2016 Top 8 Predictions

[The King!]

Richmond had a slow start this year because they were experimenting with a different style of ball movement. Once they settled on what worked for them, they improved dramatically, I think they'll comfortably be top 4 next year.
I see Sydney falling off, even out of the 8; they've been really ordinary this year and they haven't improved on 2014 at all. It's just a matter of time before others go past them.
GWS and Collingwood are capable of playing high-level footy as they demonstrated in the first half of the year, and with another pre-season of development I expect them to be in the 8 as well.

Sydney should of traded last off season to improve....

Oh hang on

 

[Tas]

It's sad that the draw plays such a huge part on predictions

Like us playing Hawks in tassie is almost a guaranteed loss, whereas at subi we are at least a chance

Much rather a full h&a but that's never gonna happen unless teams are cut or the Comp splits in to two divisions

It varies based on if you are a strong or weak interstate team.

For weaker teams, they do not want to be drawing the good teams at home. The model for weaker interstate teams making the top 8 is don't have too many hard home games (where you have an advantage and should roll most sides) and then pick up some low hanging fruit wins from the more feeble opposition away games.

If you want to make top 2 then you want the tougher games at home where that home advantage gives you more of a chance to win and should beat weaker teams on the road despite the disadvantage. For Freo if you get easy games at home and tougher games on the road then it makes a top 2 a lot harder.

 

[Power Raid]

WCE West Coast Eagles
RICH Richmond
HAW Hawthorn
NMFC North Melbourne
PORT Port Adelaide
ADEL Adelaide Crows
WB Western Bulldogs
GWS GWS Giants

 

[blueiris]

The Fixture has a lot to do with what teams go up and down the Ladder say Brisbane play the bottom 5 teams twice you would think if the got the injuries settled they would be on the way up.

Where a team like the Bulldogs plays the 5 top teams they would be on the way down because most people would think they would lose those games.
So I'm going to wait on the fixture before deciding on my top 8 teams

 

[xown]

1. Hawthorn
2. West Coast
3. Adelaide
4. Richmond
5. North Melb
6. Fremantle
7. Sydney
8. Port Adelaide

 

[tesselate_]

Sydney should of traded last off season to improve....

Oh hang on

You don't have to upgrade your list to improve.

In the age of zones and congestion, the success of West Coast, Hawthorn and to a lesser extent, the WB signals how important precise, efficient ball movement is. Where Hawthorn and West Coast are #1 and #2 for converting Inside 50s for Goals, Sydney are #13. Same for disposals per goal. When you consider that your uncontested possessions make up a greater proportion of your total possessions than 15 other clubs, it shows how inefficient and unproductive Sydney is with ball in hand. In my opinion, this alone will see your team left behind next year.

The trade ban definitely hurts though, my opinion is that your backline is outdated (WB, Hawthorn, WCE all have superior intercept marking and counterattack capabilities) and with a lesser ruck division I imagine your contested game will diminish, both of which you'll struggle to address with the trade ban.

 

[JD Tomahawk]

Hawks
Port
Eagles
Giants
Swans
Tigers
Dockers
Bombers

 

[reincarnated]

1. West Coast
2. Hawthorn
3. Sydney
4. Port
5. Fremantle
6. Essendon
7. Adelaide
8. GWS

9. Richmond - Hardwick to be moved on

- Bucks to gets the chop
- Carlton wooden spoon
- Bulldogs to have a miserable season

 

[underthestars]

The final 8 we'd love (laugh) to see!
St Kilda
Bulldogs
Melbourne
Brisbane
GWS
Gold Coast
Collingwood
Port
.................
Richmond

 

[Royce Hafey]

Richmond being hugely overrated as usual. If they do well in trade period they may improve otherwise it will be same old for them. Their depth is terrible, deledio/martin/riewoldt go down and they are horribly exposed.

Last year more than half the posters at this point had us missing the 8.

 

[SterlingArcher]

Richmond being hugely overrated as usual. If they do well in trade period they may improve otherwise it will be same old for them. Their depth is terrible, deledio/martin/riewoldt go down and they are horribly exposed.

Still have Hawthorn, West Coast making top 4. 3rd and 4th will be between sydney freo, north and richmond- pending on how they go in the off season. I will back North in to make the top 4 our gameplan is finally coming together its all about bringing that effort week in week out now.

Only 1 game and 4% out of the top 4 this year for the Tigers. Putting them in top 4 isn't 'hugely overrating', it's expecting minor improvement, especially if people think the loss of Pav/McPharlin and Goodes/Shaw/Jetta + expected further decline of Richards and Pyke makes Freo and Sydney worse.

 

[SterlingArcher]

There are critical unknown factors.

1) Players retiring/leaving
2) Free Agency pickups
3) Trading pickups
4) Draft recruits which might have short-term impact
5) The general quality of the draw (who you play, where you play and when you play make a huge difference)

There is the potential for a team in the tier 3 bracket (13-18) to get a very easy draw, Gold Coast who had a shocking run with injuries to mids could potentially get a super soft draw, with Ablett back and players off the gear perhaps they will have a significant rise in 2016? They were expected to be top 8 this year. They want to get some good quality mature players ready to go rather than draft picks for outgoing talent.

Some teams in Tier 2 (7-12) are likely to get a soft draw, Dogs and Richmond spectacular failure in the finals see them remain tier 2 teams, could see them get a pretty soft draw given they finished on 14 and 15 wins this year, it all depends on how "commercial" their draws are, if it is going to be more appealing they will cop better teams.

For those outside the top 8 in that bracket, teams like Port, Geelong, GWS or Collingwood could score a soft draw. Does Geelong get Dangerfield? Will Collingwood get Treloar? Will Port get Dixon? Will Saints pick up everyone they are keen on? Some of the moves talked about could have significant impact on the fortunes of these teams, if they get a favourable draw it could see them gain a lot of confidence and could have a Dogs-like season.

If you are going to have an educated guess then we need the dust to settle on 2015 and get some kind of insight into what 2016 is going to look like.

And after all that you'll still get it wrong, as will the rest of us, so why worry

 

[SterlingArcher]

1. West Coast
2. Richmond
3. Western Bulldogs
4. Hawthorn
5. Port Adelaide
6. St Kilda
7. North
8. Fremantle

9. GWS
10. Geelong
11. Gold Coast
12. Sydney
13. Brisbane
14. Adelaide
15. Collingwood
16. Melbourne
17. Essendon
18. Not Carlton, definitely not Carlton

 

[Ant85]

Way to early, wait till trade period.

We're all bored.

Hawthorn's in the GF again, not much interest there.

We've all moved on, March 2016 couldn't come sooner.

 

[JohnnyFontane90]

port adelaide
west coast
hawthorn
sydney

richmond
bulldogs
fremantle
GWS

richmond to lose a final to GWS

 

[Tas]

And after all that you'll still get it wrong, as will the rest of us, so why worry

Because you will at least have something to base your opinion on, might as well throw darts at a board if you are just guessing based on no evidence.

 

[VFL13]

Fremantle
Hawthorn
Port
West coast

Sydney
Brisbane
Gold coast
North melbourne

 

[cyril4brownlow]

It's too hard to make top 8 predictions now. Sydney's ability to trade in a good ruckman or defender will drastically change where i predict them to finish. Likewise other clubs and their list management decisions over the pre-season.

 

[supahoops]

1 West Coast
2 GWS
3 Dogs
4 pies
5 Cats
6 port
7 Hawks
8 Gold Coast

 

[Go the Guts]

1. Hawthorn
2. West Coast
3. Adelaide
4. Richmond
5. North Melb
6. Fremantle
7. Sydney
8. Port Adelaide

But but but....Danger's gone...we'll be useless! Apparently......

 

[SBYM]

Watch out for the Bolton Bounce guys...expecting to push for 7th or 8th...

www.carltonfc.com.au/boltonbounce

 

[MightyTiger]

1. West Coast
2. Hawthorn
3. Sydney
4. Port
5. Fremantle
6. Essendon
7. Adelaide
8. GWS

9. Richmond - Hardwick to be moved on

- Bucks to gets the chop
- Carlton wooden spoon
- Bulldogs to have a miserable season

 

[fidstar]

Eagles had an easy draw this season.

The teams we played twice finished 1st, 6th, 7th, 14th and 16th. Average finish position of 9th. Right in the middle of the ladder. So basically we had an average draw.

 

[Halftimehero]

Essendon
West Coast
Sydney
Port Adelaide
North Melbourne
Hawthorn
Fremantle
Western Bulldogs

 

[Cynic]

If Hawks win the flag I don't think they'll be in the top 8 in 2016...