Bottom-six bolter?There will be a time, some day in the foggy mists, when North Melbourne will find, as St Kilda did at the end of last century, that they have been bad for so long and stockpiled so many good draft picks that they simply have to stop being terrible.
Is that time now? Probably not. They could have been ready to go if among that welter of top draft picks they had collected a key defender or two, but alas they have not. Griffin Logue needs to do more.
Richmond have taken the pain, amassed the draft picks and are building. Unlike North, their recent history provides confidence they will actually get it right.
The Tigers will be better, but this is unlikely to mean they jump this year. Their quality kids are probably still too raw and a year or two away. But they will jump Hawthorn-style soon.
Last year they won five games, which was a good result even if their percentage of 66 also reflected the fact there were big losses thrown in with those wins. Last season their No.1 pick Sam Lalor only played 11 games, while Josh Smillie, the 195cm top-10 midfielder didn’t play at all. Josh Gibcus missed yet another season but is finally ready to return. New arrival Sam Grlj has impressed, too.
https://www.smh.com.au/sport/afl/snakes-and-ladders-the-verdict-on-which-teams-will-rise-and-fall-in-2026-20260203-p5nz6e.html
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