http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/afl-2017-whos-in-your-top-eight-right-now-20161024-gs9kez.html

interesting to finally see some external media recognition that this team has the potential to go well into September !

i think McClures top 8 is pretty good actually , don't rate the cats carried by danger and Selwood too much and lacking now especially down back without Enright .... and whilst the saints are an up and coming team they had an easy draw last year and still too reliant on roo and montanga

west coast scrap in given the home ground advantage normally gets them minimum 12 wins 

 

 

I just read this... Dees to finish 5th? Stuff dreams are made of

In order:

GWS

Sydney

Bulldogs

Geelong

Adelaide

[daylight]

Demons

Pies

Hawks

McClure's top 8 vs 2016 is essentially:  North out Dees in.  Looks right to me!!

For mine, the following clubs are in a bit of a mess:  Lions, Pies, Tigers, Port and likely to finish bottom 4-6. 

The others:  North, Blues, Saints, Freo, Ess, GCS are a bit harder to predict but think they will miss the 8.

Mclure absolutely shits me to death. But he's on the money here!

It is futile to try and pick a top 8 let alone a ladder. It's much easier to predict which teams will be vying for a finals spot.

1. Out of last year's top 8, only 1 team -- North -- looks like dropping out.

2. Teams like Hawthorn, Sydney, Geelong, West Coast could surprise everyone and have an "off" year.

3. Melbourne, St Kilda, Port, Richmond, Carlton, GC, Bombers, Pies could all realistically be vying for a top 8 spot. You can't discount anyone. 

Melbourne should be in contention. There is absolutely no guarantee. The competition is fiercer and closer than it's ever been.

 

1) Sydney

2) GWS

3) West Coast

4) Western Bulldogs

5) Adelaide

6) St Kilda

7) Hawthorn

8) Melbourne

 

I predicted that 2016 would be even, well 2017 will see 15 teams vying for a top 8 position.

Pretty confident Melbourne v Saints will be either 8th or 9th 

 

Giants

Swans

WB

Crows

Cats

Eagles

Hawks

Dees

 

4 minutes ago, Clint Bizkit said:

1) Sydney

2) GWS

3) West Coast

4) Western Bulldogs

5) Adelaide

6) St Kilda

7) Hawthorn

8) Melbourne

 

I predicted that 2016 would be even, well 2017 will see 15 teams vying for a top 8 position.

Don't think Geelong will make it, Clint?

1 minute ago, billy2803 said:

Don't think Geelong will make it, Clint?

They were never a genuine threat in 2016 and look to be even weaker now with retirements and the trade period. Dangerfield may again carry them to the finals but I doubt it.

Just now, Clint Bizkit said:

They were never a genuine threat in 2016 and look to be even weaker now with retirements and the trade period. Dangerfield may again carry them to the finals but I doubt it.

I hope you're right!!!

Think we will find opposition teams/coaches playing Dangerfield a bit differently in 2017.  If they let him run free, he'll win games for Geelong.  If they shut him down, they go back to 2015 when it was "just" Selwood.

I don't get the love for the Saints. Can someone explain it to me.

Traditionally top 8 doesn't change too much, about 2 slide out. 

Conventional wisdom suggest North, leaving one other for annus horrible 

maybe Cat era over now. 

1: GWS

2: Sydney

3: Adelaide

4: Dogs

5: WC

6: Dees

7: Saints

8: Hawks/Cats

It is really hard to do at this point as the fixture will play its role. With a big bunch of teams all a chance to fill 5th to 8th (WC, Hawks, Freo, Dees, Saints, Cats, Pies, Dons, Tiges, Carlton, Port) it may well come down to who plays who twice and where they play the other games. I get the feeling percentage is going to be very important next year!

The only teams I have written off next year from finals contention are Brisbane and Gold Coast and even then Gold Coast could surprise as they have the talent if they can get on the park and gel as a team. 

Of the teams who I think have a chance of making finals the order of likelihood of them making it to me is:

WC

Dees = Saints

Hawks = Cats

Port 

Pies = Dons = Tiges = Carlton

We need to make the finals next year. We're set up for it now. Anything less than that is a fail given where we now sit. In short, it's time to deliver.

Need some luck with injuries though - particularly re: Gawn. If he stays strong next year, we're in the 8.

 

57 minutes ago, Skuit said:

I don't get the love for the Saints. Can someone explain it to me.

Im with you. Nick cant have another career year like this year and a couple of others are getting on.  their youth is average to good.

but they keep surprising me and belting us so I probably should shut up

I dont rate WC and am pretty sure they'll drop out of the 8.  No Nic Nat

they had some poor games this year

 

59 minutes ago, Skuit said:

I don't get the love for the Saints. Can someone explain it to me.

I actually really rate them and see them as better than us.

They have an excellent midfield, are much faster than us, have a better forward line on paper than us (the three tall threats in McCartin, Bruce and Membray), utilise their home ground advantage better than ours and have addresed their Achilles heel - their key defence in Carlisle and Brown. 

The one thing we had over them is our interstate record. They were atrocious on the road and it's what cost them finals.

It pains me to say but I see St kilda finishing 4th-6th this year.

North, Hawks and WC all to fall, with one holding their spot in the 8.

Saint will be a mirage.

Demons and (I hate to say it) Dons into the 8...

Saints are on the march, no question.  Their pressure brand and pace is difficult to handle when they're on.  The big issue for them is that they still rely on a few of their older breed (e.g. Dempster, Riewoldt, Geary and to a lesser extent, Montagna) and if the first two struggle in particular, they can struggle.  They've rebuilt very well in my opinion.  

As for us, if we can finish 7th or 8th I'll be pretty happy....history suggests that there is always at least one side that drops out of the 8 unexpectedly (e.g. Dockers last year) so am hoping that apart from North, which is surely ineviatable, that maybe the Hawks are the other ones.  Very early days but I'll go:

GWS

Sydney

Geelong 

Bulldogs

Adelaide

WCE

Melbourne

Essendon

 

I actually see a 12-10 record and not making finals as still a pass and good progress. As long as we have a percentage of over 100 unlike St Kilda who got belted most times they lost.

A winning season would be a terrific result at this stage regardless of whether we sneak in  or sneak out of top 8.

17 minutes ago, Bring-Back-Powell said:

I actually really rate them and see them as better than us.

They have an excellent midfield, are much faster than us, have a better forward line on paper than us (the three tall threats in McCartin, Bruce and Membray), utilise their home ground advantage better than ours and have addresed their Achilles heel - their key defence in Carlisle and Brown. 

The one thing we had over them is our interstate record. They were atrocious on the road and it's what cost them finals.

It pains me to say but I see St kilda finishing 4th-6th this year.

Agreed. I rate them as being very capable of making a jump.

I think our midfield bats deeper than theirs, and I rate our young talent in that area especially as being better. But it must be acknowledged that they continually kill us with their run and spread and until we can match them in that area they are arguably a more dangerous side going forward particularly now they have shored up their key position stocks. The question lingers as to how they will respond once their influential senior players retire.

Overall I wouldn't trade our list for theirs, though I'm sure Saints supporters would apply the same in reverse. That's where bias comes into play. But I see both sides battling it out for spots around 6-9 in 2017.

1 hour ago, Ron Burgundy said:

We need to make the finals next year. We're set up for it now. Anything less than that is a fail given where we now sit. In short, it's time to deliver.

Need some luck with injuries though - particularly re: Gawn. If he stays strong next year, we're in the 8.

 

We need to perform well but given our age profile, we're also going to need a bit of luck. I just want to see the upward curve continue, whether we make finals or not.

Mine is:

1: GWS

2: Sydney

3: Western Bulldogs

4: Adelaide

5: West Coast

6: Geelong

7: Melbourne

8: Hawthorn

 

http://www.footywire.com/afl/footy/tg-st-kilda-saints

saints won twice against bombers, blues and us playing at etihad 6 wins (I think one Carlton game was at the G  actually )

only beat injury ravaged dogs and Geelong on an off day at Etihad as teams inside top 8

the draw last year was flattering to them, by comparison our draw was one of the toughest 

In short they beat the teams below them, got smashed interstate and only beat serious top 8 teams on a fast track Etihad