I’d like to start today by sharing a life lesson with you all.
Buttermilk tastes not like butter. Or milk.
It tastes crap. Imagine calling it buttermilk? That just seems like a cruel joke on husbands who look in the fridge and think “mmm that sounds good…”
It’s not good. Learn from my errors.
Now that’s out of the way, we can turn our attention to footy.
When you look at a team, it is often not the players recruited that make a big difference, but those who steadily improve, year upon year.
I don’t doubt it will be the same in 2026.
Whilst much of the discussion is about who was acquired via trades, it will likely be the team with the most organic improvement that takes the next big step.
But who are those teams, and who are their players set to take the next step?
In the first of the series, HB takes a look at Adelaide, Brisbane, Carlton, Collingwood, Essendon, and Fremantle, and which players on those teams have the capacity to add to their club.
I’m calling them the next-steppers, but that’s only because I’m too dumb to think of another name.
The remainder of this article is for our members. They support me, and I provide for them. It’s a good deal.
Oh… a Mongrel paywall… the worst of all paywalls. Why? Because HB believes work such as this is worth a mere pittance per day. Whilst you could stick with Caro’s Arrow or Kane’s Vol-Kane-O, you’ll get your 500 words in the newspaper and be happy… when they’re not on holiday. The Mongrel NEVER stops. Trades, Free Agency, Draft, Stats, Pre-Season, Practice Games… we’re all in. You could dump the mainstream and dive articles like this. If you don’t want to, that’s fine. You’re welcome to join and keep reading if you do.
