Everyone loves a hot take. Geelong will win the wooden spoon, Nick Daicos will poll 40 Brownlow votes, Tim Taranto isn’t one of the best 150 footballers in the league – I could continue, but you get the point. When making some bold predictions for the upcoming AFL season, it’s tough to find the balance between shocking opinions and estimates that I genuinely believe can happen. So with the 2024 season about to officially kick off, here are some daring declarations surrounding players, coaches, awards, and everything in between.
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Lachie Schultz will win Collingwood’s goalkicking
I’m still not totally over Shoota leaving the Purple Haze for the reigning premiers, but I’m taking some solace in knowing he’ll contribute greatly to a side well and truly in the premiership race. Schultz kicked 63 goals for the Dockers in the past two seasons and his strengths will unquestionably add to the Magpies’ firepower in their front half. Brody Mihocek has claimed the goal-kicking award at Collingwood for five straight years, although I’m backing in their new recruit to bag 40+ snags this year and take the crown from Mihocek.
Essendon goes backwards despite their promising offseason
An 11th-placed finish last season wasn’t good enough for Dons fans. Having failed to win a finals game for two decades now, Essendon went out and recruited ready-made players to help them buck that trend and emerge as a top-8 calibre club. Xavier Duursma, Todd Goldstein, Ben McKay and Jade Gresham bring nearly 600 games of AFL experience to ‘The Hangar’, and yet, I can’t see them breaking through for a finals berth. What’s worse, I have more optimism about the clubs who finished in a similar position as the Bombers a season ago. Don’t be shocked if the Dons slide and finish in the bottom third of the ladder this season.
Keidean Coleman makes the All-Australian team
If you’ve followed any of my preseason content, you’ll know I am a MASSIVE Keidean Coleman fan. The Brisbane halfback excelled in the back half of last season following Daniel Rich’s retirement and appears ready to stake his claim as one of the best decision-makers out of defence in the entire AFL. Coleman and his Lions teammates will surely be focused on winning one more game than they did in 2024, rather than target individual accolades. Still, if Brisbane finishes near the top of the ladder their players are bound to attract attention for All-Aus blazers and I’m backing Kiddy to claim the first of his career by season’s end.
Melbourne almost misses the finals
Is Melbourne’s premiership window closed? No way. Is it closing? Absolutely. After a tumultuous offseason, no team will be happier to shift their focus to actual football games than the Demons. Finishing in the top-4 in three consecutive seasons and claiming a flag in 2021 makes this era of Melbourne football a successful one. As their nucleus ages and other clubs catch up to the Dees, it’s fair to assume that they will slide down the ladder – if not this season, then in the not so distant future. I still expect to see Melbourne feature in finals footy, although I’m predicting a nervous final few rounds for Demons fans.
We’ll see a rare Coleman Medal three-peat
Matthew Lloyd came close – so did Lance Franklin and Jack Reiwoldt in more recent times. However, in the last 50 years of football, Gary Ablett Snr is the only player to claim three consecutive Coleman Medals (1993, 1994 & 1995). Charlie Curnow finds himself in a rare position to pull off the same feat, having led the league for total goals in each of the past two seasons. Should Harry McKay continue to struggle in front of the big sticks and the Blues funnel targets Curnow’s way, there’s no reason why he won’t bag close to 80 majors again and add a third Coleman to his resume.
This is Tim English’s last season at the Bulldogs
This might not come across as a “bold” statement, with Tim English linked to a move home to WA for years now. Fremantle appears to have their ruck pillars in place in the form of Luke Jackson and Sean Darcy, paving the way for English to become West Coast’s saviour. Having just recruited Matt Flynn, there’s no immediate need for the Eagles to target a ruck – in saying that though, recruiting Tim English would be a massive triumph for a club that hasn’t had a lot of reasons to be excited recently.
Image from thewest.com.au
Sydney will make the Grand Final
For anyone selling their stocks in the Sydney Swans, I’ll happily take them off your hands. Following a topsy-turvy 2023 campaign, the 2022 Grand Finalists targeted ready-made players who can help them return to great heights this season. Former Magpies, Brodie Grundy and Taylor Adams will assist their already strong midfield group while James Jordon and James Hamling will act as handy role players throughout the season. Couple that with the natural progression of young stars such as Errol Gulden, Logan Macdonald, Chad Warner and Nick Blakey and there’s a lot to like about Sydney heading into the new campaign.
Connor Rozee wins the Brownlow Medal
Sportsbooks currently have Nick Daicos and Marcus Bontempelli as the favourites to claim this year’s Brownlow Medal and there is bound to be a competitive field contending for the Charlie in 2024. While some believe Zak Butters is Port Adelaide’s best chance to take out the AFL’s highest individual honour, their new skipper Connor Rozee is someone I’ve zeroed in on as a legitimate dark horse for the award. I expect the Power to win enough games for Rozee and Butters to have their fair share of the votes, although my gut tells me that Butters will be the victim of tags throughout the season. If that happens, then Rozee could waltz to 25+ votes without too much difficulty.
Both WA coaches get fired before the season ends
Declaring that Adam Simpson will lose his job at some point this season isn’t a brash statement. West Coast has struggled mightily in the past few years and a drop off in performance from the Dockers has heaped plenty of expectations onto the shoulders of his cross-town rival, Justin Longmuir. Out of contract at the end of the season, the more likely scenario would see JL coach the entire season and then fail to reach a new agreement with Fremantle. Should he start slowly though, as the pressure mounts I won’t be surprised if both he and Simmo find themselves without a job by the time the final month of the season arrives.
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