What is a pass mark for your club in 2022?
Every year a new season rolls around and every year new predictions are made.
Is there plenty of positivity to look forward to? Or is there only doom and gloom ahead?
David King and Kane Cornes have assesed eight teams who missed out on finals in 2021.
They take a look at what they consider a pass mark for Adelaide, Carlton, Collingwood, Gold Coast, Hawthorn, North Melbourne, Richmond and West Coast this year.
Read their thoughts below:
Kingy says: “I wouldn’t be surprised if they win less games this season.
“I don’t think they’re deep enough yet, particularly in the midfield.
“It’s a disservice if they go too far up the table and climb too quickly. It’ll be tougher for them to win the flag.
“They’ve got to consolidate what they’ve got, still learn about their players, see what Jordan Dawson’s impact is going to be - I think it will profound in terms of playing true midfield minutes.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if they won five to seven games this year and actually still took some steps forward.
“They’re good defensively, they’re hard to score against.”
Kingy's pass mark: 5-7 wins.
Kane says: “You can’t expect Taylor Walker’s performance to be the same. He was the best forward in the game for the first five weeks of the season.
“Their midfield is small. I think they win four to five games.”
Kane's pass mark: 4-5 wins.
Kingy says: “I think that’s going to be tough to do (make finals).
“There are so many good sides around the mark. They won eight games last year, basically played offence and very little defence.
“I like what Michael Voss has done early. You can see the thirst for players to get back and help.
“I like what they’re doing, but I don’t know how quickly it will come. That’s my worry.
“I think they’ll go from eight to maybe 10 or 11 wins which is tracking them on the right path. I don’t have them in finals.”
Kingy's pass mark: 10-11 wins.
Kane says: “A pass mark for me - and this is what the board’s pass mark is - is to make the finals.
“They must make the finals and compete in a final this year. That is a base pass mark for me.
“Zac Williams, Adam Saad, Adam Cerra, Patrick Cripps is fit, Charlie Curnow back, they have to make the finals.”
Kane's pass mark: Make finals.
Kingy says: “They played the top eight teams 11 times and won once (last year).
“They were uncompetitive against the top eight and there’s obviously been a coaching change, which is the biggest shift you can make at your football club.
“It’s a difficult one with Collingwood. It feels like Craig McRae is going to trust some younger players to elevate their roles. So there’s going to be some pain there.
“He sets a standard for all 44 players and if you fail that, then you’re held to account, whether it be on-field or off-field. That’s a great starting point.
“They won six with a lot of injuries (in 2021). If they got nine wins I think that would be a great result.
“I think holding ground around six to seven wins with the baton change of responsibility is a pass.”
Kingy's pass mark: 6-7 wins.
Kane says: “I struggled to predict them. Their best eight is as good and experienced as most teams. That’s going to be the difference between how many games you win or lose.
“It wouldn’t surprise me if they snuck into eighth or ninth, but equally it wouldn’t surprise me if they finished bottom four.
“I know I’m sitting on the fence there, but they were better than six wins last year. Defensively they were really strong.
“I’ve got them around nine wins.”
Kane's Pass mark: 9 wins.
Kingy says: “The reality is if Alastair Clarkson wants the job, it’s not really going to matter what Stuart Dew does.
“How many games does he have to win to fight that off?
“By all reports they’re going to open up and not play it safe this year. Go forward a bit more and challenge the opposition.
“They’re not a bad team without the footy, they defend really well and I think there’s been too much energy placed from a coaching point of view on that side of the game.
“He has to win minimum 10 games to keep his job, I think.
“But I’m not worried about his job, and he’s probably not worried about it either. It will be what it will be if everyone is going to push for Clarkson.
“From his coaching point of view, we need to see something offensively.
“It’s the toughest job in footy and to lose Ben King. He’s the one player he couldn’t lose and how he orchestrates a score ahead of the ball is going to be a serious challenge.”
Kane says: “It’s an impossible situation knowing that your future is in someone else’s hands essentially.
“Finals can’t be off the table by round 12 for them. We’ve got to be talking about Gold Coast at round 16 with a chance to play finals.
“It can’t be a 1-4 start like it was last year. They’ve got be in the hunt with 14 other teams come round 16.”
Pass mark: 9-10 wins.
Kingy says: “I’ve got no idea with the Hawks.
“This is one team that could finish somewhere near the eight or somewhere near the bottom, who knows?
“They’re a really difficult one to get a handle on. There senior core players are very good when you read their CVs.
“They’re better than what they’ve shown. They were better than a seven-win team last year.
“I would think with Sam Mitchell sprinkling his magic dust over this group, I’d be surprised if they won less than seven games.”
Kingy's pass mark: 8 wins.
Kane says: “A pass mark for them is going to be around where they finished last year.
“Under a new coach, with a new system, new players, new assistant coaches, I’d be surprised if they won more than seven games, which is what they won last year.
“That’s probably where the pass mark sits for Sam Mitchell and the Hawks.
“You don’t try and trade out your best players for a bag of chips and pay their contracts if you’re not in a complete, full-blown rebuild, is my point of view.
“Can they get seven wins, or eight at a stretch? I’m not sure they can.”
Kane's pass mark: 6-7 wins.
Kingy says: “I know they only won four games last year, but it’s not about the wins, it’s about how they play.
“I want to see what David Noble’s plan is.
“Is it defend first or is it attack? Because if it’s defend first, they coughed up 20-plus goals on Thursday (in their 88-point pre-season loss to Melbourne).
“They’ve got to win six games, but they’ve got to show us a game plan. They’ve got to show us a way to win.
“I didn’t see that on Thursday and to be fair, we didn’t see it for large patches of 2021.”
Kingy's pass mark: 6 wins.
Kane says: “They started the season 0-6 and had a percentage in the 40s, then it was a lot of improvement.
“We saw a core group of young midfielders come through and play some really good footy together. They’ve added to that in the draft and they’ve targeted the midfield.”
Kane's pass mark: 6 wins.
Kingy says: “I’m really bullish on the Tigers.
“I think they’re going to be closer to the top four than missing the eight. I think it’s a quick bounce back.
“Last year was a glitch. They had injuries at the wrong time, the stand rule really knocked them around, they waited and waited and tried to time their run as they’d done previously.
“It didn’t come and once things fell apart, the year couldn’t finish quick enough for them.
“I like what they’ve done, I like the new leadership, I think Toby Nankervis is a great co-captain, he plays the way you want a big man to play.
“I just think their turnover game will bounce back. They’re a very well-coached outfit, they’re a great football club.
“I’ve got them finishing top four. They’re a serious threat for the flag.”
Kingy's pass mark: Make finals.
Kane says: “One of the more difficult teams to come up with a pass mark.
“They’ll play finals but I’m worried about the durability of their best players and the age of the group.
“I’m not sure they bat as deep in the midfield as some of the other teams do.”
Kane's pass mark: Make finals.
Kingy says: “They’ve got their talent challenges, they’ve got their injury challenges.
“It will look different, it would be crazy to do the same thing and expect a different result.
“We’ve talked about Adam Simpson having his finger on the reset button. He’s giving this group every chance to have one last opportunity. But as soon as it tips over, bang.
“Inject some youth, change the style, then it will be a reset. It will be a three or four year process again.
“They’re a smart football club. This hasn’t snuck up on them and completely taken them by surprise.
“If they’re not pushing for the eight by round 16, it will be pull the trapdoor open and they could finish as low as 16th. It could happen quickly.”
Kane says: “I’m worried about exactly where they’re at with the age of the group.
“Luke Shuey is missing again, what can you expect from John Kennedy, we know Jack Darling (is out), Oscar Allen is injured, players going down everywhere.
“What do you do then? Is it time to cut it all and start to do a North Melbourne style rebuild? Or do you give it a month and see how it plays out?
“I think they’re in all sorts of trouble.
“With the group they’ve got, the pass mark is to win finals, but I don’t see that as a possibility.”
Pass mark: Make finals.