It was a positive year for the Suns, a dreadful year for the Giants, a premiership-winning year for the Hawks and another horrible year for the Demons.
Gold Coast
The Suns had a great third year, which finished with their superstar midfielder Gary Ablett Jr winning the Brownlow Medal.
Jaeger O’Meara also won the NAB Rising Star for the best first year player, while Charlie Dixon also showed a little bit at full-forward.
Rating – 6. It was a pretty good year for the Suns, as they won eight games and finished 14th compared to last year’s 17th. That’s on top of the two players taking out major awards.
2014 Predictions – I think the Suns can improve again under the guidance of Ablett and coach Guy Mckenna. If the Suns can also secure the services of Heath Shaw from Colingwood, they could become a force to be reckoned with, though I still think the Suns need a couple of years to develop.
2014 Ladder Position – 11-14
Next premiership chance – 3-5 years
Look out for – Jack Martin
Expect more brilliance from – Ablett
Greater Western Sydney
The Giants had a bit of a disappointing year, but it was understandable, as unlike the Suns, they don’t have a big name player who can lead all the young players.
Callan Ward had a good year, but the highlight was Jeremy Cameron who kicked 62 goals and finished third in the Coleman Medal behind Jarryd Roughead (72) and Travis Cloke (68) respectively.
Rating – 3. It was a bad year with only one win, but that was to be expected.
2014 Predictions – With Lance Franklin signing with the Swans and snubbing the Giants, they are still without a landmark player like the Suns and Gary Ablett. I expect the Giants to stay around the same position on the ladder, as they need time to develop and grow as a team. If Jonathon Patton can return fully fit, it should help.
2014 Ladder Position – 17-18
Next premiership chance – 5-6 years
Look out for – Adam Treloar
Expect more brilliance from – Callan Ward
Hawthorn
The Hawks finished on top of the ladder for the second season running, losing just the three games – twice to Geelong and once to Richmond. Jarryd Roughead won the Coleman Medal and Sam Mitchell and Luke Hodge both had good years.
The highlight of the season was probably the preliminary final win over Geelong. And of course, the following week saw them beat Fremantle by 15 points to win their 11th premiership.
Rating – 9.5. Only lost three games for the season and won the grand final.
2014 Predictions – The Hawks will be without their superstar Buddy Franklin, but they still seem to do well without him. If Jack Gunston can fill Buddy’s position, the Hawks could still be a premiership chance. I think they are still a top four side.
2014 Ladder Position – 1-4
Next premiership chance – 0-2 years
Look out for – Jed Anderson
Expect more brilliance from – Sam Mitchell
Melbourne
It was a dreadful year for the Dees, which was highlighted by their 148 point smashing at the hands of the Bombers.
Mark Neeld was sacked, and the Demons continued to get beaten by 50-60 points. Neil Craig steadied them at the end of the season, and they had some more respectable losses.
Nathan Jones was the only real shining light for the Dees.
Rating – 3. The Demons had a tough year.
2014 Predictions – Unlike many other people, I can see light at the end of the tunnel for the Dees. Under new coach Paul Roos, I think they might improve considerably. With young kids like Jesse Hogan and Jack Viney, I don’t see why the Dees wouldn’t improve.
2014 Ladder Position – 14-17
Next premiership chance – 6-7 years
Look out for – Jesse Hogan
Expect more brilliance from – Nathan Jones
hawk j
Guest
Suns will go close if not play finals. GWS will win a few more games. Hawks not sure. Dees from 9th to 16th
Mango Jack
Guest
The Hawks will be fine without Buddy. A player capable of brilliant plays, he has become less of a goal kicking target this year. Although still a major contributor, I would rate him as probably #5 or 6 in terms of importance to the team overall, behind Hodge, MItchell, Roughy, Lake, Gibson and probably Gunston. You could possibly even put Lewis ahead of him as well (Sewell is past his prime now I reckon), and Hill is an emerging talent in the Rioli mold. They have proven many times that they can win without him, but we will miss his spectacular and freakish goals.
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Roar Guru
I reckon the Suns can grow into a much more mature team in 2014, and they'll be a force to be reckoned with. The victory over St Kilda at the beginning of the year set the precedence for a year of improvement, and if they can continue on their merry way next year, then who knows, perhaps the Suns can start playing finals sooner rather than later! As for the Giants - they've missed out on Buddy and this will dent the playing group's confidence. Unlike the Suns, the Giants lack that big name which would put them on the map - but Leon Cameron will be the new coach and it'll be interesting to see how the third-year boys go. For Hawthorn, the question will be whether they can continue to contend without Buddy. The Cats were able to prove that in their first year without Gary Ablett (winning the premiership whilst Ablett's Suns won the wooden spoon in 2011), and so the Hawks should be able to as well. The new full-forward is Roughy, so there shouldn't be any worries for the Hawks in 2014. It'll also be interesting to see how Melbourne fare under Paul Roos in 2014. I don't expect the club to make the finals, but eight wins is what they should be aiming for.
Matt Tomlinson
Roar Rookie
Great Predicting though Gold coast in top 8 in2014