Well Footy Heads, the time has come! AFL Ontario Round 1 2014 is upon us and it appears to have the makings of the best season yet! To mix things up a bit to start the year, your faithful Phantom will provide a short write up on each team in the league, finishing with the end of Home & Away Ladder Prediction and then Round 1 Winners Predictions! I will start of course, with the 2013 Premiers - the Broadview Hawks.
The "Clearances" page on aflontario.com has more moves in and out of the league than I've seen in years and it seems that most clubs in the league have recruited very well. While I didn't have time to do research on absolutely every new player, I've been lucky to get some email and twitter intel over the past few weeks. Thanks to those who contributed and fans, please feel free to follow me on twitter @PhantomAFLO or email me phantom@aflontario.com anytime.
Broadview Hawks
Can the boys from Broadview go back to back, or will they suffer a Premiership Hangover on their first night out on the drink?
Safe to say that it would be the longest hangover ever and the Hawks won't be taking their foot off the pedal. Having lost a couple of key Australians in Mitchell and Hurley, you may think the Hawks would be battling but definitely its not the case. They have new guys to replace the old and to match, one of the Brothers Shutts has been in the gym all winter! Will let you figure which one it is for yourself but word is some handy looking Canucks have joined the ranks too!
The Hawks look set for a big season! New recruits for the Hawks include..
- Daniel "Killa" Kilpatrick - handy midfielder who turned heads at the Preseason Carnival
- Cam Sterling - big forward who will take some pressure of Nick Shuttleworth
- Jacob "Huss" Hassueler - quick and handy back pocket plumber who will likely provide run off half-back. Well know in Broadview as "Killa's Mate"
With Dullard and Shuttleworth in the fold and Mr. R still managing to get a kick in between blogs, these guys will be solid again this year. Don't even think about writing them off anytime soon.
Toronto Dingos
It is hard to start any conversation on the Dingos this season without thinking of the old boy Stewy who moved back to Australia and is reportedly still kicking goals. But its safe to say the Dingos are a new beast without him as they enter a new era in black and red. While they have also lost Mal Brady and Canadians Max Parish and Darcy Hill, they held onto Big Wade and of course OB.
Don't forget about Tom Evans who racked up possessions in 4 games late last season but failed to qualify for the Finals. He's back and looking sharp as is Rainer Haycraft so the Dingos, while keeping a low profile, are feeling very confident after topping up with a few new Australian and Canadian recruits.
New recruits for the Dingos include
- Tom Humphries - handy midfielder from Berwick, Victoria
- Mike Ladd - another midfielder who last played at Nottingham Scorpians in the UK. Originally from Casey Cardinia Footy League.
- Alex Aitken - I didn't get much info on this guy but appears to be from Tasmania.
Like the Hawks, the Dingos will be strong again. Seems they will have quite a strong midfield contingent, possibly good to match the Hawks? Friday nights game should be a good indicator!
Toronto Eagles
Unlike last year, the Eagles camp has been relatively quiet this preseason and I question whether or not they will be as strong a force as they have been in recent years. Aaron Falcioni enters his 7th year as Head Coach and the old faithful in Dimacakos, Kennedy and Minaker will be on the front line, battling it out for another year. How many years do these guys have left in them though? This clubs needs new blood!
Everyone knows they lost Clint Runnells mid-season last year, and the chances of him returning are not high. The Eagles have also lost Pat Larkins back to Australia and I am not seeing or hearing of any major recruits so it will likely be up to Koens, Cappa, Marsh and Llewellyn to play the key Australian roles.
The Eagles will be in the mix this year, and their experience will get them some wins. But the old legs won't carry them far into September, if they make it at all.
Toronto Rebels
There's been a lot of talk around the league about the Rebels this preseason and there definitely seems to be a lot of clearances going in and not many going out. Karavis and Winks were names commonly featured last year in the predictions and reports, so I am unsure why they would need clearances again. Morgan King is back again along with Michael Fabbri, Daiman Bodnar and Kevin Duffy.
Word around the league is that they have big numbers and are the team to beat. Here are some of the new names at the Rebels in 2014..
- Shane Murdoch - from the Alberton Football League in Victoria. Has kicked goals in the past few season so likely a forward.
- Michael Prendergast - midfielder from Blackburn in the Eastern Football League in Victoria, known to be a strong league in Melbourne.
- Phil Wild from Victorian Amateurs, Will Geyer of the Essendon District Football League and Steven Verzyden of the Wimmera Football League also in the clearances
The much improved Rebels went close to making the Grand Final last year but couldn't overcome the Dingos in the Prelim Final. I predict they will be up there again come September, but not sure if they have the calibre of the Hawks and Dingos at this stage.
Ottawa Swans
The Swans are another side with a lot of rumours circling around them, with talk of big improvements and new recruits into the fold. But if you were to look at the clearances page, you would think it was the opposite with large number of playings 'moving' to AFL Quebec. Turns out that this is not actually the case and many of them will still be playing for the Swans every week.
Ronan Shaughnessy is the leader of that group and along with Nathan Strom and Mike Kozlowski will be keys to the Swans success again in 2014. Roffey will be a key player as usual and there are also whispers of a big Australian ruckman that will create problems in the Capital. Unfortunately, despite Myk and Chuck wanting to buddy up to me on Twitter, the Swans weren't forthcoming with any info on new recruits so whispers is all I have for the fans at this stage.
The Swans were much improved last year and greatly benefitted from a reduced number of trips to Toronto. Expect to see them improved again and fighting for a spot in September.
Phantom Warning - If you don't take your best side to the Nation's Capital, don't expect to come home with 4 points.
High Park Demons
The Demons are doing their best to fly under the radar at the moment and I am not sure why. Either they're quietly confident or actually really concerned but their form at the Preseason Carnival wasn't anything to be ashamed of. They have some big holes to fill with the losses of Manning Mitchell and Nathan Kelly and their numbers are reportedly "just OK" in the preseason.
Xavier Quigley and Christian Doggett return to the line up as does Neil Casey, the Irishman who won "Best Canadian" in 2013 - go figure. Paul Loughnane will be a strong leader as always and Ash Martin is still in the fold of course. New recruits for the Demons in 2014 are
- Brad Summut - not sure if the spelling is correctly but is from Werribee in Victoria
- Stefan Anjou - no information on this kid from Camberwell Grammar
Season Prediction is Demons will be reasonable. They will have their good and bad days but will finish in the Bottom 4.
Grand River Gargoyles
Formerly from Guelph, the Gargoyles were disappointed not to play in the finals last season and with good reason. They're a strong team with one of the better Canadian lists so whether it was bad luck with injuries or Kerm being a dud coach that cost them, I don't know. They did have the AFLO League Best & Fairest Matty Dean in the ranks so maybe it was Kerm?
The bad news for the Gargoyles is that despite their twitter advice that Matty Dean was coming back, he is showing as cleared to the Rand-Wulbundrie Tigers Football Club in the Hume Football League in Australia. Whether or not this is for the whole season or not remains to be seen but it certainly is a big loss to star the year.
In positive news they have a new addition in Tyson Dyer from Palm Beach Currumbin AFC in AFL Queensland. Young kid who appears to be a tall and mobile forward.
With Robbo back at the helm, the Gargoyles won't be missing the finals again this year. Watch out for Zack MacDonald and Alex Filipowicz to be solid contributors. I also hear Bory and Logel are back to give them options up forward.
Central Blues
Finally back to a team who I have been getting some intel on! Plenty of chatter around the league on the Blues this preseason with expectations very high for them to go deep into September. They were playing some decent football late in 2013 before being knocked out of the race by the Swans in Ottawa in the final round, no doubt a tough pill to swallow.
While the Doc is definitely back, there is no confirmations on whether Willsy will pull the boots back on in 2014. No major losses for the Blues that I can see online, only Kieren Love is gone but not a huge loss. New players into the Blues are
- Chris Daws - coming from Tarrawingee FC in Ovens & King Football League in Victoria. Big guy,well built and potential match winner if remains injury free
- Dan 'Chopper' McCullough - kicked 65 goals in 2 years at Wangaratta Rovers in Overs & Murray League. Short but plays tall and can take a mark.
- Brayden Strom - coming in from Ocean Grove Football Club in Victoria
- Sean Goedheer - a name many in the league will know returns to the Blues, handy in front of goal with Milne attributes.
The Blues will definitely make the finals this year as they now have found that much needed avenue to goal. Rutledge and Armstrong to have big seasons in an IC year.
Etobicoke Kangaroos
Why take so long to get to the Roos you say? Well they finished 9th and this list is going from 1 to 10. The last one on the list with big wraps on them for 2014, the Roos were not happy to miss the finals, despite the fact that it was actually only in Round 10 or 11 that they were officially knocked out of contention.
A huge loss to the club was the departure of Justin 'Chipper' Harris who was indeed a match winner in recent years. But stalwards Emile, Hazzy and JR are still there and Brett Connell has returned from Queensland to rejoin his beloved Kangas.
It sounds like the Roos have been recruiting heavily in the off season with the word "Guns!" being whispered in ears and written on post-it notes around Dragon's office all winter. Here are some of the names you may see more of this year, although not much intel as the Roos have tried to keep things under wraps.
- Rory Lake - coming out of Morningside AFC in AFL Queensland
- Jack Cuzner - joins from Ainslie Football Club - AFL Canberra
- Matthew Kenna - new addition from Belconnen Magpies in AFL Canberra
Not sold as yet but the Roos will definitely be well back in the mix this season. Hard to say if they will play finals or not but if they don't make it they will only just miss out.
Hamilton Wildcats
It was a tough season for the Cats in 2013 and while I hate to say it, I fear 2014 will be much of the same. The club will definitely be boosted by the return of ex-coach Matt Lowry and Digits to the fold, but really are lacking in the Australians department.
Brendan Major has returned to Australia, Justin Settle is still in Australia and I haven't heard a thing on Jet Li this year so they're really in need of some guys give them a spine.
The Cats have reportedly brought in a lot of new Canadians and have a plan to rebuild their club over the next season or two. Time will tell but everyone has their ups and downs and this looks like being another down.
Its never nice to make such dire predictions but this season looks to be another tough one for the Cats. Will be pleased if they can steal 2-3 wins for the year but not sure where they'll find them with the apparent quality coming into the league.
Phantom End of Home & Away Ladder Prediction
Broadview Hawks
Central Blues
Toronto Dingos
Toronto Rebels
Grand River Gargoyles
Ottawa Swans
Etobicoke Kangaroos
High Park Demons
Toronto Eagles
Hamilton Wildcats
Phantom Round 1 Predictions
Dingos over Hawks
- While this is a really tough one to call, Phantom Prediction is the Dingos will be out for some revenge in the Grand Final rematch.
Blues over Gargoyles
- Another tough one to pick and its always risky going against Guelph at home, but the Blues look too strong and will want to start the season well.
Ottawa over Demons
- Swans will be primed and ready to go and if they want to play finals, will want to win more home games than not. Must win for the Swans.
Rebels over Eagles
- another tough one to pick but given the Rebels news recruits and the Eagles have none (known) - safe bet is the Rebels.
Roos over Wildcats
- too much depth with the Roos for the Cats to contend with. Roos will want to start season with a big win
There you have it Footy Heads, my in depth preview of the upcoming season who has who and where teams will finish! Good luck to all!
Womens
I haven't had quite as much feedback on the Women's Division which is a little disappointing. I will share the news I do have but ladies out there, if you want more content from your faithful Phantom, you have to feed me! You can contact me on twitter @PhantomAFLO or by email phantom@aflontario.com
Central Blues
- have picked up Kirsten Bodashefsky from Ottawa who moved to Toronto and they had a win in Columbus, OH in the preseason. The Blues will be much improved this year and I don't think will be the easy beats in 2014
Hamilton Wildcats
- have lost Kendra Heil to Australia which is a very big gap to fill but will still be very hard at the football and competitive with a couple of players training hard and heading to Australia in August. Will be in the mix again in 2014
High Park Demons
- with the class of Erin Loughnane in the side it is hard to imagine the Demons struggling. She's in a league of her own and if Sarah Ennor is back from injury they could do well. Rumours are their numbers are low which is odd, but don't believe everything you hear out of the Demon camp - could be smokes and mirrors. Time will tell
Etobicoke Kangaroos
- appear to have recruited some ladies from Australia which could make them very strong in the women's comp. With Sylvie returning along with the ever improving Amaral sisters, I predict the Roos to be a force in the competition this season.
Ottawa Swans
- with a couple of players in the squad for the International Cup in August, I expect the Swans will be primed and ready to go this season. Emma Dickinson and Holly Constanza will be leading the charge.
The interesting time during this season in the Women's Division is going to be in August when the International Cup is on. Who will step up for their team in the absence of the stars? Time will tell!
Phantom Round 1 Predictions
Ottawa over High Park
- never easy to travel to Ottawa for anyone, the Swans are going to want to make sure they get the early season win at home.
Etobicoke over Hamilton
- tough one to pick really as I think this could go either way. Really only taking the Roos because of the new recruits and because they're at home.
Good luck to all the ladies this season, I expect it will be another good one!
The Ghost Who Handballs
Last Modified on 23/05/2014 07:40