Lloyd reckons will finish 10th with 12 wins.
The home stretchMatthew Lloyd
The Age
June 24, 2012IT'S been an amazing season so far. We have just about seen it all with tight games and some surprise packets — and still we are only halfway.
At the start of this round, just two games separated West Coast, which is on top of the ladder, and Geelong, which is in seventh position, and six clubs looked to be fighting it out for the last spot in the top eight. No one can predict the grand finalists or top eight with any confidence, and Melbourne, Greater Western Sydney and Gold Coast look to be the three clubs trying to avoid the wooden spoon.
Some players, such as Patrick Dangerfield (Adelaide), Lewis Jetta (Sydney), Ivan Maric (Richmond) and Mitch Clark (Melbourne) have had amazing seasons and are among the most improved, while Chris Yarran (Carlton), Colin Sylvia (Melbourne), Michael Rischitelli (Gold Coast) and Lindsay Thomas (North Melbourne) need to lift.
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With the season at the mid-point my Brownlow Medal tip would be Bomber skipper Jobe Watson from the Suns' Gary Ablett, while my Rising Star fancy is the Giants' Jeremy Cameron.
Here's how the clubs look to me.
RichmondR12: Six and six.
At the end: 12 and 10.
The Tigers have had the toughest draw of any side and should be pleased with the improvement in the list. Ivan Maric and Steven Morris have been brilliant recruits and the Tigers squad looks to be in the best shape for years. If finals don't come this year, they'll come next year as they are playing with more consistency and substance.
Lloyd's end of round 23 ladderCollingwood 72
Adelaide 72
West Coast 68
Sydney 64
Hawthorn 64
Essendon 60
Geelong 52
Fremantle 52
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Carlton 48
Richmond 48St Kilda 44
North Melb. 36
W.Bulldogs 32
Port Adelaide 28
Brisbane Lions 24
Melbourne 16
Gold Coast 4
GWS 4
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