Realistically where do you guys think we will come over the next say 5 years. Dont be silly and say finals next year and flag the year after cos it isnt going to happen unfortunatly. Be honest give your opinion and justify if possible.

ok il go first then

I dont think we will to much up the ladder next year as we are still stuck with most of the same useless players that have hindered us over the past few seasons and our up and coming players although very talented will not really have to much of an effect untill they get a bit more experience and I think most importantly put some size on. I think we are looking at bottom 4 next year that although not great will be a solid improvement with 6-7 wins.

I think the next four years will show alot more improvement very quickly though with the like of Grimes, Morton, Watts and so forth really showing their class. I also think that all of this years dfarts will come on very quickly specially scully trengove and tappscott having an almost instant impact on the team. They will force opponents to spread out the load to cover our midfield and fowards instead of them being able to easily cover our few quality players with a few of their own still spare to destroy us. Being so young at the moment I feel this gives us the chance to not only survive the up and coming draft shut outs but to thrive in them as other teams find their lists aging very quickly.

Although it is obviously way to early to say if our young guys are going to be stars I think it is reasonably to expect a top six if not top four by the end of the next 5 years and hopefully pushing for a flag.

Goo the Dees

I said earlier in the year I thought we were good for 6-9 wins next year. Having seen the draw (and loved it) I think this is probably pretty accurate. I penciled in 8 games as very winnable with another couple of maybes. I think 10 would be a great year for the side, 6 or 7 probably underachieving.

The year after that I expect us to be in the 8. I don't think this is in any way unrealistic. We won't make the top 4 because we'll still be playing kids against men for the most part, but the talent we've picked up in the last three years will be beginning to ripen.

2012 should see us in a very good place, assuming we've kept the core together. We'll have Morton heading into his mid 20's, Davey in his prime, probably Green as an elder statesman, and the rucks we've been developing will be coming into it. Watts and Jurrah will by then have had three years of playing together and should be working as a great team. Youngsters Viney and Stretch will be beginning to show their worth and our midfield guns will have had three years to gel. I'm thinking probably 4th to 7th that year.

Beyond 2012, we should see ourselves as a chance at the GF. As far as I'm concerned, if we keep this list together there is no reason we can't threaten for most of the decade. The young guys we hope will star will still be at playing age when 2020 comes around.

Wow this post did well lol

Odd really. It's an interesting topic, but probably has been touched on a few too many times in other threads. Or perhaps nobody is willing to put their thoughts on the line that far in advance.

There's been a bunch of threads on this. All of them much the same. Finals in 2011, flag in 2013-15 so on and so forth.

  RalphiusMaximus said:

I said earlier in the year I thought we were good for 6-9 wins next year. Having seen the draw (and loved it) I think this is probably pretty accurate. I penciled in 8 games as very winnable with another couple of maybes. I think 10 would be a great year for the side, 6 or 7 probably underachieving.

The year after that I expect us to be in the 8. I don't think this is in any way unrealistic. We won't make the top 4 because we'll still be playing kids against men for the most part, but the talent we've picked up in the last three years will be beginning to ripen.

2012 should see us in a very good place, assuming we've kept the core together. We'll have Morton heading into his mid 20's, Davey in his prime, probably Green as an elder statesman, and the rucks we've been developing will be coming into it. Watts and Jurrah will by then have had three years of playing together and should be working as a great team. Youngsters Viney and Stretch will be beginning to show their worth and our midfield guns will have had three years to gel. I'm thinking probably 4th to 7th that year.

Beyond 2012, we should see ourselves as a chance at the GF. As far as I'm concerned, if we keep this list together there is no reason we can't threaten for most of the decade. The young guys we hope will star will still be at playing age when 2020 comes around.

I think this is pretty accurate Maximus. I would put GF 2013 and flag 2014 (as you can see by my name) - the 50th anniversary of the last one. I think that is very realistic.

One thing no-one seems to have taken account of is that by 2012 there will be two new teams in the comp which realistically will not figure in finals football for at least 3 or four years (think Brisbane Bears). In many ways they will be in the same boat as we are except three or four years behind, and will have none of the tradition or expertise which an established AFL club naturally has by dint of its experience. For a emerging club, these teams should represent three or four wins a year which will make it that much easier to make the eight (or nine or whatever the AFL decides maximizes revenue).

The timing of our deterioration in the last three years has undoubtably set us up for a decade of prosperity on and off the field, and it will be very difficult for the recently diminished clubs like Richmond, North, Frematle, Swans even WC and Port to build out from that because the quality draft picks will simply not be available to them.

Roll on 2010, and even more 2014!!