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As odd as it sounds, I think we'll show further improvement, but finish lower on the ladder. I hate to say it, but I expect we'll be fighting Brisbane to avoid the spoon, with the other "bottom" teams from 2016 all improving more than us (drug cheats, Freo, GC).
I expect Cripps to continue to carry our midfield much earlier/more than he should, which will either make him elite or burn him out. I hope that Gibbs doesn't drop his bundle, and that Murph gets a full season.
Our backline will continue to gel and be our strong point, but like 2016 their workload will take its toll in the end. Weitering may not have it all his own way now that teams know what he's capable of, but he'll fight through it and mature further. I anticipate that Marchbank will show some very good signs, but would be surprised if he plays a full season. In fact (with the possible exception of Palmer) I don't expect any of our new acquisitions to play a full season. Docherty's leadership back here will develop further and I wouldn't be surprised if captaincy looms for 2018.
Forward line will continue to be an issue, but we will see signs for the future. I expect Curnow (barring injury) to play a full season and provide some moments of excitement (maybe even a RS nom), and for McKay to play half the year but to take a bit of time to adjust. Levi will continue to be our main go-to, and frustrate the shit out of us in the process. I don't expect to see Jones play a senior game, with Jaksch maybe getting one last chance to prove himself. I expect Jack to be our leading goalkicker next year.
For other teams I expect that Collingwood and Richmond will drop down the ladder (Port could go either way), and that last year's top 8 teams will remain, except for one of St Kilda/Melbourne replacing Norf.
This all sounds like doom and gloom, and maybe it is. But despite all of this I expect that we will see the group take another step and there will be enough signs to show we're on the right path. Our selections in this draft will also be crucial to see how well these pieces of the puzzle continue to fill. It's just going to be a bumpy, slippery road, and IMO what we achieved in the middle of 2016 may inflate our expectations. But come this time next year the last of the deadwood will be gone, we'll likely have a very high pool of draft picks, and the final remnants of the Malthouse era will be gone.
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