Morgie's Quick and Nasty Preview Series That Noone Will Read 2019

Discussion in 'Aussie Rules Football Discussion' started by morgieb, Mar 18, 2019.

  1. morgieb MC Burridge

    Right, gonna do some last minute previews for each side.

    Starting from the top:

    Adelaide

    Best 22

    B: Luke Brown - Daniel Talia - Tom Doedee
    HB: Brodie Smith - Kyle Hartigan - Rory Laird
    C: Bryce Gibbs - Rory Sloane - Wayne Milera
    HF: Tom Lynch - Taylor Walker - Richard Douglas
    F: Eddie Betts - Josh Jenkins - Riley Knight
    R: Sam Jacobs - Brad Crouch - Matt Crouch
    Int: Paul Seedsman - Rory Atkins - Hugh Greenwood - Chayce Jones
    Emg: Jake Kelly - Alex Keath - Cam Ellis-Yolmen - David Mackay - Jordan Gallucci - Lachlan Murphy

    There's usually at least one team that breaks out from outside the 8 to hit the Top 4, and all signs seem to point towards it being Adelaide this season.

    It's easy to see why looking at their list. Much of their poor form last season was down to a horror injury run that would've fucked pretty much any side in the competition, and even then they weren't too far off the finals, a horror run where they lost 5 games in 6 (with quite a few smashings in that period) killing them off. One problem with Adelaide in 2015-17 was that they had such few injuries that their depth was largely untested, and happily for them their depth when it was tested last year was actually OK.

    Looking at their side there are very few discernible weaknesses. Their defence is well-balanced with a world-class #1 KPD (Talia), a decent #2 one (Hartigan/Keath) and a very nice 3rd tall/intercepting defender (Doedee). And that's without mentioning their half-back line, which looks crazy. Laird, Smith and Milera will burn lots of teams this season and is likely to be the main launching pad for a lot of their attacks. Imagine if they had that before they changed the rules!

    Similarly their midfield looks extremely potent, especially if Brad Crouch's JLT form is the new norm. Any midfield in the comp would love players in the Crouch's, Sloane's and Gibbs's class, and with Seedsman, Atkins, Greenwood, Ellis-Yolmen and Mackay they have solid depth and some very nice role players.

    And let's not forget that any forward line containing Walker, Jenkins, Betts and Lynch is likely to kick a lot of goals.

    So where could it go wrong? I think it probably comes down to whether their 2018 decline was down to injuries or genuine decline in a few key names. It's probably more the former, especially in defence and their midfield, but Jacobs might be someone on the decline, as might Betts (I'll forgive Tex as he looked nowhere near 100% for much of the season). If Eddie struggles again then their forward line stops looking outstanding and looks merely a decent one, like last season.

    Still think they'll gun it though, especially given they have a very soft draw which is a typical feature for 'bounce-back' teams.

    Key Player: Sam Jacobs. Largely because unlike much of the rest of their side they don't have great options in the ruck, with Reilly O'Brien only having played about 5 games and two rookies behind them. If he gets back to his best (which may be somewhat doubtful)....watch out.

    Leading Goalscorer: Taylor Walker

    Prediction: 2nd
     
  2. jimmy_c8 MC James

    Great write up and agree with all points. Like Richmond in 2017 and Collingwoof in 2018, they have the easy draw that will get them back up the ladder again. They will be a real threat come September IMO.

    Hope Brad Crouch can have a bit of luck this year and get a good run with injuries as he makes their midfield so much better with his ball winning abilities.
     
  3. Cribbage RG Cribb

  4. Toolman TR Man

    those are nearly all english sounding names. where's the diversity
     
  5. Alec AD Funkotron

    Probably because it's not a Victorian based side.
     
  6. Athlai JJD Heads

    Somehow I read this
     
  7. morgieb MC Burridge

    Nah the majority of Adelaide-based players are Vics. It's more that AFL isn't an Islanders thing, and there aren't too many non-Anglo Europeans playing league/union either.
     
  8. morgieb MC Burridge

    Lols at my clickbait title meaning I got replies from some unusual sources.

    Title was more there because there just aren't a lot of AFL fans on the forum.
     
  9. morgieb MC Burridge

    Brisbane Lions

    Starting 22

    B: Luke Hodge - Marcus Adams - Darcy Gardiner
    HB: Alex Witherden - Harris Andrews - Daniel Rich
    C: Tom Cutler - Lachie Neale - Hugh McCluggage
    HF: Cameron Rayner - Daniel McStay - Dayne Zorko
    F: Charlie Cameron - Eric Hipwood - Lewis Taylor
    R: Stefan Martin - Jarrod Berry - Jarryd Lyons

    Int: Oscar McInerney - Mitch Robinson - Allen Christensen - Lincoln McCarthy
    Emg: Nick Robertson - Zac Bailey - Rhys Mathieson - Josh Walker - Cedric Cox - Archie Smith

    After so many years of direness the light at end of the tunnel is getting rapidly closer. Credit to Chris Fagan and the other backroom staff at Brisbane - they took what seemed to be an eternal basket case and have given the fans significant hope. While 5 wins isn't much, a percentage of nearly 90% and a 1-5 record in games under 2 goals suggests that they were more like an 8 win side last year, which is significant progression on their 2014-17 form.

    Beams is no doubt a huge loss. A much bigger one than Rockliff, for example. Happily for Brisbane they got some amazing replacements. Lachie Neale is a total gun who thrives on the hard stuff despite his small stature and looks a real leader, and getting Lyons for free is basically daylight robbery. Both should add heaps to their onball stocks, and both free up the young guns McCluggage and Berry as well as Zorko into more attacking roles where they can use their raw skill.

    Up forward there are lots of options. As well as the six I named their four bench guys all play lots up forward and with an attacking gameplan there's lots of point scoring opportunities. While their midfield also continues to develop quite nicely - McCluggage, Berry and Rayner (though don't expect too many onball minutes with him) look like total guns, Cutler's found a decent niche and Mathieson is looking good on JLT form.

    Meanwhile down back you have Harris Andrews, who may have been an All-Australian last year but for a nasty concussion from an ugly Jeremy Cameron snipe, and some great kicks in Rich, Witherden and Hodge.

    There's still a long way to go though. 8 wins is progression on their 2014-17 form, but it's still not great, and their actual W/L record was worse. This was also despite a pretty kind injury run, and there's every chance they could be stretched significantly if it strikes again. And improvement isn't always a linear thing, there are chances for setbacks.

    So while I think their ladder position will definitely improve, I'm not sure it will improve enough to go to the Top 8. 2020 though? Looking pretty likely.

    Key Player: Lachie Neale. Obvious call. Their best midfielder and now out of Fyfe's shadow. If he clicks straight away (and all signs suggest he will) Brisbane won't feel the loss of Beams too much. Otherwise things could get ugly.
    Leading Goalscorer: Eric Hipwood

    Prediction: 11th
     
  10. morgieb MC Burridge

    Carlton

    Starting 22

    B: Lachie Plowman - Caleb Marchbank - Liam Jones
    HB: Kade Simpson - Jacob Weitering - Nic Newman
    C: Sam Petrevski-Seton - Patrick Cripps - Marc Murphy
    HF: Mitch McGovern - Charlie Curnow - Ed Curnow
    F: Alex Fasolo - Harry McKay - Zac Fisher
    R: Matthew Kreuzer - Will Setterfield - Paddy Dow

    Int: Dale Thomas - Sam Walsh - Matthew Kennedy - Michael Gibbons
    Emg: Jarrod Garlett - David Cunningham - Lochie O'Brien - Tom Williamson - Darcy Lang - Andrew Phillips
    Inj: Sam Docherty - Jarrod Pickett

    Well, it can't get any worse than 2018....can it?

    Seriously, they were flat out appalling last season, if you take out Gold Coast's and GWS's first two seasons because of how they were set up the only side in recent memory that matches them in terms of sheer awfulness was Melbourne 2013. They barely competed in any of their losses, and indeed some of their biggest smashings came against weak opposition themselves. Getting beaten by 10 goals against Brisbane and St Kilda (!) and being held goalless in a half by Fremantle (!) at home (!!) just a few of them, as well as three 100+ point losses, one of them against a team that had no men on the bench for the second half and had periods where they had less than 18 men on the field.

    Sadly for Carlton fans their list still looks very weak. Apart from Cripps they basically have no stars of a prime age; Kreuzer and Murphy battled fitness problems for most of last season and their overall output looks to be declining. It wouldn't surprise if they pull the plug at the end of the season, at least I expect that of Murphy. Docherty has unfortunately tore his ACL again and will miss another season. And while Simpson seems like he could play on until 50, you never know when the end hits....

    There are some signs of optimism though. I do like a lot of their younger midfielders. True most of them still have a way to go and are fairly inexperienced, but Walsh has "future ATG" written all over him, Setterfield has looked outstanding at every level he's played at (and would've gotten lots of games last year and possibly stayed at GWS if not for that knee injury), Petrevski-Seton has rare class, Dow looks quite promising, as does Fisher. While Kennedy, Garlett and Pickett are probably somewhat less likely types, they were at least highly rated juniors and still have time to turn it around.

    It's actually not a terrible defence. Nothing special, but Simpson seems flat out ageless, Marchbank is pretty good when fit, Jones isn't the worst, Newman could be a wildcard with better opportunity and Weitering is still young and very highly rated. It's still below average by AFL standards, but probably not as weak as their midfield (for 2019 anyway).

    I will also be interested to see how their forwards go. Everyone is talking up Charlie Curnow as a future Matthew Pavlich, and he's done well despite playing for a team with some very defensive gameplans and (more importantly) have been very ordinary. This could be his chance to kick 50+ goals a season and confirm himself as a true star of the competition. McKay also looks to be progressing fairly nicely and McGovern might be a big improver now that he's higher up the pecking order than a 3rd/4th banana (although on the flipside, he'll have more defensive attention)

    So while I don't expect too much out of Carlton this season, I think they're closer to clicking than people might otherwise think. One question though - can Bolton actually coach? He overperformed in 2016/17 by playing a very defensive brand of footy but that was with minimal injuries to their best players, and even then they only finished 14th and 16th. They opened things up in 2018 and everything went to shit. He'll get another year beyond this to prove himself but increasingly he looks like a bit of a fraud. And I don't see too many players developing rapidly under his watch (Cripps was already good when Bolton became coach, so it's basically just Curnow and possibly Fisher and McKay at this point, though there's still time for a lot of others).

    Key Player: Patrick Cripps. My Brownlow tip on the grounds that he'll have little competition for it, Carlton won't be quite as terrible as they were last season and the new rules will make him even more of a weapon. Imagine what will happen if he goes down...
    Leading Goalscorer: Charlie Curnow.

    Prediction: 17th
     
  11. jimmy_c8 MC James

    Brisbane are the big unknown for mine in 2019. They have the potential to be knocking on the door of the top 8 but the big query for me will be their consistency. They will take some big scalps this year but also lose some games they are expected to win which is natural with a young side.
     
  12. jimmy_c8 MC James

    As a Collingwood suppprter who despises Carlton, I really hope it does get worse haha.

    Seriously though, can definitely see them improving this year but not enough for them to make any serious inroads up the ladder
     
  13. morgieb MC Burridge

    Yeah like last year how they lost to St Kilda and went 1-1 against Gold Coast but knocked off Hawthorn twice. All young sides are pretty invariably inconsistent.
     
    jimmy_c8 likes this.
  14. morgieb MC Burridge

    Collingwood

    Starting 22

    B: Jeremy Howe - Lynden Dunn - Tom Langdon
    HB: Brayden Maynard - Darcy Moore - Jack Crisp
    C: Steele Sidebottom - Scott Pendlebury - Tom Phillips
    HF: Jordan De Goey - Brody Mihocek - Will Hoskin-Elliott
    F: Jamie Elliott - Mason Cox - Josh Thomas
    R: Brodie Grundy - Adam Treloar - Dayne Beams

    Int: Chris Mayne - Taylor Adams - Travis Varcoe - Jaidyn Stephenson
    Emg: Brayden Sier - James Aish - Levi Greenwood - Jordan Roughead - Daniel Wells - Tyson Goldsack
    Inj: Matt Scharenberg

    Probably the main surprise packet of last season, I don't think even the most fervent Collingwood fan expected them to be a goal away from a flag! When you look at their side you probably come to the conclusion that they underachieved in the years before that, and there's a bit of truth there, but I think a lot of players improved to, and all the sudden they certainly have the deepest squad in the competition (names that failed to make their Best 29 - Ben Reid, Ben Crocker, Callum Brown, Josh Daicos, Flynn Appleby, Isaac Quaynor - all guys who would make quite a few Best 22's in the comp) and one of the best sides overall.

    Let's start off with the strengths. Their midfield depth is Geelong 07-11/West Coast 05/06-esque. Pendlebury, Sidebottom, Beams and Treloar are four world-class midfielders, players who would be the midfield leader at quite a few clubs. On top of that, Grundy is the closest thing to Dean Cox that the comp has seen since he retired. He's a top-class tap ruckmen who can get good inside mid numbers for good measure and is amazingly skilled for someone who's 6'6".

    But wait, there's more. Adams and Phillips are very fine at what they do, Phillips turning into a very under-rated winger and Adams is a hard nut inside the contest. And let's not forget Brayden Sier, who seems the next JPK for mine. The fact that they can leave guys like him, Aish, Greenwood and Wells out of their Best 22 is crazy. Hell even Chris Mayne was good as a defensive winger last season.

    On top of that, their small forwards are probably the best in the comp. Good luck shutting all (or even three) of De Goey, Elliott, Stephenson, Hoskin-Elliott and Thomas in a game. All five know how to hit the scoreboard and can set things up very well. Inevitably a couple will hurt you per game. Their defence is pretty solid and hold up very well in the finals last year despite a nasty injury toll down back.

    If there's any weakness, it's their non-Grundy talls. Dunn could be dire post-ACL at his age (look at how Goldsack went in the finals, for example), Moore's still more potential at this point and struggles to stay on the field (and also has little exposure down back at AFL level), Mihocek could easily be a one hit wonder and Cox's still somewhat limited (but his strengths are good and he'll be even harder to defend this year I suspect).

    Also, their performances were surprisingly meh for a side that came so close to a flag. Against Top 8 sides in the H&A season they went a meagre 1-7 (their one win coming against a side they match up well against) - and unlike Melbourne a lot of those losses weren't all that close either. Finals was obviously a different story but even then they weren't that good against GWS and after the first 20 minutes against West Coast looked clearly the weaker team. I'm not convinced they're that much better as they were last season - their injuries seemed to happen to a lot of guys who have fitness problems and as good as Beams is, their midfield was outstanding anyway. A tougher draw could definitely see them drop.

    Probably not by a lot, though. Their side looks way too strong to do poorly.

    Key Player: Darcy Moore. Again another left-field one, but I think their defence is the weakest part of their side, and this is a make or break season for Moore given how much potential he shows. If he holds down CHB well they'll go close to the comp.
    Leading Goalscorer: Jordan De Goey.

    Prediction: 6th.
     
  15. jimmy_c8 MC James

    We definitely have the scope to improve this year, we just need a bit of luck to go our way on the injury front. So many times last year we lost multiple players during games which upset our structures and rotations. It’s no excuse as injuries happen to all teams but it just seemed to keep happening.

    Moore and Elliott staying on the park will play a big roll in our success this year as they are pivotal to our structure and us improving. Add Beams who can play either in the midfield or as a half forward flank and we look very dangerous.

    The tougher draw will no doubt prove to be an obstacle for us but if we are a genuine contender then we will overcome it. Round 1 against Geelong is a massive game because we really can’t afford to lose it given we then play Richmond and West Coast.

    I think we will finish in the 4-6 range and hopefully go one better come September
     
  16. morgieb MC Burridge

    Oh yeah, there is definite scope to improve. Just that I'm not convinced it WILL happen whereas I think a lot suspect it will.

    Agree Moore and Elliott staying fit will be key. But as I said, that has been a problem for them.
     
  17. morgieb MC Burridge

    Essendon

    Starting 22

    B: Aaron Francis - Michael Hurley - Martin Gleeson
    HB: Adam Saad - Cale Hooker - Conor McKenna
    C: David Zaharakis - Dyson Heppell - Andrew McGrath
    HF: Devon Smith - Shaun McKernan - Jake Stringer
    F: Orazio Fantasia - Joe Daniher - Anthony McDonald-Tipunwugti
    R: Tom Bellchambers - Dylan Shiel - Zac Merrett

    Int: Jordan Ridley - David Myers - Darcy Parish - Kyle Langford
    Emg: Patrick Ambrose - Matt Guelfi - Mitch Brown - Jayden Laverde - Zac Clarke - Matt Dea

    A strange season for them last season. They played largely awful footy in the first two months to go 2-6, but from that point onwards they went a fairly impressive 10-4. Many people would argue that their post-Carlton game form is the new norm especially given their additions. I remain a bit unconvinced.

    Take a look at their midfield. Has plenty of talent, but who is there to go in dirty? Sure I guess Merrett, Heppell and Shiel are top-class onballers, but none of them are real extractors. Myers is a bit closer but his fitness record seems a worry, and he isn't young either. I have some doubts over how he can back up his form from last year.

    Similarly their forward line has some great names and seems fairly balanced, but their best, most proven goalkicker is out for the first month. Given Daniher missed much of last year with OP you'd have to be a bit concerned as to whether he can get back to his best. Is a McKernan/Brown forward line likely to do much?

    Their depth seems a bit questionable for mine. The ones immediately out of the side aren't the worst but they aren't all that special either and probably shouldn't really be AFL options. In saying that their Bottom 6 seems a lot stronger than most sides so a few injuries may not hurt as much as I expect.

    What I will say though is that in terms of sheer "watchability" Essendon have some incredible players, much as I think it's a cunty club. Their backline is probably the best attacking backline in the comp, their forwards can all turn it on depending on the game and their mids have some X-factor too.

    Overall though it just feels like Essendon haven't really changed from where they were over the last two seasons, even if they have improved a bit. So while you can expect some dazzling wins, I wouldn't be surprised if they ended up losing to Bottom 4 teams at the same time. I think in the end that might cost them finals. Of course if Myers stays fit for the whole season and Daniher hits the ground running upon his comeback, all bets are off and this might actually be "their season"

    Key Player: Joe Daniher. The key lynchpin of their forward line. After 2017 he looked a future multiple Coleman Medalist. Then 2018 happened and all signs suggest he hasn't completely recovered from that. If he can get back to his best their side looks structurally a lot stronger and they'll do better overall.
    Leading Goalscorer: Orazio Fantasia
    Prediction: 9th
     
  18. morgieb MC Burridge

    Fremantle

    Starting 22

    B: Luke Ryan - Joel Hamling - Nathan Wilson
    HB: Stephen Hill - Alex Pearce - Darcy Tucker
    C: Adam Cerra - David Mundy - Bradley Hill
    HF: Michael Walters - Jesse Hogan - Ed Langdon
    F: Brandon Matera - Matthew Taberner - Rory Lobb
    R: Aaron Sandilands - Nat Fyfe - Connor Blakely

    Int: Ethan Hughes - Reece Conca - Andrew Brayshaw - Bailey Banfield
    Emg: Taylor Duman - Stefan Giro - Travis Colyer - Hayden Ballatyne - Sean Darcy - Brendan Cox

    Transition is an ugly word, and it's a problem that Fremantle have not been successful in dealing with. Individually there's still quite a bit of talent on the list but too many of their drafts where the players would be peaking now were busts, and their role players in their 2013-15 team were brutally exposed and flushed out of existence in 2016. Their replacements have yet to fully blossom.

    Where things might be promising for once is up forward. Or so they thought. Hogan and Lobb was an outstanding 1-2 punch to recruit last season and having cried out for tall forwards for years it looked like they had a team that could finally actually score some goals. Then last weekend happened. With Hogan being left out for mental health reasons following a nasty incident on the piss he will be out for quite some time (I tossed up whether to include him or not in the 22, in the end I erred on the side of optimism and think he'll only miss about six weeks or so). That has to hurt as he was comfortably their biggest weapon up there. Now they're back at square one, especially as I remain skeptical of how well Rory Lobb can lead a forward line.

    In the Hill brothers and Bennell on paper they have three pretty great wingers. But Bennell is pretty much a myth at this point, having barely played since being effectively kicked out of the Gold Coast and having more scandals than Ben Cousins can snort. Any impact from him should be viewed as a bonus. Similarly Stephen Hill's body looks to be betraying him in recent times and his impact has accordingly been lost. That leaves Bradley, and while he's a good players he's not quite the elite talent the other two are.

    A couple of promising signs remain, however. Like I said I think they still have a few match-winners so they could cause a few upsets. Think guys like Fyfe, Sandilands, Hogan. When the first two are fit (which is sadly a little bit rare) Freo are more competitive than people give credit for. Similarly I think their depth bats fairly deep throughout the squad (with the likes of McCarthy, Bennell and Logue missing out on the Best 28), though it probably doesn't in their actual side (i.e. the bottom half of their Best 22 isn't all that good).

    Ultimately though while it's a weak squad overall I think there are circumstances where they could surprise and there are coaches that could get something out of this team. These circumstances however probably won't apply to 2019. For one, Ross Lyon's gameplan seems obsolete as fuck and he doesn't seem a great man manager either. Furthermore they seem to have quite a few influences that seem a bit toxic from my view (Hogan, McCarthy, Bennell) and their overall club culture doesn't seem good. IMO if someone like Clarkson was in charge this would probably be a Top 8 team.

    Key Player: Jesse Hogan. Has to work out his issues quickly and figure out how badly he wants this. Is this a turning point where he stops underachieving and becomes the weapon we'd thought he'd be four years ago? Or does he become a wasteman now he's back home?
    Leading Goalscorer: Jesse Hogan if he gets back quickly. Otherwise Rory Lobb.
    Prediction: 14th
     
  19. morgieb MC Burridge

    Geelong

    Starting 22

    B: Jack Henry - Lachie Henderson - Jed Bews
    HB: Tom Stewart - Mark Blicavs - Zach Tuohy
    C: Luke Dahlhaus - Joel Selwood - Mitch Duncan
    HF: Sam Menegola - Esava Ratagolea - Brandan Parfitt
    F: Gary Ablett - Tom Hawkins - Gary Rohan
    R: Rhys Stanley - Patrick Dangerfield - Tim Kelly

    Int: Cameron Guthrie - Scott Selwood - Charlie Constable - Tom Atkins
    Emg: Jordan Clark - Jake Kolodjashnij - Harry Taylor - Jordan Cunico - Gryan Miers - Lachie Fogarty

    This definitely feels like a "what you expect is what you get" sort of team. Which means that their range is probably close to the lowest in the competition. Their star players are too good and their home ground advantage too strong to fall too far, but a lack of depth and a weird balance will probably prevent them from going too deep in the competition.

    On paper their midfield is arguably the best in the competition. Especially when you look at who's on the flanks. In practice, it doesn't really work that way. Their clearance numbers are surprisingly subpar for a team of their talent, and I feel like they lack a bit of speed and defensive pressure. I think the midfield not working in practice is a two-pronged thing - firstly their ruck stocks are fairly ordinary with Stanley being fairly mobile but not so great on the tap, Smith in the doghouse and the rest largely being state league pros; and secondly they all appear to be the same kind of player. Well maybe not quite that extreme, but certainly Ablett, Menegola, Dangerfield, Kelly and Parfitt have comparable strengths and weaknesses. I think this is why Geelong wanted to move some of them up forward - as it is their midfield looks extremely unbalanced. There's a few areas where they've tried to fix this - they signed Dahlhaus, Constable has lots of potential as an inside bull and Atkins is a noted hard nut in the contest at VFL level, but it remains to be seen how well they go.

    Happily for Geelong one area where the sum is greater than the parts is their defence. The fact that they've transitioned this from the golden Enright/Scarlett/Milburn/etc. days is quite impressive. Stewart was outstanding last year and Blicavs has proven to be a gun KPD (which isn't that surprising when you look at his gamestyle). On top of that Tuohy is a very fine halfback, Bews is a solid small defender and Henderson remains a quality player when fit. It's certainly one of the better defences in the comp and in Geelong borderline impregnable.

    Their forward line....is it really a forward line? Happily the five I named as similar players (and Duncan) are goalkickers which eases some of the pressure off Hawkins somewhat, but Rohan goes missing way too easily and Ratagolea still has a long way to go. Narkle might be in the doghouse after a reasonably impressive start and Cockatoo just can't get fit. Their other proven goalkicker they just delisted.....

    One thing I might be interested to see is if Chris Scott has new tricks. I think there's the potential for their weaknesses to be somewhat nullified through selection and positioning, but I admit it has to be tricky to find the best approach. If they can find a way of harnessing the players strengths the best, watch out.

    Key Player: Tom Hawkins. Their only proven forward, really. Has to kick as much as he did last season for Geelong to have a good year.
    Leading Goalscorer: Tom Hawkins

    Prediction: 8th
     
  20. morgieb MC Burridge

    Gold Coast

    Starting 22

    B: Jarrod Harbrow - Sam Collins - Jesse Joyce
    HB: Pearce Hanley - Jack Hombsch - Charlie Ballard
    C: Lachie Weller - Touk Miller - Brayden Fiorini
    HF: Alex Sexton - Josh Corbett - Jack Martin
    F: Jack Lukosius - Peter Wright - Ben Ainsworth
    R: Jarrod Witts - David Swallow - Jack Bowes

    Int: Callum Ah Chee - George Horlin-Smith - Anthony Miles - Izak Rankine
    Emg: Jordan Murdoch - Chris Burgess - Aaron Young - Will Brodie - Sam Day - Brayden Crossley
    Inj: Rory Thompson

    Oh dear. Now this is what rock bottom looks like. No players that are clearly above average in their position (Harbrow probably the closest) and quite a few guys who are more state league players. Having looked so promising for so long one by one the players with talent either left fed up and wanting success sometime in their lives, or failed to live up to potential. Hands up if 5 years ago you had the Suns as the premiership favourites for 2019? I bet a lot of people did. The fact that they've been in the Bottom 4 every year since then is a farce.

    Sadly it doesn't look like there's much to write home about here. Their individual mids aren't awful and their depth is OK but it lacks anything resembling star power. Like most of their starting mids would make most AFL sides but they'd struggle to be in the best 3/4 mids at any other club. At least right now. Their forward line also looks very raw and their defence is also pretty B-grade. It's a side that seems as ill-suited to finals football as ASADA Essendon and the first two seasons of GWS/Gold Coast.

    And the club morale seems so low that it's not even a list that I can really see fighting and playing their hearts out, like a North for example (although their worst sides are still better than this!)

    If there's anything to be optimistic over, it's that there's basically no expectations. It might give players a chance to relax and opposition sides might not take them seriously. There's also a intriguing mix of players who may not be the most talented but have a bit of fight and a point to prove (like all their VFL-esque leaders they signed) and young plucky kids. It's the right mix that might just jump a few sides. Their depth seems OK and they do have a decent ruckman and solid depth there....

    That is being optimistic though. Realistically, it's hard to find a bigger spoon favourite that didn't have asterisks affecting them for a long time.

    Key Player: David Swallow. Their best onballer, but he's still underperformed through injury. This is make or break as to whether he'll become a properly good player, or a middling B-grader. The latter is more likely, but if it's the former, it might help the Suns surprise.
    Leading Goalscorer: Peter Wright

    Prediction: 18th
     

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