Bottom 10 analysis: What went right, what went wrong and what your club needs to climb the AFL ladder in 2021
Simon Goodwin’s side did a lot of things right this year but Melbourne rank 17th in a vital area of the game. And the Hawks aren’t much better. We assess what went wrong for the bottom 10 teams and how they can improve next season.
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It is a question every coach outside the top-eight will be asking now that their seasons are over - what do we need to climb up the ladder in 2021?
While the top-eight are gearing up for finals campaigns, the bottom 10 clubs will soon be in full reflection mode as they dwell on what went wrong in 2020 and what they need to get right next year.
Champion Data has analysed all bottom 10 teams, looking at the good, the bad and what they need.
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ADELAIDE
Because Adelaide was so bad for much of the season, going 0-13, it has been hard to assess the game style of Matthew Nicks’ side in 2020.
The wooden-spooners were ranked in the bottom-four teams for almost every key measure, with the midfield numbers prior to Round 13 considered alarming by Champion Data - who say this need to be addressed in drafting as the Crows haven’t invested in midfielders in years.
But in the last six weeks of the season the competition got a clearer look at what the Crows were doing.
Happy to flick the footy by hand the Crows went with a plan of high disposals, low marks and high handballs.
Nicks’ side also forced the second-most stoppages in this period and generated a lot of their scores from clearances.
They needed to find a positive of of this season and that was it.
What Champion Data says the team needs
Outside midfielder
Key defender
CARLTON
Under David Teague the Blues kept things simple with their game plan in 2020.
They were a low disposal, high kicking and low mark side who used the boundary when exiting their defensive 50 to force stoppage if required.
Carlton also had strong midfield numbers and were able to generate territory.
But while they were able to play a front half game accuracy hurt them.
What Champion Data says the team needs
Small forward
Inside midfielder
ESSENDON
The Bombers game plan and the style of footy they want to play has been discussed considerably this year in the handover from John Worsfold to Brett Rutten and Champion Data says it was really challenging to analyse how they want to play.
In 2020 it appeared as if Essendon were happy to rack up large numbers, with the Bombers recording high disposals and high handballs.
But they didn’t penetrate the opposition despite their heavy reliance on ball movement.
Champion Data has also identified the midfield issues at the Bombers, and a reason why they can’t play a front half game with Essendon haven’t been in the top half of teams since 2013 for points scored from the forward half.
In fact the ball lived in the Bombers back half for much of the season.
What Champion Data says the team needs
Wingmen
Depends what happens during trade period
FREMANTLE
The Dockers played a safe and controlled brand of footy under Justin Longmuir.
The rookie senior coach had Fremantle recording high disposals, high marks and a low mark play on rate with the Dockers ranked the second-lowest for metres gained per disposal.
The former Collingwood assistant played a defence-first game plan, defending with the ball in hand and defensively solid.
Champion Data says the next layer to add is offence, while the numbers for the Dockers can be deceiving at times because they played in a lot of wet matches.
What Champion Data says the team needs
Medium-small forward
Creative defender
Ground ball midfielder
GOLD COAST
Another poor finish to the season has put a dampener on a year that looked so promising for the Suns.
Stuart Dew’s side looked to keep things simple in 2020 with a low disposal game style that focused on bringing pressure into the game and making it chaotic.
This took away the element of skill execution away to some degree while the Suns tried to be more aggressive with how they defended.
What Champion Data says the team needs
Good ball user
Creative defender
Medium forward
GWS
It was a hugely disappointing season for the beaten grand finalists last year who despite boasting a squad with loads of elite talent just could never get the balance right.
Leon Cameron’s side started the year by just getting by on efficiency with low inside 50s but high scores per inside 50 and good accuracy.
In the second half of the year they still had the volume but lost this efficiency, generating more inside 50s but couldn’t convert opportunities onto the scoreboard.
The Giants wanted to play a kick-mark and controlled game.
What Champion Data says the team needs
Depends what happens during trade period
Small forward
Key defender
HAWTHORN
Champion Data says Alastair Clarkson’s side needs to address midfield concern, with it so hard for the master coach to implement any game style when beaten so convincingly around the ball.
In 2020 the Hawks front half game went backwards off the back of their midfield performing so badly.
The execution in the front half was also a concern, while Hawthorn appeared to be more aggressive with its ball movement with more corridor from defensive 50 plays compared to previous years.
What Champion Data says the team needs
Inside midfielder
Outside midfielder
Key forward
MELBOURNE
The Demons started the season playing a quick brand of footy, with high disposals, high handballs, low marks and a high mark play on rate.
This changed slightly to be more balanced after Round 6 as Melbourne started to find some consistency.
But chaotic footy returned for the Demons with their bad periods of matches in the second half of the year correlating with this.
Territory for Simon Goodwin’s side also wasn’t like it was in 2018.
What Champion Data says the team needs
Classy midfielder
Small forward
Creative defender
NORTH MELBOURNE
It was a horror year for the Kangaroos who did not win a game after smashing Adelaide in Round 9.
Rhyce Shaw’s side started the season with a style around effort and pressure, to try and win the contest.
They were direct with the ball in hand and kept things simple but didn’t have the personnel to execute a ball movement game.
As the losses pilled up the pressure and effort fell away as a result so did the performances of a side that is going back to the drawing board in the off-season.
What Champion Data says the team needs
Classy midfielder
Outside midfielder
Creative defender
SYDNEY
It ended up being a solid season for the Swans as they decided to build their list with youth.
John Longmire’s side tried to go quick and direct and were a high corridor team.
Champion Data said the Swans defence stood up in 2020 considering how much the ball lived down there this season.
The main issue identified for the rebuilding Swans is that they need to address midfield depth, with Champion Data saying Sydney found it hard to generate a forward half game when its midfield was getting badly beaten.
What Champion Data says the team needs
Inside midfielder
Classy midfielder
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