More than half of players polled in a survey by The Border Mail believe Albury is three goals weaker than last year’s undefeated outfit.
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Twenty-eight players say the Tigers aren’t the same side, while 20 disagree.
One player said Albury’s the same, while another wasn’t sure.
A pre-season poll of coaches from the other nine clubs indicated Albury would be a three-goal weaker line-up, given the loss of a number of players, in particular the O’hAilpin brothers, Setanta and Aisake.
But a coach of a club not in finals running is adamant that’s not the case.
“No, I don’t believe so (they’re three goals weaker),” Corowa-Rutherglen coach Terry Burgess said.
“It’s a different dynamic, they’ve got the ability to probably move the ball even quicker, with more transitional opportunities.
“Rather than maybe looking at the stoppages with the O’hAilpins and the height, it brings other players into the game.”
Albury had an average winning margin of 76 points during last year’s 20-match unbeaten run.
Wodonga handed the league a flying start in round two, posting one of the biggest upsets of the modern era with a 40-point thumping.
However, the Tigers’ winning margin this year is an incredible 94 points, including record wins over Corowa-Rutherglen (240 points) and North Albury (141).
Burgess says the premiership is Albury’s to lose.
“They’d have to have some injuries between now and then,” he said.
“They’re just too good mate. Their scoring power is huge, their defence is huge and it’s the deepest midfield I’ve seen for a long, long time in this competition.”
Former Western Bulldogs’ best and fairest Daniel Cross, fellow AFL players Dean Polo and Chris Hyde, two-time Morris medallist Joel Mackie, multiple Tigers’ best and fairest Shaun Daly and ex-SANFL premiership player Brayden O’Hara can all play in the midfield, although a handful also spend time in defence.
“They’re very experienced, big, strong bodies and they’re all competitive beasts mate,” Burgess said.
“They don’t lie down. One might be a little bit off, but it’s very rare that you get three, four or five off during the day.”
Albury has virtually wrapped up its fifth successive minor premiership, with a third of the season still left.
The Tigers will look to join St Patrick’s (1921-24) and Wangaratta (1949-52) as the only clubs to win four straight flags in the league’s 125 seasons.
