2021 record: 9-10-1 Hawthorn Previous ranking: 13. Good luck, David Teague. At the end of the day, the Bulldogs remain second in the rankings and on the ladder, but we're interested to see how the forward structure changes with Josh Bruce out for the remaining weeks. This week's opponent: Western Bulldogs (Manuka Oval), 14. Next article Essendon appoint Josh Mahoney as new footy boss . Maybe it wont be this year, especially if they dont get to play their five remaining home games in Perth, and even if they do theyve got some pretty tough ones left. Best AFL Betting Sites in Australia: Top 7 AFL Bookmakers Ranked by Ignore & see my results >>. 4 Brisbane Many experts rate them as one of the greatest sides of all time and rightly so. The Hawks have a surprisingly big role on a dramatic last day of the season, able to play party poopers and ruin the Bulldogs hopes of knocking Carlton out of the eight. Next game: Fremantle at Optus Stadium (tbc), Saturday night. There were shades of the 'Kyle Reimers' game about the Suns' loss to the Dogs there for a while. 1971 Premiers MP 153.7per cent You can follow Ryan. While other teams faltered, the Lions won, and won well. Check out our bonus podcast below for some home truths. Head to ESPN's Home of AFL, 16. 4. That feels like their path to a flag. No Credit Card. Were keen to see how close the Suns can get to the Demons - after all, theyre 4-0 in their last four Round 2s - and then games against Carlton and St Kilda will be very telling. Its not uncommon for the Tigers to allow Carlton to come home strong in their traditional Round 1 meeting; it just usually means they win by five goals after being 10 goals up, or whatever. We saw what happened last year when they were relying on just a sore Trent Cotchin; they need to find the right personnel to at least draw even in the contests, allowing their strengths elsewhere to carry them. Essendon They're almost lucky they're not on the bottom this week. It certainly didnt feel like a five-goal loss against Sydney but in reality, with a couple of injury blows, the Magpies were nowhere near having the scoring power to win that game. Is there a team in the AFL with a bigger gap between their best and worst footy? Is it the Cats' premiership to lose this year? (2:35). We mentioned this months ago, but St Kilda's poor percentage will ultimately keep them out of finals. 3. We're just about losing patience with the Saints who suffered a second 70+ point drubbing in a month. 2021 record: 9-10 This week's opponent: Western Bulldogs (UTAS Stadium), 16. Previous ranking: 17. AFL Power Rankings: Top teams settling, Carlton getting the blues Peaking at the right time? This week's opponent: Geelong (GMHBA Stadium), 10. They only need one result to go their way - either Carlton beating Collingwood, or St Kilda beating Sydney. And that upset gets Freo into fourth. Probably. Is that the club's best home and away win? Previous ranking: 1. Sure, they've been unlucky with injuries, but most teams are missing players who would be a walk-up start in any given week. The good news is last week showed the Blues are good enough to play finals; as weve suspected for a little while, their best is good enough to challenge most of the top eight. With a few important reinforcements for their trip east this week, youd expect them to prove too good for the reigning wooden spooners. They're probably the fifth best team in it, with a bit of a gap opening up between the Power and Lions in fifth and sixth respectively. Can the Tigers still get it together and win the flag from the bottom half of the eight? This week's opponent: North Melbourne (MCG), 13. The Crows have seriously delivered for the neutral fan over the last six weeks, playing five consecutive close games - pipping Melbourne and St Kilda, and just losing to Collingwood and Carlton (the 28-point Richmond loss was much closer than that sounds). The Cats have a bit of a problem; the finals bracket works against the minor premier, after the first week anyway. "But you can't beat the boys of the Bulldogs breed" when barked after a win is one of our favourite lines in any . We take wins and losses into account, but also the quality of opposition faced and whether teams are likely to get healthier or improve going forward. Role players are battling manfully (Nick Hind has been a great pickup), the kids are doing their part, but the so-called stars have been anything but in 2021, as ESPN columnist Rohan Connolly pointed out this week. AFL News: 'Incredibly competitive' search for new CEO defended as Dillon confirmed, McRae 'lost his mind' over umpiring, Six Points: Pies' crazy bravery trumps critically cautious Crows, and Simpson's pathetic Eagles can't go on like this, Adelaide Crows vs Collingwood Magpies: AFL live scores, Richmond Tigers vs Gold Coast Suns: AFL live scores, Essendon Bombers vs Geelong Cats: AFL live scores. That was about right? AFL Power Rankings: Top five sides break away from the pack Previous ranking: 11. The Dockers will either lock in sixth spot by losing to GWS, or keep their top four hopes alive by beating them in the nations capital, at which point they have to wait until Sunday to learn their fate. The Lions werent a heap better than we expected, nor a lot worse - they just got the job done at their Gabba fortress against a fellow top four contender. You would like to think, for West Coasts sake, that Round 1 will be the low point of their season. AFL Debate Club: How could Gather Round best be improved in coming years? Every year people say it doesnt matter if you finish on top of the ladder, and yeah there are about as many premiers from second and third as there are from first, but being in pole position still matters plenty. What's your favourite part about going to the footy? The good thing is their percentage is solid, so if they can sneak a couple of wins in the last few rounds, they could still take that last spot in the eight. They might have - they look lethargic and lacking up forward, and aside from the strong second half against the Suns in Round 19, haven't looked likely in a few weeks. Have the Tigers over-achieved? Gary Ablett Jr left at the end of 2010 to join the Gold Coast and lastly, they were competing against some very strong teams in these years. Gold Coast . Melbourne . Note: Throughout the year, ESPN will rank all 18 teams, from top to bottom, taking into account which teams are playing the best footy, injuries, each team's recent opponents, and which teams are . Scott and his coaching staff are clearly managing this team with September in mind; they just need to make sure they dont stumble in any of their trademark were going to play slow, conservative footy against a bottom ten side and the commentators are going to ask why were going so slowly all night games. 2021 record: 1-4 AFL Debate Club: What is Gillon McLachlan's defining achievement as AFL CEO? Need to find a team? Well, given theyve only played them there once in this writers lifetime, theres not a lot of form to go on Next game: Geelong Cats at GMHBA Stadium, Friday night. 2021 record: 3-2 Theyre still working things out, and thats fine. This week's opponent: Sydney (Marvel Stadium), Footy's weird quirks we've accepted as normal (2:35), AFL Power Rankings: Top teams stumble, but don't lose ground. The Power had to pull off a strong win on the road, and they did so against a disappointing Carlton. Its kinda what we expected from GWS; theres talent all over the park but their lack of a system (particularly in defence) can be exploited, and if theres a talent void, its up forward particularly with Toby Greene out. No, they're still the flag favourites, and their body of work this season points to that. No. Good but incredibly inconsistent teams at will just miss finals . This week's opponent: North Melbourne (Marvel Stadium), 6. Bulldogs . Inconsistent to the point where it's frustrating to even watch them, their win over Geelong just left us thinking 'where has this been all year'? To us, that's a sign that Richmond is being worked out. Year Result Ladder Home and away (percentage) Previous ranking: 13. There's plenty to be encouraged by, and after dropping the past two matches, there's a winnable game upcoming against the Hawks in Launceston. Getting West Coast in Geelong, rather than at the SCG, might actually be better for them based on the two sides respective histories at Kardinia Park. What's your preferred avenue for recruiting players? In Live 1 the higher the difficulty the more degree of randomness the game added to the hook on the kick. Were not saying that proves Port Adelaide is better - were happy to put some respect on the Magpies name after their winning streak - but theyre not much worse. Or just want to know which team you're most suited to? The 2008 Geelong team is the best team I . No 40yo supporter who enjoys a club premiership wants to wait until they are using a walking frame before they experience their next one. So yeah, theyre pretty good. Theyve only won two games in a row once this year, against lowly Hawthorn and Gold Coast, so if they can beat Collingwood this weekend well give them some more respect. Next game: Richmond at Metricon Stadium, Thursday night. You know what they can do, this week, though? Good. This group is not good enough for long enough, and hasn't been for the two years under Teague. For the newcomers: This is our attempt to rank every AFL club from best to worst right now. Sure, at their absolute best. 2021 record: 13-7 1974 Premiers MP 129.3per cent Previous ranking: 7. This week's opponent: St Kilda (GMHBA Stadium), 2. It had been a pretty strong five weeks to fill Hawks fans with confidence for the future - four wins from five games plus a big fightback to scare St Kilda - but their side looked horrendous at times against Richmond. Is it Carlton's year? Year Result Ladder Home and away (percentage) Set up or join a tipping competition NOW! Richmond The AFL is back! Stream every match of every round of the 2022 Toyota AFL Premiership Season Live & Ad-Break Free In-Play on Kayo. Port Adelaide 15. Become a member to join in Australia's biggest sporting debate, submit articles, receive updates straight to your inbox and keep up with your favourite teams and authors. Follow your favorite teams. 2021 record: 7-13 Previous ranking: 9. AFL: Boring Blues, dismal Dockers, Ross Lyon, and hard-to-believe stats. Geelong AFL 2023: ESPN's way-too-early predictions - Can the Cats go again? What's your preferred weather conditions? GWS . Another miserable performance from the Suns, who haven't looked like an AFL-standard team in the last six quarters of footy. If theyre not 3-2 they should be disappointed, especially since a three-week run of Port Adelaide-Melbourne-Geelong looms after that point. That may mean more pain is coming before more pleasure. How quickly things turn; we had the Lions fourth last week off the back of two disappointing games (the loss to Melbourne and pedestrian win over North), but then they get back to the Gabba and suddenly theyre world-beaters again. Up one spot only? Its not quite as bad as first feared but the absences of Aliir Aliir and Trent McKenzie will be felt. Thanks for watching! The top team gets an easier qualifying final but then a harder preliminary final - if results go as expected, the prelims end up as 1st vs 3rd and 2nd vs 4th. St Kilda While still topping the supporter ladder in that. With likely just one game left in Mark McVeighs stint as coach - Adem Yze is viewed as the strong favourite to land the full-time job - wed just like to give McVeigh credit for the way hes handled the role. The AFL is back! Just one more week, Kangaroos fans, then youre into that blissful period of optimism known as the off-season. Put aside footy tribalism and just enjoy the Pies, The 10 best AFL players at the quarter mark of the 2023 season. Geelong Their top four (and double chance) hopes are gone, and there's a very real possibility they face the Bombers in week one of the finals - a team that, yes, they've beaten pretty consistently in recent seasons, but in very, very tight games. Previous ranking: 3. Thankfully for their sake, Essendon played like they did a few hours later and distracted everyone. Of course, they lost their two games at the Cattery last year by 92 and 97 points, so Next game: Geelong Cats at GMHBA Stadium, Saturday twilight. This week's grudge match against the Giants is a tantalising prospect. There were times in the Round 1 win where we went damn, shouldve tipped him for the Brownlow with both Christian Petracca and Clayton Oliver. If we say the Blues are 50-50 to beat the Magpies, and the Saints are 30-70 to beat the Swans (which seems fair? Australian users can personalise their ESPN experience by downloading the App. My evaluation isnt simply based on the number of premierships, it includes grand final appearances and how dominant these clubs were in their home and away seasons. Just out of interest, Ive pulled the particular occurrences where a team has been exceptional in a particular season with exceptional defined as being better than 95 per cent of all performances over the period. Melbourne There's something about playing the Swans, too - another close loss! Captured a great grassroots sporting moment? Aaand back to the bottom for the Roos after the Hawks shocked the Lions to jump into 17th spot. ), add it up and thats an 80% chance one upset happens. West Coast This week's opponent: Fremantle (Optus Stadium), 7. This week's opponent: Geelong (GMHBA Stadium), 14. Previous ranking: 8. We hate this. It'll be fascinating to see the final seedings when the season is done and dusted. Create a ranking for AFL Ladder Position Predictor for 2020 1. Drag the images into the order you would like. Dallas Cowboys: 634 Points (8 points gained) 6. They've gone from top eight smokey, to likely finalist, to now being a top four contender! How are they still in the finals race?! Previous ranking: 3. Still, given were a little bit iffy on the Giants this year, wed like to see Sydney against another contender to get a full gauge on whether theyre top-four level or in the five-to-eight bracket again. It's also pleasant viewing if . First off - how good was that game?! Previous ranking: 17. Quick turnarounds when our team loses a close grand final or starts slipping out of the premiership window. It's little wonder the Cats are teetering around the middle of the pack - they're perfectly balanced, as all things should be. Previous ranking: 2. This week's opponent: West Coast (Optus Stadium), 11. Next game: Port Adelaide at Marvel Stadium, Saturday night. Sydney Reload for next season. 2021 record: 8-12 I also felt the urge to make a small contribution to the debate, using a statistical technique known as Z-Scoring (its probably got a more fancy name, but this will suffice). 5. Previous ranking: 11. AFL Debate Club: How could Gather Round best be improved in coming years? Great to see Cam Rayner getting some midfield time, too; were helping drive his bandwagon. They won by four goals in that exact fixture back in Round 7, when they were really flying offensively, so we know they can do it. Geelong. 2021 record: 15-4-1 They're lucky to be 9th on the rankings this week. 1985 Runner-Up 3RD 130.8per cent. Year Type Sort By 2022 AFL Team Rankings 2022 AFL Team Rankings Team Totals Opponent Averages Opponent Totals Team/Opponent Differential Averages Team/Opponent Differential Totals hide menu Round by Round Player Rankings The Optus Stadium fortress just isnt what it used to be; theyre 1-2 in their last three games there, needing to make up a 22-point deficit in the fourth quarter for that sole win. 2011 Premiers 2ND 157.4 But its going to be an incredibly nervous wait until roughly quarter-time of their game against the Magpies, at which point theyll know what they have to do. It took a few weeks but they seem to have found some semblance of a forward structure without Eric Hipwood. 2021 record: 8-11 They're just lucky that Adelaide somehow beat both Melbourne and Geelong, and that Hawthorn also had some crazy upsets. Don't mind: freo, GWS, north Melbourne, western bulldogs, port Adelaide, Sydney The 2008 Geelong team is the best team I have seen not to go on and hold up the trophy in September. Crowds are back in Victoria! Oops! The rivalry matches continue, however, with the undefeated Bulldogs visiting the nation's capital, and we know it's hard for teams to 'get up' for consecutive rivalry games what did Mick Malthouse call it? But their case is more reliant on faith than evidence at this point. Who have been the best teams in AFL history? - The Roar Already coming into the season under pressure, the Saints heaped more on themselves with their loss to Collingwood. Gold Coast Suns Port should rebound comfortably with games in Adelaide against the Hawks and Crows to come. Good! Previous ranking: 7. Your team's down by six goals halfway through the last quarter, what do you do? As many wins as they have losses, percentage almost even. This week's opponent: Port Adelaide (Adelaide Oval), 10. 2021 record: 10-9 AFL Debate Club: Is the umpire dissent rule worth keeping? The Sydney Derby is quickly becoming the best match-up in footy in terms of watchability. Behold, the NFL's all-time Top 10 franchises: 1. Adelaide won consecutive premierships in 1997-1998 but in my humble opinion, the previous two teams were just a little bit stronger. There's something to work with there 15. 1986 Premiers MP 141.6per cent AFL Rookie Rankings: An historic start for a bumper draft class, One win after four games but don't write the Tigers off yet, AFL Draft Power Rankings: Harley Reid leads the top 20 prospects, AFL Draft: Five must-watch prospects in 2023. Really, its incredibly close between 13th to 16th, but at least Matthew Nicks men are ending the year on a high. Next game: Sydney Swans at the SCG, Friday night. It seems Essendon is living up to the billing of being a bottom four side this year - especially given they're bottom four in contested possession differential, inside 50 differential and clearances differential. Year Result Ladder Home and away (percentage) Next game: Essendon at Marvel Stadium, Saturday twilight. Previous ranking: 1. Oh and good grief are they EVER going to kick straight? Does this confirm what you already expected? 2021 record: 4-1 Adelaide Collingwood . Next game: North Melbourne at Marvel Stadium, Saturday afternoon. They're arguably the most interesting team in the top four, but we're not running a "Most Interesting Power Rankings". AFL Power Rankings: And then there were five (contenders) Gold Coast Suns We're still not sure what sort of side Adelaide is going to be in 2021, and we're not quite sure what a slim victory means for a team like Fremantle. No. Breaking NFL news and in-depth analysis from the best newsroom in sports. Ben Cunnington makes North a much better side with his hard edge, and Jack Ziebell was back in ball-winning form. What are the Power Rankings? 18. 2019 Premiers 3RD 113.7 St Kilda . Previous ranking: 5. As frustrating as it was to see the Saints cough up a potential win because of goalkicking against Brisbane - and weve seen plenty of those losses from this group in recent years - thats not the main point that needs to be made. Essendon . No. In this week's edition of ESPN's AFL Power Rankings, we're calling it - just five teams can win the flag! Did anyone really have the Blues beating Port Adelaide last week? Good percentage (at least, better than any of the other teams with nine wins), and another winnable game this weekend against the Suns? GWS Theyve already played the Dogs pretty well for a few years and if that midfield gets on top of the Dogs well-regarded group, then were looking at a legitimate finals contender at Princes Park. 2021 record: 14-5 Richmond . 2021 record: 1-4 Share your Tier List. Were not going to say its inevitable that David Teague will be coaching next year because the review will say hes doing a fine job because theyre going to finish on nine or 10 wins thanks to a kind remaining fixture but thats what were expecting at this point. Essendon Ranking my favourite AFL teams (Tiermaker) - YouTube 1979 Premiers MP 139.6 But they did just lose to Geelong, and we think their win over West Coast was less of an upset than most appear to (though we certainly didnt tip that margin). Hell, maybe! We hate having the Bulldogs fourth; they cant possibly be the fourth-best team right now, right?! Next game: Western Bulldogs at Marvel Stadium, Sunday twilight, *Odds are current as of 1st May 2023, 7:12pm AEST. Just tell us who you are to view your results ! 1968 Premiers 2ND 130.4per cent AFL 2022 Ladder | Standings, Table | The Roar Or does he not care about draft picks considering he won't be using them? In saying that, looking at these high level numbers Ive found the average points scored per team over the course of a season is remarkably stable: approximately 2,055 points +/- 47 points over the decade. 2021 record: 3-2 But surely at some point this club wont be in the midst of an injury crisis. 2021 record: 15-5 Plus the side stuck in no mans land. We have absolutely no doubt next pre-season, when we write our annual Pythagorean wins article, well be explaining why Port are primed for a rebound. AFL Rookie Rankings: An historic start for a bumper draft class, One win after four games but don't write the Tigers off yet, AFL Draft Power Rankings: Harley Reid leads the top 20 prospects, AFL Draft: Five must-watch prospects in 2023. This week's opponent: Sydney (Marvel Stadium), 12. So Next game: North Melbourne at Marvel Stadium, Sunday early. Getting the win? During this period there was another two standout teams so this result could have been even greater if it wasnt for Essendon and Carlton. They're the most experienced group in the hunt, will probably lock up the double chance, and will get Jeremy Cameron back shortly. Combined with a defence that remains pretty dour - the Bulldogs and Magpies had to kick especially straight to beat them - the premiers are still in that top tier of contenders. If the Cats are flag favourites then the Bulldogs aren't far behind. Is it enough for the Hawks to avoid the wooden spoon? a tastier adventures brand 2021 record: 3-2 Lessons will be learned, and there's a good opportunity to bounce back this week on the Gold Coast. For all of the concerns about their attack, theyre averaging 87 points across the course of the season and 87.2 points over the last five weeks which includes games against 11th, 9th, 8th, 6th and 5th, so theyre not that far off their season-long pace (even if its been pretty ugly). North Melbourne The first four were before my time so I am going to list them in chronological order. It's not just the big names starring either - players like Christian Salem, Trent Rivers and Michael Hibberd just continue to play their roles well. You cant play two games against the bottom two sides on the ladder, not win either of them, and expect to play finals. Its also hard to argue against the sheer facts - this team seems to play better against stronger competition, which bodes well for the finals. This week's opponent: Adelaide (Adelaide Oval), 6. 18. Theyre also going to have to win four away finals to win a flag - though at least a couple would be at the MCG - but if anyone is capable, its them. Become a member to join in Australia's biggest sporting debate, submit articles, receive updates straight to your inbox and keep up with your favourite teams and authors. Previous ranking: 14. Next game: Carlton at Marvel Stadium, Thursday night. In this week's edition of ESPN's AFL Power Rankings, the top teams might have lost, but they're steady in the rankings with two weeks to go. Richmond bullied St Kilda, and we saw a sustained ruthlessness from the Tigers we don't always seem to see. Its a very clogged bottom ten, which is why were unwilling to move the Hawks up any further just yet, but if they can knock off Port in Shaun Burgoynes 400th this Saturday night well have to. It's disappointing more than anything; it's fair to say most neutrals wouldn't mind seeing a little success from this side which hasn't even played finals yet in its existence. Small wins, right? Just like the Bullet Club, Collingwood is fine. Carlton Note: this ladder is updated at the end of each round. Essentially what were trying to show is that a point scored in one season isnt actually worth the same as a point scored in another season, due to different games styles, changes in the way matches are umpired, injuries and the like. We still think the Giants are the best actual team outside of the top eight, thus this ranking, but their inconsistency must be infuriating internally. Carlton . Previous ranking: 16. Previous rankings (prior to): Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 3 | Round 4 | Round 5 | Round 6 | Round 7 | Round 8 | Round 9 | Round 10 | Round 11 | Round 12 | POST BYE | Round 15 | Round 16 | Round 17 | Round 18 | Round 19 | Round 20, 1. As an economist, Ryan seeks to fix the world's economic troubles one graph at a time. featured alongside some of Australias most prominent sports journalists. This week's opponent: Sydney (Metricon Stadium), 18. Next game: Melbourne at the MCG, Saturday afternoon. Tasmania can be AFL 'destination club': McLachlan, Tassie AFL team a step closer with PM's $240m, Victory goalkeeper Dumont joins AFLW team, Dogs out to celebrate Bontempelli's milestone, Martin, Tigers not far off best says Hardwick, Fagan, Clarkson bullish on Tasmanian AFL team.