With the JLT Community Series well underway and last season a distant memory, hope springs eternal for football fans in February.
The new recruits are in their new colours, the draftees could be anything and the veterans are ‘flying’ around the track.
But Champion Data’s 2017 AFL Prospectus has taken a more scientific approach to how each team is placed going into the coming season, breaking down each side’s list into elite, above average, average, below average and poor and it’s good news for Western Bulldogs fans.
A player ranked elite is judged to be in the top 10% of their position; above average players, the top 35% of their position.
Led by Marcus Bontempelli, Champion Data lists six Bulldogs in the top grouping – two more than the average of the last season’s top eight sides.
But it’s in the above average category where the Dogs have the biggest break on the competition with 13, almost six above the top eight average, giving them 19 players ranked in the top 35% of their position.
That places the Dogs one ahead of Essendon, two more than the Giants, and five more than West Coast.
The Club’s draw has been ranked the fourth most difficult in the competition and at 24 years and 76 days, and an average of 70 games played, the Bulldogs will take the ninth-oldest and ninth most experienced team into the new season.
What does it all mean? It’s too early to tell, but with Round 1, 2017 now under a month away, football fans everywhere can’t wait to find out.
