2015 The final eight

[jackcass]

[Lazza]

[Lazza]

[jackcass]

[Jezza]

[Hiss]

1. Port Adelaide
2. Geelong
3. Richmond
4. Freemantle
5. Hawthorn
6. Carlton
7. Sydney
8. West Coast
9. Melbourne
10.North Melbourne
11.GWS
12. Brisbane
13. GCS
14. Bulldogs
15. Collingwood
16. Adelaide

[Mossi]

[Jezza]

[JC Hartley]

You must be a very clumsy man Hiss. Firstly, you disparage our club and then you don't bother to tell us where the Bombers & Saints finish. Go back to school!

[Tannin]

Every year there are two or three big surprises. A club bolts into contention from nowhere (like Port last year) and one or two other well-fancied clubs drop down like stones (last year it was Collingwood and Adelaide).

Every year, most of the pundits pick the same sides that did well last year, and every year they are wrong about one or two of them - but which two? That's always the hard bit. The safe prediction strategy is to stick with last year's form and accept that you'll be caught by the bolter and the big sliders. You hope that no-one will notice 'coz they are all feeling just as bad about their own failures, and everyone conspires to pretend that the bolter and the sliders are huge and extraordinary surprises which would have confounded anyone. This makes us feel better about our mistakes. In reality, there are bolters and sliders every year, and they are always hard to pick. I don't think anyone regularly gets them right and most people don't even try .... but where is the fun in that? Hang on to your technicals, let's have a crack at it.


1). Hawthorn - Good for one last year before age destroys them.
2). Port Adelaide - What Jezza said - a side that is ready to hit its peak.
3). Richmond - Richmond has matured. They are contenders.
4. Fremantle - Will make the finals easily on the back of their geriatric champions .... and then go out in straight sets 'coz they are just too old and the bodies won't stand up to it. Freo are history. They won't make the finals again for years.

5). Gold Coast - Provided they can recover from their own stupidity in sacking a very good coach on the cusp of success, GC will be a major power.
6). Collingwood - This young side will click one day, when it finally learns how to send the pill into the forward line, and when it does, it will be unstoppable. This year or next year? When will we finally get it? I'm punting sooner rather than later. This will be the last great year for Swan and maybe Cloke, and the first great year for Witts, Broomhead, Adams, Williams, and Elliott. I like that combination. We could go places.
7). North Melbourne - Will make the eight and might even win a final. Hard to see them going past that level though.
8). Geelong - When the end comes, it comes fast. Geelong won't be the power side they have been but will still knock over enough easy-beats to make the finals. Just.
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9). Adelaide - Adelaide is the new Ninthmond.
10). GWS - Be afraid. Be very afraid. But not yet.
11). Brisbane - On the way up, unfortunately.
12). Sydney - Smashed by their Grand Final humiliation, Sydney will struggle for mojo all year.
13). Essendon - They can't keep running forever on fumes and self-delusion. Like West Coast, they'll have a few great wins .... and a lot of disappointments.
14). West Coast - What Jezza said. They haven't got the midfield to amount to much.

15). Melbourne - Who cares?
16. St.Kilda - Will improve. Can't get any worse!
17). Carlton - A team on the way up. On current indications, they could be ready to challenge for the final eight as early as 2042.
18). Footscray - Massive upheavals in the post-season there revealed a deeply unhappy club. Will they improve now that they have lanced the boil? Or get even worse? I'm betting worse.

Preliminary finals to be played between Hawthorn, Port, Richmond, and Collingwood. Hawthorn v either Port or Richmond in the Grand Final, Hawthorn to win.

[watt price tully]

I can't see us in the 8 this year. Next year I think will will be in a (much) better position. Assuming all things being equal, I reckon 2015 we will be 10th. Would love to be proved wrong.

It's stating the obvious however, call me captain:

Assuming a reasonable run with injuries (I know - a huge assumption):

It's the 2 R's for me ( & Not Rocket Ronnie)

1. Reid &
2. Rucks

[Lazza]

[didick]

1. Port Adelaide
2. Sydney
3. Fremantle
4. Hawthorn
5. North Melbourne
6. Essendon
7. Collingwood
8. Richmond
9. Adelaide
10. West Coast
11. Geelong
12. Gold Coast
13. Brisbane
14. Carlton
15. GWS
16. Western Bulldogs
17. Melbourne
18. St Kilda (yay)

[Tannin]

Lazza, how many games has Buckley won this year? None. Zip. Nada. Zero. Zilch. He clearly has to go.

[jackcass]