Get ready to rumble, AFL is back

This is the calm before the storm. With only a few days to go before the start of the 2016 AFL season, the wait for footy fans is nearly over.

The end of an off-season that for footy fanatics feels like it gets longer every year. The registration in footy tipping competitions is complete, the Fantasy AFL team is picked and now it is time to sit back and wait for the show to begin.

Every team’s supporters start the year with hopes and dreams of success. While some supporters can hope to see a premiership challenge others can only dream of it. But this is the beauty of AFL because without hopes and dreams what else is there?

Sometimes the importance of footy in some people’s lives is understated, for some AFL can be a distraction from the day to day struggles of life. A way to cope with the weekly grind of work with the reward of a weekend full of footy.

That two-hour escape from life while watching your team play, as you think of nothing else but the drama of the match in front of you. People come together from all walks of life to magnificent stadiums around the country as equals. It doesn’t matter what job you have or how much money you earn, the only thing that matters is what team you barrack for.

The banter between mates and even strangers that barrack for different teams, and the annual wagers that even Carlton fans keep taking. The Monday morning debriefs that happen in workplaces around the country where everybody is an expert.

The pride or sometimes shame of wearing your team’s guernsey, scarf or beanie to work, on the bus or on the train. A time when summer’s heat, sunshine and daylight are replaced by winter’s cold, rain and darkness.

For Hawthorn supporters it means another year of puffing their chest out and bragging about another premiership win. I am not sure the Hawks bandwagon can cope with another premiership – it is already pretty full and may collapse under the weight.

Love them or hate them this Hawthorn team have to be respected and admired. They play an attractive, exciting brand of footy and very few teams in the history of the game have had this sort of dominance over the competition.

The two West Australian teams also enter the season with high expectations.

Last year’s runners-up the West Coast Eagles may have arrived a bit sooner than most people thought, but they will give their supporters plenty to cheer about again this year. The purple army of the Fremantle Dockers will be on the march again this year looking for that elusive premiership.

Adelaide Oval will be rocking when the Eddie Betts show comes to town. Crosstown rivals the Port Adelaide Power will be determined to return to their 2014 run and gun style footy.

The mighty Geelong Cats, who just refuse to go away, will be looking for Patrick Dangerfield to push them back into premiership contention. And how about those long-suffering Richmond supporters? Could this finally be their year? A powerful rendition of the yellow and black club song by a victorious Tigers group on grand final day would be a sight to behold.

What about the once mighty Carlton football club? For a long time the Blues logo was one of the most revered and feared symbols in the AFL. A new batch of potential Carlton superstars will have the burden of bringing respect back to one of the biggest clubs in the competition.

And what an exciting time to be a Melbourne fan. For so long the Demons have been lost but know they have found the map and are heading down the right road.

A supporter group that may be finding it hard to see any positives about the upcoming season is the Essendon fan base. While wins will be hard to come by for the Bombers this year, something special sometimes happens when you give determined young men opportunities.

One of the best moments for this year will be when North Melbourne legend Brent Harvey breaks the all-time games record. Can this historical feat by the Kangaroos’ little champ inspire them to premiership glory?

Everyone’s second team is the Western Bulldogs, their brand of high octane and fast-scoring football makes them one of the greatest advertisements for AFL football and their games will be must watch TV this year.

Another exciting young team is the St Kilda Saints, a club that has been starved of success but has produced some of the best footballers to ever play the game. What a day it will be when the Saints come marching in on grand final day.

There is a storm building that is about to hit the AFL, and it is the Collingwood Football Club. The biggest club in the league doesn’t do anything quietly, which means it is about to get really loud.

The Sydney Swans are a primetime team. A big reason for that is their primetime player Lance Franklin. A fit and firing Buddy is something for all footy fans to enjoy.

Neighbours the Greater Western Sydney Giants are a team with unlimited potential both on and off the field. On the field the question for the Giants is not if but when will they become a dominate force. Fff the field they have a potentially massive supporter base that will climb aboard the train when they see success.

This leaves the two Queensland teams. The Brisbane Lions was able to build one of the most powerful teams of all time and will be looking to build its next dominant team around a big group of young key position players.

The Gold Coast Suns did not show its full capabilities last year because of injuries to their key players, but a fully fit list equals exciting football and wins. There is too much talent on their roster to think otherwise.

So no matter what team you barrack for or what AFL football means to you, good luck with the season ahead and let the games begin.