What the future holds for the 2014 also-rans

With the AFL finalists decided, the other 10 clubs can think what might have been as they get stuck into Mad Monday celebrations, post-season reviews and end-of-season operations.

I thought I would look at why these clubs are not featuring in September, what they need to do to be there next season, and whether they have improved.

West Coast Eagles
I had them in the top four at the start of the year, so the season was a fail as far as their ladder position of ninth is concerned. They struggled against the top eight sides, but can rue a costly loss to Carlton in Round 6 as one they should have won to elevate themselves into September. They are well served in key defensive and forward posts and also in the ruck, even without champion Dean Cox, but they could do with more speed in the midfield.

Adelaide
The Crows should have made the eight. It’s as simple as that. They lost to Melbourne at home narrowly, Carlton at the MCG in another close one and the Eagles at the Adelaide Oval, along with Richmond when they hit the front. They only have themselves to blame and need to get a more defensive side to their game.

They need another key defender to help Daniel Talia with the retirement of Ben Rutten. Taylor Walker will be better with a full preseason after coming back from his knee injury and the midfield needs more depth, although the Crouch brothers are well on the way to becoming stars. Pressure will mount on Brenton Sanderson if the Crows miss out on the eight again next year.

Collingwood
The injuries cruelled them in the second half of the season and they wouldn’t have been very competitive in the finals anyway, but they may need to address their recruiting and trading policy of recycled players. They need Ben Reid and Nathan Brown back fully fit in defence and their foot skills need some work. Their kicking efficiency was probably the worst in the competition this season.

Gold Coast
The Suns need to learn how to win without Gary Ablett. Their early draft picks of Dion Prestia, Harley Bennell and Tom Lynch, along with Sam Day, were unable to take up the slack and responsibility when the great man got injured in Round 15. At that stage the Gold Coast were finals bound.

There were plenty of positives in the season though, with Lynch now the bona fide key forward they need and Prestia and Jaeger O’Meara continuing their improvement and development. It will be their fifth season next year, so with Ablett back and more games into their high draft picks, finals have to be achieved.

Carlton
I had the Blues missing the eight, but they would be disappointed with their effort of seven wins and a draw. They lost a number of close games. However, when you lose your first four as they did, it’s always going to be hard to recover. The question now is do they rebuild or do what they have always done, try and find a quick fix?

As has been well documented in this column, they should rebuild, but it appears they will be active in trading and free agency. One thing is for sure though, they still need key forwards especially if Jared Waite leaves.

Western Bulldogs
They have gone backwards from last year, confirmed with that disappointing last round loss to the Giants. They have some talented youngsters like Marcus Bontempelli, who looks exciting, Jack McCrae and Jake Stringer, but lack key forwards and defenders. The game plan remains confusing as even in their wins they could never put sides away. Like Brenton Sanderson, the pressure may mount on Brendan McCartney unless they improve next year.

Brisbane
They should be happy with their season after a terrible start and losing all those early draft picks to homesickness at the end of last season. Their replacements such as James Aish and Lewis Taylor became permanent members of the team pretty quickly, but injuries to Daniel Rich and Matthew Leuenberger certainly didn’t help. With Jonathon Brown retired they need a key forward, but they showed at times the future is bright.

Greater Western Sydney Giants
They are coming. Those high draft picks like Will Hoskin-Elliott, Stephen Coniglio, Toby Greene and Devon Smith are seriously good players. They won their first games at the MCG and Docklands to show they are maturing nicely. The inclusion of Shane Mumford and Heath Shaw has been inspiring and another experienced out of contract campaigner would be handy. They had a number of injuries to key players late in the season and were still more than competitive. They are on the rise.

Melbourne
Melbourne improved in wins and were much more competitive, but Paul Roos knows this is a massive job. They are set to lose James Frawley, so will more than likely have picks two and three in the draft, and are keen on the out-of-contract Nick Malceski. Their midfield needs more pace to help the hard bodies of Bernie Vince, Nathan Jones, Dom Tyson and Daniel Cross and they need more flare in the way they play, but that will take time.

St Kilda
The wooden spooners get the first pick. The big question is who it will be? They are rebuilding and will get more game time into Luuke Dunstan and Jack Billings, who showed plenty in their first season. Lenny Hayes has retired after a great career, so more experience leaves the club. The transformation under Alan Richardson is well and truly underway, but like Melbourne it will take time.