I expect us to drop back at bit. Our second half of last year was really one dominant month, then a series of less inspiring games where we got lucky in the close ones (4 straight wins in matches decided by less than a goal) and got belted in our losses (vs GWS and Brisbane, top 4 teams, but I thought a class above us last year). That offset a bad start where we got a bit unlucky and lost form and confidence. We ended up about where we deserved imo - 13-9-1 and the bottom half of the 8, and then had an exciting 2 weeks (and a quarter).
I don't really see where we improve much though, and expect a slightly tougher path this year, so expect probably 11-13 wins fringe of the 8 and once again relying on luck, form and results to get us into finals. Just getting back to finals for a second straight year would be an achievement - lets not forget last year was the first time we have finished in the top 8 since the league added an 18th team. I don't expect us to be able to jump straight from the outhouse to the penthouse, and just being consistently competitive for 3,4,5 seasons would be a step up, and provide a launching pad imo.
I do think we are more dangerous in finals than in March. We can play tough hard footy woth anyone and have two big forwards who can break a game open. We play Colingwood better than anyone else imo, and possibly Melbourne too. A bottom half of the 8 and surprising finals run isn't out of the question ( a la 2023).
Sadly, I don't have much faith in Voss's coaching. I think he is a very good motivator, and will concede he may have even been the man we 'needed' to break our 9 year run of complete hopelessness. But I don't believe he is tactically on par with some of the other coaches going around and as a result we rely too much on motivation and not enough on structure. Everything feels hard, even when it looks good, and that's a concern. We saw last year how hard it can be to turn around a bad structure when things aren't gelling.
And obviously, I hope we are better; particularly once we resolve a few off-season niggles and the season gets properly underway. As a bove, I think we're better in the depths and grind of winter than we will be in the first month or so, and I don't see any reason we can't put it together more consistently and improve, but I also think that is less likely than a slight regression on the highs of the end of 2023. I'd absolutely take 'consistently decent/borderline finals' over the previous 2 decades, anyway.
I don't really see where we improve much though, and expect a slightly tougher path this year, so expect probably 11-13 wins fringe of the 8 and once again relying on luck, form and results to get us into finals. Just getting back to finals for a second straight year would be an achievement - lets not forget last year was the first time we have finished in the top 8 since the league added an 18th team. I don't expect us to be able to jump straight from the outhouse to the penthouse, and just being consistently competitive for 3,4,5 seasons would be a step up, and provide a launching pad imo.
I do think we are more dangerous in finals than in March. We can play tough hard footy woth anyone and have two big forwards who can break a game open. We play Colingwood better than anyone else imo, and possibly Melbourne too. A bottom half of the 8 and surprising finals run isn't out of the question ( a la 2023).
Sadly, I don't have much faith in Voss's coaching. I think he is a very good motivator, and will concede he may have even been the man we 'needed' to break our 9 year run of complete hopelessness. But I don't believe he is tactically on par with some of the other coaches going around and as a result we rely too much on motivation and not enough on structure. Everything feels hard, even when it looks good, and that's a concern. We saw last year how hard it can be to turn around a bad structure when things aren't gelling.
And obviously, I hope we are better; particularly once we resolve a few off-season niggles and the season gets properly underway. As a bove, I think we're better in the depths and grind of winter than we will be in the first month or so, and I don't see any reason we can't put it together more consistently and improve, but I also think that is less likely than a slight regression on the highs of the end of 2023. I'd absolutely take 'consistently decent/borderline finals' over the previous 2 decades, anyway.
