The 2015 Aussie Rules football season is about to kick off and it promises to be an intriguing one. Who’s on the way up? Who’s on the slide? The Good Men Project’s very own ‘Dave & Dave’ bring you up to speed on each team’s chances in 2015.
___
With the traditional AFL season opener between old rivals Carlton and Richmond at the Melbourne Cricket Ground taking place next Thursday night, we’ll give you the edge around the water cooler with a quick snapshot of each of the 18 teams and their prospects for the season ahead.
This week we discuss the outlook for the ten teams that didn’t make the finals series in 2014.
18. St Kilda
The Saints looked a pretty miserable bunch for most of last year, winning only four games and ending up with the ‘wooden spoon’. Officially in ‘rebuild mode’, fans shouldn’t be expecting a dramatic change in fortunes in 2015. However, there are some encouraging signs. The one advantage of finishing bottom is you get first crack at the national draft and St Kilda picked up key forward Paddy McCartin at No. 1. Add to that some promising second and third year players such as Luke Dunstan and Eli Templeton, and it’s difficult to see St Kilda being quite as awful as they were in 2014. Captain Nick Riewoldt’s return to something near his best will warm the hearts of fans and make opposition defenders very nervous. However, it’ll be a long while before the Saints improve on their single premiership way back in 1966. They’ll end up in the bottom few again this year.
17. Melbourne
In coach Paul Roos’ inaugural season at the helm last year, the Demons went from backyard rabble to something that almost resembled a professional football team. They still reverted to bad habits at times but the improvement was tangible. The addition of Heretier Lamumba from Collingwood will help sure things up down back while ex-Carlton livewire Jeff Garlett has the ability to excite fans and cause some damage at the other end. The youth is also encouraging with Jesse Hogan and Angus Brayshaw hopefully ready to fire. And watch out for rising star Dom Tyson. Captain Nathan Jones leads by example and remains among the elite midfielders in the game. Expect a more competitive effort this year but not much in terms of ladder position.
16. GWS Giants
On the verge of their fourth season in the competition, it’s time for the Greater Western Sydney Giants to make their mark. Finishing down the bottom is no longer acceptable and second-year coach Leon Cameron will have set his aspirations on a finals berth or close. Many of the players from their debut season in 2012 have now developed into top-flight footballers and for the likes of Adam Treloar, Devon Smith, Dylan Shiel and Stephen Coniglio, the time is very much upon them to prove their worth. Jeremy Cameron goes without saying; he is already a match winner and one of the best forwards in the game. Obviously disappointed at another long term knee injury to Cameron’s partner-in-crime Jon Patton, the Giants look to have found an adequate replacement in rookie Cam McCarthy. Bringing in experienced heads Joel Patful and Ryan Griffen is also a massive positive. Shane Mumford must be mentioned too; the big fella is fast becoming the heart and soul of the team. We expect the Giants to move up the table but finals are still a little out of reach.
15. Brisbane
When high-profile new recruits Allen Christensen and Mitch Robinson told the playing group recently that their previous teams – Geelong and Carlton respectively – didn’t respect them, the Lions vowed to go out and earn it this year. The addition of star midfielder Dayne Beams from Collingwood will make a dramatic difference, partnering with the prolific Tom Rockliff and the resurgent Daniel Rich. They have some talented youth and look to be on the rise, but the retirement of spiritual leader Jonathan Brown will leave a big hole in the forward line, and a lack of a key target down there may become an issue. However, they continue to build and will be competitive with the more highly rated teams, but only in patches. We’re expecting status quo in the Queensland capital this year.
14. Western Bulldogs
The young Dogs looked in disarray following the sacking of their previous coach Brendan McCartney, and the defection of captain Ryan Griffen and experienced players Adam Cooney and Shaun Higgins. However, they snatched emerging forward Tom Boyd from the Giants – and despite the price tag – he might be a masterstroke for a team previously devoid of any major forward influence. Despite losing up-and-coming midfielder Tom Liberatore for the year in a pre-season match, the rise of young pups like Marcus Bontempelli is truly exciting. The Dogs will improve their football this year, but they are still too young, too limited through the lines and will struggle to make inroads.
13. Carlton
Wise old coach Mick Malthouse says his team is better prepared than last year and they will need to be. After a major clean out of the playing list, Carlton has many new faces and look vulnerable, but their form in the pre-season is probably enough to keep fans almost satisfied. There are some encouraging signs with young players like Troy Menzel and Patrick Cripps starting to show what they’re capable of, while veteran superstar Chris Judd looks in ominous touch. They’d love to have Matt Kreuzer and Andy Walker fit for the start of the season, but unfortunately, they aren’t. It remains to be seen if trades such as Liam Jones and Kristian Jaksch – or any of the draftees – can make a difference this year and as such Carlton is a bit of an unknown quantity. We’d expect some slight improvement but they might even surprise us and make the finals.
12. Gold Coast
Heading into their fifth season since their inauguration, nothing short of their first finals campaign will be considered acceptable for the Suns. Well on their way last year, the wheels completely fell off when captain Garry Ablett Jnr –the competition’s best player – succumbed to a shoulder injury. The young Suns need to stop relying so heavily on the ‘Little Master’ and incoming coach Rodney Eade hasn’t pulled any punches in telling it to them straight. Nonetheless, Ablett is back to full fitness and the team is looking threatening. Premiership player Nick Malceski from Sydney will straighten them up in defence and they have some ridiculously talented youth coming through such as Harley Bennell, Dion Prestia, Jack Martin and Jaeger O’Meara. They will play finals this year in our estimations.
11. Collingwood
The team with the largest supporter base and also the most roundly disliked (think Cowboys or Patriots here) does not enjoy being out of the limelight for long, and their fall from grace in the second half of last season came as a major surprise. Coach and favourite son Nathan Buckley is under the pump and a further decline could spell the end of his tenure. The loss of Dayne Beams in the off-season compounded issues but there’s still more than enough experience and talent to see them compete with the best. The Magpies have always developed their youth well and this line-up is no exception. We see the Pies heading in the right direction and creating plenty of problems for their opposition, but they’ve lost too many experienced players recently to trouble any of the finals aspirants. The spill-out from that will be interesting to behold for a team who missed finals last year for the first time in nearly a decade.
10. Adelaide
The Crows disappointed in 2014 when most experts had them firmly in the top eight and playing finals. As a result, coach Brenton Sanderson was outed and replaced by Phil Walsh. All that said, this team has talent to burn and just need to get their on-field performance back to where it should be. This year should see them right the ship. Midfielders Paddy Dangerfield and Rory Sloane are a joy to behold and the return of newly installed captain Taylor Walker has already brought a smile to the face of every Crow fan. If Sam Jacobs can remain in the elite group of ruckmen in the competition, Eddie Betts can work some magic up forward and emerging stars like Brad Crouch live up to their potential, we’d expect the Crows to be finals-bound and pushing deep into September this year.
9. West Coast
The Eagles need to lose the tag of “flat-track bullies” after they continually destroyed the lesser teams last year but failed to fire a shot against the upper echelon. Coach Adam Simpson has them playing reasonable football but stars like Nic Natainui, gun forward Josh Kennedy and Luke Shuey will need to step up again. A few mid range players such as Brad Sheppard are also starting to show signs of making the grade now but the fitness of Jack Darling remains a concern. Only time will tell if the boys from Perth are good enough but we’re predicting they fall just short for the second year running.
Stay tuned for a look at last year’s finals contenders next week.
Need a quick guide to Aussie Rules football? We’ve got you covered. AFL Explained.
Dave & Dave
_____________
By David Packman and David Saunders
Photo Credit: Associated Press/File
Join our Good Men Project Sports Facebook Page!
And, if you like that, you might want a daily dose of Good Men Project awesomeness delivered straight to your inbox. Once a day or once a week for Good Men Project, or sign up for our once a week GMP Best of Sports email newsletter, your choice. Join the mailing list here.
The post Aussie Rules 2015 Season Preview: Part 1 appeared first on The Good Men Project.