Who will be the darkhorse of 2006?

[parrot]

Carlton.
.....

Agree. The Blues have a very young list with loads of raw talent, and could surprise. But realistically, the best the Blues could probably achieve in 2006 is 7th, and would be unlikely to make a serious impact on the finals series. The Blues wildcard of course, is their forward line, in particular their KP forwards, which are among the most talented in the comp i.e. Fev, Lance, Waite, Fisher, Kennedy, Hartlett, Setanta, etc etc. If they manage to get some midfield delivery, some big scores will be posted. The key is whether the talented midfield group (Walker, Marc Murphy, J Russell, Simpson, Bentick, Carazzo, Blackwell, Jackson etc) can take the next step. A young list with huge upside. Great times ahead for Blues fans.

 

[weagles_fan]

Agree. The Blues have a very young list with loads of raw talent, and could surprise. But realistically, the best the Blues could probably achieve in 2006 is 7th, and would be unlikely to make a serious impact on the finals series. The Blues wildcard of course, is their forward line, in particular their KP forwards, which are among the most talented in the comp i.e. Fev, Lance, Waite, Fisher, Kennedy, Hartlett, Setanta, etc etc. If they manage to get some midfield delivery, some big scores will be posted. The key is whether the talented midfield group (Walker, Marc Murphy, J Russell, Simpson, Bentick, Carazzo, Blackwell, Jackson etc) can take the next step. A young list with huge upside. Great times ahead for Blues fans.

You'd hope you could improve finishing in ast 2 of the past 3 years with PP.

 

[Lions43]

I think Brisbane will bounce back with a vengeance this year.

Injuries to key players, more so than any other club probably, will decide whether Brisbane are a top 4 or bottom 8 side. We just have to get the following players on the field and fit (in this order) - Brown, Michael, Black, Aker, Power, Leppitsch and Charman. The talls are of particular concern as we have limited depth there, but our number 1 spine (Michael, Leppitsch, Charman, Brown, Bradshaw) is still very good. Our midfield depth is also average but if Black, Brown and Aker can stay fit and Voss and Lappin can contribute, suddenly the midfield looks pretty good.

Brisbane are in a rebuilding phase for sure but we do have enough class players to feature heavily in the finals if we have a lucky year with injuries. Having said that, I doubt even our absolute best side could beat the Saints or Eagles this year. I'd say those 2 for sure have gone past us now no matter what happens on the injury front.

So yes, I think Brisbane is a good dark horse with those facts considered. The real dark horse though IMO is the Pies. As much as I hate to say it, I think they can make the 8 this year.

 

[Axcellence]

Darkhorses: Fremantle, Bulldogs

Deadhorses: Collingwood, Hawthorn, Carlton

 

[Eagles 4 Mine]

Bulldogs will rise for sure this year and will finish 5th I think.

 

[bunsen burner]

Richmond

 

[bunsen burner]

Sydney.

Already written off for a back-to-back. Already had their 2005 breakthrough season written off to a lucky run with injuries.

Last time I checked they were 3rd in line betting. Hardly a darkhorse.

 

[Kooley]

Agree. The Blues have a very young list with loads of raw talent, and could surprise. But realistically, the best the Blues could probably achieve in 2006 is 7th, and would be unlikely to make a serious impact on the finals series. The Blues wildcard of course, is their forward line, in particular their KP forwards, which are among the most talented in the comp i.e. Fev, Lance, Waite, Fisher, Kennedy, Hartlett, Setanta, etc etc. If they manage to get some midfield delivery, some big scores will be posted. The key is whether the talented midfield group (Walker, Marc Murphy, J Russell, Simpson, Bentick, Carazzo, Blackwell, Jackson etc) can take the next step. A young list with huge upside. Great times ahead for Blues fans.

well said. couldn't agree more.

 

[collingwood4eva]

hawthorn .. have a good list and picked up good sum good talented draftees... but i think that u will see alot of the young clubs improving.. the expirence of the older players will help out the young ones and build a strong team for the future

 

[Mountain West]

I really dont understand the over-estimation of the Footscray side by many people. They are far from a balanced team as far as line up and mix of experience goes.

2007 the Bullies might do ok (that's if they have any players over 194cms) but expect them to battle round the 7-12 position in 06.

The way they played at the end of the year. The talent nurtured and are now loaded for bear.

 

[The Dice Man]

The way they played at the end of the year. The talent nurtured and are now loaded for bear.

I just dont think they have enough experienced players throughtout their line-up for people to be writing them up so hard. They've got a talented mix of kids, but these cant be the ones to carry them deep into the finals.

They've also got huuuge KPP concerns, but I rate Eade highly, so he may pull a rabbit out of a hat but best finish I can see them is in 7th, exiting finals first week.