I toyed with the idea of putting the Crows higher up but something about them sitting so high didn’t sit right with me.
A forgettable 2013, new ‘home ground’ and surprising trade calls make me reluctantly settle on where the Crows maybe, possibly, perhaps will finish (read below for further info) on my Lad-view.
There’s a theme to this piece, reluctance (remember this could be as wrong as it sounds).
Season 2012 was almost miraculous for the Crows after a gallant preliminary final loss to Hawthorn.
Enter season 2013, things were looking up but for Crows fans the bad news came almost instantly.
Kurt Tippett was unceremoniously moved on after his contractual exploits were exposed. They lost draft picks, had off-field discrepancies and, just to add injury to insult, Taylor Walker blew out his knee and required a full knee reconstruction.
With 2013 in the rear view mirror, the Crows signalled their intentions early, trading Bernie Vince to Melbourne, overhauling numerous other names – oh! and the small matter of moving home venues.
They drafted in Geelong premiership player James Podsiadly and dynamic small forward Eddie Betts from Carlton to send the message their premiership window is very much open.
If you were a tall forward when you were younger, chances are you dreamed of playing in front of a midfield like this.
The Crows on-ballers are elite; Patrick Dangerfield, best and fairest Rory Sloane and Scott Thompson are contested-ball winning animals that can go head-to-head with any midfield.
They all averaged over 20 touches a game and these three were all ranked in the top 25 in contested possessions. Animals!
If they can get Brad Crouch (averaged 22 disposals) back from injury he will soon be a household name and Richard Douglas (averaged 22 disposals) will build upon a good season last year. There you have what seems like an above average midfield.
One glaring loss for the Crows will be skipper Nathan Van Berlo, who will spend a lengthy amount of time on the sidelines after sustaining a ruptured achilles.
Will the interchange cap affect any of these rotations? The Crows averaged 144.1 interchanges per game, the highest in the league. With the cap set at 120, coach Brenton Sanderson will need extra miles out of their guns.
Surprisingly that big name midfield ranked 16th in tackles for the season.
To further the debate that 2013 was an aberration, the Crows finished second in marks inside 50 in 2012, without Walker and Tippett they finished 13th in 2013.
The forward line will need to be given time to form cohesion.
Podsiadly, Tom Lynch and Josh Jenkins will have about a month to gel before Walker returns. Betts must acclimate to his new surroundings with experienced small forward Jason Porplyzia, all eyes are on this unit.
For mine the defence is the barometer for the Crows season. Ben Rutten and Daniel Tahlia are the two key defenders while Luke Brown and Rory Laird will hold down the small forwards from opposition teams.
Rutten is aging; can he keep up with opposition forwards if they teams choose to exploit him up the ground? Tahlia is maturing and seems reliable but needs support; I’d still take that kid on my list any day! And Brent Reily will help set-up from defence after overcoming his injury woes.
The Crows dropping so far down the ladder last year on the back of a few injuries seemed drastic and whether Taylor ‘Tex’ Walker (coming back from a knee) and a few trades can pick them back up I’m not sure.
Do they have enough depth in each area to sustain another major injury or two?
It remains to be seen if 2013 was an aberration. So I am kind of, gingerly, hesitantly placing them….
Lad-View: 12th
Individual predictions
Best and Fairest: Patrick Dangerfield
Goal Kicking Award: Eddie Betts
In the Hot Seat For 2014: Brenton (maybe? remember reluctance) Sanderson
Player You Need to Watch: Brad Crouch
Things Most Looking Forward to Seeing in 2014: Tex Walker’s return
Novelty Blog Award: Bye Graham ‘Stiffy’ Johncock!
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