Entering what looks like the most even and potentially gripping finals series of the modern era, all eight teams could potentially hold the trophy aloft on the final day should momentum and misfortune to others give them the chance to do so. Plenty will play out over the next month and players will fall to injury and suspension, yet the one non-negotiable is that the players who make the difference for their respective clubs will need to be negated and these are the eight that will undoubtedly be targeted during the finals. More AFL The Swans have weapons everywhere, yet Isaac Heeney is the straw that stirs the drink when it comes to providing coach John Longmire with options and lifting a unit that slumped mid-season.
A clear Brownlow favourite three months back, Heeney has begun to rediscover a vein of form that sees the Swans back close to the top of the pops when it comes to favouritism. Zak Butters is the man capable of putting the Port Adelaide team on his back and lifting them to an unexpected premiership. Win a Ziggy BBQ for Grand Final day, thanks to Barbeques Galore! Enter Here.
Ken Hinkley has plenty of talent across the list, but the quickest way to beat Port is to limit Butters and take the odds with Ollie Wines and co. in the midfield. If Butters produces the series of his life, Port can win the chocolates.
Geelong finished third on the ladder, most are unsure how, and Jeremy Cameron is the player capable of inspiring what looked like a doubtful premiership after a mid-season slump. Cameron’s ability to run, jump, mark and convert simply cannot occur in big finals should the opposition hope to knock off the Cats. Jeremy Cameron celebrates a goal.
(Photo by Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images) Given a fair share of the ball, Geelong’s frequency in finding Cameron as a target will decide their 2024 fate. Jesse Hogan has had the season of his life for the GWS Giants and whilst the service provided is key to his success, the team can enter fifty in bunches, regardless of the general flow of the game. The 29-year-old Coleman Medalist is in rare form and with a Giants team that has rebounded after a poor period of play, he will be the catalyst for a premiership should they get past Sydney on the opening weekend of the finals.
Brisbane blew golden chances to secure a top-four finish and will play away from home for much of the finals should they advance. Whilst Lachie Neale clocks up the numbers and is quality and class-personified, Cam Rayner is the man capable of busting games wide open and taking the Lions from serious contenders to long-awaited premiers in the blink of an eye. As boring as it might sound, the Western Bulldogs cannot win the premiership in 2024 without Marcus Bontempelli playing a dominant role and despite many attempting to deny him of that, a potential Brownlow looms.
Stopping the 28-year-old is a lot easier said than done and his influence in the Dogs’ charge to the finals and the momentum built has been evidence of that fact. Marcus Bontempelli. (Photo by Dylan Burns/AFL Photos via Getty Images) The utility he provides gives coach Luke Beveridge a magnet freedom on the board that few others enjoy with such a star player.
If the Dogs win finals and Bontempelli stars, the opposition will be kicking themselves after seeing it coming. The best thing about the Hawks right now is the broad array of weapons they employ. After surging into finals from a horror start to the season, logic says the small forwards have been the key to their success and the men to stop.
Personally, I’d argue James Sicily is the one to focus on, wherever he might pop up on the field. Coach Sam Mitchell has proven what many thought about his potential coaching genius. Sicily has been fundamental in solidifying a back half that allows the freaks up front to do their business.
Entering 50 away from him is a priority for opponents. Carlton may have Steven Bradbury’d their way into the finals, but troops are coming back and ‘fight’ is Michael Voss’ middle name. Can they go all the way? Almost certainly not, but the influence of Patrick Cripps, should he get a little more help as the bodies return, could get them mighty close.
Short-odds for the Brownlow, Cripps’ numbers are at career highs and he has been the best individual in the back half of the season. Sports opinion delivered daily Yet a hard tag has worked before and if Sam Walsh and others fail to take over in the midfield, the blunting of Cripps can win you the game. Planning it and doing it are completely different things – and that is the beauty of footy.
We all know who will decide it and the need to stop them. Yet managing to do that is a whole other kettle of fish..
