World Footy News

Tonight sees the launch of the 2008 AFL season, with last year's strugglers Carlton and Richmond at the MCG and last year's grand finalists Geelong and Port Adelaide at AAMI Stadium in Adelaide. We'll have a quick look at all the clubs' prospects, and invite readers to rank the teams themselves.

And it's good to see the television schedule for Round 1 is available from the front of the AFL website - not just the normal domestic times but details of coverage around the world. It includes Setanta in the UK, US and Canada, the Australia Network across Asia/Pacific and Sky Sports 2 in New Zealand.

AFL on international television - Round 1

AFL Broadcast Guide page

Geelong are obviously the team to beat this year. The Cats destroyed all before them on the way to their first premiership for decades. Their direct, fast ball movement led to high scoring and all other teams will attempt to copy their style. If the desire is still there, another grand final appearance is on the cards.

St Kilda always rekindle the debate as to whether their premiership window closed during the reign of former coach Grant Thomas. With Ross Lyon now in his second season, giving the players plenty of time to adapt to his style, and with two quality ruckmen newly available in Stephen King and Michael Gardiner, the answer is no, the window is well and truly open. If they have successfully eliminated their injury curse then there is no reason for the Saints to not march all the way to the Grand Final.

Hawthorn are no secret. Opposition fans stare enviously at the array of talent the club has assembled over the past few years. With so many young guns set to fire, led by Lance Franklin, the biggest threat to the Hawks is over confidence. They should have five years of sustained success and 2008 should be the first of several serious cracks at a flag.

Collingwood keep getting themselves well into the finals series with a list that could be regarded as only solid. Do we under-estimate their quality, or is it the coach, or perhaps their superior facilities giving them an edge? Whatever the reason, it would be foolish to dismiss the Magpies even with the loss of superstar leader Nathan Buckley to retirement. They will again be honest performers and win most of their many games in Melbourne.

Conversely Port Adelaide's young side was seen as over-achievers and most pundits expect them to slip a little this year. They should be around the mark, but would do well to make it to the last day again.

North Melbourne, no longer simply the Kangaroos and waiting to move to the Gold Coast, are back to their roots and again being widely tipped for a low finish despite a powerful 2007. Surely by now we must concede that they will fight their way into the finals once again.

West Coast, Judd-less and Cousins-free. How can one club hope to replace two of the best midfielders the game has seen? Obviously they can't, and a worry is that with those players and other stars like Kerr and Cox, their very best season of recent years was the now somewhat tarnished one point flag of 2006. With such a dominant midfield, if they struggled to truly dominate, how can they expect to now? But quality remains and their formiddable record at home should see them through to the finals again.

Brisbane, frankly, could go either way. After three flags in a row they have spent several lowly years rebuilding. They have exciting young talent coming through, yet they also have many stars from their premiership seasons. If imposing forward Jonathan Brown remains injury free and Simon Black likewise is uninhibited to lead the midfield, the Lions could easily march into the finals. But lose a few key players and they may make little progress.

Adelaide have been written off every year for the last three or four. Neil Craig keeps getting them into the finals, often tantalising close to the grand final. Last year was a slide to eighth, and with the loss of captain Mark Riccuito and several other senior players, the predictions were gloomy. But with an impressive NAB Cup and some good youngsters, a lot of people are re-evaluating the Crows' chances. Expect them to again be around the mark, but a few slip ups could cost them a finals berth.

Did Sydney begin a long slide last year? The answer may be yes. Relying on relentless physical pressure, many hard seasons appear to have taken their toll and with aging bodies and a competition that has adapted to their choking style, coach Paul Roos will need to come up with some new tricks to get the Swans into the finals yet again.

Fremantle reportedly have the oldest list in the AFL. After years of so much promise they finally started to deliver in 2006, before falling off again in 2007. Plenty expect them to get their act together under Mark Harvey in his first full year as senior coach, but just as North rarely under perform, surely the Dockers will need to prove themselves before we rate them highly again.

The Western Bulldogs have promised a lot and delivered little in recent years. They've added some depth with Adelaide transfers of Hudson and Welsh, but they still seem under-sized and much like Freo, need to earn a higher ranking.

Carlton fans on the other hand are bubbling with excitement. 15th in 2007, the club finished with just 4 wins. However it's widely believed the Blues focussed on "list management" for the second half of the season, and weren't as poor as the final results showed. Now with the number one draft pick in ruckman Matthew Kreuzer secured and gun midfielder and all-round champ Chris Judd making everyone at the club walk taller, expectations are high. But it's a long way from the cellar to competiveness and then to actually break into the top eight. I'm expecting a brave effort that falls short.

New Essendon coach Matthew Knights has spearhead Matthew Llloyd back to straighten up the Bombers, and is encouraging a higher-risk running handball game "through the corridor". It doesn't appear to come naturally and I'm doubtful their midfield have the skill to pull it off. Throw in the retirement of James Hird and I don't see much improvement for the Dons in 2008.

Richmond traditionally start the year in a blaze of glory before collapsing into a rabble. Last year there wasn't even that early season burst. Given their 2008 pre-season was less than exciting, a cloud of gloom is already descending on supporters. It has been quite a few years since the Tigers even made the finals, and in coach Terry Wallace's fourth season at the helm, one expects he'll need a rise up the ladder to hold his job, despite it being a five year contract.

Melbourne have been under the gun from the media before the season even starts. With a new coach but not too much excitement on the recruitment front, the best supporters could realistically hope for would be a more consistent season and sneaking into the top eight. With so many other clubs seemingly headed for major improvement, it's hard to make a case for the Demons.

Every year one or two teams disappoint more than expected and another rises higher than anyone thought possible. So, time to stick my neck out and be doomed to failure like every other pundit silly enough to predict the final ladder come season's end. Geelong, St Kilda and Hawthorn should be the standouts, while Melbourne and Richmond are the two I see as in biggest danger of very few wins. West Coast, Collingwood and Brisbane were the hardest to place.

1. Geelong
2. St Kilda
3. Hawthorn
4. Collingwood
5. Port Adelaide
6. North Melbourne
7. West Coast
8. Brisbane

9. Adelaide
10. Sydney
11. Fremantle
12. Western Bulldogs
13. Carlton
14. Essendon
15. Richmond
16. Melbourne


Feel free to leave a comment on the story, telling us your ladder positions for 2008.