Surprise premiership wins by the Western Bulldogs and Richmond in the past two seasons have football fans guessing which club can come from the clouds in 2018, but Tim Watson has put a dampener on his former club’s chances.



MORE: AFL reigns supreme in ratings war | 2017 AFL retirees' XVIII



The Essendon great doesn’t think the Bombers have the game style it takes to win a flag in the modern game, and says they only played finals this year due to a favourable draw.







“If that’s the new way to play, we are a long way away from being able to produce that consistently so we will be able to compete for a flag,” Watson said on SEN Breakfast of the high-pressure intensity brought by the Tigers and Bulldogs.



“You can fall into the eight or you can find your way into the eight because you have a draw that might be a bit favourable to you, and I think that’s what happened with Essendon.”



While he doesn’t think his old side can get there, Watson is happy to nominate Collingwood as possibly being the next big thing.



“If you look at the way they are attempting to play, I don’t think they need to change a whole lot about their gameplan,” he said of the Magpies.

“With their depth of midfield talent, I reckon they have got the ability to jump from where they were last season, getting it right and being a real contender next year.”