With a new season fast approaching, Kane Cornes has listed the four teams he is struggling to get a clear read on in 2021 and just how their season could pan out.
4. GWS
The GWS Giants are the first team Cornes is unclear of, and for good reason.
The Giants went from making the grand final in 2019 to missing out on finals completely in 2020 in what was an extremely disappointing year for the club after they were tipped by a number of people to go one better than they did in 2019.
The Giants have a list capable of anything and boast some serious talent on all fronts of the ground, but consistency has been an issue and was shown in spades in 2020, which has Cornes questioning which Giants team we will see in 2021.
"If they won the whole thing, would it surprise me? No, it wouldn't." Cornes said on SEN’s The Captain’s Run.
"Great midfield, decent ruckman, highly talented forward line and a really good mix of leadership, youth and experience, but equally they could bomb."
3. Western Bulldogs
The Western Bulldogs are another team that Cornes has questions about and can't see what lays ahead for their 2021 campaign.
The Bulldogs traded for gun midfielder Adam Treloar and ruckman Stefan Martin during the trade period, whilst also being able to hold onto star midfielder Josh Dunkley, forming arguably the best overall midfield in the game.
The Bulldogs also drafted young gun Jamarra Ugle-Hagan with the first pick in the 2020 draft, and expectations have soared through the roof as a result of the talent the Bulldogs possess, but Cornes is still unsure where they stand in 2021.
"If the Western Bulldogs win the flag this year, I would not be shocked, but I also won’t be shocked if they finished 10th".
2. Collingwood
After a tumultuous off-season that saw a number of players leave through the free agency and trade period, Collingwood is another team Cornes is struggling to identify where they will finish at the end of 2021.
The Pies still have a number of talented players on the list and enough experience throughout the ground that they can still do some damage come crunch time of the year, but Cornes questions whether the offseason departures damages the culture at the club?
"Despite the off-season turmoil they had during the trade period, they’ve got enough good players to do some damage in September – but how much off-field damage has been done?" Cornes said.
"Have they got enough key forward talent to kick you a winning score consistently? And Nathan Buckley will be the coach that we speak about the most this year until, and if, he signs a contract extension."
1. Geelong
Geelong final team Cornes has major questions about.
The Cats were a single victory away from taking out the 2020 premiership and consistently remain one of the top teams in the AFL year in and year out.
The Cats lost premiership heroes Harry Taylor and Gary Ablett Jr after the Grand Final, but re-loaded in a big way during free agency and the trade window, acquiring Isaac Smith from Hawthorn, Shaun Higgins from North Melbourne and one of the biggest fish in the trade period, star forward Jeremy Cameron, which has them as the 2nd oldest list on average heading into the 2021 season.
Due to the age demographic of the list, Cornes questions whether the Cats have put all their eggs in one basket and if it will take much to go wrong for the Cats before it turns sour very quickly.
"Can they win it all and should they win it all? Probably. But not much is going to have to go wrong for it all to go horribly wrong for Geelong this year." he said.
"Jeremy Cameron’s done a hammy, that’s a bit of a warning sign, (Patrick) Dangerfield’s flying to Adelaide to get his groins treated and he’s speaking about playing more forward and that he’s in doubt for Round 1, (Luke) Dahlhaus also, and they’re old.
"(Joel) Selwood’s banged up, (Tom) Hawkins is 30-plus, as are their new recruits (Shaun) Higgins and (Isaac) Smith.
"I wouldn’t be surprised if it all blew up at the Cats this year."
