Greater Western Sydney
ANY SIDE boasting Jeremy Cameron, Jonathon Patton, Cam McCarthy and Devon Smith in its forward line is doing pretty well for itself.
Add Lachie Whitfield, Stephen Coniglio, Will Hoskin-Elliott and Toby Greene to an already star-studded midfield and the Giants have all the makings of becoming a powerhouse team.
Greater Western Sydney's depth of young talent is phenomenal. The Giants could nearly field a full team made up purely of first-round draft picks under the age of 23.
That's not forgetting the talented GWS academy players on their list, headed by Jack Steele and Zac Williams.
Josh Kelly, Matt Buntine and Whitfield (despite playing 51 games) are still in their infancy and Aidan Corr and James Stewart are developing nicely as key position prospects.
We are also yet to see what Jarrod Pickett, Caleb Marchbank or Paul Ahern – all selected in the first round of the 2014 draft – can contribute on the AFL stage.
Cameron, 22, is a genuine A-grader and is the most promising young forward, alongside Melbourne's Jesse Hogan, in the AFL.
He and Patton have a chance to be one of the most destructive forward tandems in the game, and that's discounting the fact the Giants lost former No.1 draft pick Tom Boyd to the Western Bulldogs.
You could also make the case that Smith belongs in that top tier of players after two outstanding seasons as a consistent goal-kicking small forward.
Whether it was the AFL's financial support or the major draft concessions, there is little doubt the Giants, upon establishment, were set up to succeed.
The young Giants have shown glimpses of what they are capable of in recent seasons but the other 17 clubs have been waiting for GWS to announce itself as a genuine finals force.
This could be the year the Giants, powered by the most talented players under the age of 23 in the competition, take the AFL by storm. - Ben Guthrie
Western Bulldogs
IT'S FAIR to say the Bulldogs exceeded many expectations in 2015, and that was without massive impact from the prize forward they pinched from Greater Western Sydney.
Yes, the Giants had goal-kickers to spare, but losing No.1 draft pick Tom Boyd was a blow, given the potential and size of the bullocking young forward.
But the most optimistic part of the Dogs' rise up the ladder last season was the fact it didn't come on the back of Boyd, who will in time fill the role of the gun key forward the club has been crying out for.
He played just 14 games, kicked 16 goals and finished the year in the VFL as the Dogs charged towards an unexpected finals berth.
Marcus Bontempelli came third in the best and fairest after an impressive season, and at just 20 has the potential to become one of the best midfielders in the competition as he matures.
Explosive forward Jake Stringer led the goal-kicking with 56, having finally put the horrible broken leg he sustained as a junior behind him, and looms as a crucial part of the Dogs' future.
The likes of Toby McLean, Lukas Webb, Caleb Daniel and Bailey Dale broke into the side in their first season and showed promise across the ground, as the Bulldogs clocked up 14 wins for the season.
Joel Hamling made the most of his second chance at an AFL career and carved out a niche in the backline in the second half of the season and Jack Macrae finished eighth in the best and fairest in his third year after finishing second in 2014.
The Dogs broke into the finals ahead of time and expectation, and largely did it without the young gun (Boyd) on the biggest contract.
Imagine how good they'll be when he's doing what he was recruited to do. - Jennifer Phelan
