10-6: Josh Jenkins’ in-depth AFL ladder prediction for the 2024 season – SEN

Josh Jenkins and Cameron Mooney run through positions 15-11 in their ladder predictor, only on SEN!

WATCH 18TH to 16TH HERE: https://youtu.be/-YpSIgyo9NY
WATCH 15th to 11th HERE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ky6qQ_fMoO0

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Make sure you get involved uh because we’re about to get stuck into the reverse ladder so 18 West Coast 17 Hawthorne 16 the ruse 15 Richmond 14 freem manle 13 sink kilder 12 the dogs 11 the D’s which uh which surprises you the most so far which do you disagree with the

Most I’m not sure Hawthorne I think might be a lot better than 78th yep I shouldn’t say a lot better I think they’ll be better than 78th dogs and D’s and St Kilda they’re the teams that you could say if you threw threw the names up in

The air and they landed in 6th 7eventh and eth yep I’d probably go yeah that probably that could probably work but if they landed 10th 11th 12th I’d go yeah that could probably work as well that’s that’s that is what we keep saying and that’s what I found when I uh tried to

Do this little exercise so we’re up to position number 10 and in 10th and I guess the streak will continue the old uh Twitter account will carry on and live on and however many thousands of days it’s been since endon W of final will continue because it is the bombers

Intent 11 and 12 last year 89.7% so that percentage was really really low surprised me a little bit endon most excited to see Nate caddy uh their top 10 draft pick there’s just something about the young man that I I like he’s got a bit of Jack Revolt about him not just the

Hair because it’s blonde but the build similar he’s an in between size so he’s a little bit under siiz for a key forward in actual fact he’s not that dissimilar to a Kyle size but he he he seems like Jack rol was so good moons at jumping early into

Packs and clearing Space by jumping early and and jumping on a pack and moving bodies out of the road this guy looks like he’s got some similar traits uh he looks creative and I recall just a bit of audio from the draft where he was

Just you could see how much he wanted to make Brad Scott believe you know how excited he was and how Keen he was to get stuck in it I’m ready to go today let’s go out and train so Nate caddy for me is the thing I’m most excited about

From an ESS perspective the sure thing and I think we can probably uh put this guy into this category for two or three years but what goes up must come down Jake Stringer will go up and then he’ll go down and it’ll be that’ll just be the

Way it is for the season he’ll have he’ll give he’ll give you a ride Jak W the odd game and unfortunately now though moons it is only the odd game where he jump jumps out of the ground so last season he kicked 21 goals 23 from

17 games so he was inaccurate and he was only just better than one goal a game he only kicked three or more goals twice in a game last year and he only kicked four goals in his past six games of 2023 and he also only managed more than 20

Possessions once in the season so the impact games were really really really low last year the hope for me Harrison Jones I hope that injury wo are behind him he’s had some really woring back uh stress fracture issues as have a couple of other SN then youngsters so I hope he

Gets a look at AFL footy he’s got plenty of things to work on but he does have a skill that uh young forwards just die to have and that’s being able to jump into a pack and take a contested Mark he doesn’t predict the game that well yet

He doesn’t read uh where a ball carrier is and where he needs you to be to to allow him to be able to kick the the footy to him but hopefully as he’s been injured or whilst he’s been injured he’s been on the computer or the tablet just

Watching endless amounts of footy and uh upskilling himself in that space the Worry My worry is actually what they are getting with Ben Mai so I don’t really care about what he gets paid now I’m never going to cter play as Pockets what someone offers you is what you should

Sign for right that is just that’s completely to the side but he is being brought in to command the defense for a long time it’s been an undersized lever an undersized Michael hurle and undersized Jordan Ridley who has had to play on these guys who are 105 kilos and

6’6 Ben mcki is that size can he play on them does he have the athleticism to play on them can he play at ground level against these guys because a lot of these key forwards danur and kerno and these guys Jeremy Cameron they are electric at ground level as well can he

Play on them can he also maintain the ability to take interet marks but also beat some of these guys because like it or not he is being paid to do so but he’s been brought in aside from the money he’s been identified and brought

In to do that the jury for me is out on whether he can do it the X’s and O’s I would lean back into the speed so ball movement to me they look like a ball movement team they look like a team that need to make life easier for their

Forwards Peter R is as good a bargain by as we’ve seen in the past five or so years he’s his form when he hasn’t been injured has been unbelievable love him when you measure it up and marry it up for what they gave up for him uh Langford had an unbelievable

2023 but as I said Jake stringers form waivers and it’s probably going to waver more and more and more Jones is unproven but they do have guys like Nick Martin who I love Zack Merritt they’ve got they’ve got darham they’ve got Parish they’ve got mcgr those guys can run and

Gun and and their home ground is yes they play a few games at at at Marvel at the MCG the home ground is Marvel where it’s perfect conditions week in week out so run and Gun Run and Gun do what you are built to do and hopefully you can

Win enough games to make the finals I don’t think they will I had them above the team I’ve got in ninth but I flipped them around I did I was doing both teams and I thought no there’s no way that team can be below endon so endon are 10th uh what says you

I don’t disagree with you my thing with Idan is when are they going to stand up as a playing group and go I let’s be hon they’re the but of jokes y on Twitter they haven’t played finals in this many days and all of that this

Has this is one of the biggest clubs in the country but it’s hasn’t been a great club for a long time yeah I hope people understand what I’m trying to say that uh I’m talking mostly you what what’s happened off field a few things but on field they have not performed and I’m

Looking at some guys here I’ll throw some names like guys who have played over 100 games well over 100 games for this footy Club who haven’t seen a Finals game yet you know Langford levera mcgr Meritt Parish Redmond Stringer all of these guys I mean Stringer obviously

Come from the Bulldogs but it’s about time you go I’m sick of just being an AFL player I want to be a finals player yeah like there’s a big difference between I’m on a list and I get paid and I play 23 games or 22 games and then at

The start of September I go on a holiday that’s a sh career sorry I want to play finals footy and this club now needs to stand up and say I want to play Fin and those boys I hope they have driven this group so hard this preseason I Hope they’ve

Been belting each other on the train track I hope there’s two blocks who had a bit of a scuffle just give us something because this club is too good of a club to be on the back of jokes yeah about not been too long it’s been

Too long way too long yeah like it’s it’s actually embarrassing like you’re too good of a club for this and these players are the ones and they’ve got some really good kids coming through who you named and all of those but it’s time that group there that I talked about the

100 plus 150 to 200 with Meritt mate just take the ball by the horns boys and you’ve brought in some some good players you brought in dma who I think is really good Gresham who is really good goldstein’s going to be a nice little um just added bonus there for you the

Insurance on Draper as well if and I love Draper and I think if he gets going he’s the heart and soul he’s the energizing bunny of this footy club uh and then Mai can you be and again don’t about the money but can you be a big ruthless yeah key Defender who’s going

To take the number one key forward and give him hell yeah can he be can this club give can this club give the opposition hell finally I’m not saying he’s not but I just I I don’t think I don’t think I ever played on on on Ben

Mcki but you know the be the best defenders like weering like weering just he he won’t let you run where you want to run he’ll he he won’t bump you all game but when the when the ball is in the area and when he knows that you’re a

Chance to make him move to get the ball that’s when he’ll that’s when he’ll hit you that’s when he’ll make life hard on you so he does it and and Harris Andrews is the same Harris Andrews will run alongside you pretty much for 100 minutes but for the 20 minutes of the

Game and those small patches where the ball is on its way that’s when he’s physical and that’s when you need to be physical you don’t need to be worrying about bashing people all over the ground but can mcco be ruthless enough to do that because they they they need that

From him not because they’re paying him a lot of money because they actually need that from him the other one for me and you mentioned Jakey I love Jakey I got spent a bit of time with him down at the Bulldogs great person love him but hasn’t lived up to

What he should be delivering week in and week out now that might be body reasons or or whatever it is I hope Zack Meritt grabbed him at the start on day one by the scuff of the neck and said this is going to be your greatest preseason we need you you are

The barometer of our club of our forward line it’s on you J and put it Jake yeah put it on jakee Stringer to be the best player that he can be the player that we see glimpses of I want to see a consistent that consistent Glimpse it’s bloody exciting it’s unbelievable

Actually it was barely a glimpse last year that’s that’s Jakey I’ll I’ll put it on you Jakey be as fit as you can mate because when you are on the competition’s better oh yeah like it really is yeah and they and they they grow a leg they grow a leg when he does

That and dra is the other one as you mentioned those are the two guys who you know Zack Merritt’s a fantastic player Darcy parish is a great player but every team has a couple and the great teams have more than a couple who who really ignite the team and and spiritually get

The team going and string is one and Draper is certainly another so bombers fans do you agree do you disagree do you see a little bit more of uh blue skies than we perhaps do for your bombers uh in ninth in ninth it is one of the teams over there in South

Australia power to R come on for aggression we are the power from it’s more there it is it’s not the crows it’s a little Switcheroo so Adelaide missed the top eight last year and still hatred there I your voice no no I never had any hatred or I don’t even really have any

Dislike toward uh Port Adela a boy from Swan Hill in country Victoria don’t know anything about that rivalry but I I don’t I don’t have Adel Port ad played in the top eight they did go 17 and six last year they were they were unbelievably impressive last year until

The finals began a little bit like the uh Cowboys I guess you could say now most excited to see we do this by category of course most excited to see I’m really pumped to see a former teammate of mine a very brief teammate of mine aava Ralia team up with AIA AIA

Down back now I know Brandon Zer thatch is in the mix as well but radical and a could really form a a pretty d DC intercepting uh key defensive Duo both uh both are really Adept at at marking the footy I guess a does it by ideally

Dropping off a off a small forward or a mediumsized forward and and doing it but he can play on key forwards but asava he he’s been brought in to be the man so he is going to take the big dog and he he moons he picked up that um role so much

Quicker than I thought he would have when when it was decided by the cats he was going to go down back I thought well this is going to take Tak some time both physically in the demands of of playing you know large game time as a as a key

Defender but he’s he’s he’s understanding of angles and leading lines he picked it up really really quick so excited to see those two go about it the sure thing for me will be the the Port Adelaide uh Ball winners will continue to be at Force I’m not

Sure there’s a more Dynamic group when it comes to Connor Rosie who’s the new captain Zack buts and Jason Horn Francis I think they’re the most agile explosive and hard to tackle group of on ballers in the competition Rosie’s footwork around the ball so he doesn’t overpower

People you just can’t grab him in a phone box he’s quite incredible buts is a perfect blend of elusiveness but toughness as well and Horn Francis is just pure power and as he continues to pick up the nuances of the game Bodywork around stoppage he’ll just get better

And better he he’ll he’ll continue also to add very similar in the way that Patrick Dangerfield did the understanding of how to get an easy possession because he does really have to work hard for his disposals at the moment the hope for me I hope you’re on

Board with me here I hope Port ad alide say to olle Lord you’re the man you are the man I loved what I saw from ole Lord in a small sample size but he’s a 20 21y old who’s already got a bag of four goals in a qualifying final which he did

Uh last year up in Brisbane when everyone else and everything else around him was failing he looked good and he kicked a couple off you know at ground level he’s competitive saw him take it to I think it was Steven May and he really sort of physically was was able

To stand up and and do his thing against Steven may he didn’t dominate him by any stetch to the imagination but he’s 6’6 he’s athletic he’s agile and he looks like he’s he’s up for the fight so what he does next year from a statistical

Point of view I don’t know but I hope that Charlie Dixon’s been such a beacon for them for a long time I think if it’s 50/50 and I know there’s an allegiance to Dixon I’d play this young guy because I think he’s got a massive future

For them and I think he’s uh going to be capable of doing great things for them the worry for me now I spoke about this uh in uh the uh two words that we love trade radio Ole W I thought he might have been on the Move in the offseason

Because I thought it would have fit him I thought it would have fit the team that he was going to and I thought it would have fit Port Adelaide because I just mentioned Rosie buts horn Francis and William Drew looks to be preferred in there to be that run with

So I don’t know where OE fits I know you’ve got to have a large group of midfielders but when he’s not in there and those guys are in there where is he he’s not forward he’s not back he’s not really on a wing a wing so is he on the

Bench I don’t know is he a sub I’m not sure what it looks like for him so it’ll be interesting to to follow his and plot his chart as the season goes along X’s o or a tactical move the balance of the Ford line and this is where you can take

Over Moon so Dixon’s a question mark for me uh he’s best foot he is still good Lord I love Marshall had a good season probably let himself down a little bit in the finals but he’s not the only key forward to do that and then Mitch georgiadis will probably get back at

Some point as well and we all love what he can do horn Francis spent time as a deep forward I liked what Francis Evans was able to do in short uh stins as well so Willie riol is down there as well but from a talls perspective they’ve

Probably got four that they want to play but you can only really play three some teams only want to play two boom we got three in a Ruck who’s this part-time Ruckman as well uh look and I haven’t mentioned fin L as well yeah well that’s

So my the forward line for me is a concern so Charlie I’ve got a question mark here two question marks cuz his body just yeah just doesn’t allow him to play the crash and Bash footy that we’ve seen him play for so long he still is the barometer of the forward line when

He’s up and going so if he’s fit and firing you’ve got to play him and he must play but is he going to be able to play because of his body Finn l a question mark uh again he’s he’s not a number one um but he’s he’s actually

Taken on that role as that forward SL Ruckman and does it quite well uh Marshall I think grew last year into a really good forward but yeah had a bad final series but yeah you put your hand up for that one thank you real is really

Good down there miss Jord ask what’s he going to do O Lord yeah so they’ve got some question marks on how that looks uh down back I love radir now I saw radal Leia play in the vfl for jalong couple of years ago as one of his first games

When they threw him back threw him down back and I thought to myself then this bike’s going to be he’s got it he’s got it straight away he’s an interet marker he’s still learning the position so yes he gives up goals at times and there will be times when he’ll give up you

Know three or four goals because he’s still trying to learn the position but what we’ve seen in that short amount of time I actually believe he’s he’s got an all Australian jumper next to his name at some stage throw him and Al together outstanding Houston McKenzie Bergman their defense is really strong

Uh if you’re talking about olle wines and OE win now is maybe the fourth or fifth on ball I think that is amazing for their Midfield so Rosie horn Francis Butters Drew you throw in there as well I mean is he fit because Bo still well I

Think Bo’s the one that’s going to give you a handful of games he a lot sub a lot he’ll come in he’s there for his experience because he’s one he’s a super super human uh and just a great person to have around a footy Club so when you’ve got that experience and probably

Playing him you a hell of a lot less than they had been over so you just keep him around the club to to to help Rosie as Captain to to bring along Jason Horn Francis uh so I love that move but he’s not going to play a massive massive role

I wouldn’t have thought and so olle is the question mark but a fully fit olle wies who is at the top of his game well he’s a brown L medalist so not that long ago yeah so if they can get him going again with that young Midfield then you

Throw in Soo into the rck um and I think they brought in young sweet yeah yep yep yeah I think what they’ve given us over the years is so much potential and then they’ve let us down at the end of the year and I think we’ve got to the point

Now of well okay well I think we’ve seen enough to know well are you are you good enough to actually give us what we think you could give us they’ll they’ll have to battle a little bit with the the and I this we were the same when we when we

Lost the Grand Final the the the thought process of for them had so a lot of f finals failures great um regular seasons I’ll have to battle week to week to still be able to say we’re playing good footy we’re winning games not be like well none of this matters until we get

To the finals and and and get over the hump now that is true what they do during the season we’ll all only judge them on the finals but it’s a long hard Road and a long hard SLO if you only judge yourself at the end of the year

And you just basically wipe away winds and say oh that’s great we’re expected to do that what I always say about particularly State teams and good ones you’ve got that huge home ground Advantage I mean you’re playing 11 games at home almost 12 because you’re playing obviously Adelaide uh there twice as

Well so that’s a lot of time at home uh it’s a lot of games where you think okay we just say you got 11 home games at L overal you should pencil in nine minimum nine all of a sudden you know you’re halfway to a top four finish yeah you

Know so it’s it’s a huge Advantage for the really good Interstate teams that’s why playing down jalong is a huge Advantage you know 11 nine game no what is it nine games down there you win eight or nine of those you’ve almost got a top four finish yeah yeah and they’ve

Got gather around as well yeah exact so an extra one so po fans let us know what you think and we’re uh we’re into the finalist the top eight and for the first time in the club’s history uh I’m thinking this team will be playing finals

Footy we play to win the flag for you fight fight fight till we hold up the mighty Gold Coast Suns the Gold Coast Suns yes Jared hilly that’s what they’re called the Gold Coast Suns uh still one of the great moments on TV and to see for those who haven’t seen it

Just just have a look and just watch Anthony Hudson’s childish behavior oh unbelievable so the Suns what are we most excited to see for me now there isn’t obvious the new system and the new way they go about it with the new coach but I I wanted to dig a little bit

Deeper than that and I have seen identified a couple of guys down back a couple of young guys Mac Andrew is one and a blonde bombshell bod uland is the other these two guys now uh Andrew joined with pick five in the 2021 draft National draft probably picked as a

Ruckman he’s about 20 202 203 cenm playing as an intercept Defender if you don’t mind and Ulan arrived by the highly contra R versial goast Suns Academy Yan’s real tough he looks like one of those 6’2 Defenders who can play on anyone a little bit of Josh Gibson about him a

Little bit of a little bit of you know one of those really versatile guys who can play taller than he is and go against guys who may or may not weigh more than he does we won’t know anymore uh and Andrew he’s had his issues right he’s had some significant off field

Issues he’s got himself into trouble a couple of times but he’s he’s 6’7 he’s got Dash he’s got dare and he takes the game on he averaged 2.4 interet marks per game last year so good but for a young player that’s very good and he also averaged almost four

Spoilers per game so he’s impacting aerial contests uh behind the ball he upside is gigantic so I’m excited to see those two guys uh mix in with two very very fine key defenders in Sam Collins and Charlie Balor they’ve got a really nice group down back the sure thing for

Me is they’ll start with a bang the the momentum because they pretty much always do goal Coast they always start well and then they taper and then they start to the wheel start to fall off from there but they’ve got a really nice start to the season so opening round round zero

They start with Richmond up there on the goal Coast that’s set up that’s set up well isn’t it hasn’t it you’d expect them to win that game then they’ve got Adelaide the crows up there on the goal Coast as well tougher game but it’s at home the dogs in balarat winnable we

Don’t know what the dogs will do the Giants in Adelaide for Gather R and then the Hawks back in uh back in Queensland so they’ve got plenty of games at home to start the season so I think they’ll start with a bang the hope for me is

That this young Talent time arrives with a bang so Jake Rogers can help with the Midfield group uh Jed Walter up front he’s a key forward so he might take time but he might also arrive with a bang and then you’ve got grah and Reed who can

Play a part somewhere along the line as well so hopefully that young Talent can arrive because and this is my big worry the load year in and year out falls on raal Anderson Miller and witz around the ball there’s no depth around the footy for go Coast so these

Midfielders these starting for mids they play they play Massive game time so the best midfielders in the competition are playing between 70 and 80% game time these guys are playing 85 sometimes up in the ’90s when it comes to game time so we need to see some some more depth

Built around the foot for for the goal Coast because seven or eight the seven or eight that Collingwood can throw at you and you can reel off seven or eight Collingwood mids in a heartbeat versus go Coast four or five just won’t get it done the seven or eight will win uh time

And time again from an X’s and O’s point of view metricon stadium is not a small stadium it’s a very uh good place to play footy it’s 161 by 134 it’s a relatively wide ground so the Suns need to use the dimensions to their advantage

A bit more so when they’ve got the foot you got to make it longer and you got to make make it wider that’s what coaches will say when we’ve got the ball make it as big as it possibly can be and when we don’t have the ball make it small in

Defense because now I don’t expect to get a million calls on this but maybe you can answer it for me if there is a Suns fan out there with the answer 1300 736 736 you might win a signant boost power bank or round the golf who who are

The great Kicks On The Go Coast Squad not lacious because he plays ahead of the footy I’m talking about the creative guys on the goal Coast uh list who are the great kicks I’m going through the names right now it’s good question it’s hard you haven’t got that yeah that beautiful

Bonton P mid Fielding kick uh they half back we just went through Port you got Houston and Farrell in the back half who are great kicks who are genuinely great kicks who who if who if go got you look at di I mean that’s really what he’s had

He had hully for years setting it up he hasn’t he hasn’t really got guys yet that are that are great kicks the mids that they’ve got aren’t great kicks rails ra more of a contested possession you know Miller is Miller is a a solid kick uh Anderson’s a a good kick but I

Wouldn’t say he’s an outstanding kick so I think that’s a real area for them to grow and and find some guys who can really kick the footy now a lot of times those who are great kicks give up a little bit in different areas but I think that’s something they really lack

Look it is and but going through their Midfield as you spoke about I mean you have a look at the guys that we’ve been waiting on to pop Theos just popped last year yeah fantastic 39 goals and he’s only going to get better and better as that smart crafty uh Center half half

Forward you’ve also got Ben King just like Max this is a guy that could finish his career 5 600 plus goals um super super Talent can his body hold up if they ofous and you throwt there just toal till Walter comes along so if Walter is playing in casbolt isn’t that

Is fantastic signs for the go Coast Suns now this Walter kid now I’ve got family up on the go coast and a nephew who played alongside him as a junior and said this kid is yeah he’s everything that that you that we’re talking about and more so hopefully for the go Coast

Suns you know he comes pretty quickly but as you said he is just a kid so let’s not put that pressure on him but through their Midfield as you said Anderson was absolutely fantastic best and fairest winner grew to the young talent that we thought he tried on the

Half back line Half forward line he and the coach just thrown around for years they finally settled on a position raal we hope just gets his body right and gets another full season out of himself and TK Miller’s the one for me I love to I think everyone yeah loves to me just

The way he plays the way he goes about it he’s just an unbelievable leader hard is a cat’s head all of those type of things that you want to say about a player uh you got to love him and their backline solid yeah so I’m actually looking for these guys to actually play

Finals football as well dimmer is going to play a a brand of football that I think is clearly a Premiership brand uh coming in from what he did at Richmond uh I suspect they’ll play a quicker brand of football just like they do with Richmond just get the ball forward surge

The ball forward You’ve Got King and lus and casbolt up there who are going to give you a Mark or a contest get the ball to them as quickly as can and if not then at ground level then we go to work yeah I that’s how I see them

Playing a little bit this year position number seven I don’t know if we’ve got they’ve got one of the best songs in the lifl let’s hear it giant the gws Giants now we know they went on a fantastic run it looked shaky early last year for for Adam Kingsley in

Particular he was stressed of course everyone knows about the stress ball that he was given but their fortunes almost changed the minute he went down to the and you know what I was at the game when he went down there and I saw a completely different

Team I was working for Fox 20 M away from their bench and I’m just sorry to cut you off but what he was doing is every time a player had come off arm around him little bit of a chat sit down next to the bench with them have a talk

Pat them on the bumbers they’ run back on all of those type of things it changed everything did it did and we saw what was to happen afterward they went on a run and absolutely tore it up and got very very close to a to another grand final appearance so 13- 10 last

Year but we know they were a better team than that particularly when it counted uh most excited to see for me I just want to know is there more is there more to come so you know first year uh for Kingsley uh is there more typically we’d

Like to think another year another 12 months another offseason together so the first first time a coach and a somewhat new coaching group comes in moons it’s you’re spending a lot of time explaining what you want explaining how you want things to uh to be done explaining how

You want to play well the the guys all know it this time around so it’s this is what we want to do okay let’s go bang let’s go and do it so is there more could could big Kieran Briggs go to another level we saw him come from

Absolutely nowhere and take over as one of the Premier rocks in the competition so is there more for him is there more for for brown as a contest winning sort of hybrid sized forward is there more from Jack Buckley who Phil Davis says he’s a top 10 key defender in the AFL is

There more from Conor Iden as a as a play on anyone type of Defender is there more from Bedford and uh Brent Daniels is a really Dynamic one-two punch so if there is then clearly on the back of what they did last year there are exciting things in store for the Giants

The sure thing while I think the key cogs will lead the way again so I’m talking about Toby green I’m talking about Steven kigo I’m talking about Josh Kelly and Loy Whitfield off halfback he was I I think he was the under the radar best player in the competition over the

Past eight or 10 weeks last year including finals he was 30 plus every week he was left and right foot not many were going near him for some strange reason but he can just run and create he’s got a great role he sets up behind

The ball for the Giants as the extra and he is he’s a weapon back there so Kino’s Resurgence was unbelievable you can’t speak any more highly of him Toby gr clearly thrives on leadership and responsibility and and bringing people with him and I think Josh Kelly deserves

A lot of love too moons because he was the cream but last year he was the cake he was part of the cake he wasn’t that he wasn’t that Finishing Touch he was the one creating and when he gets the ball 25 plus times 30 plus times great

Things happen for them so he deserves plenty of love as well and I think those goals will continue to play well I hope I hope next year that Aaron Cadman there aren’t many times where Aaron Cadman doesn’t demand a spot in the 22 over locky keth now Loy ke’s done great

Things for them but he’s 33 he’s played some amazing roles uh he’s been as a backup forward Backup rck backup key Defender he’s done everything 111 games only the 18 goals hopefully Cadman now we’re not expecting him to kick 50 or 40 or maybe even 30 might just be one goal

A game but hopefully he can take that role from keth but if he does therefore who is your backup rck I wonder moons whether Jake ricardi can play as a key forward SLR he’s 198 and 100 plus kilos Al so we’re led to believe he looks like

He’s more than 100 kilos if you ask me but he’s 6’6 close enough to 100 kigs he should be able to do it the worry for me me is I wonder did did they did they play Above themselves or was that really them for a long period of time so you

Know we’ve seen teams get on a run and and and make a run but was the prelim final the aberration was it the exception or was it where they deserved to be they do have a few around that 30y old group and particularly Coniglio 30 green 30 Wards 33 Josh Kelly and Jesse

Hogan are getting toward 30 so certainly not in the category of jalong with all their over 30s but they’ve got a few around that area the X’s and O’s can they can they ReDiscover his name popped up in trade period a lot but can Nick haynes’s best form be rediscovered

Clearly Harry hilberg’s been preferred as that hybrid Defender that intercept Defender and that kicker out of the back half so Haynes is going to have to sort of reinvent himself uh in a in a way he did he was out of the side a lot last

Year he come on as a sub at different stages but Kenny can he be a a Winger start on the wing and be that guy who rolls back and helps create an extra and frees up himberg and frees up Whitfield I think he’s good enough but can he do

It because certainly 2023 was not his best season so that’s where I’ve got the Giants position number seven when I was going through all of that I thought well it’s more likely than not if they’re to finish higher or lower I’d say they’ll probably finish higher than seventh but

Right here right now seventh will do for me like it when uh I think at the start of the year at the start of last season from what I’ve heard I even think the coach said to the players we’re going to struggle in the first part of the year

Because you’re still trying to learn what I’m what I what I want and it’s going to take a little bit of time but if it does click or when it clicks we’re going to go yep and it’s exactly what happened it was just like two or T and

You’re right I thought he by the end of the year I thought he should have been or maybe was I can’t remember now coach of the year he probably goes to the Premiership coach and it probably should let’s be honest but I thought he was just unbelievable he was outstanding the

Way that he changed from what he looked like was the stress head or the the Angry coach in the Box punching the table yelling screaming to then all of a sudden the coolest cous man at the ground and you could see it just vibrate straight through the team and it was

Incredible when you talk about their best players and any team when they got their absolute best players having a great season you’re going to do well so their best in was Toby green Canelo Tom Green Whitfield and Kelly that was their top five probably their top five players

And then you throw in Sam Taylor finish eighth so there’s your there’s your best player six best players all finishing well in uh you know top eight of the best and fair so when that happens generally you’re going to have a really nice season as well uh I never even

Mentioned Tom Green and he he’s he’s one of the biggest he might be the biggest bull yeah in the competition and he might be he might be Bec everyone’s favorite player that doesn’t play for their team he just plays the game the right way he looks like a bit

Of a lad he has a bit of fun I saw some of his social media work through the finals where he’s he was having having a laugh and and and taking on the opposition so we love his work and I feel like Josh Kelly was the one

That whose game probably saw the benefit of Tom Green more than anybody because green is now the bull he’s I’m getting it I’m getting I’m hand it all of a sudden Kelly who can be very much an inside player but he also now had just became this outstanding by particularly

By the end of the season outstanding outside player finishing getting his 30 plus still getting his inside ball contested footy but being on the Run getting on the end of Tom Green halls and then finishing for goal I mean that’s where he became such a superstar

By the end of the year Kelly so look I think um if they can hold up their forward line with Hogan who I thought was easily had the best year of his career if he can keep kicking goals if ricardi can grow and of course if the

Young man can come through as well and maybe do a little a few things just just cameos just cameos that’s all you need from him at the moment and as you said do you what yeah do you throw Jake ricardi Into The Ruck um they’re saying

He 192 Max off the SMS he’s a lot taller than that I’m 194 95 and he’s taller than me yeah he he seems bigger than that Brett uh Jake ricardi he’s if he’s if he’s not 198 and he’s not 192 he’s closer to 198 than he is 192 is going to

Be the one if again we don’t like putting pressure on young guys particularly young forwards or just something you don’t do but if he is you we were talking about if you go early in the draft there’s obviously extreme Talent there and if they do pop and they

Pop early I mean gez you just you just look back and go ah this is this is amazing and I I remember I was working at a couple of Giants games last year and I just got caught watching Jesse Hogan a lot and he he he played game

Last year where he hardly touched it he had eight disposals and kicked a goal but I don’t think I’ve seen afford work harder to just always want to be in front always want to meet the ball at its highest point always want to compete on the ball and probably made me think

And I never really had given it much thought but you know that the commentary around you know occasional negative body language you know looking at the ground I think it just means so much to him that that sometimes he can’t hide it because he’s so disappoint in either how

He’s performing or or what’s going on around him and he wants it he wants it to succeed and and and happen for him and for them so much that occasionally it does look like you know he’s sulking but he’s not sulking he’s actually just really caught up in in wanting to help

The team do well I think the the Jesse Hogan Melbourne thought they were going to get I think Giants have finally got him he’s just he’s 28 perfect time he’s a mature uh went through some off field troubles or whatever it may have been uh he’s come out the other side he’s

Worked his backside off he had to work to get a contract like he they like they weren’t they didn’t say yeah come over here for a three foure deal it was I think it was pretty much on a one-year deal he had to work his back so he had

To prove to him he came out kicked nearly 50 goals last year 49 goals he kicked last year I I think he would kick 50 plus and along with ricardi works really well with with Toby as well because he’s such a hard worker I was full of admiration watching him a couple

Of times uh last year so that’s the Giants Giants fans say don’t rest on Canelo what he did last year coming back the captaincy role didn’t fit him well all of a sudden a lot of pressure on him took that away from him and he was back

To being a star it is time for position number six we’re getting to the point the end of the uh reverse ladder predictor for 2024 and uh in position number six was a team that went from Premier to uh September holidays and and it it was the kitty Cats all right the cats clearly uh I’ve got them bouncing back somewhat on the back of a 10 12 and one season where their percentage was strong one almost 113 but 10 wins 12 losses and a draw first time uh they’ve had a ledger like that for quite some time M disappointing

Season yeah it was I mean they started the year off PA I think they lost God I can’t even remember the top of my head they lost the first handful of games yes handful of games then went on a bit of a run but never really threatened it no

Never really did on the back of when they when they went on that run it’s amazing because Hawkins was a big one I think I think um missed a lot of pre-season and I think when you when you are playing catchup all of a sudden

That’s when I it was about round eight n that’s when the injuries came yeah and they just piled on and they just weren’t you in the end at the end of the day they just weren’t good enough they just weren’t good enough uh so 10 12 and one on the back of last

Season I’ve got them finishing in six most excited to see uh a guy that I really admired the way he went about it last year he came over from greater West and Sydney to the cats Tanner Bruin I reckon he’s got all the makings now I’m

Not saying he’s going to be uh in the all Australian team in the next year or maybe the year after that or maybe at all but he’s certainly got all the makings of of one of those you know those really reliable uh consistent you know 24 to 27 possession type

Midfielders he’s elusive in the contest he’s got really fast feet he’s he’s developing as a as a nice kick on both sides of his body and he’s really he’s up for the fight he’s a really he loves the contest uh he’s a strong enough body he’s a good tackler so he was thrown

Around a lot last year early in the year he was you know he’s he was on the bench he was playing 55% 58% game time he was out on the wing he was at half back he was at half forward he was in the middle so I thought there were some times in

The second half of the Year where he really uh Shone through and and and showed cats fans that he’ll be a long-term AFL midfielder for uh the next decade or so the sure thing I think there’ll be a return to the the uh the homely Comforts down there at gmhba

Stadium now of course the stadium will hold about 40,000 I think uh as of as of round one the stands are basically done mhm so I’m expecting unlike last season I’m expecting that Cadia Park will again be that hard to/ maybe impossible place to win for opposition teams uh the hope

For me is Jack Bose now I didn’t know much about him when he when he arrived uh from go Coast but he showed some signs now he was one that he had a calf injury in the pre-season he had an injury um after about five or six weeks

As well but he’s he’s got a little bit of he’s got some of Mitch Duncan’s traits about him he’s flexible he’s got he’s not a penetrating kick he’s not a Bailey Dale type kick but he’s he’s got great vision and he he can hit those in

Between type of kicks you know the the 25 to 30 meter passes that get in between the defense so I reckon he can set up off half back sometimes if the opposition are putting a lot of time into Tom Stewart he can be the one that

Frees up and and be a little bit creative for them so hopefully he can play that role and hopefully his body holds up the worry has to be the old guys right so it’s been spoken about for maybe five years since Tom Haans was 30

Yes well guess what he’s about to be 36 Midway through the season so the worry is that say 50% of these guys so Tom Hawkins 36 in July Zack Tui 34 already Patrick Dangerfield 34 in April Mitch Duncan 33 in June re Stanley’s already 33 Mark blitzes is 33 in March cam

Guth’s 32 in August so what happens if half of those those guys you get to round 17 you think well half those guys won’t be playing next year what happens that that that’s the concern for the cats and it has to be and it’s I’m sure one thing they’ve been balancing for

Quite some time so they’re trying to defy farther time but as we know eventually it catches up to everyone from an ex’s and O’s point of view a tactical point of view I’m interested to see what the evolution of the forward line Looks like away from Tom Hawkin so

Tom will play 12 22 games who knows whatever it looks like there’ll need to be an evolution away from him so Jeremy Cameron will need to be the focal point and he has been able to roam uh you know with Hawkins there because Hawkins is that is that ancher that guy that’s

Always inside 50 and Cameron’s been able to go and attend some Center bounces and go up and and play around the ball and get behind the ball but can he do that without Hawkins you know next year and the year after and the year after he

Might need to be 30 to 70 M from goal at all times so what will that look like will Tyson stingle be able to get back to his all Australian form and then who fits around him Ole Henry I thought had a really underrated season last year

Kicked 35 odd goals I thought he was really consistent last year kicking a couple of weeks so it will be the one thing for me to watch what it looks like and how you actually go about building your forward line when Tom hains is not there whilst he still is there so that’s

Going to be a really difficult balance for for uh whoever’s coaching the for I think it’s James Riley who’s coaching the forward line who’s come back across from the crows so that’s what it looks like for the cats plenty of questions and certainly plenty of reasons why they

Might not jump back up into the top eight but I think with some returning bodies cam Guthrie will be uh hugely key in all of that and some more wins than certainly they had last year down at jmba Stadium I think they can finish sixth look I don’t know where they’ll go

I think there’s still a final Contender I don’t think they’re a Premiership Contender um but I still think they can make finals on the back of as you said playing games down at Cadia Park and and we say this every year and I’ve experienced it we’ve both

Experienced it it really is uh it just adds wins wins to the column to the columnist it really does um you know you get your nine games down there and I’ve always said you generally get your eight wins most some years even nine and then you’re already halfway or top four

Finish that’s right so it really it really is a massive advantage for for jalong um the injuries last year were a huge one as we said about round eight or n whatever it was they started get some huge injuries when Jeremy Cameron got knocked out yeah the cats got knocked

Out the cats got knocked out I mean jezar was having an outstanding year I don’t think the club was having an outstanding but Jeremy Cameron was unfortunately ran into Rowan’s shoulder or head or whatever it was and he was almost done for the year he came out I

Think he came better by the end of the year but it did take him a long time I have got no doubt this is just from an outside looking in not talking anybody I thought they walked into last season probably not ready because the older guys got their Premiership and this was

A Premiership that those boys had been fighting for for 10 years and the young guys got a premi ship and I just from the outside looking at said i’ not sure they hit the ground running come preseason and that’s why they got off to the zero and three start and that’s why

They started to get injuries but I think all that aside now you get everyone back you get Cam Guthrie back who is uh one of the most important players um that she that they’ve got on the list you’ve got Tommy Hawkins who’s probably pushing for a games record and he will kick over

800 goals by the end of this year all of those things will come into play so I think they still are a chance and a very good chance to play finals I’m just not sure they’re there to play in a grand final as far as the youth goes or all

The older guys going out well they did that a little bit last year with obviously as you said Bose Bru and Ole Henry who kicked 41 goals Fant un heed out onip you but they’ve already started looking for the future so I think they stting to do that they have done that

And they’ll keep they’ll continue to do that because there will be an exodus of senior players over the next 24 months well I I looked at now I was there in a in a in a working capacity last year and I was having a look at their list last

Night and there were so many guys don’t know who that is you you recognize the name from the draft or from whatever but I thought gee there’s there’s been a quick turnover of seven or eight already that that from last year and some of those that went out were young players

As well so guys who were delisted or or didn’t quite make the make the grade so not all older guys that went out but you know Isaac Smith and and a few others have have moved along Jonathan segler uh move along so it will be interesting to

See how they go if you were the so you’re the Ford coach of of the cats now no doubt Tom Hawkin will play an important role and you know Chris you know what Chris Scot’s like he’ll he’ll he’ll think that if things go right they can win it

All he said that in 22 and a lot of people probably scoffed and they won it all so he’ll take that view going into the season how do you go about playing your best forward line and your best forward structure to win each week which obviously includes Tom

Hawkins being a focal point in that but also trying to get ready for The Following Season or two when you don’t have Tom Hawkins I think the one the hardest one for them is obviously when he does go who’s going to replace him so you’ve got Jeremy Cameron there who will

Become clearly the number one and probably is the number one now but Hawkins goes out okay so you’ve got Jack Henry who we know we can play forward play forward or back uh is it we talk about ding he always started he was a young for both of them young forwards

Ruck uh they went down back or he’s gone down back and had an outstanding career so far Premiership player it’s ke bman is he the guy I mean there’s been plenty of players who go down back and get get games under their belt and all those type of things and actually push forward

And become a really good forward so he is one for mine in the years going forward that just don’t be surprised if he does get pushed now it’s very hard to say that now because you look at him as a key Defender you think well you’re not

Going to move him from there and that’s totally understandable um but there’s there’s those options but again they might just have to go and try and find somebody