NORMALLY by this stage of the season everyone has a pretty good read on how the competition is starting to pan out.
By now, as we get pretty close to the halfway mark, there is usually a bit of a gap between the top five or six and then there are another five or six clubs in a bit of a cluster, fighting for a spot around the bottom end of the top eight.
But things are a bit different in 2015 and it might take a bit longer to sort out.
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READ NOWI suppose that is exactly what the AFL has been looking for and the fact that there is no easy games shows the draft and the salary cap are working.
The surprise mover has been Greater Western Sydney.
We all expected them to improve pretty quickly once their "kids" started to mature and build their way into the competition, but they have probably done that 12 months sooner than most would have expected.
The Giants had access to the best young talent in the country for three or four consecutive drafts and those youngsters have started to impact on the competition.
People outside our club might also consider that we have surprised with our efforts so far this year, but internally we expected to improve.
There is a long way to go in this season but we have been pretty happy with the start.
We have a young, exciting list and there is a really good vibe around the club.
We have a good mix of youth and experience, we have developed a good understanding of Adam Simpson's game plan and it is starting to come together.