On the improve for 2013

Which sides do you see improving and moving up the ladder in 2013?

For mine,

South - Fourth year of recruiting and building our list will show an improved result on the field for the Panthers this year. South giving Ron Fuller the five year contract was a bold move, but I feel will be shown to be the right move this year.

Sturt - Despite finishing bottom they have a host of good juniors and some good recruits already named for 2013, the only way is up for Sturt and I suspect it will be further upwards than many people rate them for.

Port - People wanted to see Port and Centrals get a go at each other in the finals and likely this year is going to be it. Port just keep steadily chipping away and as the club continues to grow from the One Club decision they will also continue to get better.

Always South supporters, every year saying they are gonna improve !

Come on, like my best mat says, being a south supporter, its all just talk every year, it aint gonna happen is it, like, oh, south are a really gonna improve scare teams and win the flag, never heard that in my 42 years of life and you no it !

Anyway, i am gonna say the same and say my mighty Cocks ae gonna win the flag, its a shoe in compared to south again isnt it, unfortunately to the south supporters again, it wont be you again, and never will be, 50 years now, so dissapointing, never good are they, why please explain and what excusses !!!!!!!! What a bloody shame for sanfl footy !

Wow! That's harsh CC.

Whilst we Blues have not been devastating in recent times, North too have had a somewhat lean stretch.

Your confidence is admirable, yet I wonder if a little over-zealous just at the moment.

Anyway, good luck to you and your passion for your team.

Chambo Off To Work We Go wrote:Wow! That's harsh CC.

Whilst we Blues have not been devastating in recent times, North too have had a somewhat lean stretch.

Your confidence is admirable, yet I wonder if a little over-zealous just at the moment.

Anyway, good luck to you and your passion for your team.

Our form last few years has been ok, not everone can win flags, at least we are up there now and again, but im talking about South supporters talking up their team every year and do nothing, surely you must agree like everyone else i no !

And this South bloke thinks South are gonna be the Best team in th comp and come 1st and for some god stupid reason, North the biggest improvers in the comp, are gonna finish 8 positions behind south and we are gonna be the worst team in the comp all of a sudden and finish last !

We are gonna go better yad think, not back 6 positions surely !

Gee south must of signed god & jesus Christ and we got the Devil ?

Obviously this guy doesnt no much about footy, does he, or maybee im missing something here !

Country Cock ! wrote:Always South supporters, every year saying they are gonna improve !

Come on, like my best mat says, being a south supporter, its all just talk every year, it aint gonna happen is it, like, oh, south are a really gonna improve scare teams and win the flag, never heard that in my 42 years of life and you no it !

Anyway, i am gonna say the same and say my mighty Cocks ae gonna win the flag, its a shoe in compared to south again isnt it, unfortunately to the south supporters again, it wont be you again, and never will be, 50 years now, so dissapointing, never good are they, why please explain and what excusses !!!!!!!! What a bloody shame for sanfl footy !

Don't know which face is more appropriate here: or or

CC actuually makes a valid point. I don't disgaree with Ben as they should improve but their culture is crap .That is why you often hear South improving but never deliver.

CC is a bit sarcastic if you read it carefully Chambo.

South are like Glenelg , often under achieve.

I think Bens 3 improvers are very accurate myself. South lost 5 games under 2 goals last year and I think Sturt lost about 4 close ones. Turn that around and you have improvement.

My concern with South is their culture and retaining youngsters. Fuller may be playing a part in that I hear.

howthewestwaswon wrote:

Country Cock ! wrote:Always South supporters, every year saying they are gonna improve !

Come on, like my best mat says, being a south supporter, its all just talk every year, it aint gonna happen is it, like, oh, south are a really gonna improve scare teams and win the flag, never heard that in my 42 years of life and you no it !

Anyway, i am gonna say the same and say my mighty Cocks ae gonna win the flag, its a shoe in compared to south again isnt it, unfortunately to the south supporters again, it wont be you again, and never will be, 50 years now, so dissapointing, never good are they, why please explain and what excusses !!!!!!!! What a bloody shame for sanfl footy !

Don't know which face is more appropriate here: or or

Surely you can pick a face, what ya think im lying or something, der !!!!

Lying about North winning the flag this year? Definitely.

About South being a 'bloody shame' for the SANFL? Definitely.

I'm with Chambo, applaud you for your passion, yet curious about some of your outlandish statements.

howthewestwaswon wrote:Lying about North winning the flag this year? Definitely.

About South being a 'bloody shame' for the SANFL? Definitely.

I'm with Chambo, applaud you for your passion, yet curious about some of your outlandish statements.

Ok then, ill just agree like everyone else then, South Premiers & North Bottom then, happy now !

Sorry for stating the obvious, seems others no more than me, especially west supporters

Ask Philly , he will know. He might not though ?oops.Thats when youn ignore posts. Lighten up Philly , you are great and we love your contribution. Only stirring sweetheart.

howthewestwaswon wrote:Lying about North winning the flag this year? Definitely.

About South being a 'bloody shame' for the SANFL? Definitely.

I'm with Chambo, applaud you for your passion, yet curious about some of your outlandish statements.

As said in. Alice in Wonderland. " curiouser and curiouser"

As long as West supporters don't think they are gonna go better
than North this year, surely thats a joke, isn't it !

Everyone knows North are gonna go better & West a lot worse, back down the bottom again like always !

1 hit wonders again for another 20 years, like south !

Ok I'll bite, but I don't understand the optimism about North. They only secured their spot in the top five late in the season in 2012 and from that side have lost, arguably, their best 6 players. Whatever you think of their recruiting since then, I don't think any team can replace their best 6 in one off-season.

Flag No.9 wrote:Ok I'll bite, but I don't understand the optimism about North. They only secured their spot in the top five late in the season in 2012 and from that side have lost, arguably, their best 6 players. Whatever you think of their recruiting since then, I don't think any team can replace their best 6 in one off-season.

I think best 6 players is stretching the truth a bit, but I understand where you are coming from. I have no idea where North will finish, I think that it could be anywhere between second and eighth, there are so many unknowns. I think too it will get back to the days where North had to rely on AFL listed players. Any week that North have both Lewis Johnston and Daniel Stewart in the side, they will be very, very hard to beat but who knows how often that will be. And of course, should North make the finals, Daniel Stewart wouldn't be available anyway.

Why woulden't any SANFL supporter say their club is going to improve? If I didnt beleive in the club then I would not support it nor the SANFL in general. Contrary to common perception its no great concern to me that South have not won the flag since 1964, there is little that I personally can do to change it and I love being a part of the club and who we are. I have seen our club go from being crippled with debt problems to being the most financial side in the league which is not a bad effort considering the pressure on the club from various people within the SANFL to close it. It suits me just fine that our survival as a club sticks it right up the SANFL and supporters of rival clubs that think we should be long gone from the competition.

In terms of where I placed the nine clubs in a guess at where they might finish in 2013, lets not get to far ahead of ourselves and realise that its a guess at best and well before recruiting for various sides has closed. Those placings are subjective at best for anyone who has a stab at it that early in the season.

As for North Adelaide, I take into account there past two seasons which have been amongst the worst in the history of the club. Yes they did rally towards the end of the season in 2012, yet to little to late IMO. South might have a lack of Success, but North are the kings of cutting down and destroying their own coaches and staff at the club along with bitter political infighting that goes on across pretty much any issue that comes up at the club. I also rate that as an influence for 2013 as rest assured there has been no shortage of bile towards the Senior Coach from several of thier so called members.

And I stand by my prediction that Sturt and Port will improve, Sturt are a very good chance of doing more than just improving and making the five IMO by their significant improvements (albeit on paper at this stage) to their list. If North had similar recruiting to Sturt for 2013, I would likely rate them in a similar fashion.

robranisgod wrote:
I think best 6 players is stretching the truth a bit, but I understand where you are coming from.

I think it's arguable rig. Mayes might be the only stretch, but I don't know that there are many outside that group of six who could claim to be better than the others in it, are there?

Flag No.9 wrote:

robranisgod wrote:
I think best 6 players is stretching the truth a bit, but I understand where you are coming from.

I think it's arguable rig. Mayes might be the only stretch, but I don't know that there are many outside that group of six who could claim to be better than the others in it, are there?

Ryswyk ran third in our b and f last year and was North's only state player. George Thring, Miles and K Thompson would all vie for positions in our top six last year. Certainly though Bennett was North's best player last year, Allan second best and Clisby and Currie would certainly have been in North's top six. Alleway had been a marvellous player for us and still had his moments but for every good game he played e.g the final against Central he had a bad game e.g the final against West. He would have struggled to finish in the top 12 in the B and F last year. It was time for him to retire.

As I said though, the recruits would want to be good to take the place of the class that has left, but I think that a lot of teams are in that boat this year. That's why I think that this year more than any is impossible to predict.

Country Cock ! wrote:As long as West supporters don't think they are gonna go better
than North this year, surely thats a joke, isn't it !

Everyone knows North are gonna go better & West a lot worse, back down the bottom again like always !

1 hit wonders again for another 20 years, like south !

You need to take a chill pill C C
I actually think West will do better than North this year, everyone is writing them off already, ok...they have lost a couple of players but have also picked up 2 very good recruits just before they were banned from recruiting any further. Don't be surprised to see them top 3 again. As for the Panthers? They have a good list and time will tell if Ronnie can get them up to play finals (which i think they can) As for North, i wouldn't be bragging about how good they are going to be...just yet.

Country Cock ! wrote:As long as West supporters don't think they are gonna go better
than North this year, surely thats a joke, isn't it !

Everyone knows North are gonna go better & West a lot worse, back down the bottom again like always !

1 hit wonders again for another 20 years, like south !

starting to sound like people on another site
or is it that people that follow norf just hate westies
for what its worth westies will finish higher than north

blacky wrote:

Country Cock ! wrote:As long as West supporters don't think they are gonna go better
than North this year, surely thats a joke, isn't it !

Everyone knows North are gonna go better & West a lot worse, back down the bottom again like always !

1 hit wonders again for another 20 years, like south !

starting to sound like people on another site
or is it that people that follow norf just hate westies
for what its worth westies will finish higher than north

It seems that by this site most of the West followers hate "Norf".

Reasonable observation, KR, but not quite the case with me.

My mother was a strong North supporter and North was my second favourite team. Used to enjoy watching the Lindners, Barrie Robran and a host of good players over the years.

It's only in recent years that changed, but the North posters here are generally really good and restoring my faith in the majority of the Rooster's fans.

I can understand people's opinions regarding posters on the other site. Even as a North fan, I, at times, feel the same. I just don't get why people dislike a club because of their supporters. I know it sounds cliched but the clubs are bigger than the supporters. I hate the fact that Centrals have won all the premierships the last decade and the fact that some of the supporters are arrogant and annoying, but I respect the hell out of Centrals because they have managed to do something my club hasn't been able to do, play consistently good and successful football.
Anyway, for what it's worth I think North will imrove this year, I am ever the optimist, and for that to happen either West or Norwood will have to decline so please don't take it personally if I don't want West to continue their good form this year.

Good post, kr. I think good and bad supporters are probably about the same percentage in every club but sometimes the 'ratbag' supporter element in any club can drown out the good and affect the way people perceive a club.

As you know, there are so many great North Adelaide posters on forums, as there are from each club.

As for North, I'm impressed with Josh Francou and their style of play.

They've lost a lot of good players, but have recruited pretty well. A lot will depend on how Nathan Gordon settles in and the effect of the loss of Bennett, Allan and particularly Clisby. The Thring boys will need to cotinue their terrific improvement.

I understand your wishes for West. We're travelling really well, apart from being broke, smashing the salary cap, losing a lot of players, having a game style everyone hates and being written off by everyone

Situation normal

We will definately feel the loss of Allan, Bennett and Currie through the midfield, but life has to go on and this will create opportunnities for others to step up. The players we have recruited look to be able to do that.

Regardless of the criticism of Collins gameplan, it showed that it works and it is therefore up to the others to do something about it. Norwood proved they could do it, why not everyone else. I think criticism only stems from the fact that most other teams cant beat it.

Looking onwards, I am looking forward to the round 4 clash under lights at Richmond. It will show if we have learnt anything from the Prelim loss.

Might see you there.