Credits but no cry of crisis in AFL season 2017

There's a lot for which to be thankful this AFL season. A competition tighter than ever, a surplus of thrilling finishes and a perpetual air of unpredictability.

There's something missing, too, and it's something for which I'm also grateful. It's the absence of crisis.

Not a season goes by when, by this point, the future of this or that AFL coach or club isn't being debated and updated on a daily basis. Except this one. And it's wonderful.

Take the examples of Richmond and Collingwood and the men in charge of their fortunes, Damien Hardwick and Nathan Buckley.

All of a sudden, in this ridiculously even AFL season, Nathan Buckley's coaching future at Collingwood doesn't look so black and white. Credit: AFL Media/Getty Images

The Tigers on Saturday lost another close one to Sydney, having surrendered a six-goal lead. Their nine-point defeat meant four of their five losses this season have come by a total of just 19 points, two of them in disastrous last-minute set-plays gone spectacularly wrong.

Any other season that might have had the yellow-and-black army baying for Hardwick's blood. But the angst right now is muted at best. Why? Because Richmond, for all their faults, have been as consistently competitive as any team in the competition.

Take out their belting at the hands of Adelaide and the Tigers have been in every single game right up until the final second. In this season that's a feat in itself. And why Age columnist Wayne Carey was prompted last week to nominate Hardwick as his coach of the year.

Collingwood? Well, the Pies are always good for a dose of angst. And Buckley, particularly after last year famously tying his future to his team's ability to reach finals in 2017, earlier this season appeared, in coaching terms, a dead man walking.

That, though, was before something started to click, and Collingwood had three good wins in a row. Their subsequent thrilling loss to Melbourne on Queen's Birthday might have gone either way. But, even off that defeat, the Pies remain only a game outside the top eight with a percentage better than a couple of sides above them.

All of a sudden, in this ridiculously even season, Buckley's coaching future doesn't look so (pardon the pun) black and white.

Collingwood are not only one win ahead of where they were at the same time last season, but consistently competitive. Indeed, the Pies' heaviest defeat in 2017 has been by just 23 points, the lowest of any team in the AFL.

Buckley's words may still end up hoisting him by his own petard, but if the Magpies' effort of the past month continues the discussion isn't going to be nearly so cut and dried.

Neither has Sydney's dramatic fall from grace after so long sparked much hand-wringing. How could it? The Swans' comeback on Saturday, given the opponent and their circumstances, was one of their better wins of recent times.

Like Collingwood, they're now just one game out of the eight, having won five of their past six games, and with a best arguably better than any of their rivals for one of those final couple of spots in September.

And even if they don't end getting there, so what? As Saturday showed, the Swans staying in the hunt against Richmond, even with the likes of Josh Kennedy, Dan Hannebery and Luke Parker peripheral players until late in the piece, a whole crop of young faces have Sydney headed towards an exciting new era rather than the end of one.

Isaac Heeney, Jake Lloyd, Nic Newman, Zak Jones and Callum Mills were huge presences in keeping their team afloat against the Tigers, as they have plenty of other times this year. And they'll be doing that for some time yet.

A lot of pundits pre-season had Brisbane and Carlton pencilled in as their bottom two this year. The Blues are one win outside the eight, and for a side with just two wins from 12 games, the Lions are as buoyant right now as they've been for a long time.

Brisbane were competitive again in Adelaide against the Power on Saturday, have a potential superstar on their hands in Eric Hipwood, a future leader in Harris Andrews, and finally a re-signed Josh Schache.

Their coach? Chris Fagan has made some serious inroads in the club's psyche already and, with the administration across the long-term goals, is as safe in his position as any of his coaching contemporaries.

The one club whose performance has taken a serious dive is the most successful of the modern era. But even Hawthorn aren't the subject of much hand-wringing.

The Hawks have begun the task of building for another tilt at the top with a minimum of fuss and a sense of calm about what might be temporarily some tough times.

They do so with the confidence of a proven football and development program, the best coach in the caper in Alastair Clarkson, and, with three recent premiership cups in the cupboard, the satisfaction that, whatever the cost now, it was a price well worth paying.

That's about as far from a crisis as you can get, really. And it's another reason this season is proving so enjoyable.

AND WHILE I'M AT IT

Last December, when Bryce Gibbs spoke at length to Fairfax Media about his thwarted move back to Adelaide, he confronted the lingering cynicism about his commitment to the club he'd sought to leave.

The Bryce is right: Classy midfielder is back to his influential best for the Blues.Credit: AFL Media/Getty Images

"A lot of people have asked me whether I'd look to get traded next year," he said.

"There's going to be speculation probably for the next 12 months, but that's fine, that's what happens.

"I am a Carlton player who's got three years to go on his contract, and I couldn't be any happier. I do genuinely love the place. I've played 200 games, I'm a life member and it is my home."

Gibbs had turned up to the Blues' pre-season training camp on the Gold Coast in ripping shape, and trained accordingly. He's subsequently played accordingly, too, and proved those words far from hollow.

While there's justified excitement about what Carlton's kids are showing, the Blues leaders have been terrific, none better than the classy midfielder, now 28 and in his 11th season of AFL football.

Gibbs' disposal average of 28 is a career high. But his impact has been a lot more than getting a lot of the ball.

Against Gold Coast on Saturday night, Gibbs not only had 42 touches, but 10 tackles, seven clearances and two goal assists, as well as kicking two critical goals himself. When Gold Coast threatened to overrun the Blues, Gibbs did more than anyone to steady the ship.

He's one of a number of senior Blues, like skipper Marc Murphy, ruckman Matthew Kreuzer, Kade Simpson and Sam Docherty, seemingly with a new lease of life thanks in part to the hope the kids have instilled in an entire club now with genuinely bright prospects.

It's tantalising still to think of just how good Adelaide might have been this season had they got Gibbs over the line. But his form this year has also been a testament to his professionalism.

The speculation, for now at least, has gone quiet. And perhaps the words Gibbs chose at the conclusion of that long interview carry even more weight.

"I've had a couple of consistent years. I want to continue that at Carlton, keep developing the leadership side of my game and help fast-track some of these younger guys. And I want to be one of those players that looks back at the end of my career and can say: 'I was one of those players that helped the club get to where we wanted to get, and I played a significant role in that'."

So far, so good.