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| This Eagle is sad. |
I should note some positives from the game however. Kerr was a star. Besides the first few games of the season where he was nullified by strong tags, he has been an amazing force, almost back to the form of his prime. I thought Hill played a nice game as well, plus Glass was a stalwart as usual down back.
But enough about that schmozzle of a loss, onto the season review. I thought I might as well go back and examine (probably too strong a word) the 12 'predictions' I made at the start of the season. They deal with all the major areas of the team anyway.
Today I'll discuss the first 4 predictions I made all the way back in early February...
1. Naitanui will become our No. 1 ruck option.
Cox is a legend but father time is undefeated...though a time machine may be an option worth exploring. He was brilliant last season, Cox not Il Tempo Padre, but he is 31 and the end has to be nigh. We all know Naitanui has got incredible talent and we saw signs last year of greater consistency within games. As the curtain draws on the career of one of
This didn't really eventuate. But mainly because Cox showed almost no signs of slowing. His skills are still sublime, perhaps he is spending more time upfoward but he is devastating there as well. His game against the Roos in Tasmania was the highlight, but he really didn't have a bad game. However I also think Naitanui isn't where he needs to be in terms of fulfilling his potential. I know the media, and us to a certain extent, get caught up with his amazing aerial feats and his breathtaking displays of agility. But he can be so much more. Still, overall I do think he improved just not to an 'All-Australian' type level. His performance in the semi-final loss left a bad taste in my mouth.
2. Josh Hill will be amazing...ly less annoying than Ernie's friend Ebert.
I remember when Hill began his career. I picked him up in Dreamteam after a couple of good performances as a sneaky forward and he promptly let me down. It was a rookie mistake by me and it still stings. But the point is he's versatile with good pace. We desperately need a small forward or two and he may fill that role. But my prediction here relates to Ebert, perhaps the Eagle I vilified most after Masten last year. Even if Hill doesn't do much he can kick a football fairly well so it's unlikely he'll piss me off as much as Brad...or was it Brett? Who cares. But his brother does have a massive head. Huge. Plus Port Adelaide...ew. By the way, I really wish I had thought of 'Ernie's Friend' as a nickname for Ebert last year. What a waste...just like the pick we used to draft him (zing).
Well, it turns out Brad and Brett aren't brothers. But in terms of Hill, he was a great addition. I think he ended the season with around 34 goals, a great return. More than that, however, was the fact that he filled a pivotal role after our forward line was decimated by injury. He's a far better overhead mark than I anticipated and he has good instincts. I think it's a good sign for our club that a guy who looked totally mediocre at the Dogs comes in and immediately becomes a far better player. It should be interesting to see if he can lock down a place next season with the likes of Nico, Lesnak and Dick lurking.
3. Robert Walls won't give us any credit, but he's not on TV so no one will be listening.
Self-explanatory really, but he's still on radio. God I hate him. Did I mention that?
I don't know if he gave us credit because I haven't heard his voice this season. It has been a very pleasant change. Though there has been some bad commentary this season with Seven's Saturday Afternoon coverage extremely mediocre. At least BT on Saturday night is downright hilarious ("that's the biggest bender I've ever seen" and "oh boy, wow-ee, did you see that"). But I'm sure Wallsy is somewhere, becoming inappropriately excited at the prospect of another Swans premiership.
4. The Eagles will Finish Top 6
It's a fairly unbold prediction but I was going to write top 8 so give me some credit. I have a fear, largely founded on the fact that I have a predilection towards pessimism, that we will slightly regress. Rationally though, we executed a wonderful game plan last season that was extremely effective against all but the very elite. (Pies, Cats) But I wonder if teams will be more prepared this year. I still don't believe we have the same talent-base which allows us to out-skill the best teams. We will rely on young players like Shuey and Selwood to continue to develop and hope that others can lift their game. I also think that there were a dearth of 'solid' teams last year. Surely teams like Essendon, Adelaide or even (shudder) Fremantle will be better. But hell we haven't even played a pre-season game yet, so this prediction is based on nothing you can bite....or lick for that matter.
I don't think we regressed as such, despite the drop in ladder position. Injuries were cruel and debilitating at critical points during the year. I still rue the back-to-back losses to Sydney and Adelaide, where our team was especially weak, and just 1 win there would've given us top 4. But on the other hand I'm not certain we are any close to raising the cup. I think our backline has probably become even more solid with E-Mac (I still hold my breath before he kicks) and Schofield (just get rid of the beard, Ned) looking good. Our forward line too should be better with Hill having a breakout-esque year. Darling also made great improvement on last year. He assumed the key forward role in the absence of JJK and looked stronger by the game. However, it's the midfield where my concerns were and they still are. Shuey had a few brain snaps which were extremely costly. Priddis is as solid as ever and so is S.Selwood. The Kerr-surgence continued and Masten made some strides (!). But still I'm not sure it's a premiership-winning midfield, capable of dominating big-games when necessary. The team in general failed to win big (especially away) games throughout the year.
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