Despite being less than a month until the start of the AFL Draft, almost all of the league's 18 clubs will believe their starting line-ups are close to complete
But irrespective of this confidence, every roster still has holes.
Due to the nature of the league, it is almost impossible for two sides to be in exactly the same place, so some of these gaps may be chasmic, whilst others may be wafer-thin.
However, if left unattended, those of any magnitude could lead a side to ruin.
Melbourne
Although progression right across the board remains the name of our Australian game, the challenge of improving on perfection is, by definition, impossible.
While Melbourne’s level of grand final magnificence wasn’t as permanent as anything hanging in the Louvre, their 15-minute stretch ahead of three-quarter time was as close to a footballing masterpiece as many of us have ever seen.
Like all forms of performance art, the unparalleled period eventually came to an end, but with every member of the Demons’ dominant set-up set to return in 2022, you would be brave to suggest similar acts won’t be repeated in some magnitude again.
So, with all of the pieces of the rise to the game’s summit still in place, the task of surveying their side for cracks was tougher than maintaining a tag on Christian Petracca.
Still, as Stephen Hawking famously claimed, "the universe doesn’t allow for perfection", there should be chinks in the armour of Simon Goodwin’s side somewhere.
Across the course of their drought-breaking season, Melbourne’s use of 34 players was the competition’s second least - a figure that proves just how crucial a clean bill of health is when making a September run.
It may require a fair bit of mental gymnastics to spin this positive into a negative, but as any punter on a hot streak knows in the back of their minds, good luck always runs out eventually.
Though it's impossible to predict whether the Demons' depth will be tested in 2022, or whether an ability to run unimpeded will once again present itself, there is no time like the present for the competition's oldest club to continue bolstering their second-string with new names.
November's draft will afford Melbourne the opportunity to add a series of new names across their five picks between 17 and 94.
And while these fresh faces will almost certainly be seen as coverage options ahead of their debut campaigns, they will also be joined by names such as Hunt, Tomlinson, Smith, Baker, and Chandler who all featured at stages this season.
So, even if the Redlegs are ravaged by ailments and poor luck in their first premiership defence since 1965, it would take a run of misfortune akin to Richmond this year to find any actual dearth in their depth.
With this in mind, it is a stretch of Yogi proportions to signify this as a weakness in their roster, but with the attritional nature of Australian Rules Football capable of throwing spanners left, right, and centre, even the most settled of groups can become threadbare before too long.
Despite a belief that Melbourne are the side best placed to claim the premiership next year, I am also willing to wager that the option of playing less than 35 options across a minimum of 25 weeks won't present itself again.
When the inevitable does eventually hit Goodwin and his coaching box buddies between the eyes, an ability to field numerous sound replacements between the forward pocket and defensive goal square will be ready.
But just how much they will rock the boat is the real question that currently remains unanswerable.
Good article. For more on holes in your list, and more about the available juniors, see https://www.ozfootylistmanager.com/2021-lists.html