Predictions? 2022 season

[Yorkeys]

Tim Membery will become a key link player and blossom without the weight of being main forward. Will however remain unappreciated by media until late in season.

The combination of Lethlean/Ratten/Gallagher will become a folk lore trinity in Saintsland. Once in a generation stuff.

Sam Mitchell will be a disappointment to Hawthorn fans, and the media who will not have the fortitude to criticise him until middle of 2023.

Anyone else prepared to make fools of themselves with ridiculously early predictions?

[Wayne42]

Any one or all of the combination of Lethlean/Ratten/Gallagher are under the pump after the Saints lose the first 4 games of season 2022.
The fans and the media are beating the jungle drums.

Rath throws away his grapes and calls a crisis meeting.

[1965 Saint]

COVID absenteeism will determine the outcome with clubs playing make up players in place of missing match winners and results will be all over the place.

[Winmar7]

ADEL – Taylor Walker will resign mid-season after another racism scandal.
BRIS – still won’t make the GF.
CARL – after being granted the easiest draw, will finish 9th.
COLL – Jordan de Goey will appear on the back page of the Herald Sun more than any other player in 2022, and for all the wrong reasons.
ESS – will fail to win a final for the 18th consecutive season.
FREO – nobody cares about Freo.
GEEL – will finally be granted a home final at Kardinia Park, which will be an elimination final, and will lose embarrassingly, ending Chris Scott’s tenure.
GC – will finish last with 3 wins, Ben King will depart at season’s end, and the AFL will announce the end of the GC experiment and launch an 18th team in Tasmania.
GWS – Toby Greene to win goal of the year.
HAW – bottom 4.
MELB – Will lose round 1 and miss the eight. Dunstan improves his kicking and debuts on Anzac Eve, and Damian Barrett criticises St Kilda for letting him go.
NTH – will break out of the bottom 4.
PORT – something about prison bars.
RICH – the former Mrs Hardwick will be romantically linked to a controversial AFL personality, derailing Richmond mid-season. The new Mrs Hardwick will leave Dimma for someone her own age.
St K – Premiers 2022!!!
SYD – Paddy MacCartin kicks 6 goals on debut for the Swans and does nothing for the rest of the year. Damian Barrett criticises St Kilda for letting him go.
WCE – along with Geelong, the old men of the West will fall out of contention.
WB – Bruce returns, but Naughton does his knee this time.

[spert]

If the forward half stay uninjured and settled, then we will have the ability to kick more winning scores. One of our midfield will have a breakout season. We enter the eight mid season and stay there, and of course win the premiership after Oliver and Petracca get serious injuries and Melbourne drop away.

[Banger9798]

Max King becomes a Behomoth and pushes to top 3 in Coleman

Clark transitions to midfield and uses his sidestep and skill by foot to lace out forwards all year.

NWM becomes a regular by seasons end and shows plenty of what is to come.

Higgins becomes a consistent gun

Billings stays injury free and for once has a second half of the season that is better than his first

[WellardSaint]

The Melb n Richmond predictions are the funniest ones there !

Mrs Hardwick might hook up with Billy Brownless lol

[happy feet]

The Saints will not do as well as everyone hopes. The usual crowd on here will search for answers, compete to display their superior football knowledge, told you so’s will flood the boards and be supported by the odd post from months ago to prove their superiority, there will be the odd ban, Simon will be criticised for going easy on some posters, not hard enough on others, there will be fights, squabbles, a few bans and then the season will be over. Welcome to Saintsational 2022.

[WellardSaint]

I agree with Happy Feet.
We have a tough draw.
2020 was incredible because the entire squad bonded in Noosa, there were few distractions from the main job of footy; they were living in a bubble so honesty became essential, honesty from everyone.
In normal season, there's family and outside influences away from training.

The guys played above themselves. Punched above their weight, in most cases. Particularly Butler, Battle, and a few others, who have since reverted to their normal standard.

I think some players may improve slightly, but others could go backwards.

The squad as a whole, might improve by a small %, however...other teams will improve a lot more than us.
Therefore, we will be effectively going backwards

[samuraisaint]

Improvement or full seasons from the following players who have been on the list pre-Ratten is what is required for us to move back into the 2020 6th position: Gresham, Billings, McKenzie. Sinclair, Webster, Hannebery, Long, Membrey, Battle, Ross and Marshall.

We get full seasons out of this core group of players and we make finals and could win at least the Elimination Final.

I think Ming will kick 60 goals, and RoMa to dominate games and feature heavily in the Brownlow Medal count.

Paton to be the big improver and consolidate his spot in the back half, with Howard to continue to mount a challenge for the Vice Captaincy.

Our midfield will be our most improved line in 2022 with Gresham back and expect greater input from Crouch and Hannebery.

Sharman to kick 40 goals and Membrey to play a linking role playing further up the field while offering a marking option alongside Sharman, Ming, Ryder/RoMa.

[samuraisaint]

COVID absenteeism will determine the outcome with clubs playing make up players in place of missing match winners and results will be all over the place.

Agreed. You could argue the lockdowns, lightning border closures, and quarantine procedures in 2021 were what ultimately cost us a place in the finals this year.

[samuraisaint]

Tim Membery will become a key link player and blossom without the weight of being main forward. Will however remain unappreciated by media until late in season.

The combination of Lethlean/Ratten/Gallagher will become a folk lore trinity in Saintsland. Once in a generation stuff.

Sam Mitchell will be a disappointment to Hawthorn fans, and the media who will not have the fortitude to criticise him until middle of 2023.

Anyone else prepared to make fools of themselves with ridiculously early predictions?

Great call re: Membrey, I wrote my prediction before I read yours.

[saynta]

Swans will rookie list a former saints no 1 draft pick who will go on to be a great fullforward.

[samuraisaint]

Swans will rookie list a former saints no 1 draft pick who will go on to be a great fullforward.

Yep - probably - they have made a history of this, which is continuing with Hickey at the moment.
Hopefully we can get one coming the other way.

[B.M]

An 8th - 13th finish

Depending on injuries to key players

[DJ Higgins]

Just scrape into finals but will be making up numbers.
Still missing a kpd which is an issue when Wilkie gets rested
Gresham comes back and improves midfield where as billing’s doesn’t
Hanners plays half the season gets injured an retires
King improves which unleashes members as he no longer deals their best defender and copper keeps same standard which is good
Rattan unfortunately doesn’t adapt quickly enough Amin certain games and we get out coached on occasions
One of of new recruits is a bonafied star by year end
All set for flag assault 2023

[DJ Higgins]

dbl post

[Impatient Sainter]

I am in the 2022 will be a positive year camp.

Saints to play finals.

Biggest calls - both Hannebrey & Jones to play 18 games.
Marshall to have a dominant year.
Clark to become the silky inside/out midfielder he has projected.
Saints midfield to be rated top 4 in comp.

Battle to consolidate CHB and become our leading intercept marker.
Wilkie released to become a more attacking defender.
Paton to force his way back into the side & return to 2020 form.
Saints defence rated top 6 in comp.

King to kick over 50 goals and dominate defences.
Sharman to continue on his 2021 form.
Higgins, Butler & Gresham to become the best small forward combo in the game.
Byrnes to force Billings out of the HFF position.
Saints F50 rated top 6 in comp.

New recruits NWM & Windhager & (Jack Hayes) to debut.
Sandringham finish top 4 in VFL H&A.
Ratten signed for another 3 year contract.

Ben King asked to be and is traded to St Kilda at seasons end! Coffield to become part of the trade.

2023 Saints win first flag in 56 years.

[DJ Higgins]

dbl post

[bigcarl]

I think we will give it a good shake. Barring catastrophic injuries like last year. A good start is vital