W00T! Footy season has started. I'm a bit of a fanatic. Last year I averaged watching 5 of the 9 games each week as well as about 7+ hrs each of AFL related news, talk and stats shows. I even signed up to Twitter so I can tweet out at teams/players/coaches/other fans on game day. It's a commitment, but it's a commitment that involves beer so I'm usually happy to make it. I'm probably also gonna blog about it a fair bit during the season. Lets start with what I think of how each team will shape up during 2013.

Adelaide, Hawthorn and Sydney should all do well this year. I won't be making any predictions for Premiers but any one of these teams could be in the running. Hawthorn and Sydney played off in the Grand Final last year but I haven't liked what I've seen of either team in the preseason. Sydney just beat GWS but it wasn't the hiding it could have been and the Hawks injury list is long. Adelaide could make a showing as on paper they have a good team but have yet to show any real Premiership talent. If they sort their shit they are probably the best teams in the league and they should all be playing finals footy.

GWS and Gold Coast are the new kids on the block. GWS started off their AFL careers much better than GCS despite being introduced a year later and they're both now on par with each other. I like both teams as stars are emerging from their young talent pools quite quickly. Neither are likely to hit the finals, but are great to watch. I expect even more improvement from both and I think 2014 will see at least one of them take part in a finals match.

There's been a lot of people watching Carlton very closely. Last year the team just wouldn't perform and everyone blamed the coach. So he got fired and they brought in legendary coach Mick Malthouse. For the Blues the preseason was extremely important. Mick brought in a new game plan and the team had to learn how to execute it before round 1. It would seem they managed to pull this off and have performed well but if Thursday nights match is anything to go by they may end up still sucking. Essentially its up to the team. If they perform they can win and make finals. If they don't they'll probably hide behind the fact they haven't learned the new game plan yet. Perhaps their new captain can help.

Brisbane, Essendon and North Melbourne all have the potential to play finals. I suspect 1 or maybe 2 of these 3 teams will. North Melbourne really sparked at the end of last year and then choked in the first round of finals. They have the potential and are playing for pride. Brisbane didn't fare so well last year but had some old talent stand up and some new talent emerge . They also played hard and won the preseason competition. My beloved Dons had a ripper start and a shameful end to 2012, missing out on finals altogether. In the off season the delisted quite a number of under performing veterans and semi-seasoned players, purchased some talent and brought some very talented rookies into the senior side. Then they got roped into a so far unsubstantiated drug scandal. Their win against Adelaide in Rnd 1 may have silenced some critics. Time will tell for all 3 teams

I'm very exited about Fremantle, Richmond and Western Bulldogs this year. All 3 teams have some significant talent and are working on building a winning culture. I think 2 of these 3 teams could easily be playing finals this year. Bulldogs we dominant in their Rnd 1 win over Brisbane, beating them all over the ground. If they can maintain that level of intensity then a spot in the final 8 is theirs. On paper, Richmond have a brilliant team, with 2 players being ranked in the top 10 of the entire league before the bounce on Rnd 1,  yet they landed 12th on the ladder last year. Beating a late surging Carlton in Rnd 1 might give them all the confidence they need to pull out the stops this year. Fremantle dispatched old rivals West Coast in Rnd 1 which shows their inclusion in 2012 finals proceedings was no mistake and they may have in fact tapped into that winning mindset. I'll watch all 3 teams with anticipation.

Port Adelaide and Melbourne suck. The players don't want to win. Coaches are screaming themselves hoarse on game day then getting trounced by the media come Monday. But really it's hard to care because it's just Melbourne and Port Adelaide. They have no potential and if the AFL had a relegation system I'd be glad to see em drop out of the league. There's a bunch of teams in various state leagues across the country that could beat these guys on an average day so I don't think they deserve to be in the AFL...for now at least.

That leaves us with Collingwood, Geelong, St Kilda and West Coast. All have had good seasons in the past few years, some winning Premierships or at least playing in the Grand Final. I kind of feel these guys have had their day. They are dropping off the pace a little as their seniors retire (or sit out a lot with injury) and the rookies are just learning to step up. Some of these teams will pad out the final 8 but I won't miss them if they don't. They've had a good run but I'm not really excited about them much these days. Rebuild and come back in a few years.