By Tony Buti
On Thursday in Perth, West Coast will kick off the 2019 AFL finals series, an exciting period for the eight clubs that remain in the hunt for the holy grail.
Not so great for the other 10 watching from the sidelines, who already would have turned attention to what must be done to avoid Groundhog Day in 2020.
Don Pyke's position as senior coach, and others at the club, are the subject of an internal reviewCredit: AAP
For the Gold Coast, another dismal season has earnt another wooden spoon. They need to retain their best players, with out-of-contract star Jack Martin recently requesting a trade after 97 games. If the AFL grants the Suns another priority draft pick, they should be made to trade it to another club in exchange for experienced quality players.
Melbourne spectacularly fell down the ladder from last year’s preliminary final appearance to finish 17th and need to markedly improve or coach Simon Goodwin will be history at the club. Up to 14 players had delayed pre-seasons and if the players return more resilient and hungry they can return to somewhere near their 2018 form.
New coach David Teague has been a revelation at Carlton, who won six of its last 11 under his stewardship after sacking Brendon Bolton. Season 2020 can’t come quickly enough for the Blue Army of supporters but the team must work hard to improve its contested ball wins and play its new carefree style with consistency if it wants to challenge in September.
The season saw Sydney finally slip from the finals race but, though predicted for many years, the Swans have a young list with exciting prospects such as Nick Blakely and James Rowbottom. There has been a changing of the guard with Jarrad McVeigh, Kieren Jack, Heath Grundy and Nick Smith retiring and Sydney's return to the top will depend on the growth of their potential stars and, to some degree, the performances of other teams.
One of those is St Kilda, who despite firing early with former coach Alan Richardson in charge and late when caretaker coach Brett Ratten took over, were plagued by injuries and inconsistency. If they can snag speedy Docker Brad Hill it will be a bonus to whoever the new coach is.
Speaking of Fremantle, it is imperative Ross Lyon's replacement has a focus on skills development. The Dockers can’t be a top flight contender if they don't start using the footy better, which trade target Tim Kelly can provide if a deal can be reached with the Cats for the classy West Australian.
Much will also depend on how Rory Lobb can be used and Jesse Hogan's fitness status throughout 2020, while the club will hope Sean Darcy can develop as a ruckman now Aaron Sandilands is gone.
Much interest surrounds North Melbourne... have the Shinboners found their saviour in Rhyce Shaw? Since he replaced Brad Scott in May, the Kangaroos have become a more attacking side, adding scoreboard pressure with a faster, direct style of football. How they go in 2020 may depend on their success at the trade table and draft, with speedy midfielders and key defenders a must.
Rory Lobb soared in his first season at Fremantle and the club hopes he stays fit throughout 2020.Credit: AAP
It would be silly to say all is well at Adelaide. Grand finalists in 2017, the Crows have missed the past two finals series despite 16 from that losing team playing the last game of this season. A four-person committee that includes Fremantle legend Matthew Pavlich and Hawthorn great Jason Dunstall are conducting a complete review of the club including the infamous Gold Coast-based camp in February 2018, which reportedly left several senior players shaken and angry and coach Don Pyke with several problems to fix if they are to feature prominently next year.
Cross-town rivals Port Adelaide also had another frustrating season, marked by a failure to string more than two wins on the trot. They have talent with Xavier Duursma and Connor Rozee but coach Ken Hinkley must find the formula for greater consistency otherwise he and the club will likely part ways at the end of 2020.
We then come to Hawthorn, who blew reigning premiers West Coast from the top four in the final round to finish one game from the eight. Considering the loss of Brownlow medallist Tom Mitchell pre-season and exciting emergence of Mitch Lewis and Tim O'Brien and there is much to like about Alastair Clarkson's men next year.
For all the 10 teams watching on this weekend, pre-season training can't come quickly enough.
Tony Buti is the Member for Armadale, a respected author and keen football follower.