2021 is finally here and the footy season cannot come soon enough, football will likely return to its spiritual home in Melbourne and fans will return in their thousands.
The lead up to round one is filled with hot takes and speculation, not to mention everyone’s predictions. But how often are those predictions on the safe side of the fence?
In this series we will be going out an a limb and make some fearless predictions for the upcoming season, everything from free agency moves to premiers and award winners.
10. Jamarra shows why he went number one
The last two seasons have shown us that players are coming out of the draft ready to have an immediate impact on the competition.
Sam Walsh and Matt Rowell have led the way, and 2020 number one draft pick Jamarra Ugle-Hagan will be no different. The athletic forward will slot in seamlessly at the kennel and will be a key in the Dogs' rise up the ladder.
9. Holding the ball interpretation to change at least twice
It seems to happen every year, at one point or another in a bid to add more flow to the game, umpires put the whistle away when it comes to holding the ball and it causes angst among fans across the country.
Rest assured it will happen again and after uproar from fans and media alike, the league will again adjust and tweak the interpretation for a second time in the season.
8. Jordan De Goey goes bust
The hype around Collingwood forward Jordan De Goey needs to be justified on a consistent basis in 2021, there's no doubt he's a genuinely talented footballer but he doesn't do it often enough.
Collingwood are paying a hefty price to keep him and he needs to deliver now. However with injury interrupting his pre-season, this year will see De Goey's hype be unreachable. He will find his slot in the competition as an out-and-out impact player.
7. Dyson Heppell hands over captaincy
Heppell has been an incredible servant to the Essendon Football Club and has done so at the expense of his own body.
Come the midway point of the year it will be clear that Heppell’s time as skipper is over, with the Bombers set to hand the reigns over to Zach Merrett. It may also be the carrot the Bombers need to dangle in front of out of their contract star.
6. Floating fixture doesn't work
The AFL are this year trialing a floating fixture. Much like last year, blocks of the fixture will be released at a time to allow the AFL to allocate blockbuster games into blockbuster slots while accomodating to the COVID-19 pandemic.
However, fans haven't all been thrilled with the lack of certainty, with many now needing to wait to book their interstate trips as the fixture remains unconfirmed.
The AFL will bin this idea at seasons-end in a bid to win back the affections of fans around the country.
5. Future of AFL in Tasmania gains momentum
The growing tensions between the AFL and the nation's island-state are at an all-time high, with the league's contract with Tasmania soon to expire.
While North Melbourne have made it clear their heart remains at Arden Street and Hawks president Jeff Kennett has ruffled the feathers of the Hawthorn faithful, the future of football in Tasmania will finally be made clearer.
Whether it will be an extensive new deal or the promise to hand the 19th license to Tasmania, 2021 will see some ground-breaking steps to aid the future of the league in Tasmania.
4. Patrick Cripps commits his future to Carlton
The Carlton captain is going nowhere.
The lure of heading back home to Western Australia will always be there but he will re-sign with the Blues in 2021. However, that contract won't be a long one, as Cripps has never been one for lengthy deals so far in his career and now won't be the time to start. But rest at ease baggers fans, your man is staying put.
3. Hubs make a return one way or another
Hubs were arguably the main feature of the 2021 season, with some clubs handling them very well and some imploding.
Many, if not all, though will be happy to be back home and return to some normality, but hubs will return in some fashion in 2021. With how quickly things can change in each state and how quick an outbreak of COVID-19 can riddle the competition, there's no doubt there will be certain clubs that will be forced to hub even if it is just a small period of time.
2. Josh Kelly declines eight-year option to test free agency
Josh Kelly signed a monster two-year deal to commit his career to the Giants, but that deal has a clause at the end of this year that could confirm the next 6 years of Kelly's career in Sydney.
However, with the Giants at a make or break stage of this group's premiership window, Kelly's decision may be success driven. The flashy onballer will opt to leave the Giants on a big money move to a Victorian club in pursuit of the ultimate success.
1.Off-field issues catch-up with Richmond
The Tigers have been the best club in the land for the past four years and three premierships later their dynasty will come to an end in 2021.
The Tigers had numerous off-field issues last season and they have continued through the start of this year. It's only natural that those incidents will eventually take its toll on the football club and playing group.
While still remaining competitive, they won't be as primed to achieve the ultimate success for a third-straight season.
