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With the 2016 home-and-away season so over, all eight teams set to battle out in AFL finals series have the opportunity to hold up the premiership cup at season’s end.
All the blood, sweat and tears come down to this next month.
All the gruelling preseasons in the searing heat, the grind of the home-and-away season, the injuries, the roller-coaster that is Australian Rules football cultivates into a defining period which results in only one winner.
All 18 teams began at Round 1, now there are just eight left.
With the finals set, the race for the 2016 AFL premiership is as exciting as it has ever been. All eight teams have their own right to believe they are a chance in a season so close and so unpredictable that there are no clear favourites so deep into a season.
Sitting atop is the Sydney Swans, who have arguably been the best side of the competition and if they lose, only lose by small margins.
The problem that John Longmire faces is narrowing those small loses and holding their nerve when it gets tough.
However, the Swans boast a stingy defence and a brilliant, tough and classy midfield unit. Lance Franklin also shapes as one of the key aspects of Sydney’s premiership hopes.
This club can win the premiership and have a proven track record of standing up in big finals games. Playing their baby cross-town rivals GWS will be an enthralling, electrifying spectacle.
Next is the Geelong side, a team led by a brilliant midfield partnership of Patrick Dangerfield and Joel Selwood, a combination that would scare any opposing club.
The Cats would be buoyed by their record against other finalists but dismayed and confused by their let downs against three sides not contending this season.
The Cats have an even spread across the field and have the finals experience to mount a challenge at the flag. Tom Hawkins finding form is an ominous sign that the Cats have peaked at the right team. Even better, a qualifying final against its famous rival awaits at the home of football.
The champion Hawthorn side, a team that has rejuvenated itself amidst three straight premierships is a big chance to create history at season’s end. The Hawks have injected youth to re-energise an ageing list and their veterans are as steady and valuable as ever.
Never discount this football club when it comes to finals football. They have looked shaky at times but find a way to win. Sometimes that’s all it takes. The Hawks are built for finals football.
Rounding out the top four is the GWS Giants, a club that has exceeded everyone’s wildest expectations and delivered on its promise of the last few seasons. The Giants play a ruthless, exciting brand of football and are well led and drilled by Callan Ward and Phil Davis.
The key for this club was to stay injury free and it’s happened. Now anything is possible. They have excited and brought energy to the competition.
What a landmark for the AFL if the Giants can win the flag. The final against their cross-town rivals will be special. The Giants are the kind of side that seem to rise to the occasion.
Sitting just outside the top four is the Adelaide Crows, a team that has been brave and risen above the emotional strain of the last 12 months. The Crows have been a class above in terms of attacking prowess and will back their brand in on the big stage in September.
A genuine dark hose for the premiership that is so well drilled and coached. On their day, there is arguably no better team in the competition. Host the Roos at home in a cutthroat elimination final that they cannot take lightly.
Last year’s runners up the West Coast Eagles are currently sitting in a comfortable position inside the top eight. Criticised for being brilliant at home and poor when away, the Eagles have started to shake this tag and produce some commendable and inspiring performance.
The Eagles are potent in attack and will have the belief they can shake up the final series. They seem to have peaked at the right team and simply know what it takes to get to the last day of the football calendar. The Doggies will test them, in what will be an interesting and tough encounter to start the finals series.
The youthful and exhilarating Western Bulldogs side, a club that has so much potential, is starting to deliver on a consistent basis. They are brilliantly coached by Luke Beveridge and play with such ferociousness that any team will jolt at the thought of playing this side in a crunch finals match.
The club is the closest they have ever been to winning their second premiership and if all goes right could be a challenger on the last day in October. Injuries have threatened to derail their campaign but the mental resilience has been admirable. They will fancy their chances in Perth.
Rounding out the final is the North Melbourne, a club that boasts the oldest list and a team that started so professionally. Have dropped off drastically and are lucky to have escaped with a finals spot. But if injured players and form can return, they will be a tough opposition for any team in finals.
The Roos have made preliminary finals from outside the top four for two straight seasons and seem to lift when it truly matters. The key is to get all their talls firing and their midfield playing a tough, uncompromising brand of football. The Kangaroos would worry Adelaide, who would be wary that a complete performance may just be around the corner.
The season is set up to be epic and all eight teams that will feature in September action are a genuine threat to the premiership. No season in recent memory has been so even.
Will the Hawks prevail for the fourth time and create history?
Will the Cats rise once again and add another chapter to a golden decade?
Will the Giants make history and storm the competition?,
Will the Swans utter class on every level prevail everyone when it matters?
Will the Dogs break through for the first time in 62 years?
Can the Kangaroos send off their veterans in style?
Will the Eagles get retribution for last year’s loss?
Or will the Crows prevail through uncertainty and emotional turmoil?
Next Thursday night is just the beginning of what will be a memorable finals series.
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