Renowned AFL journalist Rohan Connolly has revealed the stories he believes will hit the airwaves most regularly in 2018.
The success of the Cats after the return of Gary Ablett is one of the main stories Connolly expects to see, with the veteran journo still not convinced.
“I have got question marks about the Cats, only minor ones, but what happened last season just re-affirmed to me that they are just a little bit short of premiership status," Connolly told SEN.
“I think a real issue is their defence with the retirements of Tom Lonergan and Andrew Mackie. I think they are just crucial to how they play and the organisation down there and neither of them are going to be easily replaced at all. That’s a big if for me.”
Richmond's premiership defence is another tale Connolly says will dominate the media throughout the year.
The potential for a hangover and their unique forward structure are sure to be topical after the downfall of the Bulldogs after their own drought-breaking flag.
“How they have coped with the flag? How are they going to rebound from that flag and specifically, the main focus with them has been ‘will there be a hangover?’ and another is ‘will they go with the same forward setup?’," Connolly said.
“A lot of discussion about how other sides will play will come back to Richmond and how they intend to counter that…that to me is an ongoing story.
“I think we will be reading a lot about Richmond and how other sides are going to come at Richmond and how Richmond are going to come at a second flag.”
Connolly also expects to see a greater amount of positivity coming out of AFL clubs in 2018, rather than highlighting where the club is failing.
“I reckon you are going to see a lot more of the accentuating the positive and minimising the negative," Connolly said.
“The ledger is going to be balanced a bit more than it was before. It’s not going to be all about, we’re weak here, we have to improve that, it is going to be about, we can get a massive edge here by concentrating on this.
“It’s going to be a subtle story, you’re not going to see it in headlines, but I think it is going to be an ongoing narrative about clubs learning to dwell on their strengths and utilise them.”
On a dour note, Connolly said the contract of Rory Sloane will be a frustratingly recurring storyline throughout the season, with the star Crow set to be a free agent.
“That annual guessing game of ‘will he, won’t he,’ I think people are over it and I’m hoping that even certain media outlets will realise that at the end of the day, we just aren’t going to know until someone comes out and says one thing or another. What’s the point in wasting endless column inches talking about it?," Connolly said.
“It could be wishful thinking but I reckon there’s a chance that it will not be as nearly a big ‘will he, won’t he?’ story as Dustin Martin and Gary Ablett.”
Finally, Eddie McGuire's position as Collingwood president is a headline Connolly doesn't want to see either, doubting that the man simply known as Eddie is leaving anytime soon.
“It’s already in a 20th year and I’m tipping that it is not going to end until I have shuffled off this mortal coil.”