.
When this kid has a good game, the Crows win. The biggest upside to Dangerfield is the passive nature of his fellow midfield group. No one else stands out and commands the team like he does. Now an authoritative force in the league capable of changing the momentum of a game with his ability to run-and-carry, he is dangerous all over the ground.
Brownlow votes go to players with flare and Dangerfield certainly has that. He’s becoming one of those players you know will produce a highlight when they have the ball in their hands.
Coleman Medal: Tom Hawkins
He missed two games last year and was still the runner up in the Coleman medal race with 62 goals. Having become the player everyone expected him to be ever since the 2011 grand final, Hawkins has not taken a step backwards since.
The 24-year-old man-child has now grown into his body and become immovable in one-on-one contests. He is given excellent support in the forward line where James Podsiadly has become adept in drawing defenders away from the goals and allowing Hawkins to overpower his opposition with sheer strength.
Hawkins will never be short of supply with Geelong’s aggressive ball movement and excellent midfielders. The unselfish nature of Geelong’s style will set Hawkins up with a number of cheap goals throughout the year.
Winning Geelong’s best and fairest in a team crowded with talent is a testament to how imposing Hawkins now is. Voted into the club’s leadership group for the first time is an indication of the amount of faith his team have in him and should propel him to the top of the goal scoring ladder.
Rising Star Award: Jaeger O’Meara
It’s hard to look past the favourite who has been playing senior football for the past twelve months. He’s had a better preparation than the kids who were drafted this year and will prove it on the field.
Although he’s a young kid, he’ll get plenty of playing time in the Suns midfield who has invested so much into him. Unlike the young Suns midfielders last year, O’Meara will benefit from big bodies around him.
Gary Ablett Jnr has already anointed O’Meara as the Sun’s next captain which is a glowing endorsement of a kid who hasn’t played a single AFL game.
In his only real hit-out during the preseason competition, O’Meara was the best of the Suns picking up 24 possessions (15 contested) along with seven clearances and eight inside 50s against Sydney in the third week of the preseason.
His disposal efficiency needs a bit of work but the fact that he’s capable of winning his own ball will make him one of the most exciting youngsters to watch throughout the season.
Tom Ledger is my smokey.
Lance Franklin: Stays at Hawthorn
He’s holding out for more money and he’s going to get it. He’ll just take it out of the salaries of his more deserving teammates. It will be somewhere in the vicinity of $4 million over four years.
Biggest Potential Headline: “Dane Swan sacked”
Over to you, Roarers. For your benefit I have put together a template list for you to follow.
Premiers:?
Runner Up:?
Wooden Spoon:?
Brownlow Medal:?
Coleman Medal:?
Rising Star:?
Lance Franklin in 2014:?
Biggest Potential Headline:?
Go!
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