I think that the Tigers are progressing okay and while we are part of 6-8 teams that could finish anywhere from 6-12th, the progression we are making is from a team who is competitive to one that could start to become elite.
In order to make that next step, a lot needs to go right.
Injuries, an ounce of luck and some decent skill at both the draft table and free agency (before the rules change again) to correct the imbalance favouring top clubs.
Free agency is only going to helped if we win a final this year as a decent chunk of free agency is being requested by players who want to a flag.
Winning a final this year to help sell our case.
Which leads me to the thread topic - we are going to need someone to step up and make a huge incremental step this year if we are any hope at playing finals let alone winning one.
That person needs to be and can be Ben Griffiths playing at a true centre half forward - there are very few in the competition at the moment and fewer elite centre half backs.
He has all the attributes - height, power, marking capability, kicking and now hopefully aerobic capacity along with the CONFIDENCE to make a statement this year.
Here's a kid who can help cover other deficiencies by standing up winning games off his own boot.
From his first game (vs Port Power) when he led hard up to the wing and marked in the wet I saw that CHF potential in Big Ben.
Whether you agree or not, you'd have to concede that this would make for a cracking 2015!