The Demons will play Finals Football
Ridiculous I know! How can a side that has been so bad over the past few years suddenly improve so drastically?
The answer is Paul Roos, he has quickly changed the culture of the club so dramatically that the younger players now suddenly are playing with some passion. Expect players like Watts, Hogan, Blease, Howe and Grimes to fulfil the potential they have promised for so long.
Another aspect that strengthens their claim is how well balanced their midfield is. Viv Michie and Daniel Cross give the Demons grunt as inside midfielders, this is something Melbourne hasn’t had for a long time.
Meanwhile there are plenty of quality users of the football on the outside, Tyson will get more opportunities after coming across from Greater Western Sydney and Bernie Vince adds some much needed polish to a midfield which just last year was a one man show in Nathan Jones.
Equipped with a new game plan of ball retention which has already seen them break their own club record for disposals in a game. This year more than any other in the past five years, should give Demons fans hope that their club can match it with the best in the AFL.
The Saints not Greater Western Sydney will Win the Wooden Spoon
Both teams are at different points of their clubs transitioning phases. The Saints are on the way down after having a limited amount of success with no silverware to show for their efforts. Their champions should feel hard done by, their 2009-10 era was easily one of the most successful periods of any clubs history without a flag.
With most of their champions either in the twilight of their careers or moved on to other clubs, the focus this year will be giving the next generation of talent games and hope that they have the ability to challenge for the Saints 2nd flag in the next couple of years.
On the flipside Greater Western Sydney has been building ever so quietly behind the scenes. They have one of the best up and coming forward lines in Jeremy Cameron, Jonathan Patton and Tom Boyd that the league may ever see, and it will be hard for other teams to stop that mix in the next few years.
Also adding a premiership trio in Heath Shaw, Shane Mumford and Josh Hunt who all have genuine match winning experience, will give the Giants much needed leadership that they haven’t had prior in either of their last two seasons.
The Showdown in Round 2 will be the Match of the Year
Port Adelaide and the Adelaide Crows hate each other! What more do you need to know? Well last year’s showdowns were both high scoring affairs which Port won by 9 and 4 points respectively.
The match in round 2 will be showcased in a revamped Adelaide Oval which will stock a capacity crowd of just under 40,000.
To promise that this match will be good the build up to this game started with some fireworks with the Crows announcing they would wear the old South Australian state guernsey. This infuriated Port who said that it was disrespectful what the Crows did, and have since managed to stop the Crows from being able to wear the guernsey.
Did I also mention that two of the most exciting talents in the game in Patrick Dangerfield and Chad Wingard would be playing?
Gary Ablett Jnr will Kick 10 Goals in a Game
With the rise of the Gold Coast young midfielders in Swallow, O’Meara and Martin ready to claim the mantle from their current captain. There is a very real possibility that Ablett would be seeing extended time in the forward line.
Ablett himself has already showed glimpses with the Suns that he has the ability to kick quick goals, in Round 1 against St. Kilda last year Ablett finished with four goals including three in the last quarter.
He is the best one on one player in the competition and I believe if the Suns can afford to have Ablett down forward to prolong his career, they will simply reap the rewards down the track when he is kicking bags of goals a game much like his father did for Geelong in the late 80’s and early 90’s.
Essendon’s ASADA Saga will see Players Banned
With the ASADA investigation now closed, pending a review from retired Federal Court judge Garry Downe. It is a very realistic possibility that we could see Essendon players banned if they have conclusive evidence that they were injected with banned substance Thymosin, AOD-9604 or both.
This would very well lead to the banning of current club captain Jobe Watson, who already admitted last year in a television interview to being injected with AOD-9604.
It is unsure what effect this could have on the football club if a maximum of 10 players who were named in the report are banned. One thing for sure is that it would have dire consequences on the competitive team that the Bombers would be able to put on the park, if these players are banned.
10 Bold Predictions