Mick Malthouse rates the clubs that exceeded and fell short of expectation in 2020

If every Demon played with as much heart as Max Gawn, no one would complain. Mick Malthouse looks at where Melbourne went wrong and rates every club’s 2020 season.

Essendon has had another disappointing season.

At the end of a strange season, it is more than just wins that need to be taken into consideration when weighing up whether your club has exceeded expectations, met par, or failed.

We could never have anticipated such a drawn-out 18 rounds of football, or that hub life would affect so many players and teams. Or that some clubs would have such a hefty number of home games, and others a limited number.

So, to evaluate every club I am taking into consideration game styles and how the team adhered to the coach’s structures, injuries, where most of their games were played, how the club adjusted to 16-minute quarters, and how many players improved throughout the season or underachieved.

EXCEEDED EXPECTATIONS

Port Adelaide

Port was on the rise last season but missed finals. This year they are not only in the eight, but a genuine contender for the cup. Monday night’s test against Collingwood may reaffirm its standing as a genuine contender.

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Travis Boak has had a fantastic season.

St Kilda

A rise from 14th into the final eight is a win in anyone’s book, so in this the Saints have exceeded expectations.

However, they still frustrate supporters and let themselves down with poor decision making and a poorly equipped defensive midfield that allows the top sides to freely work through the corridor. This needs to be addressed in order to win a final.

Fremantle

The Dockers have been coached beautifully and will only improve under Justin Longmuir. They have unleashed some very promising youngsters, in Adam Cerra and Caleb Serong, to name a couple.

Fremantle’s ladder position may only have improved slightly on last season (13th in 2019), but the Dockers have been in more games, for longer, this year and that’s encouraging.

Matt Rowell will be back for the Suns next year after an exciting 2020 cameo.

Gold Coast

After finishing with the wooden spoon last season many tipped more of the same for the Suns. They have moved up the ladder with a few extra wins and they have been highly competitive in most games.

The players are continuing to respond well to Stuart Dew’s coaching, and the addition of Brandon Ellis and Hugh Greenwood has been a touch of genius as a guiding light for some very talented youngsters. Jarrod Witts should be commended for his outstanding leadership.

Gold Coast has one of the most exciting teams and should have higher expectations next season … as long as it isn’t pillaged by Victorian clubs in the trade period.

ON PAR

Adelaide

Even though the Crows made the 2017 Grand Final, they have been on a downward spiral since then, and with a new coach most expected them to finish close to the bottom of the ladder.

Three wins in the past three rounds (outside of this week) gives Matthew Nicks and Adelaide supporters some real hope for 2021.

Brisbane Lions

After last season’s second on the ladder performance the Lions were expected to do well again, and they have. But they have hardly left Queensland, and have been beaten by bigger-bodied teams, the types of sides they will encounter in the finals.

Brisbane went out in straight sets last season. We watch with interest.

Western Bulldogs

If they can negate an improving Fremantle on Sunday then the Bulldogs will have met expectations to play finals, after finishing seventh last year.

If they can then win a final, they will have improved.

Geelong and Patrick Dangerfield have had another excellent season. Now comes the real test — finals. Picture: Phil Hillyard

Collingwood and Geelong

Both were top four sides last season. In games where all divisions have fired, the Pies and the Cats have each proven that they are just as good as their 2019 versions. But each club has had big-name injuries and absentees to deal with, so some consistency has been lacking.

Richmond

No one is surprised by where the Tigers are on the ladder. A better second half of the season has helped propel them back into premiership contention.

West Coast and Sydney

At opposite ends of the ladder, but almost identical to where they each finished last season.

FAILED

Carlton

You can’t help but to be so disappointed in Carlton.

Over the course of the season, when the Blues have had it all in front of them, they’ve fallen short in games they’ve needed to win. It has felt like their entire season has been played on a knife’s edge.

They have been involved in eight games decided by nine points or fewer (before their clash with the Lions) for five wins from those matches.

A close win over Sydney and then a loss to Adelaide sums up their season and a lack of consistency.

Patrick Cripps, and to a lesser extent Sam Docherty, haven’t exactly set the world on fire. As hardworking, inspirational leaders and good young men, they look tired from shouldering so much responsibility. Sam Walsh has stood up, but with as many first-round picks in the side as anyone in the comp, he should have had more support.

Patrick Cripps has had to carry too much again in 2020.

The Blues were unlucky with Charlie Curnow, but injury has cursed a lot of clubs.

And Jack Martin was supposed to be the panacea to all their forward line problems, but that hasn’t worked out either.

Carlton will miss the finals again, by a couple of games. Games it could have, and should have, won.

Essendon

The Bombers have been a major disappointment by not building on last year (when they made an elimination final). I have purposely stayed out of any narrative on the coaching transition, but I have been confused as to how it is working. John Worsfold on the bench and Ben Rutten giving guidance at the breaks, looks like it led to player confusion.

It is hard to determine any player improvement. Essendon looks best with a fit and healthy Joe Daniher in the forward line, but we still aren’t sure if that’s going to be the case next year. And the fact that Adam Saad hasn’t re-signed is a telling sign of a shambles at the club.

Rutten will get full crack at it next year, but the Bombers have a long way to go to make the eight again.

Essendon has had another disappointing season.

GWS Giants

The Giants were Grand Finalists last year even without Stephen Coniglio and Callan Ward. With their return, and the addition of Sam Jacobs to give big Shane Mumford a hand, I thought the current crop — along with the motivation to atone for a Grand Final loss — would have been a top-four certainty.

But there are too many players who tease. The Giants are consistently inconsistent. I have been waiting all season for GWS to explode with some real grunt, but instead we have seen a lack of spirit.

Spirit is the driving force of any club. You can’t train for it, or demand it, it’s just there.

Or, in the Giants’ case, it isn’t.

Hawthorn

With Brownlow medallist Tom Mitchell back, and James Worpel and Chad Wingard building on their game, the Hawks would have been aiming to improve on last year’s ninth position. Instead, they have been bitterly disappointing.

Hawthorn’s older players have really shown their age this season, and Worpel has stagnated, but no one expected the Hawks to finish as low as 16th. It is a reality check for them.

This will be a real test for the club, not used to being out of the finals by such a long way. Losing seven in a row, before their Round 18 match, makes the road back to their former glory days a long one. They won’t do it with their current list and with Shaun Burgoyne re-signing there are already mixed messages as to what direction Hawthorn is heading in.

Hawthorn has some touch decisions to make on its list.

Melbourne

The Demons have improved on last year, but their lack of killer instinct has let them down again. With so much to play for, where victory would seal a finals berth, they lost to Sydney and then Fremantle. That is a reflection of where they are at.

Losses against sides below them on the ladder has hurt badly. If every player played with as much heart as Max Gawn, no one would complain, but the fundamentals of their game puts the Demons in the same bracket as St Kilda — as the easiest clubs to score against through the corridor due to the lack of hard defensive midfield running.

Even if it plays finals this season, it is Melbourne’s Achilles heel to be able to win one.

North Melbourne

With the biggest lack of genuine stars in the competition, it is not Rhyce Shaw’s fault that the club has slipped from 12th to 17th. When Ben Brown lost form, was dropped, and then injured, it told us which way North was going. When Ben Cunnington and Jack Ziebell were injured and then brought back too early, suffering predictable consequences, North showed its desperation to stay competitive.

I fear for Shaw’s longevity. He wears his heart on his sleeve and thinks about football 100 per cent of his waking hours, which would be plenty. But it is a lesson for a young coach that when you turn up at the club (or get in front of your team in the hub) each day, you put on a facade whether you’ve won or lost. You must always project a positive attitude. Disguising your true emotions is part of coaching, but Shaw takes losses badly and it reflects on his player group.

He will be a good enough coach to do it for many years, but the North hierarchy must

protect and support him.

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A year most people are keen to move on from, has thrown up many challenges for all 18 AFL clubs and perhaps highlighted weaknesses more so than strengths. Next year is a fresh start for everyone, with fresh hope. Bring on 2021!

Originally published as Mick Malthouse rates the clubs that exceeded and fell short of expectation in 2020