Yeah that looks about it. And my first guess at the ladder looked like that but the problem with it is there is only 1 top 8 change. For me the 3 that are guaranteed to be top 8 are Richmond, West Coast and Collingwood. I can see plausible scenarios for each of the others (Dogs, Cats, GWS, Brisbane, Bombers) dropping out.

Also I agree that the Bombers are the most likely to drop out but saying that their still good enough to make the 8. In the end I think we will see something like 2016 with 7 teams split by a single game and then another 5 teams a large step down fighting for 8th.

Yeah what I meant about Libba and Wallis impacting the scoreboard, is they’ve got decent goal sense. Libba actually has some very neat goals and if either were at 40m out any angle I would back them to kick it. Libba hasn’t kicked many goals in a season because he has never been in that role he’s always been a rover. Wallis got to play the role in 2018 and kicked 15 goals in 11 games, that’s a pretty decent effort. If they both didn’t have leg issues I think they could easily fill Macleans role and more.

As it is I would swap Maclean for Wallis and Duryea for Libba, I don’t think we need 2 defenders on the bench plus I would like to see Libba split his time between heavy hitting tackles in the mid and marshalling from mid/back position similar to Hodge and Boyd, I think he has that in him.

Also on a second look I don’t think you can play The Pom, Naughton, Bruce and Schache in the same team. Schache seems the most likely to make way but not sure who for, maybe Maclean back in, I’d like to see West given an extended run, he’s got his fathers never give up attitude.

Yeah but by the same token the Bulldogs played 3 top shelf games in a row and then played a Dud game when the Giants played a top shelf game. If the dogs who played 3 weeks prior had shown up it would have been a cracker of a game. What I believe happened is the whips were cracking at the dogs and then when they made the 8 there was a subconscious pressure release for the players so they went in to that first final expecting things to just work, like they had been the 3 prior weeks.

Ed Richards – I like him and I like how he uses the ball but he seems to have low situational awareness. What I mean is he decides that he will side step a player and he does it with ease and he has an open paddock in front but then never realized that he had a second player running him down from behind.

I’m not sure about Libba and Wallis, don’t get me wrong I love them and they’re great players but I think Dunkley has gone past them and I don’t want to see Dunkley pushed out of mid. To be honest both Libba and Wallis can impact the scoreboard and both are high pressure players, it’s possibly a good idea if they played a 50/50 split between midfield and forward. Dropping Maclean in the process.

Maclean struggled to find his role last year, he kind of just drifted around the edge of the forward 50m as kind of a link up player but wasn’t frequently used because either the team would go long into the 50 or would use midfielders who were already running past, while Maclean just felt static.

Can’t wait to see what The Pom produces

Cordy and Young – Never been a Cordy fan, simply think he makes bad decisions. Having said that I don’t know how much better young is in that department but I agree that young offers more then Cordy in marking. He definitely reads the ball better in the air, won’t be sad to see Cordy become depth.

Definitely the dogs, unquestionably, nothing anyone says can change that, it is fact!
… 4 finals wins in a row, not a single home game. None of the other 9 premiers would have had a chance against them on the first day of October 2016. All would have been flattened by the little blue train, they were at the point they had so much momentum they were an unstoppable force. It took 4 months of celebrations for that momentum to come back down to normal professional sports levels. 😂 😂

It wasn’t ignored, it came late to the party. It was up to the AFL to appeal the decision, which they didn’t do pointing to corruption again. Was I relieved they didn’t? Yes but anyone who was upset about it were definitely justified. It also doesn’t take away from our right to be upset at the process around this incident.

Every year you have on average 2 teams drop out of the 8. I don’t think anyone could be considered safe from doing that. All it takes is for a couple older players to fall off a cliff in terms of performance (e.g. Boyd and Murphy 17′) or injury to strike hard and all the current top 8 could well find themselves outside.

Saying that, every single team in the 8 has upside that is equal or greater to the upside of teams outside the 8. However I would only feel comfortable saying Richmond, Collingwood, WCE and the Giants will make the 8 next year due to their ability to deal with adversity. If sh** times come for them they have the structure, depth, home advantage to plug away at it. Saying that I don’t think the Giants will be a threat next year, they seem to lack the will to get the job done.

Of the other 4 I think Geelong and the Dogs are more likely to stay in the 8 although if things turn sour on the injury front they could be susceptible to falling out. Geelong have a good home ground advantage they can utilize and don’t have a lot of weaknesses in the team but seem to lack creativity. Dogs had the hardest draw and have shown immense growth in the second half of the year but that growth may not necessarily hang around for next year.

So that leaves Essendon and Brisbane to potentially fall out. The only reason for them to be the 2 I chose is that Essendon have practically fallen into the 8 but there are mitigating circumstances, as for Brisbane, they have had an incredible run with injury and their draw will get much harder. It is still very hard to see either of them falling out.

Of those outside the 8 I would put a line through only GCS and the Saints. I can’t see enough natural growth in either team to make it and neither have a star to drag them over the line single handedly. That isn’t meant as a slight as I think their are only 4 or 5 players in the competition capable of regularly inspiring their team to a win.

So who makes it in?

I don’t know how many coaches have made finals in their first full year as coach, I know Beveridge and Hinkley did but I am assuming it is less common then more. So I’ll put a line through North and Freo.

That leaves:
Hawthorn: who get Mitchell back
Sydney: If Buddy contends for the Coleman Sydney will more than likely make it
Carlton: They are prepped for a jump, in fact the mid table teams will be hoping to avoid the double up against them in my opinion
North need growth from their 2nd and 3rd tier to get in the 8.

I don’t know who is going to fall out but the 2 most likely teams to get in for me are sadly Hawthorn and Sydney (please no) or Hawthorn and Carlton.

He didn’t really play a lot this season. Kinda have to play a season to have a good season to be selected

About the same, as was Dunkley. I don’t think any of those 3 deserved a spot in the AA team. I would have liked to see Macrae on the wing. Kelly out and Gaz on the bench. Macrae produced all year

Macrae has been the most consistent the last 2 years

I’m going to disagree with you on Dusty for 2 reasons. AA is for top level performance all season, and Dusty didn’t produce that. And second if we are going to give it to someone for a superb half a season then Dunkley has Dusty covered. The only reason people are saying Dusty has been hard done by is because he is a star of our game. Star or not he wasn’t in the top 10 midfielders this season.

👍 👍 👍 👍

I don’t think Dusty deserves a spot. Don’t get me wrong, he may go close to a Brownlow (although inellgible) but I feel that AA should reward players for consistently playing at an elite level and Dusty didn’t do that this year. He had 4 games with practically no impact and also missed 2 with injury. That’s a quarter of a season.

My starting mids would be Fyfe and Bont as the rovers Neale as the centre. McCluggage and MaCrae on the wings. Danger and Walters on the HF line and Shuey and Yeo on the bench.

Plus 2 in a certain elimination final where they got trounced at home

I don’t think whitfield can complain, I believe he only played 16 games. Can hardly be considered a top player in the league when you only play 3/4 of a season.

hahaha love it 😂 👍

I mostly agree with you here, far too many premier midfielders. Dusty doesn’t deserve a spot, a fine first half of the season followed by an excellent second half does not an All Australian make. I would say the most important part of an All Australian gong is playing at an elite standard consistently. For that reason I would put a line through Kelly and Cripps both of them have had too many quiet games.

The most consistent mids this year have been Neale, Bontempelli, Fyfe and Macrae. They should take the 2 rovers spots and 2 other mid roles. I would then select a wingman like McCluggage as you said for the spare wing and then either Gaff or Yeo for 1 of the half forward spots, then no more mids except for the bench

I don’t know if they have more credence then Brisbane. I reckon they sit firmly at 6th in terms of how deep they are likely to push into September. Saying that they have the weapons, game style and coach to upset any of the 5 teams above them.

I just wanted to point out here that the Dogs are incredible… and before anyone jumps on me, I don’t mean they’re the best just that they’ve done really well to turn their season around. I say this because I’m pretty sure they have had the hardest draw

Of the 5 teams they played double ups against Collingwood, Brisbane and Geelong are all fighting for positions in the top 4 with the last 2 most likely to take out First and Second. Fremantle although they haven’t been great have been battling for a top 8 position up until round 22. Carlton have done fine and play well against the dogs. Of those 10 games we have won 4 and lost 6, losing twice to Collingwood and splitting the rest

over the first 11 rounds they won 4 and lost 7 with a percentage of 88
Played terribly inconsistent football and were agonising to watch

over the last 10 rounds they won 7 and lost 3 with a percentage of 129

If the doggies lose by a small margin they can still make it into the 8. I doubt Hawthorn will win and the doggies percentage is enough of a buffer over the adelaide teams at the moment. Would be super uncomfortable waiting for the port vs fremantle game to finish though.

An interesting point is we could potentially see the round end with 6 teams on 10 wins. Hawthorn, Port, NM, Adelaide, Fremantle and Saints

Sorry but the best case scenario for the Dogs is if GWS and Essendon lose and the dogs jump up to sixth. unlikely sure but still your title is best and worst case scenarios

Hold up there AD, I only said that in jest. I know you love the doggies but had been burned by them early in the year and so had lost your way. You have now rectified and I applaud you. 😂

Scott Wynd (ruckman) won the brownlow in 92

Adelaide Docker I’m starting to think you don’t like the doggies, I haven’t said anything over the last month but they have been consistently low even though they have been winning consistently and haven’t had any bad losses. They beat port away and look heaps more convincing then the crows. If they were to play either of them this week I would tip the dogs

Quite easily 15, they would have been a bottom 4 side last year without him and they definitely wouldn’t have won the premiership without him, wouldn’t have come close. He was second favourite for the Brownlow at the start of 2017 due to his 2016 form. His 2017 was still very good, finished 7th in the Brownlow, his 2018 was down due to playing most of the season with injuries and this year he has been phenomenal.