“𝗣𝗿𝗲-𝘀𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝗣𝘂𝗯 𝗧𝗮𝗹𝗸”

Welcome back footy fans. It's that time of the year again, the time where family, friends and even work come second on weekends until October!

It is time for clubs to cease talking about their remarkable off season and time for them to stand up and deliver as we head into season 2024. The trades are done and dusted, while some clubs have wheeled out new captains, one team has a first time coach, while another has an old head and former premiership coach.

The downside, it is not a true round 1 opener, instead a novelty piece created by the AFL with their new CEO Andrew Dillion in what some might say as a “smoke and mirrors” attempt to shift focus from the “traditional” round 1 opener with Carlton and Richmond claiming it’s for grown in the game.

Either way, footy is back, but I’m not quite sure I’m ready. It’s still hovering over 30 degrees in the shade outside, and I haven’t had my usual fix of cricket!

All that aside, March is the perfect time for 17 clubs to prove why they fell short last year as each strive to make the new season their own, while Collingwood become the hunted after being crowned Premiers in 2023.

A new season brings hope but also challenges the most loyal of supporters, so forget the pre-season scoreboards and look at how your club made changes. They don’t have to be wholesale changes, just those little things which look different in a positive way like ball movement, cohesion, and game plan. It might be subtle differences like the development of a second-year player or how the changing of the guard will affect some clubs.

For some it will be a simple fine tune, while for others it’s a continuation of a rebuild. Get it wrong in the first few games and it will be a long hard season.   

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀

1 𝑪𝒐𝒍𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒘𝒐𝒐𝒅 – the Pies enter 2024 with a massive target on their back as reigning premiers. Going back to back is hard but the Pies play as if they still have room for improvement. It’s scary. An ACL injury to Dan McStay should be the only dent in the Pies early defence but they look solid throughout. Can Craig McRea continue to spread the love while having footy’s version of an F1 Red Bull team?

2 𝑩𝒓𝒊𝒔𝒃𝒂𝒏𝒆 – the Lions, just like the Pies are almost a given to finish top 2, but a grand final loss can either make or break a team.  Ashcroft will miss a chunk of games recovering from an ACL injury while Doedee should have an opportunity to put on the Lions guernsey after moving from the Crows in the off-season. Like the Crows, the Lions have a cast of thousands in leadership roles. Will too many cooks spoil the broth or will the boys from Bris-Vegas take the next step and make hay while the sun shines?

3 𝑴𝒆𝒍𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒏𝒆 – I don’t think it is all doom and gloom down at Gosch’s Paddock but if Joel Smith’s “tick list” is released things might change. While Joel won’t be getting white line fever (on-field anyway), his career is at crossroads. Another big cloud still hovering over the club and one of the biggest questions on most pundits’ lips is where’s Wally Clayton? Will he, won’t he, the answer is no clearer. Jake Melksham will likely not be seen all season due to his late 2023 ACL injury while we wish Angus Bradshaw all the best after being forced into early retirement from ongoing concussion issues.

4 𝑷𝒐𝒓𝒕 – a new year and a new captain as Connor Rozee pulls on the number 1 for Port Adelaide. Port has no excuses on-field as they have tweaked their list to fill much needed holes. The Power have a full healthy list, so it should be all systems go from round 1 although they will miss Powell-Pepper through suspension. Get it wrong this year and Kenny is gone even with a renewed contract.

5 𝑮𝑾𝑺 – my biggest gamble will be the Giants. I had them finishing 13th last year so I ate a lot of humble pie in the off-season. I’ll make another outlandish call and predict they will finish 5th in Adam Kingsley’s second year. With no changes to the list, it says you are happy and a stable club. Time will tell for the orange team. The Giants are tagged as the “Ferrari” of footy so it’s time to cheer like the fans do in Maranello.

6 𝑺𝒚𝒅𝒏𝒆𝒚 – sixth position it is for the Swans and is the last of those who I think are either genuine contenders or will challenge without making up the numbers. Injuries might impact the chance for early wins as the Swans will be without sole captain Callum Mills, Luke Parker and Taylor Adams.

7 𝑪𝒂𝒓𝒍𝒕𝒐𝒏 – if anyone were entitled to have a poor start, it’s the Blues and it might just reflect ladder position come round 24. Whilst I think they are good enough, confirmed by coach Voss being offered another contract, injuries will take their toll. Jacob Weitering and Jesse Motlop will miss early games while it feels like ground hog day for Sam Walsh and Zac Williams. Jack Silvagni will miss the entire season with an ACL and again the workload on players including Cripps will be too much of a burden.

8 𝑾𝑩 – the Bulldogs finished just out of the top 8 last year however could have slipped to 9th if not for a bad umpiring decision for the Crows. Having said that, the Dogs haven’t made much noise in the off-season and will miss Bailey Smith for the entire season due to an ACL. The Dogs are here “on paper” based on the potential heights their midfield and forwards can reach. The problem for supporters is they can be agonisingly poor in the same breath.  

9 𝑨𝒅𝒆𝒍𝒂𝒊𝒅𝒆 – I have the Crows finishing 9th but without having looked at the fixture I could be completely wrong. Given how much improvement they had last year, there is no reason why they can’t make the top 8. I just can’t fit them in, and we all know what happened with Fremantle last year. Will off field distractions with the club’s new HQ shift focus or can Jordan Dawson and his cast of thousands in the leadership group steady the ship? Thilthorpe will be missing early but you make your own luck and coach Matthew Nicks might need some to secure another contract moving forward.

10 𝑮𝒆𝒆𝒍𝒐𝒏𝒈 – the Cats are in a jam with the Bulldogs and Crows for the final top 8 spot and it wasn’t easy to pick this grouping. I’m not convinced the Cats have plateaued, I just think last year was a massive shock to the system losing Joel Selwood. Cam Guthrie is likely to miss a chunk of the first half with a quad injury. Winning games at the completed GMHBA stadium could just be the difference.

11 𝑺𝒕 𝑲𝒊𝒍𝒅𝒂 – it seemed like the Saints were hanging around all last year without the glitz and glamour eventually finishing 6th. Was I the only one who felt this was somehow a glitch in the matrix? Jimmy Webster will miss 7 games after suffering a brain fart when he knocked Jye Simpkin into the 5th row while it won’t be any easier with injuries to Jack Sinclair, Dan Butler, Dougal Howard and Paddy Dow likely to miss the first few games.

12 𝑹𝒊𝒄𝒉𝒎𝒐𝒏𝒅 – Toby Nankervis takes the reins full time as captain while Adam Yze is Lieutenant as the Tigers look at life post Hardwick, Riewoldt and Cotchin. A new voice at the time of the food chain might be what the players need after 14 years. Jack Graham won’t be around for the first few weeks and will Dustin Martin be around after this year?  

13 𝑮𝑪 – big expectations from the chairman after Damien Hardwick signed for 5 years. As a Suns supporter, these are the things you want to hear but when there is no ceiling in a year where one coach was sacked for another, and the club has never made finals you’d better hope they give their 1000 fans something to cheer about.

14 𝑭𝒓𝒆𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒍𝒆 – in a year which could see the demise of coach Justin Longmuir, the only shining light is the players will be able to strut around the state of WA knowing the Eagles are taking most of the hits from the media and footy fans. There won’t be much to celebrate this year again for the Dockers and they could easily fall into the bottom 4.

15 𝑬𝒔𝒔𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒐𝒏 – Brad Scott had a chance to rebuild and remould the team in his second year and retire the likes of Dyson Heppell and move forward with the next generation. He didn’t and for a club who have not won enough games to make finals in years would be disheartening for supporters including the big contract for Ben McKay at a price which would make your eyes water.

16 𝑯𝒂𝒘𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒓𝒏 – the Hawks are likely to be looking for top up players for the first 10 rounds as their well-documented injury list continues to grow. It’s not the same calibre of what the Blues have lost but for this line up it is likely to severely impact win-loss and keep the Hawks in the bottom four.

17 𝑵𝒐𝒓𝒕𝒉 – the league and club finally cut the cord with problem child Tarryn Thomas, but now have their own coach running around wanting to punch on with opposition players after the Jye Simpkin incident over the weekend. North will win more games than last year but will remain 17th. The Roos are like the West Indies in that they are more suited to the shorter game.

18 𝑾𝑪 – Liam Duggan and Oscar Allen have the arduous task of being co-captains during what will be another year of pain. The only positive is they will have the opportunity to show off their new shiny toy, Harley Reid. Let’s be honest, this year won’t be any better for the Eagles and I can’t see them winning any more games than the three they did last year. Will this be Adam Simpsons last year?