2012 Predictions

[mufassa]

There ins't a lot wrong but at the same time I don't see anything really standout about them either.
The eggs seem to be in the "win every clearance" basket but that doesn't seem to happen as often as they'd like. Slow burners for mine.

We are every chance to take your spot in the 8. There is little between us. Our midfield is our strength and your weakness so we have different focus areas to win games. Not

 

[mufassa]

There ins't a lot wrong but at the same time I don't see anything really standout about them either.
The eggs seem to be in the "win every clearance" basket but that doesn't seem to happen as often as they'd like. Slow burners for mine.

We are every chance to take your spot in the 8. There is little between us. Our midfield is our strength and your weakness so we have different focus areas to win games. Not many flags handed out to teams with a poor midfield recently.

 

[Slattery_20]

We are every chance to take your spot in the 8. There is little between us.

Agreed.

Our midfield is our strength and your weakness so we have different focus areas to win games.

Again, agree.
Both sides a fair way off the better sides.

 

[Thedeftouch]

Collingwood
Geelong
West Coast
Hawthorn

Carlton
Fremantle
North Melbourne
Essendon

St Kilda
Sydney
Adelaide
Richmond
Brisbane
Western Bulldogs
Melbourne
Port Adelaide
Gold Coast
GWS

 

[Kangaroos96]

1st Hawthorn
2nd Carlton
3rd Collingwood
4th North Melbourne
5th Fremantle
6th West Coast
7th Geelong
8th Western Bulldogs
9th Essendon
10th St. Kilda
11th Sydney
12th Richmond
13th Brisbane Lions
14th Adelaide
15th Melbourne
16th Gold Coast
17th Port Adelaide
18th Greater Western Sydney

 

[Michael Scarn]

Hawthorn
Geelong
Collingwood
Carlton
West Coast
St Kilda
Fremantle
Sydney

Richmond
Essendon
North Melbourne
Melbourne
Adelaide
Western Bulldogs
Brisbane
Gold Coast
Port
GWS

 

[Exe Gesis]

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

Guess how many teams in the right spot I get.

 

[blaze036]

1st Hawthorn
2nd Carlton
3rd Collingwood
4th North Melbourne
5th Fremantle
6th West Coast
7th Geelong
8th Western Bulldogs
9th Essendon
10th St. Kilda
11th Sydney
12th Richmond
13th Brisbane Lions
14th Adelaide
15th Melbourne
16th Gold Coast
17th Port Adelaide
18th Greater Western Sydney

Is this a serious prediction...

 

[Chief Ten Beers]

North @ 11th and Sydney at 4th would make it more realistic.

 

[Astro Bomber]

North @ 11th and Sydney at 4th would make it more realistic.

Yep, and cant see the Bulldogs getting back into the 8. Melbourne and Richmond are a better chance.

 

[BrisbaneLion9636]

Coll - Just too good
Haw - Good mix of young talent and mature heads
Carl - Good midfield, just need 1 or 2 key talls to fire
Bris - Great young midfield, Redden will go up another level
Syd - Good side, but not good enough
Wce - Take a small step backwards
North Melb - Good young side without too many glaring weaknesses
Ess - To have a similar year to this one. Very inconsistent

Geel - Too old, too slow etc, you know the drill
Fre - Even with players back just aren't good enough
Adel - Youngsters will show gradual improvement
Melb - Slog it out again, but wait till 2013/14, will be hard to stop
Rich - Development in their youngsters, may finish higher
Stk - Playing the kids will have short term falls but needs to be done in the long run
Port - Still struggling
GC - Not good enough
GWS - Last

I actually agree with this one.

 

[BrisbaneLion9636]

Still bitter over 2004... Anyway your placement of Port is likely 1 too low but at least i'm being realistic. You on the other hand stating Brisbane to finish 7th is laughable, try at least 7 spots lower.

Maybe I simply should have put "No comment on a joke of a post"...

Bitter? Nope, the way you got thrashed in the 2011 season was the joke. Seriously, your club is the laughing stock of the AFL. At least the Lions challenged most of the sides, instead of crumbling to massive defeats.

 

[Thaihawk]

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

Guess how many teams in the right spot I get.

ONE. Richmond of course.

 

[catters078]

Pies (should finish top but not as convincingly as last two years)
Hawks (if they get a healthy list, should peak)
Cats (havent lost enough talent to drop them past here)
Blues (talent comes to the shore, still young though so inconsistancy keeps them no higher than 4th)
Dockers (they will be a far better structured side, could finish top4 with luck on the injury list)
Saints (Ageing a bit, bit still have 8-10 gun players)
Eagles ( i see them sliding a little, hard to see their veterans being as good as last year)
North (time for the young players to step up i think they are ready)

Adelaide
Essendon
Sydney
Richmond
Melbourne
Bulldogs
Brisbane
GC17
Port
GWS

North, Adelaide, Essendon, Richmond and the swans all close and I could see any of them finishing 8th.


Prelim finals-

Pies- Hawks
Cats-blues

Cats - Hawks GF.

 

[Squida25]

Is this a serious prediction...

omg Collingwood third, how preposterous!!

 

[Joshen]

I actually agree with this one.

I wonder why.

 

[Nickers]

1. Collingwood- Will bounce back hungrier than ever after the GF loss. Super talented list.
2. Hawthorn- Exciting to watch. A good run with injuries and they could finish 1st. Am tipping a Pies/Hawks GF.
3. Geelong- Still a super team. Losing Ling & Ottens hurts, but have great kids coming through. Question will be on hunger, but I think it's still there.
4. Carlton- Are ready to take the next step. Unfortunately. Judd and Murphy at their peak, Gibbs and Yarran not far off.
5. WCE- Still strong but may not get the same run of luck with injury in 2012. Looking forward to seeing an injury-free Nic-Nat.
6. Essendon- All depends on luck with injury. Full seasons from Winderlich, Dempsey, Jobe, Hooker, Pears and Hurley should equal a couple of extra wins.
7. St Kilda- Will love having Lenny back. Still boasts elite players but lacks depth and not sure where the improvement will come from.
8. Sydney- Good kids but not sure if the list is ready to improve significantly just yet. Should be in the mix and aim to win a final.

9. Fremantle- Dogged by injury in 2011, should bounce back. A genuine dark horse.
10. North Melbourne- Solid draw and could potentially squeeze into the 8. I like the Roos but need to beat the top teams before being rated as finals material.
11. Richmond- Stellar midfield but forward-line lacks options bar Jack and Vickery. Defence still a concern.
12. Melbourne- Could go anywhere. Talented list but lacks leadership and consistency. Will be interesting to see how they respond to Neeld.
13. Western Bulldogs- Expect to slide this year and focus on developing their kids. Will miss Hall. Did well to get McCartney.
14. Brisbane- Need a full season out of Brown. Great kids though. Redden is a jet and just wait til Polec gets going.
15. Adelaide- Can't see a huge amount of improvement yet. Needs to find some more options up forward.
16. Port Adelaide- Lacks leadership and will focus on playing the kids. Hopefully Hartlett gets a full season.
17. Gold Coast- Still raw but should aim to improve on %.
18. GWS- As expected, will have a tough debut year.

 

[blueiris]

1.Hawthorn- with the way they played like last season with injuries why would'nt they be better with a full list to choose from
2.Carlton- I really think they are a team on the rise almost beat Collingwood and Geelong last season
3.Collingwood they have lost the best coach in the league I dont know how well they will go under Buck's but still have them in the top four
4.West Coast they are a top four team with youngsters that could improve
5.Sydney they seem to finish here everyyear and see no reason why they wont next year
6.Adelaide have a soft draw which could just get them over the line for a top 8 spot
7.Fremantle they blamed injuries and than sacked there coach let's see if they were right good luck
8.Geelong I have to stick up for my coach and say they could be on the way down losing ottens could be a major worry
9.Melbourn-they have a dream draw just dont seem to win the games they should win still kicking my self I picked them against port as i came second in my tipping comp
10.North Melboune-could be a team to watch next year but just cant beat the teams in the top 8 if they do that they could be top 8
11.Essendon-they made the top 8 last year but could it have just been a flash in the pan
12.Richmond-they are the hardest team to pick where they finish but richmond fans just hope it is not 9th
13.Brisbane Lions-they are on the improve but have a hard start to the season could cost them a higher spot
14.StKilda- I belive there on the decline and so must of there coach just cant see where the improvement is coming from. Riewoldt needs help
15.Western Bulldogs- they have lost the coach there full-forward and center-half back for the season and I dont know what's wrong with Lake.
16.Gold coast-will improve next year but still too young
17.Port Adelaide- there the wrost team in the league and that's saying a lot with new teams like GWS and Gold Coast coming though
18.GWS-they are the only reason I did not pick Port here but the only reason is that the kids they get will not be ready to win many games not to say thet the kid's that they do get wont be better then the one's Gold Coast have.

 

[Gimme the Fyfe]

Expect a very even top 10.

01. Geelong
02. Carlton
03. Fremantle
04. West Coast
05. Hawthorn
06. Collingwood
07. St. Kilda
08. Nth Melb.
09. Adelaide
10. Sydney
11. Richmond
12. Essendon
13. Footscray
14. Gold Coast
15. St. Kilda
16.Brisbane
17. GWS
18. Pt. Adelaide

Brownlow: Nat Fyfe (I am being objective, despite being a Freo supporter. I do believe they will be solid next season and he will be a key player with all eyes on him.

Coleman: Buddy, Pods being a close second.

Rising Star: Jaeger O'Maera

Fleeting thought: Expect the gap between rich and poor teams to increase. (Not if but) When the salary cap will be raised, even eliminated by the end of the decade expect teams like Hawthorn and Collingwood to be the next Chelsea and Man United.

 

[JasRulz63]

Expect a very even top 10.

Got St. Kilda coming 7th and 15th (I assume 15th is Brisbane). Also O'Meara can't play until 2013.

 

[TheFourPillars]

Expect a very even top 10.

01. Geelong
02. Carlton
03. Fremantle
04. West Coast
05. Hawthorn
06. Collingwood
07. St. Kilda
08. Nth Melb.
09. Essendon
10. Sydney
11. Richmond
12. Essendon
13. Adelaide
14. Gold Coast
15. St. Kilda
16. Footscray
17. GWS
18. Pt. Adelaide

Brownlow: Nat Fyfe (I am being objective, despite being a Freo supporter. I do believe they will be solid next season and he will be a key player with all eyes on him.

Coleman: Buddy, Pods being a close second.

Rising Star: Jaeger O'Maera

Fleeting thought: Expect the gap between rich and poor teams to increase. (Not if but) When the salary cap will be raised, even eliminated by the end of the decade expect teams like Hawthorn and Collingwood to be the next Chelsea and Man United.

Will be an awesome achievement given he won't play a game next year

 

[Juddernaut08]

The Final 8

1) Collingwood - Similar to Bombers '11, will start on fire under Buckley, but the constant media pressure and inexperienced coaching will cause them to start fading around Round 18.

2) Hawthorn - Will beat everyone they play. Bar Geelong. And maybe a few due to resting players to avoid injury.

3) Geelong - The last hurrah?

4) Carlton - With only Scotland to possibly decline, and 10+ best 22 players getting closer to the peak age, the Blues are my pick to do damage come September.

5) Sydney - Reliable. Goodes still playing well.

6) WCE - still got a couple of good years left from their old guard.

7) Freo - will become very good after Round 6

8) Essendon - will improve with excellent coaching, but can only go so far with a midfield that is arguably the worst in the history of the AFL.

Elimination Finals
Freo 88 def WCE 85 (in a thriller Western Derby - Wowee!)
Sydney 1150 def Essendon 68 (Essendon to crumble under pressure, again)

Qualifying Finals
Carlton 120 def Collingwood 99 (Colliwobbles)
Geelong 65 def Hawthorn 64 (Geelong still have the wood over the Hawks)

After that it's any of Blues, Cats, Hawks, Pies, Swans or Dockers could win it. It's too far out to predict

 

[Blue and Silver]

OK. Ran through the fixture and came up with:

Carlton 20-2 (Yeah probs biased in some of the bigger games, lose two in the middle)
Hawthorn 17-5 (Start very strong , mid slump, good finish)
Geelong 16-6 (Start strong, lose a few in the middle, then limp home)
Collingwood 15-7 (Starts poorly 1-2, then fairly strong with the occassional loss)
Fremantle 15-7 (Weak start 2-3, then hit their stride, patchy end)
North Melbourne 13-9 (Very strong start, with a 2-6 period towards the end)
West Coast 13-9 (Strong start 3-0, hits strife but comes home with 6-2)
Brisbane 12-10 (Patchy early, 7-3 end of season)
Richmond 12-10 (Patchy at start and end but 6-1 patch mid-season)
Sydney 11.5-10 (Start strong 3-0, but don't re-gain that form till too late)
St Kilda 10-12 (Starts well but fades into a bad mid-season, ends strong with 5-2)
Gold Coast 9-13 (Win, loss, win for most of the season)
Western Bulldogs 8.5-13 (Very string start 4-1, collapses)
Adelaide 8-14 (Poor start, strong finish 4-1)
Melbourne 8-14 (Bad start, but a purple patch with 5-2)
Essendon 6-16 (purple patch mid-season and that was it)
Port Adelaide 3-19 (Yeah...)
GWS 2-20 (I won't say who they beat in my predictions)

Threw in a couple of upsets, and tried to let form dictate a little (teams with a couple of wins more likely to win the next).

FS, I had an old prediction a while back so if you want to incorporate this one you might want to look that up.

Everyone else, enjoy criticising

 

[Gimme the Fyfe]

Will be an awesome achievement given he won't play a game next year

It would most definitely. I forgot about the age thing. Any thoughts on Fyfe though?

I don't believe its far fetched, seeing as how many votes he polled this year with not many eyes of the officials on him.

Bring on 2012! Is there anything worse than the off season? Just being peeled to the couch in scorching heat watching the cricket really blows.

 

[King Cold]

• 1. Collingwood (new coach, new game plan, still have all their premiership players bar Leigh Brown, 2011 GF loss burning in their guts)

• 2. Hawthorn (2011 PF loss will burn in their guts. I can see them coming out showing no mercy, akin to Essendon 2000)

• 3. Geelong (still going to be a force next year)

• 4. Carlton (fit KPP's should see them secure a top 4 spot)

• 5. Fremantle (injuries cruelled them in 2011. A fit and firing list should see them push for a top 4 spot)

• 6. Sydney (will be around the mark, as they always are. Critics will underrate them as they do every year)

• 7. West Coast (came from nowhere in 2011 due to Cox, Glass, Embley, Kerr and Lynch all having close to best career seasons. Won't be as strong as they were this year)

• 8. North Melbourne (will beat all the teams they should, however there is still a large gap between them and the top teams)

• 9. Brisbane Lions (were competitive last year, youngsters showed great signs for the future. Expect them to rise a few rungs)

• 10. Melbourne (Turmoil of 2011 set them back IMO. Expect them to hover around 9-12 while Neeld and Craig turn things around

• 11. Richmond (finals still 2 years away IMO, young side and will still be inconsistent)

• 12. Essendon (played above themselves in 2011 due to the players actually wanting to play for the coach. List is still ordinary however)

• 13. St Kilda (Watters to begin rebuilding the list. Expect a few sides to go past them)

• 14. Western Bulldogs (in rebuild mode, expect them to slide towards the bottom 4)

• 15. Adelaide (can't see them winning too many next season, Sanderson needs to rebuild the list)

• 16. Gold Coast (should win another 2-3 games with another year into the kids)

• 17. Port Adelaide (a rabble on and off the field, next year will be about rebuilding. John Butcher is a bright prospect)

• 18. GWS (can't see them getting off the bottom, Gold Coast landed better players than GWS, yet they still won the spoon)