The top eight sides for 2020 is set to be a mouth-watering battle.
In particular, the seventh and eighth spots entirely up for grabs with the top four or six already being quite set after previous years of consistency.
My predictions for the ladder are as follows.
1. West Coast
2. Richmond
3. Collingwood
4. Western Bulldogs
5. GWS
6. Geelong
7. Port Adelaide
8. Melbourne
9. Hawthorn
10. Brisbane
11. St Kilda
12. Essendon
13. North Melbourne
14. Carlton
15. Sydney
16. Fremantle
17. Adelaide
18. Gold Coast
Premiers: West Coast
The Eagles will impress again in 2020. In 2018, they took the chocolates from the Tigers in the big dance. They were slightly disappointing last year after a dominant 2018 campaign. This is the year that they will climb back up.
(Photo by Cameron Spencer/AFL Media/Getty Images)
Runner-up: Richmond
The Tigers will impress again in 2020. Young players will get chances to perform and flex the depth of the Tigers. I predict that they’ll go all the way to the decider but just fall short against the Eagles in the grand final.
Impressive: Western Bulldogs
The Bulldogs’ Marsh Series games were exciting to watch. Their ball movement is of a very high standard and their midfield is easily one of the best in the competition. I’m predicting a big top-four season from the Dogs in 2020.
Disappointing: Adelaide
With the Crows offloading a fair chunk of their list at the end of the 2019 season, they are currently in a rebuild phase where young players will definitely be granted an opportunity to stand up and make a name for themselves. Overall, I expect a low finish from the Crows this season.
Brownlow Medal: Patrick Cripps
Very much a favourite last year and not being far off the pace, Cripps is in strong contention to win his first Charlie in season 2020. A lot of the Blues’ success this year will be sparked by his performances. Turning just 25, the day before the Blues’ opener against the Tigers, Cripps’ dominance is frightening as he still has plenty of years of good football in him.
(Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)
Coleman Medal: Aaron Naughton
This prediction all depends on Naughton’s ability to remain fit throughout the season. We caught a glimpse in the Bulldogs’ Round 7 thumping of the Tigers last year of the potential of what Aaron Naughton can be. He slotted five goals and three behinds as well as taking 14 marks, nine of which were contested. With a great pair of hands and a good kick at goal, if Naughton stays fit, there’s no reason why he can’t win the Coleman Medal in 2020.
Rising Star: Matt Rowell
It’s hard to tip against Matt Rowell for the Rising Star. Being the number one pick in the draft, and with some exciting performances in the Marsh preseason series, Rowell is a hot favourite for the Rising Star. He’ll have competition from teammate and number two pick, Noah Anderson, but from what we’ve seen up to this point, this boy has a lot of potential to become a bull in the midfield for the Suns.
HR
Roar Rookie
To me, disappointment connotes expectations that aren’t fulfilled, and anybody that expects Adelaide to be near the top of the ladder in the next couple of years is being unrealistic, so a low finish doesn’t equate to disappointment. As you have said, Adelaide are very much in the rebuilding phase, so it can be expected that they’ll struggle to compete with more experienced sides. If they are improving by the end of the year, I would consider that a positive result, even if they end up very low on the ladder. If we want to talk about a disappointing year from Adelaide, that’s 2018 – I thought that they had the ability to really compete, but they were a complete no-show, and a drop from minor premiers to 12th on the ladder was a massive under-performance compared to expectations.
WCE
Roar Rookie
the Eagles beat richmond in 2018 by 47 points
Aidan Sinclair
Roar Pro
As a Richmond supporter, I would like to think that Ellis’ and Butler‘s departures aren’t going to have that much of an impact. I’d live to see the Lions go far, interested to see how the Dees go and the Saints could be a huge surprise!
The real SC
Roar Rookie
Premiers: GWS. Last year they won millions of hearts. Jezza Cameron and PHil Davis will stand up tall this year. Runner Up: Brisbane Lions: It will be lucky for the Lions to win at least one final. Last year, they went out in straight sets. I would like to see Brisbane beat Richmond for the first time since 2009. Losing Form: Richmond: With Brandon Ellis and Dan Butler moving to GOld Coast and ST Kilda respectively, their form might start to drop off. Richmond could go out in straight sets. Dark Horse: Melbourne. After a disappointing season, they will surely bounce back with a new lineup. Steven May and Clayton Oliver will stand up tall. Exceptional: St Kilda. I think St Kilda will go all the way to playing finals footy for the first time since 2011. St Kilda will have a good lineup and I think that they are a golden chance of FInals Footy. Disappointing: Adelaide Crows - Will at some stage be a contender for the wooden spoon? Last year, they were very disappointing after losing 6 of the last 7 matches. Crows lost a lot of players like Eddie Betts, Hugh Greenwood, Cam Ellis Yolmen.
Aidan Sinclair
Guest
yeah I stuffed that, my bad
Macca
Roar Rookie
The problem for Cripps is going to be that for him to win the blues need to win more games but for the blues to win more games players like Walsh, Weitering, Martin, SPS etc will need to start taking votes off Cripps.
Sunshine Tiger
Roar Rookie
I’m not sure the eagles beat the tigers in 2018 but whatever floats your boat