AFL Club Captains Survey - 2009 Year

[rogernumber10]

MEDIA RELEASE FROM THE AUSTRALIAN FOOTBALL LEAGUE
The Australian Football League today polled the 16 AFL club captains for their views on the impending 2009 Toyota AFL Premiership Season.

Overwhelmingly, the view of the game's on-field leaders is that the Geelong Cats will again start a strong favourite to return to this year's Grand Final after playing off for the past two premierships, while the Blues will return to September action for the first time since 2001.

Carlton spearhead Brendan Fevola is the stand-out pick as the star forward in the game while the club leaders believe that Gary Ablett starts the year as the Brownlow Medal favourite.

At a gathering with the AFL Commission in Melbourne today on the eve of the season launch, the captains were asked five key questions on the season ahead, with the proviso that their individual answers would be treated anonymously to ensure personal views:

Which seven other clubs do you think can make this year's top eight?
Which other club is most likely to reach the Grand Final?
Who do you think will win the 2009 Coleman Medal?
Who do you think will win the 2009 NAB AFL Rising Star?
Who do you think will win the 2009 Brownlow Medal?

Geelong was nominated by 14 captains to reach the Grand Final for a third year in succession and by a maximum 15 captains to reach September action. Hawthorn and Carlton both also received a maximum 15 votes to reach the finals this year, with the Western Bulldogs polling 12 votes.

Ablett was nominated by nine captains as the Brownlow favourite, while Chris Judd drew votes from three skippers. Fevola (10 votes) clearly headed the Coleman Medal voting ahead of last year's winner, Lance Franklin (five votes) with the Brisbane Lions' Daniel Rich (five votes) and North Melbourne's Jack Ziebell (four votes) the stand outs for the NAB AFL Rising Star.

The full voting was:
Which seven other clubs do you think can make this year's top eight? (16 times seven selections)
Carlton (15), Geelong (15), Hawthorn (15), Western Bulldogs (14), Collingwood (12), Port Adelaide (10), St Kilda (nine), Adelaide (six), Brisbane Lions (four), Richmond (four), North Melbourne (three), Sydney Swans (three), Essendon (one), Fremantle (one), Melbourne (nil), West Coast (nil).

Which other club is most likely to reach the Grand Final?
Geelong (14), Hawthorn (two).

Who do you think will win the 2009 Brownlow Medal?
Gary Ablett, Geelong (nine), Chris Judd, Carlton (three), Jimmy Bartel, Geelong (one), Lance Franklin, Hawthorn (one), Brent Harvey, North Melbourne (one), Matthew Richardson, Richmond (one).

Who do you think will win the 2009 Coleman Medal?
Brendan Fevola, Carlton (10), Lance Franklin, Hawthorn (five), Jarryd Roughead, Hawthorn (one).

Who do you think will win the 2009 NAB AFL Rising Star?
Daniel Rich, Brisbane Lions (five), Jack Ziebell, North Melbourne (four), Dayne Beams, Collingwood (two), Jarrad Grant, Western Bulldogs (one), Stephen Hill, Fremantle (one), Michael Hurley, Essendon (one), Mitch Robinson, Carlton (one), Chris Yarran, Carlton (one).
Ends

[Dirko]

I hope those captains are right....

If so I'll be a happy Carlton Supporter years end, Coleman Medallist, runner up Brownlow, Rising Star nominees x 2 & Finalist....

[Dutchy]

How could you rank fev in front of Buddy?

[Pac-Man]

Big expectations on young Daniel Rich to win the Rising Star going on those stats. Not sure how much game time he will get with Blacky back in the midfield .

Reckon Vossy will be easing him into his first year. He already has placed media bans on him and used him off the bench alot. He actually has alot of Michael Voss traits.

[Dirko]

How could you rank fev in front of Buddy?

Why don't you ring the club captains and ask them Dutchy ?

[Dutchy]

How could you rank fev in front of Buddy?

Why don't you ring the club captains and ask them Dutchy ?

its all opinions of course but I know who Id be picking if I had the choice

[Dirko]

its all opinions of course but I know who Id be picking if I had the choice

Drew Petrie, Corey Jones or Matty Campbell ?

[wycbloods]

its all opinions of course but I know who Id be picking if I had the choice

Drew Petrie, Corey Jones or Matty Campbell ?

Nah Lindsay Thomas, he is after all one of the best 25 footballers from SA

[Rik E Boy]

How could you rank fev in front of Buddy?

Why don't you ring the club captains and ask them Dutchy ?

What an endorsement from the Bluebagger.

regards,

REB

[Dirko]

What an endorsement from the Bluebagger.

regards,

REB

Rebster, as a Bluebagger, I'll never endorse something unless I get paid....