TonyK
CibbuanoWhere to Now
August 13th 2006 13:12
Where to Now
With the final eight seemingly settled with three rounds to go, here we take a look at the prospects of the bottom eight sides for season 2007.
Geelong: The NAB pre-season premiers promised so much but have delivered so little this season to the faithful at Sleepy Hollow.
The Cats were installed as premiership favourites after round two, but since then the wheels fell off losing seven of their next nine; including a demoralising defeat to West Coast in round 10.
Geelong’s finals hopes all but ended last Sunday at the hands of St Kilda, and after coming so close to a grand final berth in 2004, when they were defeated by the Brisbane Lions by nine points at the MCG.
So one has to ask, what has gone so wrong since 2004 when along with West Coast and St Kilda, the Cats were regarded as one of the best young sides going around and odds on to claim a flag in the next three years.
Based on this season, it would seem that Mark Thompson’s men are closer to re-building than pressing for a premiership; a big call but a valid one.
Geelong lacks leadership, captain Steven King is lucky to string consecutive games together, young gun Gary Ablett Jr has publicly declared he doesn’t want to be captain and forward Cameron Mooney, who has been touted as a future leader doesn’t have the mental temperament to be a captain after being suspended for the third time this season.
Blaming the Cats woes on a lack of leadership is foolhardy, and is only one ingredient in a bag full of problems.
Geelong’s forward set up is a shambles to say the least. Discarded forward Kent Kingsley has managed eight goals in ten games; Matthew McCarthy is a talent but his kicking is atrocious to say the least and Brad Ottens hasn’t been consistent enough to justify what he earns after leaving Richmond.
The next three games are an ideal opportunity for the Cats to weed out some dead wood, and reward players on the basis of form and not who they are.
Mark Thompson and his men need to get a gauge on what players need to be kept and who needs to be traded or de-listed for Geelong to re-emerge as a genuine contender, and the remaining three games provide the ideal opportunity to do just that and gain some momentum into 2007.
Richmond: The Tigers look certain to just miss out on the eight again this season, but Richmond fans have much to be excited about.
The emergence of youngsters Dean Polo and Andrew Raines; who is a genuine contender for this year’s NAB Rising Star Award is cause for optimism for the Tiger army.
The Tigers have the potential to have a strong forward set-up, on the proviso Matthew Richardson, Nathan Brown and Jay Schulz remain injury-free, and this should be a focus for Terry Wallace and his staff in the off-season.
Also of concern to Wallace would be the lack of key defenders, Darren Gaspar and Andrew Kellaway are both in their 30’s, and their in recent weeks has left the Tigers defence sorely exposed.
The recruitment of a key defender, the continued development of youngsters such as Brett Deledio, Raines and Polo and a good run with injuries should see the Tigers push for a finals berth in 2007.
Brisbane: How the mighty have fallen, it is hard to fathom that the 2004 grand finalists, and what many regard as the greatest side of the modern era is out of finals contention with five rounds to go; such is the cyclical nature of AFL football.
The Lions have had a poor run with injuries this season, coupled with the retirement of defender Justin Leppitsch, Leigh Matthews has been forced to blood youngsters which has resulted in short-term pain for long-term gain.
The emergence of youngsters such as Michael Riscatelli, Justin Sherman, Rhan Hooper and Josh Drummond augurs well for the future, but of greater concern to Matthew’s would be the holes in the Lions backline.
With Leppitsch gone and full-back Mal Michael’s immediate future up in the air, the recruitment of key position players needs to be a priority come draft time.
Like the Tigers, should the Lions have a better run with injury, you would expect them to be pressing for finals action next season.
How much of an impact they have is remains to be seen, but their young cubs will undoubtedly be better for the experience.
Port Adelaide: Like the Lions the Power has fallen from grace since their premiership triumph of 2004, and fallen victim to the cyclical nature of the game.
The men from Alberton still have a strong spine, with Warren Tredrea, Brendon Lade and Chad Cornes crucial to the club’s success, its just been a matter of getting them out on the park at the same time.
Port Adelaide is currently in a re-building phase, with six players making their debut for the club this year.
More importantly, those players have made the most of their opportunities with four Power players nominated for the NAB Rising Star Award; Danyle Pearce, Brad Symes, Jacob Surjan and Troy Chaplin.
The continued development of these aforementioned players, getting a full pre-season under the belt of forward Warren Tredrea and the recruitment of another defender with full-back Darryl Wakelin heading towards the end of his career.
With the final eight seemingly settled with three rounds to go, here we take a look at the prospects of the bottom eight sides for season 2007.
Geelong: The NAB pre-season premiers promised so much but have delivered so little this season to the faithful at Sleepy Hollow.
The Cats were installed as premiership favourites after round two, but since then the wheels fell off losing seven of their next nine; including a demoralising defeat to West Coast in round 10.
Geelong’s finals hopes all but ended last Sunday at the hands of St Kilda, and after coming so close to a grand final berth in 2004, when they were defeated by the Brisbane Lions by nine points at the MCG.
So one has to ask, what has gone so wrong since 2004 when along with West Coast and St Kilda, the Cats were regarded as one of the best young sides going around and odds on to claim a flag in the next three years.
Based on this season, it would seem that Mark Thompson’s men are closer to re-building than pressing for a premiership; a big call but a valid one.
Geelong lacks leadership, captain Steven King is lucky to string consecutive games together, young gun Gary Ablett Jr has publicly declared he doesn’t want to be captain and forward Cameron Mooney, who has been touted as a future leader doesn’t have the mental temperament to be a captain after being suspended for the third time this season.
Blaming the Cats woes on a lack of leadership is foolhardy, and is only one ingredient in a bag full of problems.
Geelong’s forward set up is a shambles to say the least. Discarded forward Kent Kingsley has managed eight goals in ten games; Matthew McCarthy is a talent but his kicking is atrocious to say the least and Brad Ottens hasn’t been consistent enough to justify what he earns after leaving Richmond.
The next three games are an ideal opportunity for the Cats to weed out some dead wood, and reward players on the basis of form and not who they are.
Mark Thompson and his men need to get a gauge on what players need to be kept and who needs to be traded or de-listed for Geelong to re-emerge as a genuine contender, and the remaining three games provide the ideal opportunity to do just that and gain some momentum into 2007.
Richmond: The Tigers look certain to just miss out on the eight again this season, but Richmond fans have much to be excited about.
The emergence of youngsters Dean Polo and Andrew Raines; who is a genuine contender for this year’s NAB Rising Star Award is cause for optimism for the Tiger army.
The Tigers have the potential to have a strong forward set-up, on the proviso Matthew Richardson, Nathan Brown and Jay Schulz remain injury-free, and this should be a focus for Terry Wallace and his staff in the off-season.
Also of concern to Wallace would be the lack of key defenders, Darren Gaspar and Andrew Kellaway are both in their 30’s, and their in recent weeks has left the Tigers defence sorely exposed.
The recruitment of a key defender, the continued development of youngsters such as Brett Deledio, Raines and Polo and a good run with injuries should see the Tigers push for a finals berth in 2007.
Brisbane: How the mighty have fallen, it is hard to fathom that the 2004 grand finalists, and what many regard as the greatest side of the modern era is out of finals contention with five rounds to go; such is the cyclical nature of AFL football.
The Lions have had a poor run with injuries this season, coupled with the retirement of defender Justin Leppitsch, Leigh Matthews has been forced to blood youngsters which has resulted in short-term pain for long-term gain.
The emergence of youngsters such as Michael Riscatelli, Justin Sherman, Rhan Hooper and Josh Drummond augurs well for the future, but of greater concern to Matthew’s would be the holes in the Lions backline.
With Leppitsch gone and full-back Mal Michael’s immediate future up in the air, the recruitment of key position players needs to be a priority come draft time.
Like the Tigers, should the Lions have a better run with injury, you would expect them to be pressing for finals action next season.
How much of an impact they have is remains to be seen, but their young cubs will undoubtedly be better for the experience.
Port Adelaide: Like the Lions the Power has fallen from grace since their premiership triumph of 2004, and fallen victim to the cyclical nature of the game.
The men from Alberton still have a strong spine, with Warren Tredrea, Brendon Lade and Chad Cornes crucial to the club’s success, its just been a matter of getting them out on the park at the same time.
Port Adelaide is currently in a re-building phase, with six players making their debut for the club this year.
More importantly, those players have made the most of their opportunities with four Power players nominated for the NAB Rising Star Award; Danyle Pearce, Brad Symes, Jacob Surjan and Troy Chaplin.
The continued development of these aforementioned players, getting a full pre-season under the belt of forward Warren Tredrea and the recruitment of another defender with full-back Darryl Wakelin heading towards the end of his career.
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