One big question for each team to answer in the JLT Community Series

Men’s football returns tonight, with the AFL pre-season period getting underway. There’s always an asterisk on these 27 games, but that doesn’t mean there are no questions to be asked. And answered.

There are only 35 days until opening night. There’s still plenty of time to pose interesting questions for teams to answer in the early rounds of the season. But why wait? There’s six games of football – pre-season football, but football – this weekend. With that in mind here’s a big question for each team to answer over the next four weeks, quick fire style.

And to keep things interesting, obvious questions need not apply. We all know West Coast need to work out their ruck situation. We all know Jobe Watson is coming back for Essendon. We all know Hawthorn are adjusting to life without Sam Mitchell. You don’t click through for that trash.

Adelaide Crows: Will their slingshot system be worked out by opposition coaches?
The Crows played with an extra man in defence for much of last year, becoming a counter-punching attacking team content to concede territory in order to create space. This works really well for them, such are their weapons up forward and disposal prowess of their half back and wing unit.

From my perspective, their strategy is built like a house of cards – easily toppled with the right pressure applied. While coaches won’t completely tip their hands during the pre-season, Richmond, Geelong and Brisbane will get a chance to test ways to beat it.

Brisbane Lions: Is the midfield going to be good?
On paper, Brisbane’s midfield looks enticing. It has for three seasons now. With Dayne Beams seemingly over his persistent knee issues, Tom Rockliff’s nemesis defeated and Daniel Rich locked away on a long term contract, is it finally the year the Lions look competent through the middle of the ground?

Their group lacks the out and out star power of the Collingwoods and Geelongs of the world, but it bats as deep as any midfield in the game. It’s time it played some decent, consistent football.

Carlton Blues: Is Jacob Weitering really playing as a forward?
Really, Carlton? I get the forward line is a few tools short of a full set, but Weitering is a defender. A really good one at that. He was able to play like a sixth year seasoned key position defender from more-or-less game one, and he is almost surely destined to become one of the best handful of stoppers in the game.

Let’s hope this is one of those we’re-throwing-him-forward-to-learn-to-think-like-one things. A short lived one of those things, too.

Collingwood Magpies: Can a team win AFL games without playing defence?
Collingwood’s midfield is so diamond encrusted there are plans to convert it into a super weapon in the next episode of Star Wars. Brodie Grundie, Adam Treloar, Taylor Adams, Steele Sidebottom, Scott Pendlebury and Daniel Wells is likely the best starting six in the game.

Up forward, the serving is a bit less generous, but Jamie Elliot, Alex Fasolo, Chris ‘Provides a Contest’ Mayne and Jesse White are all known quantities. Darcy Moore and Matthew Scharenberg are the upside.

(I am very high on Collingwood in case you can’t tell)

But down back? It’s barren, folks. Jakku-Tatooine level barren. Do you want to know the probability of Collingwood having a bottom six defence? It’s high. It’s really high.

Essendon Bombers: Is ball control still John Worsfold’s mantra?
Last season, Essendon led the league in uncontested marks with 88 per game. The league average was 74, while the run-and-gun Sydney took 65. There’s little doubt this was a strategy by new coach John Worsfold, who went to market with a VFL team in 2016.

Now he’s got his guns back, will there be some more action in the Don’s game plan? This could decide whether Essendon are really in contention for finals – the game is rapidly moving in favour of a quicker, and more handball-heavy, style.

Fremantle Dockers: For real, how well will that forward line function?
The Dockers have added two definite forwards and one likely forward (Bradley Hill) in the off season. Matthew Pavlich is done, Hayden Ballentyne is done, and Matt Taberner will probably be squeezed out by the insertion of the new guys. It’s a lot of change in one off season in an area of the ground the Dockers have never quite nailed down.

The midfield, with its superstar centre, should be great again, and Ross Lyon teams are rarely bad on defence. Getting the forward mix right could be the key to unlocking a rapid return to the finals fringe.

GWS Giants: Can they score 200 points in a game?
I’m in love. The Giants are going to score heavily all year, and in the pre-season, when no team really wants to play defence, I hope they give the double ton a shake.

They’ll have a few shots at it, with games against Port Adelaide at Manuka Oval, Collingwood (see above) and Richmond at Spotless Stadium, and Carlton at Etihad. Geelong (2007 and 2011) are the only teams to put up 200 in the new millennium, while five other teams came close scoring 190+.

Look it probably won’t happen, but I want to see their offence in sixth gear over the next month. Let’s do this.

Geelong Cats: Will their midfield provide better support to Dangerfield and Selwood?
Questions abound regarding the Cats. Is there a functional forward line lurking on their list? Will Patrick Dangerfield be able to back up his record-breaking season? Are there half a dozen young players capable of lifting the team to the next level?

For me, the biggest one is related to all of the above: will Mitch Duncan, Cam Guthrie, Steven Motlop, Scott Selwood, Sam Menegloa and company provide support to the clear best one-two midfield in the game in Dangerfield and Selwood? They should, but they should have last year, too.

Gold Coast Suns: How many of their 2016 draftees will see serious game time this season?
The Suns added a bevvy of top end talent at last year’s draft; four top ten picks in all, including current favourite for the Rising Star award Jack Bowes. Bowes looks all but certain to play in Round 1, and given the departure of Jaeger O’Meara and Dion Prestia, and the looming role change for Gary Ablett Junior, Ben Aisworth and Will Brodie could also see early action.

There’s cause for optimism up north.

Hawthorn Hawks: How quickly can it all come together?
We talked about the huge shift in Hawthorn’s playing stocks last week. With O’Meara and Tyrone Vickery both included in Hawthorn’s extended squad for tomorrow night, we should get a glimpse of how Alastair Clarkson plans on changing his team’s game plan.

Melbourne Demons: Will Simon Goodwin have his team firing from minute one?
The last of the apprentices to rise above his master, Simon Goodwin takes over a team with genuine, and well placed, finals ambitions. The extent to which this ambition can be channelled into reality will come down to how quickly Goodwin settles into his work as head coach.

He’s been around the team for three years, and has been a coach for a few more before that. His team has some questions to answer, too, but if Goodwin can answer this, they become detail.

North Melbourne Kangaroos: How many talls is too many talls?
This one is courtesy of The Roar’s Josh Elliott. He reckons North have five key position forwards on their list: Jarrad Waite, Ben Brown, Mason Wood, Majak Daw and Ben McKay. Waite is the best option if he’s fit, Brown and Wood have to be in the side, the ‘Roos just gave Majak Daw a three-year contract, and he reckons McKay has been excellent in intraclub games.

Five-man tall forward line, anyone?! It’s the pre-season after all.

Port Adelaide Power: Can Ken Hinkley coach?
Last year I predicted that every AFL coach would be given their full allotment of 22 games to make their case that they were the man for their respective job. This year, I’m not certain Port Adelaide’s Ken Hinkley will be given that luxury.

After surging into finals calculations in 2013, and being less than a goal away from a grand final in 2014, the Power have stagnated. Really, the inertia began in the second half of the 2014 season. Since then, they’ve been nothing more than an average side. Hinkley has been figured out – we knew that last year. It’s incumbent on him to respond.

Richmond Tigers: Are Josh Caddy and Dion Prestia going to revolutionise Richmond’s midfield?
Richmond has a lot of problems across a lot of positional groups. One of them, last year at least, was inside midfield, where Dustin Martin’s he-man tendencies papered over a weak in and under group. The Tigers have well and truly addressed that on paper in the off season with the additions of Josh Caddy and Dion Prestia.

Geelong misused Caddy as a half forward for most of last year – he was forced out of the group, more or less – and we should expect him to play plenty of time as a grunt man. Prestia is all grunt. This could be huge for Richmond. It’s one less issue to worry about, at least.

St Kilda Saints: Will St Kilda’s forward line of cast offs kill it again?
We talked about St Kilda yesterday, noting their pass mark for the year was set somewhere a tiny bit south of their 2016 finishing position. Part of my scepticism is due to the surprise rampant-ness of their key forward duo Josh Bruce and Tim Membrey.

Bruce is a converted defender, while Membrey was a rookie who was delisted by the club which prides itself on turning rookies into world-beaters (Sydney). They kicked a combined 82 goals in 38 games last season. Can the back it up? I think yes, but the pre-season competition will be revealing.

Sydney Swans: Will Isaac Heeney start the season in the top five Brownlow medal favourites?
Isaac Heeney is currently on the 14th line of Brownlow medal betting, paying 67-to-1. Isaac Heeney played in the midfield during Sydney’s semi final, preliminary final and grand final, averaging 27 disposals, just under ten contested possessions, seven marks, four tackles, four clearances and kicked two goals.

Isaac Heeney looks like a WWE wrestler after completing what is his third full preseason as a listed Sydney Swan. John Longmire has already said Heeney will run through the middle for most of this season. I’ll bet he comes way in from his current price by the time the JLT Community Series is wrapped up.

West Coast Eagles: Are last year’s trade ins going to deliver on their potential?
The ruck question is boring. The really important question is will Lewis Jetta and Jack Redden deliver on the promises they doubtlessly made to West Coast when joining the club in the 2015 off season. Neither shot their shot last season, with Jetta in particular struggling to make an impact. The Sam Mitchell transaction was a clear signal of intent from the higher ups at West Coast, and it’s time for Jetta and Redden to impose themselves. That window can’t stay open forever.

Western Bulldogs: Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy?
The last time the Western Bulldogs were on a football field they won their club its first premiership since 1954. A real game of men’s football hasn’t been played since. I follow a bunch of Footscray fans on Twitter – they’re still revelling in their last-game-of-the-year win.

The Dogs start the season with as many questions to answer as any club, a few of which we’ll get to next week. But for now, I have one whopper: is Travis Cloke really going to play a game for the reigning premiers?