Way back, in a long gone era (Sunday March 2nd to be precise) I made a bold prediction of how the final AFL ladder would pan out. Let's analyse those selections now, and see just how wrong I was.
Port Adelaide
Pre-Season Prediction - 1st
Actual Place - 1st
Mid-Season Prediction - 3rd
No idea how they're top. Maybe I just can't understand how any team could successfully manage to make Melbourne look good and still be atop the ladder at the halfway mark of the season
Brisbane
Pre-Season Prediction - 2nd
Actual Place - 3rd
Mid-Season Prediction - 1st
Hit by the kind of shocking injury run that they managed to avoid the past two seasons and were absolutely porked by the red-hot West Coast last round but they'll still finish top. Not entirely sure they're going to win the whole thing though.
Adelaide
Pre-Season Prediction - 3rd
Actual Place - 7th
Mid-Season Prediction - 5th
Strange to see them as the worst of the interstate clubs but have been a bit disappointing so far. I've no doubts they'll get better, but their finals series may very well be a one game affair this year.
Geelong
Pre-Season Prediction - 4th
Actual Place - 14th
Mid-Season Prediction - 12th
Whoa, what was I thinking here? Must have been seduced by the half-decent performance of a young team last year and the fact that they've got a jolly theme song.
St. Kilda
Pre-Season Prediction - 5th
Actual Place - 10th
Mid-Season Prediction - 9th
Who can tell with this bunch of idiots? Beat a good team one week, get flogged by some duds the next. Sack one of your ruckmen and watch the rest go down with injuries at a record setting pace. They'll probably win the bloody Premiership now just to irritate me.
Collingwood
Pre-Season Prediction - 6th
Actual Place - 8th
Mid-Season Prediction - 8th
I stand by my prediction of the Magpies entering the kind of post-Grand Final hell that both St. Kilda and Melbourne experienced after their appearances in the big game. They won't even make the 8 next year, so enjoy it while you can Pies fans.
Hawthorn
Pre-Season Prediction - 7th
Actual Place - 12th
Mid-Season Prediction - 11th
Look to have got their season back into gear after Schwab was inches away from being out of a job two months ago. Some mentalists are even talking finals - which is a bit over the top if you ask me. Still, the coach will survive and they'll be a good side next year - which is more than we can say for some teams.
Fremantle
Pre-Season Prediction - 8th
Actual Place - 5th
Mid-Season Prediction - 4th
Happy to say that I'm one of the few who tipped the Dockers to make the 8 this year. I might have even ranked them higher were they not the kind of team to implode at the slightest hint of pressure. Who knows, they still might. Probably not a Grand Final contender, but it would be quite comical if they did make it.
West Coast
Pre-Season Prediction - 9th
Actual Place - 2nd
Mid-Season Prediction - 2nd
Didn't think they'd be able to maintain their shock good form of last year but I was wrong. So wrong in fact that I'm tipping them to go on and win the whole thing. That'll jinx them then.
Essendon
Pre-Season Prediction - 10th
Actual Place - 11th
Mid-Season Prediction - 10th
Past it. Extremely mediocre. Next.
Melbourne
Pre-Season Prediction - 11th
Actual Place - 15th
Mid-Season Prediction - 16th
Oh dear. Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear. I thought I was being the ultimate pessimist picking us to not only miss the 8 but miss it by a mile but it turns out I was actually being optimistic. Clearly the worst side in the competition at the moment and an absolute lock to finish last. Will be lucky to win another game this year.
North Melbourne
Pre-Season Prediction - 12th
Actual Place - 6th
Mid-Season Prediction - 7th
Won four in a row, had a draw, lost the next four and now they've won four. What the fark is going on there? Still likely to cause an upset and make the eight. I can safely say that if it ends up as interstate madness in the finals I'll be going for them.
Footscray
Pre-Season Prediction - 13th
Actual Place - 16th
Mid-Season Prediction - 15th
Were never going to do anything this year, but the actual extent of their absymal performances this year have been a shock. Three times they've thrown away games against far better teams and will win a few more before the end of the year. Must be looking forward to their game against Melbourne with some glee.
Sydney
Pre-Season Prediction - 14th
Actual Place - 4th
Mid-Season Prediction - 6th
Excellent list of youngsters, but they'll struggle to keep the intensity going for the whole year. Surely Barry Hall is only a couple of weeks away from doing something majorly stupid, getting suspended for five weeks and blowing the whole year for them. I predict he'll headbutt somebody.
Carlton
Pre-Season Prediction - 15th
Actual Place - 13th
Mid-Season Prediction - 14th
Expected to be shit. Are shit, but better than some. It's going to get progressively worse for them over the next couple of years - so Blues fans should enjoy only being semi-terrible this year. More people looking forward to an easy win when they play us.
Richmond
Pre-Season Prediction - 16th
Actual Place - 9th
Mid-Season Prediction - 13th
So, they're not going to finish last. Got that one wrong. But all the yellow and black mutants who thought they were going to snap the Premiership drought as the side sat second on the ladder a few months back had better get ready to wait a few more years because they've hit the wall and are absolutely no chance to see September action.
The others...
Port Adelaide to beat Brisbane in the GF
Can't see it happening now. I'm going for a West Coast-Brisbane GF with the Eagles winning.
Peter Bell (Fremantle) to win the Brownlow
Almost certainly not, but he'll surely run in the top 10.
Matthew Lloyd (Essendon) to be a one man team and win the Coleman
Well, I'm right on track here. Two out of 19 isn't too bad is it? IS IT?
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