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So what did we get right? And what missed the mark? Before we unveil our 2026 predictions, let\u2019s do our own little report card…<\/p>\n
Prediction 1: Brisbane won\u2019t suffer a Grand Final hangover<\/p>\n
Prediction 2: Neither will Sydney<\/p>\n
Well, at least we were half right?<\/p>\n
Not only did back-to-back premier Brisbane avoid a hangover (unlike the two previous premiers that missed the eight), we might be in the middle of the AFL\u2019s next dynasty.<\/p>\n
Can whack that in the 2026 predictions story again.<\/p>\n
The same can\u2019t be said for Sydney in a rocky first season under Dean Cox marred by injury as the club fell from minor premiers and a grand final appearance all the way out of finals.<\/p>\n
The Swans got going in the second half of the season when they were back to full strength, but it was too little too late.<\/p>\n
Prediction 3: Three teams will drop out of the top eight<\/p>\n
Prediction 4: And someone will jump from outside the top eight into the top four<\/p>\n
Prediction 5: That bolter will be Collingwood<\/p>\n
Tick. And double tick. At least we can half claim Sydney\u2019s drop off?<\/p>\n
In fact, four teams \u2014 Western Bulldogs, Sydney, Carlton and Port Adelaide \u2014 tumbled out of the top eight in place of Adelaide, Collingwood, Fremantle and Gold Coast.<\/p>\n
Two sides \u2014 Adelaide and Collingwood \u2014 charged from outside the eight into the four.<\/p>\n
The Magpies were our big bolter pick to bounce back from their flag hangover year.<\/p>\n
And Craig McRae\u2019s side was the premiership frontrunner for the majority of the 2025 season and made it to prelim weekend.<\/p>\n
Collingwood vs Brisbane Lions at the MCG . Jordan De Goey of the Magpies celebrates a 2nd quarter goal . Picture: Michael KleinSource: News Corp Australia<\/p>\n
Prediction 6: But Fremantle will come close to joining them in the top four<\/p>\n
We\u2019ll tick this off as well.<\/p>\n
Though the same could be said for basically every team in the bottom half of the top eight \u2014 and even the Bulldogs in ninth \u2014 in one of the tightest finals races in recent memory.<\/p>\n
The Dockers finished a win outside the top four in sixth place. Though Freo didn\u2019t exactly look like a flag contender for the majority of the season, Justin Longmuir\u2019s troops were among that logjam of teams jostling for the double chance.<\/p>\n
Prediction 7: And the third \u2018fresh\u2019 face in finals will be Melbourne<\/p>\n
Bah bow.<\/p>\n
Not only did Melbourne fail to return to the September stage, it eventually sacked Simon Goodwin in a bleak season where it was closer to the bottom two, finishing 14th with seven wins.<\/p>\n
Our logic was sound enough. There was still enough top-end talent on a list that finished top four for three-straight years prior to 2024. Plus they had an easier fixture and put ample focus on their off-field connection after a turbulent year or two.<\/p>\n
But a club that\u2019d been on a downward trajectory only went further backwards and have now hit the reset button on that 2021 premiership era.<\/p>\n
WA reveal 7 recruits for AFL Origin game | 00:28<\/p>\n
Prediction 8: But GWS will miss out<\/p>\n
Another L.<\/p>\n
In fairness, while the Giants won one extra game than in 2024 \u2014 a year they made top four \u2014 they were a bit more up and down this past season. It never felt like they really got going nor that they were in the thick of the flag race.<\/p>\n
They were among the clubs vulnerable of missing finals late in the season too, but that was more a by-product of how competitive the year was.<\/p>\n
Prediction 9: So will Port Adelaide<\/p>\n
And we\u2019re back.<\/p>\n
One of the main storylines of the 2025 season was Ken Hinkley\u2019s swansong season going off the rails.<\/p>\n
Injuries clearly played a part. For if the Power get a better run in 2026, you can see a path back to finals for Josh Carr\u2019s team.<\/p>\n
They weren\u2019t that far off the mark in 2025 either and in the finals hunt for most of the season. But after top four finishes in 2023 and 2024, they crashed down to 13th.<\/p>\n
Prediction 10: Along with… Geelong<\/p>\n
Yeah … no comment.<\/p>\n
Gawn really rates Origin fixture | 08:32<\/p>\n
Prediction 11: The minor premiers will make the Grand Final<\/p>\n
The last Saturday in September wasn\u2019t to be for minor premier Adelaide.<\/p>\n
In fact, they couldn\u2019t have been further from it once September begun in a straight-sets finals exit after home losses to Collingwood and Hawthorn.<\/p>\n
Earlier this decade, the minor premier kept missing out (Richmond 2018, Geelong 2019, Port Adelaide 2020).<\/p>\n
But then we had three-straight premiers that also finished first after the home and away season (Melbourne 2021, Geelong 2022, Collingwood 2023) before Sydney earned its spot last year.<\/p>\n
Adelaide didn\u2019t feel like a typical No. 1 seed, having climbed from outside the top eight for the club\u2019s first finals campaign since 2017.<\/p>\n
Prediction 12: The minor premiers will be… Hawthorn<\/p>\n
No minor premiership for Hawthorn.<\/p>\n
Sam Mitchell\u2019s side slid from seventh to eighth, but won an extra game \u2014 15 in total \u2014 which would\u2019ve been good for top four in 2024.<\/p>\n
While the Hawks felt like a better overall product, boosted by defensive additions Tom Barrass and Josh Battle, they never quite cemented themselves on that absolute upper echelon level.<\/p>\n
Nor were they a genuine minor premiership contender despite a team finals run to the final four.<\/p>\n
Prediction 13: Essendon stays stuck on the treadmill of mediocrity<\/p>\n
If anything it was worse than this …<\/p>\n
That was mainly due to an injury year from hell as Essendon struggled to field anything close to its best 23 for effectively the entire season.<\/p>\n
So after a promising 3-2 start to the season, the Bombers fell away badly, finishing 15th with seven wins.<\/p>\n
That was their fewest wins total since 2022 and under Brad Scott, as well as their equal lowest finish since that same 2022 season that led to former coach Ben Rutten\u2019s dismissal.<\/p>\n
Of course, the year ended with skipper Zach Merrett trying to walk out, if not for Essendon and Hawthorn failing to agree on a trade.<\/p>\n
Fair to say the club will be happy to put 2025 behind it.<\/p>\n
Andrew McGrath named new Bombers captain | 00:28<\/p>\n
Prediction 14: Luke Beveridge will earn another contract…<\/p>\n
This might seem straightforward enough. But it\u2019s easy to forget that Beveridge went into 2025 as arguably the coach under the most pressure.<\/p>\n
Yet his side came out with great spirit, despite a notable injury toll to start the campaign, as it was again a finals contender and flag fancy.<\/p>\n
It was clear the players were still very much invested in their coach.<\/p>\n
And so it was a relatively simple decision in the end for the club to reward the 2016 premiership coach with a new two-year extension.<\/p>\n
Prediction 15: … and the Western Bulldogs will finally make the top four<\/p>\n
Not quite.<\/p>\n
One of the great teases in footy, the Dogs looked every bit a top four caliber team. But they struggled against the best sides, with a 2-10 record against the 2025 finalists.<\/p>\n
It quite literally proved to be their ultimate undoing as a Round 24 loss to Fremantle cost Beveridge\u2019s side finals.<\/p>\n
They did win 14 games \u2014 the same as in 2024 \u2014 with the third best percentage in the league (137) and were viewed as one of the top handful of teams throughout stages of the year.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s so easy to be glass half full on the Dogs, but they weren\u2019t ultimately top four material.<\/p>\n
Prediction 16: Nick Daicos will win his first Brownlow<\/p>\n
OK, so we didn\u2019t exactly go out on a limb here.<\/p>\n
But Brownlow night was the same story for the Pies superstar in 2025 \u2014 close but no cigar.<\/p>\n
After finishing third and second the last two seasons, Daicos was again the runner-up for football\u2019s top individual honour to Matt Rowell.<\/p>\n
The hot favourite leading into the count, Daicos can again consider himself very unlucky. The 22-year old became the fastest player to record 100 career votes and only the fourth to reach the feat in his first 100 games.<\/p>\n
The other three \u2014 Haydn Bunton Snr, Dick Reynolds and Nat Fyfe \u2014 have all taken home \u2018Charlie\u2019.<\/p>\n
Surely next year!?<\/p>\n
New Blues bullish on 2026 season | 02:09<\/p>\n
Prediction 17: Jagga Smith will claim the Rising Star<\/p>\n
Unfortunately, this one was over before it started, for the Blues young gun suffered a season-ending ACL injury in February.<\/p>\n
It could\u2019ve made for an even more enthralling Rising Star race with one of the most exacting draft crops in recent memory taking the league by storm.<\/p>\n
Fremantle\u2019s Murphy Reid ultimately took out Rising Star honours, but Brisbane\u2019s Levi Ashcroft and Adelaide\u2019s Daniel Curtin also produced stellar first seasons.<\/p>\n
At least now for Blues fans, it\u2019s like they\u2019ve got a unopened Christmas present from last year.<\/p>\n
Prediction 18: Izak Rankine will earn his first All-Australian blazer<\/p>\n
Rankine made headlines for the wrong reasons in 2025. We don\u2019t need to go into that again.<\/p>\n
If not that late season suspension, he could well have been on track for a maiden All-Australian blazer.<\/p>\n
Rankine had a career-best season, averaging 20.6 disposals and 1.4 goals for the ladder leading Crows, who sure missed him in finals.<\/p>\n
Prediction 19: And the Crows will come much closer to living up to the hype<\/p>\n
They did more than that.<\/p>\n
As covered above, Adelaide surpassed all expectations, claiming the minor premiership and playing finals for the first time since 2017.<\/p>\n
While they fizzled out in September, it was a big spike for a club that\u2019s been on the right trajectory for some time now.<\/p>\n
And now they\u2019ll be dealing with expectations for the first time in years…<\/p>\n
Nicks signs new Crows deal | 00:29<\/p>\n
Prediction 20: Jeez, we really want to pick Gold Coast to make the eight, though<\/p>\n
And so we should\u2019ve!<\/p>\n
Everything finally came together for the Suns in year two under Damien Hardwick including the club playing finals for the first time and winning one.<\/p>\n
If not for a Round 24 loss to Port Adelaide, Gold Coast would\u2019ve made the top four!.<\/p>\n
Suddenly they look cherry ripe for a flag tilt in 2026 with the addition of Christian Petracca and more development and experience across the board.<\/p>\n
Onwards and upwards.<\/p>\n
Prediction 21: Richmond will win the wooden spoon, and by some distance<\/p>\n
This one looked shaky a game in after the Tigers upset Carlton (though it might\u2019ve said more about the other mob).<\/p>\n
It was a bleak outlook for Richmond going into the season after losing the likes of Shai Bolton and Daniel Rioli following a two-win 2024 campaign.<\/p>\n
But Adem Yze and company surpassed expectations with five wins to get off the bottom of the ladder in 17th place. And they very easily could\u2019ve finished a spot or two higher.<\/p>\n
Far from an accomplishment, but the yellow and black faithful have reason to be bullish that this rebuild is moving in the right direction.<\/p>\n
Richmond take Wolmarans with top pick | 00:46<\/p>\n
Prediction 22: One of North Melbourne or West Coast escapes the bottom four<\/p>\n
It certainly wasn\u2019t West Coast, who bombed out with a wooden spoon.<\/p>\n
And North Melbourne also didn\u2019t make tangible improvement in a sixth-straight bottom four finish.<\/p>\n
The Kangaroos did win five games \u2014 their best return since 2019 \u2014 but you hoped they were capable of pushing closer to seven or so and being more competitive than they were. Maybe next year.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile there might be some more pain ahead for the Eagles yet.<\/p>\n
Prediction 23: Max King reminds the AFL world why he was worth contracting until 2032<\/p>\n
Another prediction that didn\u2019t even get a chance for airtime.<\/p>\n
For King missed the entire 2025 season due to a knee issue after penning that mammoth contract extension 12 months ago.<\/p>\n
In addition to all the trade period recruits, his return in 2026 could be massive for Ross Lyon\u2019s side.<\/p>\n
The gun forward kicked a career-best 52 goals in 2022, before injuries have curtailed him since.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s now just a matter of King getting, and staying, on the park.<\/p>\n
Tom Silvagni convicted of rape | 02:05<\/p>\n
Prediction 24: The premier will be… Carlton<\/p>\n
Wait … we predicted what!?<\/p>\n
It\u2019s the exact opposite of Richmond\u2019s outlook after that shock Round 1 upset. You sensed straight away the Blues were in trouble.<\/p>\n
After playing finals the last two years including a prelim run in 2023, Carlton fell away in 2025 to finish 11th as Michael Voss\u2019 future as coach was again in jeopardy.<\/p>\n
And really the Blues have been on a decline since quarter time of that 2023 preliminary final at the Gabba.<\/p>\n
In some ways, Charlie Curnow\u2019s departure feels like the end of an era. For whatever reason, it never came together for a star-studded Carlton team that peaked two years ago.<\/p>\n
That doesn\u2019t mean the new-look Blues can\u2019t bounce back from here. But the goalposts have shifted for a side that had flag aspirations the last few years.<\/p>\n
Prediction 25: And the Tribunal won\u2019t do anything weird all year<\/p>\n