AFL Insider Power Rankings: April 16 2007
1: West Coast Eagles 3-0 win-loss record (1 in last AFL Power Rankings)
It's early days but again it is the Eagles and Swans who are a level above the rest.
2: Sydney Swans 2-1 (3)
The Swans will play the Crows to decide who is currently the second best team in the AFL. Jolly could be playing better now that Everitt is there to help, those two big ruckmen will give Sydney an advantage over most teams.
3: Adelaide Crows 2-1 (7)
Another big game from McLeod and another win. The Crows could soon have Johncock, Shirley, Ricciuto, Massie, McGregor and Maric available to add to their team that was victorious on the weekend.
4: Fremantle Dockers 0-3 (2)
A win, or a coaching change, is nearly a guarantee for next week. Survey says a win against the Demons is the likely result. Michael Johnson will improve the team immensely when he returns, but it is going to be a lot tougher this season for the Dockers than people thought it would be before the season started.
5: Port Adelaide Power 2-1 (5)
They lose Brogan for a couple of weeks but at least they have Tredrea back in the team. Lade will take on a bigger role with Brogan out and his contest against Fraser will be very important next round.
6: Western Bulldogs 1-2 (4)
It must be hard for Coach Eade to figure out what is going wrong, their stars are still getting a lot of the ball but for the past couple of games they have been killed on the scoreboard. Maybe Everitt or Williams is needed, perhaps a bold move but it does bring in the height at the back that they require.
7: Geelong Cats 2-1 (9)
Thompson needs to acknowledge that Hawkins is his only chance at saving his job, trying to hide Hawkins and limit his impact is not going to help his team in the long run. While Hawkins is a star that is quickly ascending in the rankings for AFL players, Steven King is someone who is going the opposite direction. Does he play in the VFL, can he fit in the team with Ottens and Blake or does Blake get dropped even though he is doing everything that is required, the Cats have to make a difficult decision about their former captain when he is ready to play.
8: St Kilda Saints 2-1 (8)
Riewoldt, Koschitzke and Gehrig can take the Saints to many wins, although the availability of Gehrig for next week might be a problem.
9: Essendon Bombers 2-1 (6)
Their game against the Saints is the most intriguing matchup of round 4. The Bombers have the tall forwards who will trouble the Saints, who are without several key defenders, while at the other end Sheedy has plenty of tall bodies to play against the Saints big 3.
10: Brisbane Lions 2-1 (10)
They have an away game coming up, luckily it is on the Gold Coast.
11: Collingwood Magpies 2-1 (12)
The Magpies debuted some exciting players but they still have their best prospect yet to debut, Ben Reid. At the other end of the age scale, it seems Buckley is still a few more weeks away.
12: Hawthorn Hawks 2-1 (14)
They still haven't got the structure of their forward line right, but they are getting by as Williams and Franklin are playing very well. Maybe Thorp, who is several weeks away, will help this season while Croad is another option.
13: Carlton Blues 2-1 (13)
They are expected to lose, and lose big, next week but that was also the expectation at halftime on the weekend. If Fevola is kicking accurately then they are a chance.
14: Richmond Tigers 0-3 (15)
It worked for the Saints so it can work for the Tigers, they need to play Riewoldt against the Bulldogs. Simmonds didn't have any problems with his ankle and will be a very important player for them next week. Dropping Patrick Bowden for Simmonds was an unexpected move. Patrick Bowden, who averaged around 20 possessions a game last season, should be in their best 22.
15: Kangaroos 0-3 (16)
They have talent there, which makes their losing even harder to work out. The first thing they need to do is get Hansen back into the team. Harris, Simpson and Harvey are winning in the midfield, Petrie is performing well in the back line and Campbell had a good game on the weekend.
16: Melbourne Demons 0-3 (11)
It is not going to be a good season for Melbourne, they have too many players out and by the time they get back it could be nearly impossible to make the finals. While the fans should not give up yet, they can think about the big ruckman who could be the first choice in the draft and there could also be the uncontracted West Coast Eagles player, who grew up as a Melbourne fan, who might be worth the first pick in the preseason draft. But looking at the present, instead of Judd who would also be a present, the Demons could be getting the bustle of Pickett and the hustle of Dunn back into their team.
It's early days but again it is the Eagles and Swans who are a level above the rest.
2: Sydney Swans 2-1 (3)
The Swans will play the Crows to decide who is currently the second best team in the AFL. Jolly could be playing better now that Everitt is there to help, those two big ruckmen will give Sydney an advantage over most teams.
3: Adelaide Crows 2-1 (7)
Another big game from McLeod and another win. The Crows could soon have Johncock, Shirley, Ricciuto, Massie, McGregor and Maric available to add to their team that was victorious on the weekend.
4: Fremantle Dockers 0-3 (2)
A win, or a coaching change, is nearly a guarantee for next week. Survey says a win against the Demons is the likely result. Michael Johnson will improve the team immensely when he returns, but it is going to be a lot tougher this season for the Dockers than people thought it would be before the season started.
5: Port Adelaide Power 2-1 (5)
They lose Brogan for a couple of weeks but at least they have Tredrea back in the team. Lade will take on a bigger role with Brogan out and his contest against Fraser will be very important next round.
6: Western Bulldogs 1-2 (4)
It must be hard for Coach Eade to figure out what is going wrong, their stars are still getting a lot of the ball but for the past couple of games they have been killed on the scoreboard. Maybe Everitt or Williams is needed, perhaps a bold move but it does bring in the height at the back that they require.
7: Geelong Cats 2-1 (9)
Thompson needs to acknowledge that Hawkins is his only chance at saving his job, trying to hide Hawkins and limit his impact is not going to help his team in the long run. While Hawkins is a star that is quickly ascending in the rankings for AFL players, Steven King is someone who is going the opposite direction. Does he play in the VFL, can he fit in the team with Ottens and Blake or does Blake get dropped even though he is doing everything that is required, the Cats have to make a difficult decision about their former captain when he is ready to play.
8: St Kilda Saints 2-1 (8)
Riewoldt, Koschitzke and Gehrig can take the Saints to many wins, although the availability of Gehrig for next week might be a problem.
9: Essendon Bombers 2-1 (6)
Their game against the Saints is the most intriguing matchup of round 4. The Bombers have the tall forwards who will trouble the Saints, who are without several key defenders, while at the other end Sheedy has plenty of tall bodies to play against the Saints big 3.
10: Brisbane Lions 2-1 (10)
They have an away game coming up, luckily it is on the Gold Coast.
11: Collingwood Magpies 2-1 (12)
The Magpies debuted some exciting players but they still have their best prospect yet to debut, Ben Reid. At the other end of the age scale, it seems Buckley is still a few more weeks away.
12: Hawthorn Hawks 2-1 (14)
They still haven't got the structure of their forward line right, but they are getting by as Williams and Franklin are playing very well. Maybe Thorp, who is several weeks away, will help this season while Croad is another option.
13: Carlton Blues 2-1 (13)
They are expected to lose, and lose big, next week but that was also the expectation at halftime on the weekend. If Fevola is kicking accurately then they are a chance.
14: Richmond Tigers 0-3 (15)
It worked for the Saints so it can work for the Tigers, they need to play Riewoldt against the Bulldogs. Simmonds didn't have any problems with his ankle and will be a very important player for them next week. Dropping Patrick Bowden for Simmonds was an unexpected move. Patrick Bowden, who averaged around 20 possessions a game last season, should be in their best 22.
15: Kangaroos 0-3 (16)
They have talent there, which makes their losing even harder to work out. The first thing they need to do is get Hansen back into the team. Harris, Simpson and Harvey are winning in the midfield, Petrie is performing well in the back line and Campbell had a good game on the weekend.
16: Melbourne Demons 0-3 (11)
It is not going to be a good season for Melbourne, they have too many players out and by the time they get back it could be nearly impossible to make the finals. While the fans should not give up yet, they can think about the big ruckman who could be the first choice in the draft and there could also be the uncontracted West Coast Eagles player, who grew up as a Melbourne fan, who might be worth the first pick in the preseason draft. But looking at the present, instead of Judd who would also be a present, the Demons could be getting the bustle of Pickett and the hustle of Dunn back into their team.
Molly
p.s. Who is Michael Johnson??
And the Hawks are better than #12.
Michael Johnson is the third part of Fremantle’s triumvirate of tall and versatile defenders. Along with McPharlin and Mundy, Johnson has a combination of height and speed that allows him to play on every kind of forward. They get him back after the Melbourne game and it should significantly improve their team.
With Steven King, the question that Geelong have to answer is what they do when he is ready to return to their AFL side, there is no reason to drop Blake but they can’t really have King, Blake, Mooney, Hawkins and Ottens in the same team. For Hawthorn, their strength of schedule has not been too high, they need a win over a better side to show they can compete in 2007, and they get their chance next round.
If Fremantle lose, spot 14 on the next Power Rankings would be waiting for them. Thank you for your comments, remember that it isn’t just wins and losses that determines positions on the Power Rankings. Lower ranked teams have to prove themselves with wins against class opposition, and teams that were highly-rated will get the benefit of any doubt if there are reasons why they can play better.