As PAWAQATSI mentioned it is now half way thru the AFL regular season. I was planning on doing a writeup on how each of the teams are progressing but just don't have the time at the moment. Here are some thoughts direct from the AFL website. I disagree with a few comments made and will add my thoughts later in the week.
BRISBANE
Brisbane is now a certainty for the eight (as if it ever wasn?t!) and with six games of its last 11 at home, a top two finish is there for the taking. The Lions do play Hawthorn, Essendon and Port Adelaide away in the second half of the season, but they would regard themselves as an excellent chance of defeating Richmond at Colonial Stadium in round 15 and Geelong at Skilled Stadium in round 21. They are every chance of making it two flags on the trot if they secure top spot and don?t have to travel until the Grand Final.
PORT ADELAIDE
Meet Brisbane at home in round 22 in a match that could determine top spot and will more than likely play a large part in determining just who hosts a home preliminary final. The Power does have some tough games remaining at home including matches against the Lions, Western Bulldogs, Melbourne and Adelaide. They also play Fremantle and West Coast at Subiaco, Sydney in Sydney and the Kangaroos at Optus Oval in the second half of the season.
ADELAIDE
With their finals position all but secured, Adelaide is also on track to snap up what seemed an unlikely top four position at the start of the season. Amazingly, the Crows could also seriously challenge Brisbane and Port Adelaide for a top two position as they have six games remaining at Football Park.
COLLINGWOOD
The Magpies would have to fade terribly to miss the finals from their current position of strength ? equal ladder leader, two games clear of the sides ranked fifth to eighth and three games ahead of ninth to 12th. They have two trips to Subiaco and Adelaide at Football Park in their next six games, but finish with five in a row at the MCG, with only one of those matches (Essendon) against a side currently in the top eight. Will be aiming to maintain their top four status rather than just make the eight.
ESSENDON
Only trips to Subiaco against West Coast in round 15 and Football Park for a round 19 match against Adelaide await Essendon as its final ?road? trips for 2002, with the other nine clashes being at the MCG or Colonial. The Bombers have not written off a top four position and little wonder considering they still have games against the Western Bulldogs, Melbourne, Geelong and Fremantle at their home ground of Colonial Stadium before the season ends. They are unlikely to finish on top as they have for the past three years, but expect them to again be in the top half of the final eight.
MELBOURNE
After flying from the blocks with four wins in the opening five rounds, the Demons are faltering with just two victories from their past six encounters. And their draw doesn?t get any easier in coming weeks, with Adelaide at Optus Oval, Essendon at Colonial and Brisbane at the Gabba their next three assignments. Port Adelaide at Football Park and West Coast at Subiaco are also ahead for the Demons, ensuring they will have earned a finals berth if they can maintain a positive win-loss ratio in the second half of the campaign.
WEST COAST
The Eagles have done well to be in the eight at the halfway mark of the season, but they will have to perform incredibly well if they are to remain in contention for a finals position. They play Adelaide, Essendon, Fremantle, Collingwood, Melbourne and Port Adelaide at home and have hard away matches against the Bulldogs at Optus Oval, Brisbane at the Gabba and the Kangaroos at Manuka Oval. Immense pressure on them to keep performing well at home given their woeful away record.
KANGAROOS
Can the Kangaroos stay in the eight and make the finals to cap off a dream season after a nightmare pre-season when they lost champion skipper Wayne Carey? The answer is definitely yes, the Kangaroos do have the run home to finish in the eight. They play two games at Manuka Oval against Fremantle and West Coast, and they would also have pencilled in expected wins against St Kilda (Colonial), Geelong (Skilled) and Carlton (Colonial). Other crunch matches will be against the Bulldogs at Colonial and Sydney at the SCG.
WESTERN BULLDOGS
The Bulldogs have dragged themselves from bottom to ninth in the past six rounds with five victories and a narrow, inaccurate loss to Collingwood. They will start warm favourites against St Kilda in round 12, then face crucial tests against Port Adelaide at Football Park and Essendon at Colonial. However, their draw then doesn?t flatten out, with Hawthorn at Colonial and Adelaide at Football Park to follow. They also have a trip to the Gabba to come. Their round 22 clash against the Magpies at the MCG looms as a finals-shaping contest.
GEELONG
The up and down Cats (lost two, won three, lost four, won two) should know how they are placed by the end of round 14, with their next three matches all critical . . . but also winnable. They face Sydney at the SCG, Richmond at the MCG and West Coast at Skilled ? victories in at least two of them are essential if they are to remain a chance, with Collingwood, Essendon and Adelaide to follow in rounds 15-16-17.
FREMANTLE
The Dockers, like their cross-town rivals the Eagles, are yet to drop a home game, meaning their next two Subiaco encounters against top-four material Collingwood and Port Adelaide are vital for them to stay in the race. They will need to pinch an away game from somewhere if they are to be a realistic chance of making the eight ? Sydney at the SCG, St Kilda at Optus or Richmond at the MCG are their best chances.
HAWTHORN
The staggering Hawks, who have dropped three in a row to fall to 12th, face their nemesis Essendon this Friday night in a big game for both clubs. The Saints at Colonial and the Swans at the MCG follow, meaning the Hawks can right the ship if they?re good enough regardless of the result against the Bombers. Their five MCG fixtures after Sydney are Melbourne, Brisbane, Collingwood, Richmond and the Kangaroos ? no ?gimmes? in that lot, and they also have to face the Bulldogs at Colonial and Fremantle at Subiaco.
RICHMOND
Things look like getting worse before they get better for the Tigers, with their round 12 appointment being the daunting trip to Football Park to face the red-hot Port Adelaide. They then play Geelong and Carlton in consecutive weeks at the MCG which, if they are 4-8, will define their season. The draw then ?toughens up? again for Danny Frawley?s mob ? Brisbane, Collingwood, Essendon and Melbourne in successive encounters which will fully test their mettle.
SYDNEY
The Swans? round five draw against St Kilda may come in handy ? or be a hindrance ? if they get on a charge over the second half of the season. They play eight of their last 11 in Sydney (six at the SCG, two at Stadium Australia), and two of their trips are to the MCG (Hawthorn and Melbourne). Haven?t been far away for the past three matches, making their next two engagements ? against Geelong and Fremantle at home ? absolutely critical if they are to stay in the mix. Need to win eight of 11.
ST KILDA
Like the Swans, probably can afford only three more losses, but it is almost universally accepted the Saints are going to do some serious damage if they can get even close to their best side on the paddock. Still have key defenders Gehrig, Hudghton and Koschitzke to come back into the side, as well as key runners Harvey and Jones. The Saints will fancy their chances in five of their next six encounters, with only Adelaide at Football Park looking out of their depth. The Bulldogs, Hawthorn, Kangaroos and Carlton at Colonial, and Fremantle at Optus, are all games St Kilda should be ultra-competitive in.
CARLTON
The Blues are basically the only side without a realistic chance of making the finals. They can afford to drop only one of their remaining games, which is likely to occur in round 13 when they visit the Gabba. Not even the most one-eyed Carlton fan would expect their side to then win nine on the trot to qualify.
