Adelaide top 4

[dtrain]

Do ya reckon da crows will be playin finals footy again this year, even after a poor start in the nab against Geelong, I still reckon we ll definetly be there and we don't go up there again this year.

[Hagebear]

We SHOULD make the top 4 again. Another good draw.... Nearly a full list to choose from and natural progression means we SHOULD be around the mark again. The Geelong game was a little concerning but we still have a few weeks to get back on track.

[tbagrocks]

 ;)

[meow meow]

Finals - maybe
Top 4 - no

[Hagebear]

Finals - maybe
Top 4 - no

But Richard Tambling will play all year this year Meow!!

[Jay]

Finals - maybe
Top 4 - no

one kick away from the GF mate... Plus our list will only improve

[meow meow]

Finals - maybe
Top 4 - no

one kick away from the GF mate... Plus our list will only improve

You've lost a genuine key forward and an experienced, reliable backman. Crouch is the only addition to your list and he won't be a gun in his first year. The losses are greater than the scope for improvement. You had a dream run with injuries last year. You had a soft draw last year, and have a soft draw again this year but the shower teams aren't quite as shower anymore. Every team's list will improve (except STK) so that's a moot point really.

[Hagebear]

Finals - maybe
Top 4 - no

one kick away from the GF mate... Plus our list will only improve

You've lost a genuine key forward and an experienced, reliable backman. Crouch is the only addition to your list and he won't be a gun in his first year. The losses are greater than the scope for improvement. You had a dream run with injuries last year. You had a soft draw last year, and have a soft draw again this year but the shower teams aren't quite as shower anymore. Every team's list will improve (except STK) so that's a moot point really.

We lost Kurt Tippett (who will lose u more games then he'll win u) have a good enough replacement in Jenkins. Lost Doughty but Luke Brown slips very nicely into his role. So not a big loss there and we a full list to choose from bar 2 players. Still not sure where the loss will come from?

[Jay]

What about the improvements from Talia, Shaw, Brown, Sloane, Danger, Riley, Jacobs, Jenkins, Wright, Walker, Mckernan... Then the addition of Brad Crouch can't hurt... All these players will improve on their 2012 this year, and that's not even naming all of them!

Far makes up for losing the big spud and Doughty

No matter how you say it "soft draw" "dream run with injuries", we were still only 1 kick away from the GF and have the youngest list in last years top 8 iirc

We will go back to back in 2014-2015, calling it now! ;D

[Ringo]

Lions will have something to say about 2015 though Jay.

[Hagebear]

Lions will have something to say about 2015 though Jay.

Ok, the Lions can be our GF opponents ;)

[tbagrocks]

Crouch, Walker, Talia, Laird and Brown 2015 :o :o :o like wow

Plus Riley, Ellis-Yolman and Wright

How good will Danger be ;D

JJ?

[Hagebear]

Crouch, Walker, Talia, Laird and Brown 2015 :o :o :o like wow

Plus Riley, Ellis-Yolman and Wright

How good will Danger be ;D

JJ?

SLOANE!!

[meow meow]

The spud Tippett was your best player in the prelim and Jenkins is not a replacement. He's an inferior copy which will lessen the quality of your best 22.

If you think Brown will just step up and be able to replicate the feats of Doughty then you are kidding yourself.

Every team in the league has a list of players who they expect to improve through natural progression. How much better will Sloane get? 15% maybe? Hartlett could improve 30% and begin to close the gap between the two teams. There is more room for improvement in other teams. Gibbs playing midfield will improve the Blues a bit more than Sloane's natural progression will improve the Crows. What if Walker kicks 75 and Liam Jones breaks out and kicks 45? Which team improves more?

In 2012 the Crows best 22 would have missed about 15 games combined. Essendon's best 22 would have missed at least 100. If Zaharakis plays 22 this year will that improve Essendon? Will Fyfe and Mundy playing a full season improve Freo? Will Varcoe - a dual premiership player returning make any difference to the Cats? You bet it will. If Vince is the one who misses 10 games this year it will have an effect. Didn't happen last year.

Through recruiting/trading the Bombers gained a best 22 player in Goddard. Pearce will slot into Freo's best 22 nicely. Geelong lost Scarlett but gained McIntosh, Rivers and Caddy. Who is the newly recruited senior player who will get a starting gig in Adelaide's best 22? Nobody. They lost two best 22 players and are relying on natural progression and nothing more to not only replace the players lost, but to improve the rest of the team.

As the 2012 season should tell you, the year before isn't always a solid guide of the performance that will be produced the following year.

[Hagebear]

The spud Tippett was your best player in the prelim and Jenkins is not a replacement. He's an inferior copy which will lessen the quality of your best 22.

If you think Brown will just step up and be able to replicate the feats of Doughty then you are kidding yourself.

Every team in the league has a list of players who they expect to improve through natural progression. How much better will Sloane get? 15% maybe? Hartlett could improve 30% and begin to close the gap between the two teams. There is more room for improvement in other teams. Gibbs playing midfield will improve the Blues a bit more than Sloane's natural progression will improve the Crows. What if Walker kicks 75 and Liam Jones breaks out and kicks 45? Which team improves more?

In 2012 the Crows best 22 would have missed about 15 games combined. Essendon's best 22 would have missed at least 100. If Zaharakis plays 22 this year will that improve Essendon? Will Fyfe and Mundy playing a full season improve Freo? Will Varcoe - a dual premiership player returning make any difference to the Cats? You bet it will. If Vince is the one who misses 10 games this year it will have an effect. Didn't happen last year.

Through recruiting/trading the Bombers gained a best 22 player in Goddard. Pearce will slot into Freo's best 22 nicely. Geelong lost Scarlett but gained McIntosh, Rivers and Caddy. Who is the newly recruited senior player who will get a starting gig in Adelaide's best 22? Nobody. They lost two best 22 players and are relying on natural progression and nothing more to not only replace the players lost, but to improve the rest of the team.

As the 2012 season should tell you, the year before isn't always a solid guide of the performance that will be produced the following year.

U have some valid points Meow, although we deserved to be where we were last year. We have a similar side (that should get better or be around the mark) and a similar draw. We still beat alot if the top sides last year. (Sydney in Sydney, Geelong, West Coast and Freo). I think it would almost be considered a failure if we didn't make the top 4 again next year.