After all that has happened this year with the Essendon drug saga and the Bombers’ ultimate exclusion from the 2013 finals – it has been an extraordinary year for all the teams in the competition, especially in last week’s frenetic round where five teams had an opportunity to make the eight. Carlton rolled the dice and took a hail Mary come from behind victory by one point over the Power to sneak into the vacant eighth spot to play finals football. If history dictates which team will win this year’s flag, then the winner will prevail from the top four sides.
All through the year there have been two outstanding teams, Hawthorn and Geelong, with the Cats defeating the Hawks twice this year already to extend their winning streak over Hawthorn to 13 straight matches. However, finals games are different and any one team on the day can prevail. It is also not impossible for the Sydney Swans to win back to back flags after their dogged win last year and the tenacity they have shown this year to make fourth spot on the ladder with many players on the injury list.
Defying the critics, Fremantle snuck into third by just taking advantage of every game they played at home and then some on the road, having drawn with last year’s premiers at the SCG earlier this year. The Dockers have a great team as long as all their stars play injury free. Fifth placed Richmond gets its first opportunity to feature in September action after 12 years in the doldrums. The Tigers have capped off a great season with some significant wins over sides in the top eight, including an emphatic victory over the minor premiers Hawthorn.
Collingwood had a terrible run mid-season or they would have made the top four and in fact lately have been playing top four footy except for lowering their colours to the ‘Roos last week. Not the ideal result before the finals. The ‘Pies will advance after their first cut-throat encounter with Port Adelaide, but how deep into the finals they go depends on their playing list being injury free. Port Adelaide, on the other hand, have been an enigma – hot and cold, winning some great games and losing easy matches, but none more concerning after they had the Blues on toast by 40 points near three quarter time and losing the game by one point. I don’t think they will advance any further than their first final.
Steven Bradbury (ice skating Olympic gold medallist) would be proud of the Blues as they, by the grace of the AFL banning Essendon, were promoted into a finals opportunity by miraculously winning last week. Under new coach Mick Malthouse the Blues showed a lot of endeavour for the first part of the season, suffering numerous narrow losses to top eight sides, however they went through a four game losing streak to drop out of finals contention six weeks out. If Carlton indeed manages to get through their first elimination final unscathed they may go on deep into the competition provided they find their good form again.
In concluding, Hawthorn and Geelong remain the favourites to play off in the grand final, the Swans are the best team behind those two, with Collingwood and Richmond up there as well. Fremantle, Port Adelaide and Carlton are the least of the chances unless extraordinary circumstances catapult any one of these teams into the preliminary final – then, it’s game on!
