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AFL 2017: A season of sixes

Jake Stringer for the Bulldogs. (AAP Image/Julian Smith)
Roar Guru
2nd May, 2017
2

Six rounds down and what a start it has been.

Coming from a competition that has been dominated by the likes of the Hawks and Swans in recent years, 2017 has been a breath of fresh air for footy fans everywhere as new powerhouses being to emerge.

Highlighted by the form of teams such as the Crows, Tigers and Giants, this season is shaping to be an absolute cracker as sides are kicking high scores and playing in an extremely appealing fashion.

So, with the season well and truly underway, three distinct groups are beginning to form. They are the top six who are all vying for the top four, the middle six who are all fighting for a finals spot and the bottom six who are hoping to rebuild through a high draft selection.

Top Six (Adelaide, GWS, Geelong, Bulldogs, Port Adelaide, West Coast)
Who would have thought neither Hawthorn or Sydney would feature in the top six after six rounds?

An unexpected start to the season has seen a change of the guard begin to take place, with the likes of GWS and Adelaide beginning to take charge and become the powerhouses of the competition.

Adelaide in particular have started the year in incredible fashion, with six straight wins and 100 more points than the second placed scoring team in the league. This has been due to their incredible ball movement, potent attack, solid defence and most importantly a general improvement from players across the list.

GWS have also looked strong in the first six rounds of the season, as after being slaughtered by ten goals against the Crows at the Adelaide Oval in Round 1 they have responded with five strong wins. With their high end talent and depth showing that the time is now for the Giants to make a tilt at a first premiership.

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After these two sides a gap has formed to the next echelon of sides, with Geelong and the Western Bulldogs not playing their best football but still managing to get wins on the board. The reigning premiers in particular have been somewhat of a disappointment thus far, with close calls against Brisbane and North Melbourne along with a loss against Fremantle showing they just aren’t up to the standard of the competition’s elite in 2017.

Geelong on the other hand have shown signs of their best football with their ability to close out games being a highlight to their first five wins of the year. However, the men from Kardinia Park have been unable to play four quarters of consistent football and have looked vulnerable when midfield maestro’s Joel Selwood and Patrick Dangerfield are shut down.

Patrick Dangerfield Joel Selwood Geelong Cats AFL 2016 tall

The final two sides that round out this top six are Port Adelaide and West Coast who will look to push the top teams and claim a place in the top four.

Port Adelaide have been a pleasant surprise thus far in 2017, as an under fire Ken Hinkley has got the team back to playing their fast paced brand of football showcased throughout 2013 and 2014.

Behind the form of leaders Travis Boak, Ollie Wines, Robbie Gray and Chad Wingard, the Power have looked as good as any this season and will without a doubt make some noise come September.

Meanwhile, the Eagles have been somewhat of a disappointment thus far, with their inability to win games at the MCG resulting in them dropping games they should have won.

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However, with such a quality list and 12 games at their Western Australian fortress the Eagles should return back to form and make a push towards the top four.

Middle Six (Richmond, Melbourne, St Kilda, Fremantle, Collingwood, Essendon)
The race for the eight will be extremely interesting this season with at least four teams vying for two vacant spots.

Following the first five rounds of the season the Richmond would have been up in the top six group of the ladder, however their 76-point loss to Adelaide on Sunday afternoon proved that they just aren’t ready to make a top four push.

With doubts over the future of coach Damien Hardwick and a number of senior players, the Tigers have started the season with a bang. As their new game style and smart off season recruiting have seen them jump out to an impressive 5-1 record.

Expect the Tigers to continue racking up wins against the lower sides and cruise into September where they must battle their hoodoo and win a final.

Richmond Tigers singing in the rain

After the Tigers things get interesting for the middle six, as the Demons, Saints and to an extent the Dockers play off for eighth spot. Having experienced years of mediocrity, Demons fans came into 2017 with hope as they finally had a roster that many thought would feature in September action.

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However, the start of the season has been riddled with inconsistency as injuries and suspensions has seen gaping holes left in the best 22 resulting in the team losing games they should have won.

Similarly, the Saints came into 2017 expecting finals action and have started in a very inconsistent fashion. Their best football has been very good, with last weekends smashing of the Hawks signifying this groups finals credentials. However, poor losses to Melbourne and Geelong have also shown that perhaps Alan Richardson’s men are not ready to take the next step.

Although unlikely to overcome the Demons and Saints, Ross Lyon has got his Fremantle team back to playing competitive footy with their youth showing the future is bright at Freo. After two humiliating defeats to start the year, the Dockers have bounced back strongly with three wins spanning from Round 3-5 signifying they can be competitive against the competitions best.

This rejuvenation of form can be put down to Lyon’s willingness to play the kids, with players such as Brady Grey, Harley Balic, Ed Langdon and Ethan Hughes all proving their worth as AFL standard players.

The final two teams in this group are the Bombers and Magpies who despite have their moments clearly aren’t good enough to feature in the finals this year. Despite the presence of stars on both teams, neither have a good enough depth to contend against the AFL’s best, with forward structures and an inability to score severely hurting both sides.

Although both teams will have their moments, don’t expect much from these two powerhouses as they both begin a rebuild.

Bottom Six (Sydney, Hawthorn, Gold Coast, North Melbourne, Carlton, Brisbane)
Six rounds in and we see both the Swans and Hawks firmly entrenched in the bottom end of the ladder.

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The two powerhouses of the past five years, these two teams have been nothing short of abysmal this season. Having come into the season as premiership fancies, the Swans have not put a foot right as their stars have become shells of their former selves and youth simply not getting it done.

Although they have lost a lot of talent (Dane Rampe, Isaac Heeney, Kurt Tippett) to injuries, their start to the season has simply been unacceptable as six straight losses and a lack of determination seeing them officially out of the finals race and fighting to stay out of the bottom four.

Similarly to the Swans, Hawthorn have started the season in an appalling manner with a win against West Coast the only shining light thus far. 2017 marked a new era for the Hawks as Jordan Lewis and Sam Mitchell departed and young guns Jaeger O’Meara and Tom Mitchell arrived.

With the promise of another September push with a rejuvenated line-up, the first six rounds of the season have shown that Clarkson’s men simply don’t have it. Whether that be through the falling away of premiership stars, or their lack of depth the Hawks have a lot of work to do if they are to overcome this speed bump and push their way back up the ladder.

The bottom four seems to be set in stone however, with the Gold Coast, North Melbourne, Carlton and Brisbane playing their youth and looking to rebuild for future success. Despite the lack of talent on these teams, all four have produced periods of solid football with Lions and Blues in particular indicating that they have a solid platform of youngsters that can catapult them back into relevance.

The Suns and Kangaroos have also shown glimpses throughout the season but seem to be in no mans land as they don’t possess enough young talent or top end superstars to truly start a rebuild.

Overall, the first six rounds have been extremely entertaining with a plethora of upsets and unexpected turns that will have a profound effect on the AFL landscape as we edge closer to September.

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