And as they say....I was way off!

....but at least I got one thing right.

Welcome back to the only blog on the web dedicated to Aussie Rules football. It's been a long time in the wilderness and not one post has been published since before the pre-season, however we are now here and I've decided that the time is right to continue publishing articles on the great game.

I'd just like to start by saying how disappointed I am in my own predictions for how the ladder will look at the end of the regular season. However, I did predict one thing right - that the Kangaroos would make the finals and that they would have a good season! That is one thing I was very confident about in my predictions and I'm genuinely happy for the club as well.

I've been a fan of Dean Laidley since he took over the head coaching role at the club a few years back, and being a former player for West Perth (the second greatest team ever) and the West Coast Eagles (the greatest team ever) had nothing to do with it.

Well, almost nothing....

He is, without a doubt, the most underrated and underpaid coach in the league and deserves more respect and applause than he gets. The Kangaroos are lucky to have a man who the players will bleed their hearts out for on the field, he is a born leader and he makes some great decisions on game-day.

Anyway, that's enough verbal fellatio for one day. On to my predictions:

Geelong - 11th. Some people would ask me what narcotics I was smoking at the time I wrote that. However, let me just retort by stating that the Cats have been absolutely disappointing over the last 3 seasons barring this current one. They have failed to make an impact at all and this is the first season in a long time that they have gained an outright top spot on the ladder by this round. Fair enough, Geelong will most likely finish on top and my prediction will be rediculed, however I was going by past seasons performance and late-season slumps in form. Suck on that!

Fremantle - 3rd. Everyone who knows me knows that I hate Freo with a passion. It was painful enough to predict them for a 3rd place finish at the end of this season, however now I'm laughing a little inside again. They look unlikely to make the finals, and let's be honest, they really should have with the team they've got. Looks like Connolly's mid-season resignation was the ticket the club needed to boost their chances next season, though.

Melbourne - 7th. What the fuck was I on?

Hawthorn - 13th. Having their best season since 2001. They look like actually making a top four finish as well.

Teams that will most likely make the 8 but weren't predicted:

Collingwood - Having their best season after 3 disappointing ones. Will probably do better in the finals, but don't have the team to take it all the way.

Geelong - Well, they'll definitely end up on top. They are 3 games clear and actually show no signs of going down anytime soon. Whether or not they can win the big one is another story though.

Port Adelaide - They have what it takes to take their season deep into the finals series. Again though, like Geelong, they'll need to prove themselves against teams who have had finals experience the last 2 years - Sydney and West Coast.

Teams that are on track to make my predictions: Carlton are currently 3rd on the ladder, and they were predicted to finish 3rd. This is good for me!

I don't think any of my other predictions will come true. Let me just say though, that I'm still proud of the Kangaroos (and also my prediction), and I hope that they do have a very successful year.