When it comes to Series 1 we need to be mindful that it's only $2.99 a pack. Hence a release with a Brownlow predictor (which I was fortunate to redeem Dusty a couple of years ago...and what a great card it is), I think is fantastic. I do agree though with the comments that we shouldn't take the gloss of something because it's milked over many releases. Therefore, I really do hope for 2019 Series 1 we see
- One level of Brownlow predictor cards, and limited to 3-4 players each club
- Premiership predictor being a part of series 1, similarly one level (i.e. no silver & gold). If this means you only get one player signing...so be it.
- I'd also love to see some of the older inserts make a little comeback...mascot gem cards and sketch cards. This would replace likes of A-graders and starburst variants (though I doubt this as clearly starburst looks to rival the teamcoach star and magic wildcards for the younger collectors)
For Series 2, the last 2-3 years have been very good releases. In 2016, we saw the return of the guernsey cards and addition of Footy's Finest. In 2017, this was complimented by the surprise inclusion of Influential card (and of course a Richmond premiership predictor
). Then last year we got the return of an all time favourite in the draft pick signature, and had the special Ablett dual signature as a surprise. Personally, I think 2017 Certified and 2018 Legacy are two of the best releases in the last 10 years. So all this requires is minor tweaks, for example
- If retained, Future Hall of Fame let's just keep this to recently retired players (and where player spent majority of their time e.g. unlike Luke Hodge card). How good would this card be if it had the Footys Finest look and feel rather than what we got in Legacy
- Certified Signatures some of the player selection could be improved
- Like last two years keep up the surprises...with these it's always striking the balance between being all clubs inclusive (2017 Influential) or a genuine limited high end card (like Ablett dual signature) . I'm ok with the latter (even if not my club) as helps the release retain great value.
Only question which remains is whether there will be a 3rd release, or the Regal greats of the game equivalent will some way be incorporated into series 2. I'm tipping three releases for this year.