The 2018 AFL Premiership Season is less than a week away, and to get ready for what is sure to be another big season, I have decided to have a look and preview each team from 18th to first in a two-part series. We did this last year and it was a lot of fun, so it's back, but I've added a little extra something to each team preview.
As well as predicting where each team will finish, I have labelled each team's five most important players, which was something I did when I started writing a few years ago. So let's not stall anymore, here is who I have finishing 18th to 9th.
18th – Gold Coast Suns
In what is going to be Stuart Dew's first year as senior coach, you possibly won't find a more tougher task in the AFL than to coach the Gold Coast Suns and get them out of this massive slump that they are in. Since his predecessor Rodney Eade took over at the end of 2014, there hasn't been a lot of things going right. Injuries, thumpings, talent walking out the door and a culture that could potentially ruin careers. Dew has a big task ahead of him to get the Gold Coast Suns back to some sort of relevancy.
Their pre-season form showed signs of life. In their two pre-season games, they played like with a fire and such tenacity that suggests that they will give teams a run for their money in 2018. But the fact remains that apart from Tom Lynch, Steven May and a handful of others, the list is still very young and very inexperienced and will struggle to put wins on the board. It's going to be another thing to keep the out-of-contract Lynch in a Gold Coast jumper beyond 2018 as that will be a huge talking point all throughout the season.
Lachie Weller has to prove that he was worth the number two pick that the Suns were forced to give up to secure the ex-Docker, whilst Aaron Hall has proven all throughout his career that he can be a big-time player – he just needs to do it now on a consistent basis. With a new coach and a seemingly new era, watch out for guys like Brayden Fiorini, Darcy McPherson, Jack Bowes, Callum Ah Chee and Harrison Wigg to get more opportunities in 2018– some of them could even surprise with a breakout year.
Alex Docherty's Five Important Suns
5. Aaron Hall
4. Peter Wright
3. Lachie Weller
2. Steven May
1. Tom Lynch
17th – North Melbourne
It was only less than two years ago that North Melbourne were a top-eight side, and now we're at the point where the public are constantly laughing at the Roos and the lack of securing a quality midfielder in the off-season. Eight wins from your past 34 games doesn't help the cause, but Brad Scott has just simply got to go into rebuilding mode now, but the Roos won't be as terrible as people are making them out to be.
They still have a good spine. Ben Brown and Jarrad Waite (If healthy) are both very lethal options up forward and on the other end, Robbie Tarrant and Scott Thompson are ageing, but still solid key defenders that get the job done. Other than a midfield of Shaun Higgins, Ben Cunnington and Jack Ziebell and if they can get the Todd Goldstein of 2015 back, that's really where it ends in terms of top-tier talent.
Their top draft pick Luke Davies-Uniacke will be a star and you can expect him to feature in North's round one team. Otherwise expect further development from guys like Jy Simpkin, Nathan Hrovat, Paul Ahern, Ryan Clarke, Trent Dumont, Declan Mountford and plenty more young Kangaroos coming through the ranks. I'm predicting another year at the bottom end of the ladder for North in 2018, but there is enough young talent in the club that should get the supporters excited about.
Alex Docherty's Five Important Roos
5. Luke Davies-Uniacke
4. Jarrad Waite
3. Jack Ziebell
2. Robbie Tarrant
1. Ben Brown
16th – Carlton
Year three of Brendan Bolton's reset should see his Carlton charges build on their 2017 season, which saw them win six games and be competitive in quite a number of their losses. Whilst they'll probably stay in amongst the league's bottom-five, there's a lot of young talent in this list that suggests that it won't be long before they begin climbing back to the finals.
Captain Marc Murphy had a superb year in 2017, and if he does stay healthy, then that helps Carlton's chances greatly and in a midfield that possesses future stars in Patrick Cripps, Sam Petrevski-Seton, Paddy Dow, they'll need players such as Matt Kennedy, David Cuningham, Nick Graham and Sam Kerridge to step up as well to provide depth. It'll be interesting to see what Cripps does this year after missing a fair portion of last year with injury. His best football can be match-winning.
Losing All-Australian Sam Docherty with a ruptured ACL in the off-season hurts their defensive structure a lot and they will miss his run and carry from defence heaps. Former number one draft pick Jacob Weitering needs a big year after a 2017 campaign that can be seen as a little bit confusing. Charlie Curnow has been raved about a lot so far this pre-season, with many predicting the big-forward to breakout with a big year in his third year.
Alex Docherty's Five Important Blues
5. Jacob Weitering
4. Kade Simpson
3. Matthew Kreuzer
2. Marc Murphy
1. Patrick Cripps
15th – Fremantle
Season 2017 was a strange year for Fremantle. They started the year with two big losses. By round nine they were just outside the top four, before it all fell apart again, finishing the year in the bottom five. I'm not sure where the Dockers can finish in 2018, but where they do finish will rely on a few points. The most important point being a fully-fit Nathan Fyfe. At 26, he's still in the prime of his career and his best footy is capable of taking home a Brownlow as it happened in 2015.
They also need to continue to invest in their youth. Guys such as David Mundy, Aaron Sandilands, Michael Johnson, Hayden Ballantyne and Danyle Pearce are all over 30. Griffin Logue, Sean Darcy, Connor Blakely and Ed Langdon must continue to get games this year, whilst the young duo who were picked in the top-five in last year's draft - Andrew Brayshaw and Adam Cerra should fit in well to the Dockers' midfield mix. And who knows when Harley Bennell will eventually begin to pay huge dividends. His potential is huge, but severely lacks the discipline.
The next point is working on their offensive game. Last year, they were the second-worst team in scoring and we've seen it time and time again last year, their ball movement from defence to inside 50 is a problem. Nathan Wilson's aggression and drive off half-back at GWS will be huge for the Dockers this year. Up forward, they need to have Michael Walters up there, as he has a natural ability for finding the goals and busting games open with his skill. Cam McCarthy and Shane Kersten should take another step in their respective developments, whilst having Brandon Matera in from Gold Coast opens up another viable option.
Alex Docherty's Five Important Dockers
5. Nathan Wilson
4. Aaron Sandilands
3. Michael Walters
2. Lachie Neale
1. Nathan Fyfe
14th – Brisbane Lions
Last year the Lions finished the season as the wooden spooners, but there were signs all throughout the year that the times of being the league's easybeats were on the way out the door. It's not ridiculous to suggest that Brisbane can win eight or nine games this year, the one thing that is genuinely exciting about the Lions is the number of young kids coming in through the system and holding their place in the 22. Hugh McCluggage, Jarrod Berry, Alex Witherden and Cedric Cox will be guns in a few years, whilst it'll be intriguing to see how Cameron Rayner goes in his first year.
The addition of Luke Hodge will give the Lions an experienced leader on the park. That's not a knock on Dayne Zorko or captain Dayne Beams, but Hodge's premiership experience at Hawthorn is valuable to a side that only has two players in the list of 40-odd that are 30 years or older (Stefan Martin is the other one). The loss of Tom Rockliff won't hurt too much as it presents more opportunity for the kids to develop.
The other addition is former Crow Charlie Cameron – expect him to have some kind of presence in the forward line this year along with Eric Hipwood who is on the back of a 30-goal season for the Lions last year. Can emerging key defender Harris Andrews go another step and challenge for an All-Australian selection this year? Whilst we can't underestimate the importance of former Cat Allen Christensen. For the first time in a while, Brisbane are showing positive signs as a side on the rise.
Alex Docherty's Five Important Lions
5. Eric Hipwood
4. Luke Hodge
3. Harris Andrews
2. Dayne Beams
1. Dayne Zorko
13th – West Coast
Despite lasting up until the Semi Final in last year's Finals Series, the big question remains how their midfield can cope without Matt Priddis and Sam Mitchell – both contested possession machines. Luke Shuey is an elite player, but there is very little assistance. Elliot Yeo can fill a hole there, but it leaves a void in defence, which is where he plays his best footy. This is where they need guys like Chris Masten, Dom Sheed and former Port player Brendon Ah Chee to stand up.
If they don't they'll struggle big time this year. It doesn't matter that Nic Naitanui comes back if he can't tap it down just Luke Shuey or even Yeo – he needs more service. It'll make life tough for Josh Kennedy up forward as he is often relied on to kick bags of goals as he counts on the West Coast ball use up the ground and on the flip-side of things, star defenders like Jeremy McGovern will struggle if the midfield get dominated and he faces numerous inside 50 entries.
Unless someone steps up and plays a huge role alongside Shuey, then the Eagles will not just fail to make the Finals in 2018, they'll be battling to stay out of the bottom five. On a more positive spin on things, it's going to be interesting to see what Liam Ryan and Willie Rioli can do up forward as both have been raved about a fair bit in Western Australia.
Alex Docherty's Five Important Eagles
5. Nic Naitanui
4. Elliot Yeo
3. Luke Shuey
2. Jeremy McGovern
1. Josh Kennedy
12th – Collingwood
Since Nathan Buckley has taken over as coach of the Magpies at the end of 2011, they have found themselves going backwards year after year. Last year they finished a game and a half outside of the bottom five, but they weren't as bad as say Fremantle or Gold Coast were. But overall, they couldn't get the job done. How Nathan Buckley managed to keep his job as coach beats me, but even with a new deal, there is a great deal of pressure to get the Pies back to the Finals for the first time since 2013.
The list is capable of playing finals, but injuries have also played their part into why Collingwood have struggled in games. The midfield quartet of Pendlebury, Adams, Treloar, Sidebottom, along with Brodie Grundy in the ruck is capable of beating anyone on their best day and guys like Daniel Wells, Jamie Elliott, Alex Fasolo and Ben Reid are capable match-winners, but that is if they are fit enough to stay on the park.
Collingwood could be anything this year and could finish anywhere from 13th to the bottom half of the top-eight. They know how to win the ball and they have the personnel to be a menace on either side of the ground, they just need to get it all together. They won nine games last year, I think 10-12 wins is probably where they are going to be this year.
Alex Docherty's Five Important Magpies 5. Jamie Elliott
4. Brodie Grundy
3. Steele Sidebottom
2. Jeremy Howe
1. Scott Pendlebury
11th – Hawthorn
It's going to be interesting to see where Alastair Clarkson and his Hawks sit in amongst the grand scheme of things in 2018 after what I consider a 'Jekyll and Hyde' Season. In the first half of the year, they were absolutely atrocious and were getting pumped a fair bit. But by the half-way mark, something clicked and they won six and a draw from their last ten games. Clarko's not keen on the idea of a rebuild – we get that, but is this side still a genuine threat?
It relies on the fitness of veteran stars such as Cyril Rioli, Shaun Burgoyne and most importantly, their captain Jarryd Roughead. After a year out of the game with injury and illness in 2016, got better with every game he played in 2017. It relies on whether or not premiership players such as Luke Breust, Paul Puopolo, Jack Gunston, James Frawley, Liam Shiels and others can get back to the form that got them the three-peat.
But most importantly, it will come down to the development of the new breed that are coming through the Hawthorn system. Tom Mitchell had absurd stats last year. Jaeger O'Meara showed signs of returning to the O'Meara of old and will get better with each game, whilst the likes of Ryan Burton, James Sicily, Daniel Howe along with new recruit Jarman Impey will continue to get gametime they deserve. They are definitely in the hunt for Finals footy this year, but ultimately they're one of a few sides that will be stiff to miss.
Alex Docherty's Five Important Hawks
5. Cyril Rioli
4. Ryan Burton
3. Tom Mitchell
2. Shaun Burgoyne
1. Jarryd Roughead
10th – St. Kilda
After many people had St. Kilda in the eight ahead of the 2017 season, the Saints had kind of stagnated and finished the year in 11th. The retirements of both club legends Leigh Montagna and Nick Riewoldt means the Saints head into the 2018 season with a young list. Only Sam Gilbert is over the age of 30 and three more are at least 28 or older.
With Riewoldt now gone, the time is now for former number one draft pick Paddy McCartin to make an impact on the game. Since becoming a Saint at the end of 2014, McCartin has often shown glimpses of his potential but has also been very frustrating as injuries have also played a key role. Tim Membrey and Josh Bruce have also been capable goal-kickers in the past, so there shouldn't be any excuse for the Saints to kick a winning score, particularly with Jack Billings and Jade Gresham also capable of tearing a game apart.
If they can get David Armitage fit and firing again and Jack Steven back to form after a down 2017, then the midfield can prove to be very powerful. Seb Ross had a breakout year last year and along with a solid support cast of Koby Stevens, Luke Dunstan and Jack Steele and perhaps top-10 pick Hunter Clark, there's still a lot of promise in their midfield that can get them back to finals. They have the team to be a genuine finals threat, but I'm not sure they will get there this year. Inaccuracy in front of goal is a huge issue – they were last in the league for converting opportunities inside 50.
Alex Docherty's Five Important Saints
5. Jack Steven
4. Seb Ross
3. Jarryn Geary
2. Jake Carlisle
1. Paddy McCartin
9th – Port Adelaide
When most people present their pre-season predictions, there is usually one or two calls that will draw a bit of criticism. This is going to be my call. Port Adelaide won't be playing finals this year. Their big recruiting drive in the off-season is the call of a team that is desperate to validate themselves as a genuine contender. Nothing wrong with that whatsoever, but I'm not convinced an injury-prone Tom Rockliff, a horribly inconsistent Steven Motlop or washed up players such as Lindsay Thomas or Jack Trengove can help them right the wrong of last year.
They finished fifth, but have developed a flat-track bully tag which no club really wants to have. 12 of their 13 wins last year came against bottom 10 teams and their loss to eighth-placed West Coast in the Elimination Final solidified the fact that they couldn't beat a finals-team. The inclusion of Jack Watts might get them back to the finals this year if he can consistently be a presence up forward (Kicked six goals on the Crows in the pre-season) otherwise I'm not entirely sold on the rest of their recruits just yet.
Otherwise, you can expect more of the same by some of Port's better players. Expect Robbie Gray to have another fantastic year, either up forward or in the midfield, even with his cancer issues late last year. Paddy Ryder to back up his All-Australian year last year and expect Charlie Dixon to be the big brute up forward, who could definitely press for All-Australian selection this year.
Alex Docherty's Five Important Port Players
5. Jack Watts
4. Paddy Ryder
3. Charlie Dixon
2. Chad Wingard
1. Robbie Gray
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