And so we bid adieu to the 2015 AFL season.  Who won the Grand Final, the Australian Super Bowl, the prize of all prizes?

Welcome to Balls of Steel’s AFL Beat!

In the end, the best team won, so we have to be thankful for that.  The Grand Final, to me, really illustrated what makes this game great to me:

1. It is very similar to soccer in that
   1. There are coaching tactics involved in setting lineups, directing the initial placement of players, and providing a general philosophy on how to play.
   2. Once the game starts, however, the players on the field must think for themselves and make the proper moves in order to get the team to succeed.  Player decision-making is a vital piece to the success of the team.
   3. You need to be in very good physical condition in order to play.  The amount of running and jumping involved and the length of the game, without breaks, is tremendous.
2. It is also very similar to American football in that
   1. It requires enormous mental and physical toughness.  You can physically intimidate opponents and make them succumb to your will.  Games are won or lost on the basis of who wants it more and who exerts more effort at crucial times.
   2. It is unique to one country, which makes it extra special.  Everyone around the world can enjoy it, but there is only one league in one country that matters.  And that country stops everything to watch the last game.

Hawthorn won the championship because it was mentally stronger than the West Coast Eagles.  All you have to do is look at the scoreline from the first quarter.  West Coast had six scoring opportunities and only got one goal and five behinds for 11 points.  Hawthorn had five scoring opportunities and scored goals in all of them for a score of 30.  That was the game.

Once West Coast got down, Hawthorn exerted the pressure they are known for and throttled the Eagles, who were discouraged and could not fight back.  The final margin was 46 points, but that really flatters the Eagles as they got a few late goals to make it seem more respectable than it really was.

The way Luke Hodge calmly kicks this goal shows how cool under pressure the Hawks were all game:

Here is a beautiful example of Hawthorn taking advantage of West Coast mistakes:

Here is the final siren and the well-deserved celebration for the Hawks:

It’s also worthwhile checking out this extended highlights package:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oCpKyJEFttI

The Hawks have now been to the last four Grand Finals and have won the last three.  That’s pretty fucking impressive.  And yes, they are the favorites to win next year.  They don’t expect to lose hardly anyone due to retirement or injury.  True, they are getting older, but in reality they are pretty well set up for another run.  Plus, the mental aspect doesn’t age, which is what sets them apart.  How does the rest of the competition stack up?  Let’s take a look, in order of finish, from last to first:

Carlton Blues

Carlton is a young team and should rebound from their Wooden Spoon-winning performance this year.  I’m not ready to declare them finals candidates (top eight), but they should avoid the Wooden Spoon next year.  Barely.

Brisbane Lions

It is fascinating to me how teams can rise and fall so quickly in this league.  The Lions were the last team to win three championships in a row in 2001, 2002, and 2003.  Now they are mired in the bottom rungs of the ladder.  Unfortunately, I don’t see much improvement next year.  They need to hope they score big in the draft and get some young talent that can build a foundation for the next few years.

Gold Coast Suns

It will be an interesting offseason for the Suns, who caught a lot of flak for their hard-partying offseason exploits last year.  That carried over into the footy season and ruined what should have been a promising season after 2014’s great year.  I’m thinking they have learned their lesson and the offseason should be a lot quieter this time around.  There will be some roster turnover, but that’s probably a good thing.  They may get out of the teens, but just barely.  No finals yet for them.

Essendon Bombers

Talk about teams in turmoil!  Like the Suns, the team’s performance was overshadowed by off-field events.  For Everton, it was the still on-going saga over performance-enhancing drugs. It’s really not fair that something that happened over two seasons ago is still troubling the team, but that’s the way things are.  If the drama can finally stop, the Bombers have a chance to rebound.  If it lingers like a stale fart, the Bombers’ 2016 season will be another dingleberry.

St. Kilda Saints

I really liked how the Saints played in many games this year.  They grew tremendously in mental toughness and fought hard in almost every game.  Since the team is young, I look for them to learn from this year, move up, and possibly contend for a finals spot.

Melbourne Demons

 Melbourne is an enigma to me.  I don’t know how they got this high in the ladder this year.  Somehow someway, they managed to win some games against good competition and then get their asses kicked in most other games.  Let’s say they land exactly in the same spot next year.  Or a bit lower.  Honestly, I have no idea.

Collingwood Magpies

Collingwood started the season really well and then had a complete meltdown and finished 12th.  This has been their pattern for the last two years.  I see no reason for this to change.  Well, actually it could change based on how the schedule plays out next year.  The Magpies have benefitted from playing soft competition at the beginning and then wilted when they faced the better teams.  If they face better teams at the beginning next year, they could drop down further on the ladder.

GWS Giants

The Giants were expected to make the leap into the top eight spots this year and looked for most of the year as if they would do it.  A late-season swoon however, left them out of the finals.  Since they are a young team, this could be a good learning opportunity that can launch them to a finals spot next year.  Eventually, though, they have to prove they have what it takes.  If they don’t succeed next year…

Geelong Cats

My team had a rough up and down year and ended up ultimately out of the final eight. All in all, it was a good turnover year as the older champion veterans gave way to younger players and had the opportunity to teach them the ropes.  For the most part, the youngsters responded, so that bodes well.  If, as expected, Patrick Dangerfield and Cats’ captain Joel Selwood’s brother Scott join the team, some massive holes will be plugged and the Cats should once again contend for a finals spot.

Port Adelaide Power

Port had high expectations going into this season after a good finals showing in 2014.  Unfortunately, things didn’t pan out and they missed out on the finals this year.  They did finish strong, which is a good sign, and they return most players, so the base is there for them to contend again next year.  The big question will be the expectations placed on them.  They didn’t exactly rise to meet them this year.  Maybe if everyone expects them to suck, they’ll surprise.

North Melbourne Kangaroos

The Roos had what has to be considered a pretty successful year.  They took a #8 spot all the way to a preliminary final, which is difficult given the AFL finals structure.  Can they repeat and improve on that performance?  All signs point to a YES, but there are a couple of concerns:  1) they are getting older. 2) They’ve been knocking on the door for a while. Do they have what it takes to break through?

Adelaide Crows

The Crows went through an emotional rollercoaster this year.  They started off well, went through a bit of a slump, started getting better, and then their coach was murdered by his own son. As shocking as that was, the Crows were mentally tough enough to continue winning, make the eight, and even won their elimination final.  Now that all the stress and strain of this season is behind them, what happens?  They already know they will lose Patrick Dangerfield to Geelong.  It is now just a question of what they will get in return.  I think the heavy weight of what this season brought will bring them back down next year.  I’m not sure they make the finals again.

Western Bulldogs

The Doggies played extremely well to vault themselves into a finals spot late in the year.  They lost the elimination final, but gained valuable experience.  This is the classic setup for a “team on the rise”.  Will that pan out next year?  I’m not sure they will rise too far.  They will most likely contend again and will probably get a top eight spot.  Beyond that, though, I’m not sure.  There is still a lot more to learn and they lost too many games this year that they probably shouldn’t have.

Richmond Tigers

The Tigers used a late-season surge to get in the top eight and contend for a top-four.  They barely missed and then succumbed to the Kangaroos in the elimination final after having beaten them the previous week.  I actually see them going down the ladder next year.  I’m not really sure they make the finals.  Although they have my favorite mullet in the league, their talent level needs a boost.

Sydney Swans

The Swans’ 2015 season unraveled due to untimely injuries and the mental issues of Buddy Franklin. Next year’s team will look a lot different than this year.  Swans star Adam Goodes has already announced his retirement and there is a big question mark as to how well all those injured Swans will heal.  I look for Sydney to drop down next year. Depending on how they replenish the roster, the fall could be steep.

Fremantle Dockers

The season’s regular season #1 team has to be disappointed at their preliminary final loss to the eventual champion Hawthorn Hawks.  They had everything going for them:  a home game combined with a rival that played one more game than them.  And yet they lost.  The rap on the Dockers has been in recent years that they eventually fade out and choke at the worst possible time.  They didn’t do anything to dispel that this year.  They should once again contend, but they need to figure out how to take that final step.

West Coast Eagles

The Eagles are a damn good team and played really well throughout the year, but they are lacking in mental toughness.  That cost them the Grand Final this year.  West Coast fans hope that they learn from this experience and improve next year.  They are certainly set up to be in the top four again.  I look for them to stay in the top four next year.  Only time will tell if they develop enough mentally to take the championship.

Hawthorn Hawks

I’m not sure what else you can say about the reigning champions.  They overcame a Qualifying final loss to the same West Coast Eagles team they trounced in the Grand Final.  They play a strong, intense, and pressure-filled style that works well come finals time.  They have not suffered significant losses due to injury or retirements.  They are, once again, the team to beat.

Thank you to everyone that read through these all this year and especially those of you that chose teams and followed along.  The beautiful thing about this game is that, once the NFL season ends, the AFL is getting ready to start.  The perfect NFL-offseason fill-in.   See you next year!