Crystal Ball rebooted: Herald Sun experts have another crack at predicting 2016 premier and Brownlow Medal winner

FREMANTLE and Richmond in the top four and Carlton winning the wooden spoon? Reporters fess up to pre-season clangers. VOTE AND HAVE YOUR SAY

Patrick Dangerfield is the favourite to win this year’s Brownlow. Picture: Sarah Reed

FREMANTLE has been a major letdown this season while Sydney has proven a lot of doubters wrong.

The Herald Sun experts had the Dockers a certainty to play finals in their pre-season forecasts but have been left with egg on their faces.

There was also little love for the Swans before the season started but their re-emergence as a premiership contender has forced our pundits back to the drawing board.

Interestingly, Sydney is now the popular pick for the premiership, and only two writers are sticking with Hawthorn to win four in a row.

WHO WILL WIN THE 2016 PREMIERSHIP AND BROWNLOW MEDAL? VOTE AND HAVE YOUR SAY BELOW

With the benefit of 11 rounds of exposed form in this even season, our writers have another crack at picking this year’s premier and Brownlow Medal winner.

Tell us what you think.

MARK ROBINSON

PREMIER

Then: West Coast

Now: Sydney

BROWNLOW

Then: Nat Fyfe

Now: Patrick Dangerfield

THAT MUST BE A MISPRINT

Fremantle to finish 4th, Collingwood 8th

Easy to blame myself, but clearly this is the fault of Ross Lyon and Nathan Buckley! Not even God can explain what’s happened at the Dockers. As for the Pies, what hasn’t gone wrong.

LEFT FIELD

Daniel Wells. After missing so much footy in the past two years, I thought he was cooked. He has returned to be an All-Australian wingman at the halfway mark.

DERMOTT BRERETON

PREMIER

Then: Hawthorn

Now: Sydney

BROWNLOW

Then: Travis Boak

Now: Dan Hannebury

THAT MUST BE A MISPRINT

Port Adelaide 3rd, Dockers 5th

Took a punt that Port would have found its 2014 form and a large number of their players were hitting the right age and game threshold. The Dockers — well, the loss of stars Fyfe and Sandilands (and gun recruit Harley Bennell) has shown bedding down a new game plan requires the participation of your best players.

LEFT FIELD

Very surprised at the AFL’s unwillingness to act decisively and move to stamp out the knee buckles, shoulder shrugs and head ducks intended solely to draw a free kick. Players are putting themselves at risk and the league has an obligation to protect those players from themselves.

MICHAEL WARNER

PREMIER

Then: Hawthorn

Now: Sydney

BROWNLOW

Then: Patrick Dangerfield

Now: Patrick Dangerfield

THAT MUST BE A MISPRINT

Fremantle 3rd, Sydney 8th

Fremantle’s fall was as unexpected as a Mike Fitzpatrick press conference.

LEFT FIELD

Who knew Adam Treloar should’ve chosen Carlton? The GWS jet agonised over a move to Collingwood or Richmond and all along it was the Blues where the green shoots were sprouting.

SCOTT GULLAN

PREMIER

Then: Geelong

Now: Geelong

BROWNLOW

Then: Patrick Dangerfield

Now: Patrick Dangerfield

THAT MUST BE A MISPRINT

No North or Sydney in the eight

Clearly I was affected by sunstroke when the January email lobbed requesting predictions. The normal football genius part of the brain was clearly resting given this gobbledygook.

LEFT FIELD

Didn’t see the new deliberate out-of-bounds interpretation being such a roaring success and single-handedly bringing crowd involvement back to the game.

Most of our experts have tipped Sydney for this year’s premiership. Picture: George Salpigtidis

DAVID KING

PREMIER

Then: Fremantle

Now: “Baby Giants”

BROWNLOW

Then: Marcus Bontempelli

Now: Bont, but worried L. Hunter taking too many votes

THAT MUST BE A MISPRINT

Fremantle premiers, Tigers 4th

I’m now a fully-fledged life member of the “Victims of Richmond” group. The rewire, restump and replumb has come from nowhere ... aahhh Freo, the renovator’s delight. They don’t need Ross Lyon, they need Scott Cam!

LEFT FIELD

What was Mick Malthouse doing in 2015? Is Don, Is Good — Mark Ricciuto has found another guru. The “Baby Giants” — a la Sheeds’ Baby Bombers of ‘93 — looming large and playing at about 70 per cent capability, just wait another dozen games. Fresh faces everywhere in the All-Australian team ...

SHANE CRAWFORD

PREMIER

Then: Hawthorn

Now: Hawthorn

BROWNLOW

Then: Harley Bennell

Now: Jack Ziebell

THAT MUST BE A MISPRINT

Fremantle minor premiers

Whoops. In fairness, no one could have predicted the club’s Brownlow Medallist, star ruckman and its biggest recruit would barely play more than a handful of games collectively.

LEFT FIELD

I can’t believe how badly Collingwood has performed so far this season. Injuries have hurt, but the system with which they have played has been just as damaging. And it could get even more messy in the second half of the season.

JON RALPH

PREMIER

Then: Geelong

Now: Geelong

BROWNLOW

Then: Gary Ablett

Now: Dan Hannebery

THAT MUST BE A MISPRINT

Carlton wooden spooner

Total clanger. The one saving grace is that everyone — including them — thought they might be terrible. Still, couldn’t have stuffed it up any more.

LEFT FIELD

Who would have thought we cheered so hard at times for Essendon after they wrecked the competition for so long? Yet the removal of James Hird has allowed rival fans to move on and park their anger.

Not many predicted Fremantle’s fall. Picture: Getty Images

GLENN McFARLANE

PREMIER

Then: Hawthorn

Now: Hawthorn

BROWNLOW

Then: Patrick Dangerfield

Now: Patrick Dangerfield

THAT MUST BE A MISPRINT

Collingwood 8th

Wasn’t the only one to do it, but the Pies’ season took a hammering against Sydney in Round 1, which set the scene for what was ahead. A serious disappointment so far in 2016 — with or without the injuries.

LEFT FIELD

Shaun Hampson being selected — and clearly selected — ahead of Ivan Maric as Richmond’s No.1 ruckman. Fair to say, didn’t see that one coming.

JONATHAN BROWN

PREMIER

Then: West Coast

Now: West Coast

BROWNLOW

Then: Josh Kennedy

Now: Patrick Dangerfield

THAT MUST BE A MISPRINT

Port 4th, Fremantle 7th

I thought Freo would slide, but not this much. I’m still reasonably confident in Port Adelaide, though.

LEFT FIELD

My six-year-old daughter Olivia switching to Carlton. She’s jumped off the Lions and I’m mortified.

GRANT BAKER

PREMIER

Then: West Coast

Now: North Melbourne

BROWNLOW

Then: Patrick Dangerfield

Now: Patrick Dangerfield

THAT MUST BE A MISPRINT

Pies 4th, no North in the eight

My “tip first, ask questions later” approach has worked well on a week-to-week basis but has left me exposed in the long-range format. Must have been shamefully sucked in by Collingwood hype.

LEFT FIELD

I admit, I was concerned by Brendon Bolton’s “management speak” proficiency. But whatever he is doing, it is working.

ELIZA SEWELL

PREMIER

Then: West Coast

Now: Sydney

BROWNLOW

Then: Patrick Dangerfield

Now: Patrick Dangerfield

THAT MUST BE A MISPRINT

Fremantle 3rd, Pies 7th, Richmond 8th, no Swans or Crows in eight

Don’t think I can be blamed for rating last year’s minor premier a real show. The rest, what a stuff up. Drank the Kool-Aid about Collingwood and Richmond and doubted the Swans and Crows. Silly me.

LEFT FIELD

Carlton’s unexpected rise has been a joy to watch — hope the run continues to September. Too many over 30s was once the knock on North Melbourne, what nonsense that seems now.

Dennis Armfield has been one middle-tier Carlton player to thrive under Brendon Bolton. Picture: Colleen Petch

RON REED

PREMIERS

Then: West Coast

Now: North Melbourne

BROWNLOW

Then: Patrick Dangerfield

Now: Patrick Dangerfield

THAT MUST BE A MISPRINT

Fremantle 5th, no place for Sydney in eight

Rossy’s boys have flummoxed just about everyone so minimal embarrassment there — an aberration. More remorseful for underselling Sydney — not for first time.

LEFT FIELD

Did see — more in hope than confidence — Carlton coming, but not this soon or this hard. Much more and Bolton is coach of the year.

JON ANDERSON

PREMIER

Then: Geelong

Now: Geelong

BROWNLOW

Then: Dustin Martin

Now: Dan Hannebery

THAT MUST BE A MISPRINT

No Sydney or North in eight, Freo 3rd

Obviously it was a sub-editor’s mistake to leave the Kangas and Swans out of the eight. If only it was so simple.

LEFT FIELD

Freo’s stunning demise, Carlton’s stunning rise. Then there is a kid called Weitering who plays like Dustin Fletcher.

REBECCA WILLIAMS

PREMIER

Then: Hawthorn

Now: Sydney

BROWNLOW

Then: Patrick Dangerfield

Now: Patrick Dangerfield

THAT MUST BE A MISPRINT

Fremantle 4th, Richmond 7th

Few could have predicted how quickly the Dockers’ anchor dropped in 2016 and I was among them.

LEFT FIELD

While I had North fifth in the pre-season predictions, the Kangaroos’ stunning start to 2016 which has them sitting atop the ladder with just one loss has been more than expected.

SAM LANDSBERGER

PREMIER

Then: West Coast

Now: Western Bulldogs

BROWNLOW

Then: Marcus Bontempelli

Now: Patrick Dangerfield

THAT MUST BE A MISPRINT

No Sydney in the eight

Figured a straight-sets exit from their 12th September in 13 years would trigger a refresh — and a slide. An AFL-high six debutants shows I was half right. Bravo, Swans.

LEFT FIELD

Paul Roos will retire to Hawaii with the Demons among the league’s most powerful attacks. They have outscored the pulsating Dogs, Hawks and Power with 20-goal games almost becoming the norm. Boring to ballistic in one summer.

LAUREN WOOD

PREMIER

Then: West Coast

Now: Sydney

BROWNLOW

Then: Gary Ablett

Now: Dan Hannebery

THAT MUST BE A MISPRINT

Fremantle 4th

Didn’t seem all that silly at the time but fast forward to June and Dockers are a shadow of the last few years thanks to the not-so-helpful absences of Nat Fyfe and Aaron Sandilands combined with Rossy’s game plan being blown away. Ouch.

LEFT FIELD

Can’t go past The People’s Beard. Big Demon Max Gawn has captured attention on and off the field with his dynamic rucking ability and electric personality. From Domino’s to dominating — what a journey.

THE FAVOURITES

PREMIERSHIP

6: Sydney

2: Geelong, Hawthorn, North Melbourne

1: GWS Giants, W.Bulldogs, West Coast

BROWNLOW MEDAL

10: Patrick Dangerfield

3: Dan Hannebery

1: Jack Ziebell, Marcus Bontempelli

Originally published as Crystal Ball rebooted: Herald Sun experts have another crack at predicting 2016 premier and Brownlow Medal winner