At a gathering in the AFL Board Room today, the captains were asked five key questions on the season ahead, with the proviso that their individual answers would be treated anonymously to ensure personal views:
Which seven other clubs do you think can make this year's top eight?
Which other club is most likely to reach the Grand Final?
Who do you think will win the 2004 Coleman Medal?
Who do you think will win the 2004 National Rising Star?
Who do you think will win the 2004 Brownlow Medal?
Port Adelaide, Essendon and the Brisbane Lions all received a maximum possible 15 nominations from the other captains as clubs that can make the final eight this year while the Lions received eight nominations as a potential Grand Finalist. Essendon and Port Adelaide received three nominations each as a likely Grand Finalist.
All but two other captains in the competition believe that Fremantle can make the finals again this year after their debut appearance in 2003 while the Dockers and Sydney also received nominations to reach this year's Grand Final.
Essendon's Matthew Lloyd was nominated by 11 captains to win his fourth Coleman Medal while Western Bulldogs youngster Adam Cooney received seven votes as a likely winner of the Rising Star -- the only player to draw more than one vote.
Last year, three captains correctly nominated Nathan Buckley or Mark Ricciuto to win the Brownlow Medal and, this year, Ben Cousins led the way with four votes as a possible Brownlow Medallist.
The full voting was:
Which seven other clubs do you think can make this year's top eight? (16 times seven selections)
Adelaide (seven), Brisbane Lions (15), Carlton (one), Collingwood (nine), Essendon (15), Fremantle (13), Geelong (one), Hawthorn, (three), Kangaroos (one), Melbourne (one), Port Adelaide (15), Richmond (two), Sydney (six), St Kilda (11), West Coast (11), Western Bulldogs (one).
Which other club is most likely to reach the Grand Final?
Brisbane Lions (eight), Port Adelaide (three), Essendon (three), Fremantle (one), Sydney (one).
Who do you think will win the 2004 Coleman Medal?
Matthew Lloyd, Essendon (13), Barry Hall, Sydney (two), Fraser Gehrig, St Kilda (one).
Who do you think will win the 2004 National Rising Star?
Adam Cooney, Western Bulldogs (seven), Jared Brennan, Brisbane Lions (one), Andrew Browne, Fremantle (one), Raphael Clarke, St Kilda (one), Ryley Dunn, Fremantle (one), Aaron Davey, Melbourne (one), Brent Reilly, Adelaide (one), Kane Tenace, Geelong (one), Steven Salopek, Port Adelaide (one), Jayson Winderlich, Essendon (one).
Who do you think will win the 2004 Brownlow Medal?
Ben Cousins, West Coast (four), Nathan Buckley, Collingwood (two), Shane Crawford, Hawthorn (one), Shannon Grant, Kangaroos (one), Lenny Hayes, St Kilda (one), James Hird, Essendon (one), Travis Johnstone, Melbourne (one), Nigel Lappin, Brisbane Lions (one), Andrew McLeod, Adelaide (one), Robert Murphy, Western Bulldogs (one), Matthew Pavlich, Fremantle(one), Matthew Scarlett (one)
