Jon Ralph’s big early calls for the 2022 season

Can Melbourne go back-to-back? Will the Blues improve under Michael Voss? Can Dusty revive the Tigers? Jon Ralph predicts the fortunes of all 18 clubs.

These are the rankings

1 - Melbourne
2 - Port


3. Western Bulldogs

David King says the Dogs have the biggest premiership window in the competition.

If they had a top-six ruckman playing for them this year they would enter this summer as reigning premiers.

So all the lofty predictions apply – the Bont had one hand on the Norm Smith early in the third term of the grand final, Sam Darcy and Jamarra Ugle-Hagan could be anything, the depth is off-the-charts good.

But it is understood the Dogs had a significant crack at Richmond’s premiership ruckman Ivan Soldo before he re-signed for three years in September, then didn’t chase a Peter Ladhams or Jon Ceglar as a fall-back option.

So until Tim English can consistently show us he is the player that mauled Brodie Grundy in Round 1 (with help from Stef Martin), we will continue to wonder if the rucks will cost them another flag.

Early prediction: You know how the Dogs really hate GWS? Prepare for the Dogs and Melbourne to go at it in Round 1 after the grand final loss and its aftermath, just as the fuse was lit the summer after the Giants roughed up Marcus Bontempelli in that infamous elimination final.

4 - Brisbane Lions
5 - Geelong
6 - Essendon
7 - Sydney
8 - Richmond
9 - StKilda
10 - GSW
11 - Carlton
12 - West Coast
13 - Hawthorn
14 - Fremantle
15 - Collingwood
16 - Gold Coast
17 - North Melbourne
18 - Adelaide

Port 2nd. Lol lost all credibility right there.

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Originally Posted by ReLoad

Port 2nd. Lol lost all credibility right there.

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Really? I would have thought the consensus top 4 would generally be a mix of Us, Melbourne, Port and Brisbane. I can’t see too much drop off from Port that would see them fall too far.
I’d probably see Brisbane with the best chance of taking a top 2 spot if they can keep their best 22 on the field, but Port will be thereabouts.

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Originally Posted by GVGjr

But it is understood the Dogs had a significant crack at Richmond’s premiership ruckman Ivan Soldo before he re-signed for three years in September,

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Interesting

Hard to argue re the Ruck situation.

Melbourne might get lost in their own hubris and Port seem to fold on the big stage so that leaves us #1 :cool:

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Originally Posted by ReLoad

Port 2nd. Lol lost all credibility right there.

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Yeah I can't see them finishing above us - although they do tend to have reasonably high finishes historically in the H&A.

Port. The way they folded in their own fortress is the thing. Not that they lost, but how they lost.

I can see Port finishing higher than us. A bit like Geelong, they play on a narrow and long ground that most other teams only play on once a year.