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2012 will be a huge year for the AFL, and will have a lot of firsts. It will be the first year of an 18-team competition, with the introduction of the Greater Western Sydney Giants. The first matches will be played at Blundstone Arena (Hobart), Skoda Stadium (Showgrounds), and Blacktown International Sports Ground.
The AFL will will be able to show the whole of Australia, via Foxtel, every single game live in HD, siren to siren.
It will also be a year of seconds. The second year of the NEAFL and Foxtel Cup, the second year of the Gold Coast Suns, and the second AFL premiership game in Cairns.
Last year the AFL reached incredible heights, with the announcement of the $1.253 billion television rights deal: the richest boradcast deal in Australian history, and one that took two years of negotiation.
Also the AFL and the AFL Players Association came to an agreement which means AFL players will be the highest paid athletes in Australia.
An average AFL player will receive over $300,000 a year, a rookie-listed player will recieve $35,000 and when a player retires he will recieve a minimum of $20,000 a year.
It’s hard to think that just 30 years ago the VFL consisted of 11 Melbourne teams and Geelong, was only played in Victoria (except the odd exibition game), and didn’t have draft, trade, or salary cap systems.
One can only ask what heights the AFL can reach this year? Can they continue to grow? What of Kevin Sheedy’s talk of expanding into China, and other expansion talk? Will the Giants be a hit? Will they even win a game?
Will Gold Coast make the top eight? Can Brisbane climb the ladder? Will Collingwood win the premiership? Will Sydney finish in the top 4? All these questions and many more are yet to be answered, and I can’t wait to find out.
I know its Australian football’s time of rest, and we should all be focusing on the Big Bash and the Test cricket, but we have a huge year ahead of us, there’s no time for resting.
Here are my predictions for 2012.
The Contenders
Collingwood
Geelong
Hawthorn
Carlton
The Hopefuls
West Coast
Sydney
Fremantle
Essendon
North Melbourne
The Cellar-Dwellers
St. Kilda
Richmond
Adelaide
Brisbane
Gold Coast
Melbourne
The Pretenders
Western Bulldogs
Port Adelaide
Greater Western Sydney
Premiers
Collingwood
Runners-up
Hawthorn
Wooden-spooners
Greater Western Sydney
Brownlow
G. Ablett or S. Pendlebury
Norm Smith
S. Mitchell
Coleman
L. Franklin
Rising Star
S. Coniglio
Foxtel Cup
Port Melbourne
VFL
Northern Blues
SANFL
Central Districts
WAFL
Claremont
TSL
Burnie
NEAFL North
Aspley
NEAFL East
UWS Giants
NEAFL
Aspley
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