Herald Sun AFL magazine: Scott Gullan’s 17 players and issues he’s looking forward to in 2017

FROM Friday nights with ‘BT’ to the heat on a couple of coaches, Scott Gullan reveals the players, storylines and magic moments he’s most looking forward to in 2017.

From the prospect of Gary Ablett back in full flight to the fairytale of new Hawk skipper Jarryd Roughead tossing the coin in Round 1, this promises to be another season full of magical moments.

Nathan Fyfe

Questions. Questions. Questions. Can he get back to being the best player in the competition? Is his leg fixed? Why don’t his teammates love him? Why hasn’t he signed a new contract? And finally ... what is going on with that hair?

Nat Fyfe is back to lead the Dockers ... but will he lose the man-bun? Picture: Getty Images

Gary Ablett

Stand by for a classic G.Ablett reaction to a summer of turmoil. This isn’t foreign territory. Remember his final year at Geelong, when he was asked every hour if he was leaving while he was having a season-long fight with his coach? During that, Gaz managed to put together a season that saw him finish second for the Brownlow Medal and named All-Australian vice-captain. Yes, he’s older and more banged up now, but he’s still Gaz.

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Jarryd Roughead

There has to be a movie script being written as we speak. Premiership hero fights cancer not once but twice and then not only makes an against-the-odds return to football but returns as captain of the best club this century. The Bulldogs were clearly the feel-good story of 2016, but you don’t need to bother with applications for the 2017 version.

Travis Cloke

Given Luke Beveridge’s record in his short coaching career, you’d think if anyone is capable of fixing the enigma that is the Collingwood premiership centre half-forward, it’s him. Beveridge knows what he’s getting, given he spent some time with the Magpies when Travvy was flying. One of the many remarkable parts of the premiership win was the Dogs doing it without a traditional forward set-up. Cloke brings a big body and sticky hands if he’s on and if he’s not, well, he hasn’t cost the Dogs much and he can help the VFL team win another flag.

Can Travis Cloke return to his best — and fix his goalkicking yips? Picture: Michael Klein

Chris and Brad Scott

Interesting times for the twins, who’ve enjoyed great success in the first part of their coaching careers. Chris will be haunted by the preliminary final flogging by Sydney. It exposed many things and he needs a Plan B. Brad (right) took the sword to his list, conceding he’d missed the boat on a premiership with that group. Overseeing a rebuild is new territory and how it plays out at Arden St will be interesting viewing.

Jeremy Cameron

Reputations are made in big games. It’s a message the GWS spearhead should have plastered all over his locker. His 53-goal season was solid, but when it mattered most Cameron was missing. Two kicks and three handballs was all he managed against the Western Bulldogs in that epic preliminary final.

Damien Hardwick

Seven years, three finals for zero wins — and last year saw seven fewer wins than the previous. That’s not great reading for a coach who, despite having a contract until 2018, lives permanently in the gun. Dimma keeps telling us he has a finals outfit, but not even an NCIS team could have found it last year. Where’s the spike coming from? Alex Rance can’t play much better, the recruits are solid but the jury is still out on whether Dion Prestia is elite, while Josh Caddy and the word consistency previously haven’t gone together in the same sentence.

Here’s lookin' at you, Dimma ... Richmond coach Damien Hardwick knows his team must perform. Picture: Wayne Ludbey

Harley Bennell

At least his new teammates did their bit to take the spotlight off him in terms of the after-dark activities that had been Harley’s domain at his former home. His first season at Fremantle was a train wreck — a mystery calf injury became a very serious calf injury that required a trip to Germany for witchdoctor treatment. The equation is pretty simple when it comes to the gun midfielder — if he can get on the park alongside a bloke named Fyfe, the Dockers can spike.

Third man up rule

Looms as a stinker that may come back to haunt the league’s decision-makers. The majority of the football world seemed to be against it but the minority ruled, which is good news for Max Gawn and Aaron Sandilands. It’s not such good news for teams such as Hawthorn and Geelong, who have used the tactic brilliantly in recent seasons. And spare a thought for Mark Blicavs — what’s he going to do for a living now? Maybe it’s back to the steeplechase for next year’s Commonwealth Games.

Nathan Buckley

He’s a smart man, Bucks, an astute thinker of the game, but he may regret his declaration that if the Pies don’t make finals he should be heading to Centrelink. Yes, he’s had a couple of iffy years, but he has a list that’s just about ready to bloom. Collingwood is in that group of about eight clubs which, if everything falls into place, can make it. But if a couple of things go amiss — for Bucks that’s an injury to a defender — then they’re back in the pack.

Steven Motlop

It’s not hard: a hamburger-and-beer holiday diet means an out-of-shape pre-season, which means a rubbish season. Motlop knows that now, but it almost ended his career at Geelong. He went from matchwinner to a player no other team wanted within 12 months. It could be a blessing in disguise, because a fit, focused, mature Motlop is crucial if the Cats are to lessen the load on Dangerwood.

Jobe Watson

What does five months in New York making coffees do for an elite AFL footballer? It’s an age-old question that will finally be answered when the former Essendon skipper returns to the game. This unorthodox approach was obviously forced on the champion midfielder, and the initial signs in the pre-season were that he hadn’t fully recharged his batteries. Whether he can find the love again will have a major bearing on the Bombers’ fortunes.

St Kilda and Melbourne

More times than not, being the summer hype teams isn’t a good thing. It’s easy to get carried away, and adding a layer is what the Western Bulldogs did last year. Every club president, board member, boot studder, cheer squad banner maker and long-time fan now asks ... why can’t that be us this year? St Kilda has that youthful spread of elite talent similar to the Dogs, with a good pressure game style when on. Melbourne, despite its inherent flakiness, seems ready to move, with Jordan Lewis’s hard edge an important addition.

Jesse Hogan is an emerging superstar ... we think. Picture: Wayne Ludbey

Jake Stringer and Jesse Hogan

These two face the same issues. Stringer went from All-Australian to VFL player last year before returning for the flag. Hogan was Melbourne’s messiah for years, but in 2016 was more likely to drop his head than kick a goal. But when on song, there aren’t many better.

Chris Fagan

Ask any Hawk about the key to their four premierships and Fagan would be near the top of most lists. Brisbane is a basket case that needed fixing yesterday, and Fagan is the man for the job — cuddle a few players and give them a game plan, something they haven’t had for some time.

Jaeger O’Meara

Word out at Waverley is if you look up “professional” in the dictionary you’ll find a picture of the Hawks’ boom recruit’s smiling face. O’Meara (left) was a jet in his first two years, but it will be 32 months between games if he lines up in Round 1.

Brian Taylor

BT moves into the hottest seat in the commentary world — Friday night footy next to Bruce. His style polarises opinion but he’s shown he can wind back the theatrics if required.

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Originally published as Herald Sun AFL magazine: Scott Gullan’s 17 players and issues he’s looking forward to in 2017