THE CONTENDERS: Chris McDermott
Adelaide Advertiser/Sunday Mail (SA)
Sunday, 8th December 2012Not in years has there been so many teams excited about their genuine premiership chances for a season ahead. Sydney must be considered contender once again.
Hawthorn without doubt is the most talented, the West Coast the favourite for mine and Adelaide with luck should be back there when the whips are cracking.
Fremantle if it is injury-free perhaps, Geelong, Carlton and Essendon maybe, Collingwood possibly but it appears to be heading in a different direction in the short term and Richmond the Cinderella story for the dreamers and the Tiger faithful.
From outside the top eight from last year Richmond appears the team on the move and with an ounce of luck could have played finals this year but as likely as the Tigers are to play finals in 2013 they are just as likely to be out of contention and seeking a new coach by the halfway mark of the season.
Let's hope for the competition's sake the next challenge for the Tigers under Damien Hardwick is a legitimate one.
Time to put a full stop in the 2012 AFL season.
Round 1 of the new season is now just 103 days away.
Merry Christmas.
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