In just a bit over 24 hours season 2011 will be underway but before the first bounce I’m sure everyone will be making those last minute changes to dreamteam (I know I will), putting in their tips and getting the beers ready for a weekend of footy but I’d thought I would take some time out to give you my thoughts on how season 2011 will pan out and look back at the end of the footy season and see how all the predictions go, so here is my prediction:

The Final Ladder

1. Pies

2. Saints

3. Cats

4. Hawks

5. Swans

6. Dogs

7. Blues

8. Dockers

9. Bombers

10. Demons

11. Suns

12. Crows

13. Roos

14. Lions

15. Eagles

16. Port

17. Tigers

Brownlow: Dane Swan

Coleman: Lance Franklin

Rising Star: Gary Rohan

AA Captain: Luke Hodge

Norm Smith: Dale Thomas

Bradshaw Games/Goals: 16/Over 50

Dale Thomas Top 10 for Brownlow: I’ll say yes

First of all I’m going to address my tip for Bradshaw on how many games he will play and how many goals he will score as I’m sure the boys will give me a hard time about this but while he won’t play the first round it’s just going to be a week by week thing to see how he pulls up but I’m sure once he gets a few games under his belt his knee will be able to handle the workload.

Alot of people have the Gold Coast Suns coming 17^th but I think the chances of that happening are very unlikely, I believe while they will not come last they will not make the top eight at the same time.  I think that they will string a few wins together this year and I have placed them to come 11^th this year but over the next few years I think they will become an extremely good team.

For the other boys 2011 predictions check out the following:

• Sarge’s Ultimate Prediction Post for 2011
• Matty P’s 2011 Crystal Ball

I’m not going to muck around. Here’s my major predictions for this year:

Final Ladder (does NOT include finals)

1. Collingwood Barring injury I can’t see Collingwood slipping. They are now the hunted which could cause a little slip or just make other teams go silly.
2. St Kilda What a shocking off-season. They’ll let their footy do the talking and contend yet again. They’ll need to inject some youth to go all the way. Gamble will need to be good for them.
3. Hawthorn I am expecting a huge year from Cyril, Buddy and Roughead. Mitchell I reckon has gone off everyones radar, a fine preseason he’s had. They’ve had injury riddled years gone by and apart from Hodge this year looks to be their best year yet. A fit Burgoyne and new recruits Bruce and Hale they are a scary prospect.
4. Western Bulldogs Have set a huge expectation on themselves to make a grand final this year. I’m not sure if they’ll make the grand final, as Roosey would say ‘too many variables’ but they’ll be top 4
5. Carlton Pace, Murphy, Gibbs and of course Judd and the 3 amigos up forward (Betts, Yarran, Garlett) a club goal to win a final gets them to 5th spot for me. They remind me of a Geelong from 2004.
6. Geelong I really can’t get a read on my own team. They are ‘old’ but age is just a number. I do agree that unless some kids show some real promising signs that there won’t be a lot of improvement. What could get them further up in the ladder is a ‘twinge’ of gameplan. If the talented list stays healthy and Tommahawk can hold onto a contested mark and kick straight – watch out! Flying under the radar helps too (I still can’t get ’08 out of my head).
7. Fremantle Haven’t had the best of preseasons a fair few injuries but I think they’ve got the class to get into another finals series.
8. Melbourne They’ve been down for too long. Their talent they’ve received for being shit needs to shine. This is the year they’ll play a final.
9. Essendon They’ll show signs of promise. No thanks to the players it’ll all be because of King Hird, of course! Unfortunately they’ve hit a year where a lot of teams are on the improve, they’ll just finish just below the 8.
10. Sydney They had a bit of a dream run last year. They could still to scrape into the finals but have them missing out. They need to forget about Bradshaw. Him playing will only hurt them long-term.
11. Adelaide They’ve lost a lot of talent and the board is putting pressure on the coach early. I actually predict Neil Craig will be the first coach to go this year. He just seems like he’s conceded already. There needs to be a spark at the Crows, a new coach will do that.
12. North Melbourne Poor preseason will lead to a poor start and as a result a poor finish to the ladder. Throw in the towel early and prepare for the greatest preseason for 2012, North.
13. Brisbane They’ll surprise a few and NOT finish bottom 4. They’ll inject a lot of kids to show promising signs for years to come. They’ll finish a bit higher if Browny(!!) can be a fit and healthy kid.
14. Richmond I think they’ll have a similar year to last year. We’ll all feel sorry for them and it’ll be epic when they win games. They just won’t win many.
15. Port Adelaide To be honest I don’t know a great deal about Port. They seem to like their new coach a lot so that gets them off at least the bottom of the ladder. Goal for me: Learn about Port Adelaide.
16. West Coast If Kerr can stop being a twit I think they could finish higher than this but their skills are terrible.
17. Gold Coast Suns New team, so many kids. Ablett in doubt. They need to find their feet. They’ll win a few games and it’ll be great when they do but you counter in travel to a young side as well, you’re not going to see many wins here. The experience will be great however.

Grand Finalists – Collingwood VS Hawthorn

With Collingwood winning unfortunately.

Brownlow – Joel Selwood

No Yablett means all the votes go to Selwood. Selwood polled 21 votes last year and Yablett was runner up. Selwood will poll 40+ votes. I’m not sure what he’s paying but GET ON IT!

Coleman – Buddy Franklin

Not very original but from all reports a great preseason and he’s ready to go. My only concern (being a good concern for hawk fans) is that I predict Roughead to have a huge year, so he may steal a few snags.

Rising Star – Swallow

Not very original but there you go.

AA Captain – Judd

Because everyone loves him

Norm Smith – Dale Thomas

Matty P and I agree on something. I can no longer call him a f$%#ing flower. He’s earnt my respect and can perform on the big stage.

How will the sub rule turn out – Rubbish – Toss it out next season.

Like absolute crap. You would think that if there are no injuries going into the last quarter that most teams will have used their sub by now. The problem with this is that if injuries occur then they can’t sub meaning you’re down to a 2-man bench. I think you’ll find that once 1 team subs the other team will probably sub not long after. It’s going to be a game of chess. Maybe we’re all looking into it a bit too much. Personally I think the sub should be your 22nd best player (but not a key position player) and should only sub if someone is actually injured. If there’s 10minutes to go send out the sub and take the risk. It’ll be a huge talking point throughout the year.

Biggest off-field talking point – Malthouse/Buckley scenario

I hope it burns down and affects the playing group as well. Heck we need anything we can get to knock the Pies off their perch.

First Coach to be sacked – Neil Craig

I feel like he’s flat. Not a career coach. Passion lost. Conceded. I think he’ll leave mid-late year also. Crows need some spark (not at kardinia park)

How many games will Yablett play – 15

Dale Thomas Top 10 for Brownlow – YES!

How many games and goals will Daniel Bradshaw get – 7 games for 11 goals

What are YOUR predictions for the season ahead?!

For the other boys 2011 predictions check out the following:

• Matty P’s 2011 Crystal Ball
• Beno’s 2011 Predictions Post

1. Get yourself involved in a tipping comp. Better yet – join our tipping AFL tipping comp! If we get a certain amount of people signed up we’ll have a cash prize and it’s FREE to join!
2. Sign up to AFL Dream Team and follow the boys Dream Team Tips and desperate attempts to try and better each other. We’re still looking for a few more leagues to join so if you have a league that needs filling – let us know in the comments below!
3. Get involved in the $100 AFL Betting Challenge. Pop $100 into sportingbet read our $100 AFL Betting Challenge guidelines and see if you can take the crown and be the 2011 AFL Betting Challenge Champion!
4. Create a prediction post! Matty P posted an excellent example of a prediction post a few days ago. These sorts of posts are a must BEFORE the season begins so you can look back and gloat or deny you ever wrote it.
5. Have season-long wagers with your mates. Example – Matty P and Beno have a bet going for 2 cartons for person that finishes higher in our DT league. Matty P and Sarge have a bet where if Cats finish top 4 Sarge owes Matty P $20 and if Daisy Thomas makes top 10 in brownlow Matty P owes Sarge $20. We’ll have more of these up somewhere on the site as the season progresses.
6. Follow the Footy High boys on twitter and facebook and even YouTube!
7. Find a few stars to follow in the social media world. We’ve got a AFL in social media page in progress but we’ve set up lists on twitter where you can follow all the AFL players you barrack for on twitter.
8. Pick out what AFL TV Shows you want to watch in 2011. We’re hoping to also showcase some of the AFL shows and podcasts that are over the internet so stay tuned to our AFL on TV page for more of that!
9. Check regularly on footyhigh.com. It’s going to be a very exciting year!
10. Put on your team colours and CHEER!!

What do you do to prepare for the footy season?!

Enjoy the 2011 season. May your team have great success!

The pre-season is finally coming to an end, so we can stop talking about schoolgirls, player managers and Fev’s darkest days and we can turn our attention to the real important stuff. The usual banter has been flying around amongst the boys and of course we’re all talking up our sides and predicting big things (this is particularly difficult this year as a Lions supporter), so like last year we’re making a point of documenting just how we think things will pan out for the 2011 season. Come season’s end we can look back and see how right or (much more likely) how wrong we were.

The 2010 crystal ball was a bit hazy for me, and thinks didn’t go precisely as  I thought, so this year I’ve given it a good polish. I can confidently say that everything I predict here comes with the Matty P guarantee – you can put the farm on these calls.

The Final Ladder (including finals)

1. Pies

2. Cats

3. Dogs

4. Hawks

5. Saints

6. Freo

7. North

8. Carlton

9. Swans

10. Lions

11. Port

12. Bombers

13. Crows

14. Eagles

15. Dees

16. Tiges

17. Suns

Brownlow: Luke Hodge

Coleman: Barry Hall

Rising Star: Jared Polec

AA Captain: Luke Hodge

Norm Smith: Dale Thomas

Bradshaw Games/Goals: 6/14

Dale Thomas Top 10 for Brownlow: No (Sarge and I have a wager, just making it official)

It may be a bit of a cop out just picking the reigning premiers to take it out again this year, but I really can’t see who is going to get over the top of the Pies in 2011. Late last year Collingwood looked just about unbeatable – the performance in the prelim against the Cats was just awesome, and to come back in the GF replay and blow the Saints away like they did shows they’re made of the right stuff. With the exception of Presti they really haven’t lost much in the off-season and they’ve got a bunch of younger guys who are only going to go forward in their development.

The cats at 2 might surprise a lot of people, but I’m expecting good things from them. If Bomber was as jaded as he says he was at the end of 2010, it can’t have been good for the club – I think a new coach and a fresh outlook will revitalise Geelong and they’ll still be thereabouts this year.

I’m tipping the Saints to slide a bit this year. They’ve proven to be just short of the mark for the last couple of years now with a team built around the likes of Riewoldt, Hayes, Goddard and Dal Santo. These guys are still great footballers, but they’re past the age where we can expect to see any improvement from them – I think 2011 is the year where we’ll start to see some of the younger sides catching up to the ageing Saints.

They’re probably no surprises at the other end of the ladder. The Suns inexperienced list will struggle at AFL level, and it’ll take them a while to find cohesion amongst the group. I think they’ll be waiting a while for their first win.

I think Captain Hodge is going to kick things up a notch this year. Obviously he’s already rated as one of the best in the business, but I think 2011 will be the year he stamps himself as one of the greats. Polec is a bit of a roughie for the Rising Star, but he’s a classy kid who’ll get games in the Lions struggling midfield. Besides, Brisbane has got to win something.

Once again, Sarge and Beno the challenge is issued to make your own predictions. If anyone disagrees with me feel free to comment and let me know why and I will tell you why you are wrong.

For the other boys 2011 predictions check out the following:

• Sarge’s Ultimate Prediction Post for 2011
• Beno’s 2011 Predictions Post

With the introduction of the new structure and shortened matches I’m predicting that we will see a few surprises during the NAB cup, with alot of clubs utilizing their rookies and slowly return alot of senior players later on in the competition, who will rise to the occasion?  Who will fail to get their season off to a good start? Below are my predictions for the first round:

Pool 1: Demons
Pool 2: Pies
Pool 3: Dockers
Pool 4: Saints
Pool 5: Swans
Pool 6: Cats

Qualifier 1: Suns
Qualifier 2: Blues

Out of those selections i chose the Suns to get through to the next stage as i feel they can bag quite a few goals against a GWS team made up of very young rookies with no experience at an AFL level and this will help them secure a good percentage, as for who can win this my money is on the cats as the team has a new coach who brings alot of new energy to the team and with quite a few players running around on old legs I’m sure they will be out to impress their new coach. On a ending note I’m very happy for the footy to start back up again and i know Sarge is super excited as well and while Matty P may not be a fan of the NAB cup I’m sure he is excited to get back into the footy as well even though his team the Brisbane Lions may not perform well this year due to many reason which i will not go on about as they have been well documented about on and off field situations, at least Matty P can take some comfort in knowing that he can support another Qld team in the Suns and can not only see a team put a few wins together but also be part of something exciting as its their first season.

Now to answer Sarge’s prediction that Sydney won’t make the 8, Sarge you need to learn a few more things about footy because you are way off the mark with those little boy comments, but i accept your challenge and i propose that when the Swans make the 8 at the end of the footy season that you pay the bill for my Sydney Swans membership for 2012 and that’s not all you must forego your cats membership for 2012 and be a Swans member that year and the same will go if they don’t make the 8 i will pay for your cats membership and i will also become a member, but I’m so confident that we will make the 8.

One of those winnable games is Saturday night against North. The Roos have at times looked pretty good this year, but other times they’ve been dismal, particularly against the Saints and last week at Freo. A huge factor in this game is the Roos coming off a six day break flying back from Perth – if Brisbane are around the mark at three quarter time, expect them to run away with it. Brownvola still looks a long way off fit, but 8 goals between them last week will boost their confidence, and I don’t think North have the defence to contain them. Look for them to dominate – I’m tipping 10 between them.

So with that in mind I’m placing the first of a few bets for the week on this game:

$10 on the Lions over North by 24+ @$2.65. Was tempted to go over 40, but that might be getting a bit carried away considering the month or so of footy we played preceeding the Collingwood game. If my team is to go anywhere this year then this is a must win game, and it should be a percentage booster.

$10 on Carlton over Dees by 1-39 @ $2.20. I like these odds. Carlton are looking good, and should get up over the Dees, but I don’t think they have the forward line to really kick away from Melbourne, whose defence has proven to be quality this season.

$5 on Collingwood over the Dogs by 1-24 @ $3.40. Collingwood tend to lift for big games, and I think they’ll be stung into action after a humiliating loss to the eventual premiers last week. Dogs were woeful last week, and seem to have some issues getting it together this season. The way they’re playing at the moment, I think they’ll struggle to crack top 4. Having said that, they are a decent side, and they shouldn’t let the Pies get away too much.

I also need to mention a bet made between me and Beno last week. These things need to be put in the public domain. On Saturday night, my dreamteam sat on about 1300 with 9 players left to play, Beno about 1100 with 11 to come. I made the call and the bet was on – the lower scoring coach would buy a couple of beers for the victor. I’m pleased to say it was not even close. My boys smacked Beno’s Gangstaz by 100+ points. I’m looking forward to a couple of domestic brews on Beno’s wallet this weekend.

The official match between Beno’s Gangstaz and Matty P’s Mashville Mashers takes place in round 12, and the smack talk has begun already. I’m quite confident the Gangstaz are going the way of the Swans and I will get over them easy.

Hawks VS Swans 1.10 MCG

For me the most anticipated match of the round and will have lots of questions answered such as – How much strife are the Swans really in? Was last weeks belting of the Blues a sign of things to come for the Hawks? Can the Hawks make the finals? Will those stupid Kokoda camouflage jerseys work in the Hawks favour? Can Henry Playfair actually string a few games together and make my Dream Team investment worthwhile? Are Sydney really shit?

I’m rooting hard for a Hawks win. Might seem strange from a Cats supporter but seeing the Hawks rise up and back playing their best footy is good for the competition. I’ll never forget 2008 for the rest of my life and there’s nothing I’d love more than to get some revenge and beat them in the finals.

It would also be excellent to see the Swans lose their 4th straight to keep the likes of Beno silent after putting up with his nonsense for at the start of the season. Do I have to remind you about my amazing prediction, Beno?

My honest thoughts about this game? I think we’ll get a definite answer after the first quarter. The Swans are desperate for a win and like the lions last night I believe they are capable of turning the tables around and getting back on track. What they have going against them are some key injuries to Kennelly, Bradshaw and Seaby and the fact that it’s the Kokoda game (for both sides I believe) but the whole event seems heavily in the Hawks favour wearing those camouflage jerseys, which I actually like the look of, it’s much better than the poo and wee stripes.

On a side note, it’s annoyed me for the last couple of years how the Hawks injury list has seemed to be accepted as an excuse for them not winning. Well I’m pretty sure they have the smallest injury list in the league now. So if they don’t win, they are indeed shit.

My Tip – Hawks by 22+. Unfortunately the odds just aren’t juicy enough for me to have a punt @ 2.20 under 39 points.

Dreamteam – you’re a smart man if you have Hodge as your captain this week. An easy 100+ game coming up for him. O’Keefe – LIFT! I expect Mitchell to have a cracking game too after all the talks this week questioning if he is the true captain of the team. Goodes is due for a cracking game too.

It’s a shame Barry Hall isn’t playing after last years game where he gave away a 150m penalty. Going to be a cracker of a game. I can’t wait!

The first bet is a simple two leg multi:

$5 on Swans to beat Freo and Crows to beat Brisbane @ $3.74 - I’m doing Sarge’s trick here. I’m a bit pessimistic about my team at the moment, so I figure I’ll make some money off our poor form, or at least be pleasantly surprised with a win. We’ve got Clark back which is nice, but with Merrett and Drummond both out, our defence is very shaky. Saucehead is a real general down there so heads are cooler with him around and without Drummond, the rebound from the back our team relies on is left to the less silky skills of Raines and McGrath. I would love to see Freo win today as well, but I think they’ll be a little shaky after a loss last weekend and the goings on with Johnson during the week won’t help. Swans at home are always a tough ask.

The second bet is simple:

$20 on the Saints to beat West Coast with a 7.5 point headstart @ $2 – Couldn’t believe these odds when I saw them. Sure the Saints have not been great, but the Weagles are in the doldrums (wins over Melbourne and Hawthorn are nothing to brag about). St Kilda are a great side, and they will blow away cellar dwellers like West Coast any day of the week .

Footy starts in ten minutes – time to put a pie in the oven!

Port to beat the Bombers by under 39 points @ $2.60 – Yes it’s in Melbourne, the only reason I can see why the bombers would be favourites. They beat a pathetic hawthorn the week before and the dees still have a lot of trouble with their defense. To be honest it wouldn’t surprise me if the Power got up by over 39 but because the bombers are favs I’m tipping Port by under 39. P.S. I need new recruit C.Cornes to really kick ass this week in my Dream Team.

Hawks to beat the Eagles @ $2.35 – Yes, it’s at subie but the eagles have been pretty bad and there doesn’t seem to be any sign on or off field that they’re going to turn it around. Meanwhile this week all the heat has been on the hawks who I honestly believe will come out firing. Franklin playing fully fit is the worry and they’re still without their captain. Also the ruck is a worry too with big Nic Nat and Cox coming back to form (I sort of feel like I’m talking myself for a weagles win now but I’ll stick with it! ) However – they’re a proud club and can be nasty when they want to be. I predict a nasty hawks side to get one back and keep the media at bay. In all honesty though, if they lost again it wouldn’t bother me in the slightest

Freo to beat Lions by under 39 @ $3.25 – I can’t believe Lions are huge favourites here. Still without Merrett and now Maguire suspended their backline will struggle a bit. They’ll need a fully firing Browny and Fev to win this one but I just think the run of Freo will get them over the line. I hope Lions win but the dockers are just looking too good at the moment and at those odds they’re too good to refuse. Would be a great game to go to!

Swans to beat Cats by under 39 @ $4.25 – Delicious odds and again I’m doing my usual routine of betting against my beloved cats. I can’t see either team winning by over 40 and I give the Swans a chance on current form. I still go by my tip last week that from the head I think the cats at home will be too strong for the swans and the cats should take it out in a close one. Having said that, they are juicy odds and it will be devestating if we lost, especially against Sydney for certain reasons (ie putting up with Beno for the rest of the year over a H&A win against the cats) so a few dollars in my pocket will make up for it only very very very very slightly.

If I were going to put a multi on I’d slap it on port and freo double. Sorry Matty P. Lions need to do something to gain my respect back. Your return from the states may just help them!