2010 AFL Season Preview - Brisbane
By Allblack
So how to preview Brisbane. Voss either a genius or a madman for his trading and drafting at the end of the year. There is no doub they still believe the premiership window is well and truly open.
Their backline for mine looks a little sparse. Merritt has been a very good performer for them, I think Mitch Clark may find himself back this year and they have recruited Maguire as backup. Small defenders are good. Drummond, Patfull and Adcock are very handy, you can add in Raines who the Lions chased. I am not sure he is good enough. Sheldon looked a player last year. They do look to lack a little depth back here and think this could be their undoing if they lose control through the midfield.
The midfield mind you is strong. Lead by Black who seems to just keep getting better. Daniel Rich is only going to get better. Power is probably losing some of his effectiveness but still gets the job done. Sherman last year improved but needs to build on it again. I am not sold on Stiller who still has a lot of work to do. Johnstone is supposed to be the polish on the midfield but in my opinion whilst they were cleaning out they should have sent him off as well. Just doesnt work hard enough. I like the look of Proud if he can keep his head straight. Selwood is reliable to get his job done most weeks. Rischitelli is due for a big year and should build further on last season.
The forward line is really interesting. You lose your second best forward but replace him with the best Full Forward in the competition. They will need time to learn each others game but the thought of Brown and Fevola in the same forward 50 will give most teams the cold shivers. You never know what Brennan will give you but with third best defender he should be dangerous this year Buchanon and Staker should give them a little more bite as well. I think we will see a little more of Rockliff this season as well. I rate him. McGrath could be at either end but suspect more forward this year.
Thier rucks are as good as anyone in the league. Perhaps even the best ruck division if Charman can stay upright along with Luenberger and Clark if needed. The depth is the key there after last season when Clark was awesome.
Voss is still a coach in learning and after a pretty good year last year, he has traded heavily and made the list his own. If it succeeds we may see a lot more clubs following the trend but for mine I am not sure they improved the list enough to justify all the movement and have sold their future for a short term chase of success.
Brisbane has the list to improve slightly on last year. I dont think they can crack the top four but should be around the edge of it. 5th or 6th should do the job for them and they could be dangerous around September. Not a genuine premiership threat but you still wouldnt want to meet them without your best defensive unit up and running. Will be one of the more interesting teams to watch.