"IT IS FINALS OR BUST…": CORNES REACTS TO CHAMPION DATA'S 2024 DEPTH LIST RANKINGSZac Sharpe
SEN
5 January 2024Champion Data has gone through each AFL list for 2024 and ranked them based on their depth, as anticipation continues to build ahead of the new season.
The system in which Champion Data has used to determine this, is by assigning points to every player from the 2023 season based on where they were ranked, in the position they play, inside the top 50 (of Champion Data’s list).
These points were different for different positions inside the top 50, as players ranked inside the top 10 for their position were assigned three points, players ranked between 11-30 were assigned two points and any player ranked from 31-50 in their position were given one point.
Then, once all of these points were assigned, the player’s points were added with their teammates to determine which team in the league had the greatest depth, according to Champion Data’s system.
However, although it is for 2024, players like Lachie Schultz (who was traded from Fremantle to Collingwood) in the off-season, were included as part of the club that they played for in 2023, rather than the club they will play for in 2024.
Kane Cornes has had a deep dive of the list that was organised by Champion Data and has given his thoughts on how certain club's rank going into the 2024 season.
“The team with the best depth, according to Champion Data, is the Giants?” Kane said on SEN Sportsday.
“I was a little bit surprised by that. I think we all like the Giants and the way they’re tracking. They surprised definitely a few of us last year.
“Blues fans, you’ve got the second-best depth in the competition, if you don’t mind.”
The reigning premiers Collingwood and Melbourne rounded out the top four, with Brisbane sitting at five and the Adelaide Crows in sixth. Which prompted Cornes to explain why 2024 is a massive year for the Crows as they head into their fifth season of their rebuild.
“It is finals or bust for the Crows this year,” Cornes said.
“They have no excuses, (it’s) year five of their rebuild, their list is in order, they’ve got some big recruits and they’ve got the depth according to Champion Data.”
Sydney were ranked with the seventh best depth in the league,
whilst Richmond rounded out the top eight for Champion Data’s depth list. A ranking in which Cornes heavily disagreed with.
“I don’t think Richmond have good depth at all, to be honest,” Cornes said.
“I think they’ll be right down the bottom (of the ladder in 2024).”
Cornes then skipped to the bottom of the list, where North Melbourne (18th) and West Coast (17th) were ranked. However, he took surprise to where the Gold Coast Suns were ranked. As they only sat one position above the Eagles in 16th.
“Perhaps the biggest surprise to me was Gold Coast with the third worst depth in the competition according to Champion Data,” Cornes said.
“I couldn’t believe that with the amount of draft pick access that they’ve had recently and the track that they are on.”
https://www.sen.com.au/news/2024/01/05/it-is-finals-or-bust-cornes-reacts-to-champion-datas-2024-depth-list/
