Basically I'm interested in your opinions of how the dees will go next year. As a side argument, what would be acceptable?

Personally I want to see us up to 8 or so wins, and to see signs of further improvement.

Another year like this one doesn't bear thinking about.

They'll win the flag then get banned from the comp in a conspiracy involving a cadre of spanish hookers and 3 kilos of cocaine.

They'll win the flag then get banned from the comp in a conspiracy involving a cadre of spanish hookers and 3 kilos of cocaine.

Will take it for the flag.

involving a cadre of spanish hookers and 3 kilos of cocaine.

And that's just us supporters celebrating the win.

Don't even get us started on the players and that Cookie Monster costume they found in the hotel room...

Melbourne up to 10th place on the ladder. Some real improvement seen in Watts, Morton, Howe and Fitzpatrick. The influx of new players mostly delisted players with young guns will raise the hopes of the melbourne faithful. Jack Grimes will have a cracker of a season and Jack T will put in the hard yards to show his value as a leader and player

Hahaha if we ever win the flag ill have to sell my house to pay for the bender ill go on

Still building, drastic list changes, building up the fitness of a mostly physically immature list...

I would expect a 12-16th place finish.

Just to throw in some optimism I'll say we scrape into the finals.. things can turn around quickly.

the players during the season have shown that they're getting the hang of the game plan and are getting fitter. With another preseason under neeld and the other new coaching staff, along with a few new recruits (brynes, caddy, wellingham, possibly others) and some top notch draft picks i think we will see the team raise themselves to about 10-12th and about 8ish wins. I think this is a fairly realistic expectation provided everything i said above actually happens.

the players during the season have shown that they're getting the hang of the game plan and are getting fitter. With another preseason under neeld and the other new coaching staff, along with a few new recruits (brynes, caddy, wellingham, possibly others) and some top notch draft picks i think we will see the team raise themselves to about 10-12th and about 8ish wins. I think this is a fairly realistic expectation provided everything i said above actually happens.

Don't reckon we'll get Caddy, but I like your optimism.

9th or 10th would be a fantastic effort.

Too many list changes yet to occurr and too few fixture facts known (amongst other things) to get anywhere near the mark . 11th (bright side of life)

I live in eternal hope of a finals spot. You never know, we could do a West Coast and go from almost bottom to almost top in one year.

I live in eternal hope of a finals spot. You never know, we could do a West Coast and go from almost bottom to almost top in one year.

Except we don't have a host of gun players who have been injured and we aren't tanking.

I live in eternal hope of a finals spot. You never know, we could do a West Coast and go from almost bottom to almost top in one year.

I say this every year in the hope that someday I'll be correct but it hasn't worked yet!

I expect to see some tangible dividends (like winning) from the elite preparation and behaviour standards that Neeld, Craig and Misson are demanding from the players.

As usual, a good majority of next years fortunes are resting on the trade and draft periods. Probably this years more than others in the past.

I am sick of being disappointed - so I am predicting 2 wins, last position. Surely we can exceed my expectations for the first time in my life.

ANYTHING could happen next year, from Neeld turning out to be a blow hard with no real coaching skills who gets fired after round 12 when we haven't won a game and we end up 18th, to our extra long preseason for 2013 (which included the entire 2012 season) paying off and, when combined with our exceptional drafting and trading and Neeld's amazing coaching, leads us to the promised land...

But seriously, somewhere between 11-15 is what I'm actually expecting.

It will depend on injuries - particularly those occuring during preseason training.

With some luck re the above, 8 -10 wins

After the debacle that was 2012, I have gone 13 1o 16 on the ladder. 6 to 8 wins depending on how many times we play GC or GWS.

Don't reckon we'll get Caddy, but I like your optimism.

9th or 10th would be a fantastic effort.

yeah 9th or 10th would be great. I really feel as though if we play this trade period and draft smartly we can turn things around very quickly also bringing in players from other clubs will bring in their knowledge of how hard you have to work in AFL to cut it and it may give some of our young players a reality check.

It would be nice to get caddy, but if not there are always others out there! but hey, we can always dream

Im predicting about 4-6 wins to be honest. I would love for an 7-10 win season but we would have to pull something out of no where

Hahaha if we ever win the flag ill have to sell my house to pay for the bender ill go on

Benno I'm hearing ya was just thinking about this last week if we make it I'm taking the week before off and if we win it the week after also could get messy and expensive in so many ways

I just want to see 22 players willing to run, chase and fight to win the ball. Being able to hit a target would be nice too.

I think we'll see a few early wins, then a long trough followed by looking good over the last 6-8 rounds as the gameplan finally sinks in to those more permanent members of the team. Our improved fitness will see losing margins reduced and our improved midfield will do well on the back of some NQR's that fill roles. Morton will emerge as a strangely effective mid that gets into our best players list consistently in the last half of the year - and his rise is universally acknowledged on demonland while causing mass bewilderment

And cattle mutilations will be up.

Assuming we don't pick up 1 or 2 quality players next month...

3-5 wins.

16-17th finish.

Nothing about this club gives me any hope or confidence after what I saw this year.