Just because it's the silly type of thing we'll apt to do...that is, unpack the Crystal Ball  and  dream.

I think it's as fair game to do this now as any. I really can't see the  draft having any real impact for teams in 2018; it take a little while.

Footy , akin to playing Snakes and Ladders...some up, some slide down, some evade gaze and make steady progress while others come  back to earth with a thud. Some just don't go anywhere.

I've  added some basic polls ..Happy to add more.

So what are your thoughts...

Over to you 

p.s

Q7 is multiple choice if you wish to select more than 1

If we don't play finals I'm going to take up drinking.........more.

8 minutes ago, Adzman said:

If we don't play finals I'm going to take up drinking.........more.

And if we do play finals?

2 minutes ago, deebug said:

And if we do play finals?

Celebratory drinks will be in order.

I've been quite positive in the poll above as I believe we can make the finals and make an impact there. However, we will need some luck.

We cannot afford long term injuries to key players. We need some players to step up - I'm thinking Petracca here. We need a big one from Jesse.

Lever needs to be the intercept/rebounding defender we traded him for.

If we don't make finals Goody will be looking for a new job.

6 minutes ago, Bitter but optimistic said:

I've been quite positive in the poll above as I believe we can make the finals and make an impact there. However, we will need some luck.

We cannot afford long term injuries to key players. We need some players to step up - I'm thinking Petracca here. We need a big one from Jesse.

Lever needs to be the intercept/rebounding defender we traded him for.

If we don't make finals Goody will be looking for a new job.

The last line says it all and he won't have Watts to blame.

4 minutes ago, Bitter but optimistic said:

I've been quite positive in the poll above as I believe we can make the finals and make an impact there. However, we will need some luck.

We cannot afford long term injuries to key players. We need some players to step up - I'm thinking Petracca here. We need a big one from Jesse.

Lever needs to be the intercept/rebounding defender we traded him for.

If we don't make finals Goody will be looking for a new job.

Won’t get lucky until we solve the mystery of why players pick and choose when to turn up to play as demonstrated in the past two season in particular. 

19 minutes ago, america de cali said:

Won’t get lucky until we solve the mystery of why players pick and choose when to turn up to play as demonstrated in the past two season in particular. 

That's Goody's job ADC.

The surprise packet one will be interesting. I don't think you can count teams like GWS and Crows as surprises. So I went with Pies outside the 8. Should have done better this year, and have the midfield grunt to win more games than it loses.

14 is about the maximum I see us winning. Think we will finish 6 or 7th. Brisbane to be the big improver.

If Essendon play off in a GF before we do I give up!  That will be my personal breaking point after waiting over 50 years.  There other clubs as well such as Carlton.

i am believing this club (not trusting yet) to finally have a serious crack at winning a flag.

we should and can make finals next year, however if we do not I'm not sure if I can ever trust this club ever again.

47 minutes ago, Bitter but optimistic said:

That's Goody's job ADC.

Not his alone...but he'll wear it.

Can start with the last game perhaps.

I agree with thos thinking 14 is a sort of reality as a ceiling.

Richmond might be a surprise...they may back up and go deep into finals.

Essendon loom as an undeserving success.

Port worry me. 

I think Adelaide may surprise most by going backwards at a rate of knots.

Dont see our window open yet.

I hate to say it, but Clarkson will probably have the Hawks back in the eight. He is a very good coach of young players, adn can mold a group quickly. I hope I am wrong.

For the first time in years I actually have expectations on the Dees, for 2018. Our club is strong-ish, our list is very, very good, and the support base is growing. If - and it is a huge IF - we can get a clear run with injuries, we can actually cause some damage and go deep into finals. 

3 hours ago, deebug said:

And if we do play finals?

Probably more drinking but with the Melbourne faithful...instead of on my couch with a bag of Doritos.

3 hours ago, Bitter but optimistic said:

If we don't make finals Goody will be looking for a new job.

It depends on why we don't. We had a horror run in the middle of last year with the draw and injuries. That is in the hands of the football gods. But if we get a good draw and injuries only affect depth players, then I'll start questioning the coaching staff.

The problem with 2018 is that the bottom 8 are getting stronger.

Who are the bottom 4 likely to be...

Freo, North, Brisbane and Gold Coast perhaps.

Now will we beat them all (and if we play them twice will it be both times) ... that is worth 6-7 games in itself.

Going into 2018 I am less optimistic than I was about 2017. The reason being was our end of season fade out when notwithstanding that most players had returned from injury we were ordinary at best.

My target for 2018 is positions 3-6 and win two finals. Not unrealistic but there will need to be  a quantitative improvement for that to occur and that includes improvement in the coaching team.

Less than 13 wins is a big fail.

Finally 2017 showed that there were a number of Casey players who will not make it at AFL level which makes the job even harder.

As you might gather I am getting a little tired after 10 plus years of abject under-performance,

18 hours ago, beelzebub said:

I agree with thos thinking 14 is a sort of reality as a ceiling.

We had a ton of injuries to key players, won't be losing much due to age-related decline and should see much more than that in natural improvement. It'll be Goodwin's second year in charge, and we've improved our list. I can't see why 14 is the ceiling, when we just won 12 (and were very unfortunate to lose a couple when we had mid-game injuries to our rucks).

NB: In case anyone wants to put words in my mouth, asserting that I don't think 14 is a ceiling doesn't mean I think we're definitely going to win more than 14 or whatever.

20 hours ago, Dappa Dan said:

The surprise packet one will be interesting. I don't think you can count teams like GWS and Crows as surprises. So I went with Pies outside the 8. Should have done better this year, and have the midfield grunt to win more games than it loses.

B$. They’re hopeless and are unlikely to improve under their poor coach. More of the same.

5 minutes ago, Diamond said:

B$. They’re hopeless and are unlikely to improve under their poor coach. More of the same.

they beat us in Round 23 while missing several players ... how do you rank us?

11 minutes ago, Diamond said:

B$. They’re hopeless and are unlikely to improve under their poor coach. More of the same.

Each to their own. Looking at sides who had rough years last year that can go up into the 8 and surprise everyone, I like Pies for the Tigers-like rise. Teams like Saints, if they go up, it won't surprise anyone.

7 minutes ago, Diamond_Jim said:

they beat us in Round 23 while missing several players ... how do you rank us?

We dropped our bundle that day emotionally. We beat them earlier in the year when we were playing the frenetic, numbers around the ball style that caused us to beat Adelaide too. (Plus a bit of Jack Watts magic). I expect us to finish around 12th next year unless a harder culture can be instilled in this mentally weak team.

21 hours ago, Bitter but optimistic said:

I've been quite positive in the poll above as I believe we can make the finals and make an impact there. However, we will need some luck.

We cannot afford long term injuries to key players. We need some players to step up - I'm thinking Petracca here. We need a big one from Jesse.

Lever needs to be the intercept/rebounding defender we traded him for.

If we don't make finals Goody will be looking for a new job.

Certainly without so many injuries to so many key players, some of which were early  in crucial games, we just have to get more wins.  

And IF we had a dream run injury wise as did The Toiges then who knows?  Continuity helps a hell of a lot. 

21 hours ago, old dee said:

The last line says it all and he won't have Watts to blame.

OMG ....... and who will be the new whipping boy on these fora?

1 hour ago, Rogue said:

We had a ton of injuries to key players, won't be losing much due to age-related decline and should see much more than that in natural improvement. It'll be Goodwin's second year in charge, and we've improved our list. I can't see why 14 is the ceiling, when we just won 12 (and were very unfortunate to lose a couple when we had mid-game injuries to our rucks).

NB: In case anyone wants to put words in my mouth, asserting that I don't think 14 is a ceiling doesn't mean I think we're definitely going to win more than 14 or whatever.

If 2017 was fairly even ..I predict 2018 will be mind bogglingly more so. Im not sure there will be a clear cut top 4 teams...nor even a clear cut half D of cellar dwellers.  I think winning ...for ANYONE ...will be hard to keep up as a roll in 2018.  On that basis  though I reckon we should/ought/bloody better had....improve , it might be just marginal  in terms of numbers though the efort required would  suggest more so..  Just my take

I think Geelong are the biggest flag threat for next year, particularly now that they have.... wait for it....

 

 

 

 

 

....Dangerwoodlett playing from them.

Capable of 10 goals between them per game.

8 minutes ago, McQueen said:

I think Geelong are the biggest flag threat for next year, particularly now that they have.... wait for it....

....Dangerwoodlett playing from them.

Capable of 10 goals between them per game.

isn't it just as well there's no player on their list like a Williams...or a Robinson !!