{"id":723779,"date":"2026-06-08T21:10:10","date_gmt":"2026-06-08T21:10:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/723779\/"},"modified":"2026-06-08T21:10:10","modified_gmt":"2026-06-08T21:10:10","slug":"afl-2026-power-rankings-after-round-13","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/723779\/","title":{"rendered":"AFL 2026, Power Rankings after Round 13"},"content":{"rendered":"

Welcome back to the Power Rankings.<\/p>\n

As if trying to prove us wrong, teams outside the top four made their cases for premiership contention in Round 13. But one so-called contender can absolutely miss the top 10, and nobody is talking about it yet.<\/p>\n

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See our ranking of every AFL club from best to worst after Round 13 below!<\/p>\n

How do the Power Rankings work? We take wins and losses into account, but also the quality of opposition faced and whether teams are likely to get healthier and\/or improve going forward. It\u2019s a little bit \u2018who\u2019s hot and who\u2019s not\u2019; part predictive, part analysis of what\u2019s happened. If Team A is above Team B, we\u2019d probably tip A to win if they were playing at a neutral venue this weekend.<\/p>\n

All times AEST.<\/p>\n

See the Fox Footy Power Rankings after Round 13.Source: FOX SPORTS<\/p>\n

1. FREMANTLE (12-1, 147.9%)<\/p>\n

Last week: Ranked 2nd, def North Melbourne by 124 pts<\/p>\n

This week: BYE<\/p>\n

2. SYDNEY SWANS (11-2, 147.3%)<\/p>\n

Last week: Ranked 1st, def St Kilda by 2 pts<\/p>\n

This week: Port Adelaide at Adelaide Oval, Saturday 7:35pm<\/p>\n

As we wrote about in Talking Points on Monday, when teams have THIS big of a ladder lead at this time of the season, they make the Grand Final<\/a>. That\u2019s not to say Fremantle and Sydney are absolutely, definitively better teams than Geelong or Hawthorn but they are clearly having the best two seasons and avoiding stumbles against lesser lights. Winning the close ones may not mean a lot analytically but your reward is an advantage in September, and no opponent is going to feel good about travelling to Optus Stadium or the SCG for a preliminary final. In particular we\u2019ll give the Dockers credit for doing exactly what we\u2019ve been asking for over the past fortnight – looking pretty comfortable against Brisbane and then absolutely obliterating a terrible-looking North Melbourne. We are happy to admit we\u2019re wrong because if they keep playing like this they will win the flag; though keeping it up for a full season is usually pretty tricky. The numbers are seriously on their side though – the Dockers only need to go 7-3 in their remaining home and away games for a guaranteed top-two finish, and would probably hold on if they go 6-4 (because Hawthorn and Geelong are unlikely to go 10-0). That\u2019s pretty wild.<\/p>\n

Justin Longmuir: ‘Not our best self yet’ | 11:11<\/p>\n

Cox: “Extremely proud of young players” | 12:10<\/p>\n

3. GEELONG (8-5, 120.2%)<\/p>\n

Last week: Ranked 3rd, lost to Adelaide by 1 pt<\/p>\n

This week: Gold Coast at GMHBA Stadium, Friday 7:40pm<\/p>\n

4. HAWTHORN (8-4-1, 113.2%)<\/p>\n

Last week: Ranked 4th, lost to Western Bulldogs by 6 pts<\/p>\n

This week: BYE<\/p>\n

The gap between these two and the top two is large on the ladder, but small on the field – remember, the Dockers and Swans\u2019 three losses have all come against either the Cats or Hawks. Unfortunately our perception of team quality is less important than the ladder, and Fremantle now has a four-win lead over both sides with 10 games remaining, and Sydney has a three-win lead. Both leads are likely (though not certain) to hold up, though the Hawks\u2019 remaining fixture isn\u2019t too tricky so they\u2019ll have a shot at catching up. (The Cats\u2019 last few weeks are simple but that\u2019s only because the rest of their draw has been brutal; anyone who complains about their easy run to end the year is being silly.) What Thursday and Friday night\u2019s close games reminded us is that luck has a bigger role than we want to admit. The Hawks had it particularly tough, with all of their unfortunate second-half misses, but they\u2019ve had plenty of luck go their way this year too (most notably Sydney missing multiple superstars the week the Hawks played them). And so these two teams are still the favourites to round out the top four – the Dees (5th on the ladder) are still inconsistent, the Dogs (6th) have relied on close wins, the Suns (7th) aren\u2019t that good, the Crows (8th) and Lions (9th) have both been up-and-down – but it would only take a couple more stumbles to miss the double chance.<\/p>\n

Scott Responds to glaring AFL issue | 07:33<\/p>\n

Mitchell laments missed chances in loss | 08:20<\/p>\n

5. BRISBANE LIONS (7-6, 106.2%)<\/p>\n

Last week: Ranked 5th, def Gold Coast by 31 pts<\/p>\n

And that\u2019s why you keep faith in a team like the Lions. They had no right to win the Pineapple Grapple as comfortably as they did, considering their injuries, but produced the most \u2018older brother condescendingly tussling his younger brother\u2019s hair\u2019 win possible. They need an easy couple of weeks and they should get it, with Richmond and the bye, before things get very serious again against Sydney and Geelong. That\u2019s when we\u2019ll learn where the Lions really sit in the pecking order… before they get a cruisy month against four bottom-six teams. They really should be winning five of their next seven games at a minimum – that would put them 12-8 and well-placed to contend for the top six.<\/p>\n

This week: Richmond at Ninja Stadium, Sunday 1:10pm<\/p>\n

‘Be fearless’ Fagan on bounce back | 06:35<\/p>\n

6. ADELAIDE CROWS (7-5, 107.4%)<\/p>\n

Last week: Ranked 7th, def Geelong by 1 pt<\/p>\n

Bloody good win on Thursday night, with Jordan Dawson getting well-deserved plaudits from the footy world both for his efforts as a player and as a person this year. Dan Curtin continues to show his importance – maybe Logan Morris remains ahead of him in a re-draft but it\u2019s at least bloody close! – and it\u2019s no coincidence the Crows have gone 4-1 since his return. Throw in Mark Keane and the gang is finally getting back together; they\u2019re shaping as an elimination final host, and maybe higher if the Hawks or Cats stumble. The next three weeks are crucial (away to Bulldogs, host Demons, away Showdown) as they could just as easily go 3-0 as they could go 0-3.<\/p>\n

This week: Western Bulldogs at Marvel Stadium, Thursday 7:30pm<\/p>\n

Nicks praises Dawson after inspiring win | 11:27<\/p>\n

7. WESTERN BULLDOGS (8-5, 94.6%)<\/p>\n

Last week: Ranked 8th, def Hawthorn by 6 pts<\/p>\n

They\u2019ve suddenly turned into the 2022 Magpies! While the Bulldogs couldn\u2019t quite complete the set of wins by 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 points – they instead added a second six-point win to their Pokedex – they are implausibly keeping their top-six hopes alive despite not being the same team we all praised during the season\u2019s opening month. It makes things a bit weird for us because we\u2019ve talked up the Dogs for a few years now, and reality (ie losing games they shouldn\u2019t) keeps getting in the way – now they\u2019re scrapping their way into contention in a year they probably shouldn\u2019t be. And they\u2019re buying themselves time to actually reach the consistent level of the sides above them in these rankings.<\/p>\n

This week: Adelaide Crows at Marvel Stadium, Thursday 7:30pm<\/p>\n

Bulldogs fight back impresses Beveridge | 14:29<\/p>\n

8. GOLD COAST SUNS (7-5, 112.2%)<\/p>\n

Last week: Ranked 6th, lost to Brisbane by 31 pts<\/p>\n

There\u2019s plenty of analysis out there that falls into the same old traps of humans desperately seeking patterns, or creating clean narratives that don\u2019t reflect reality – like the old cliche of \u2018well, they have to win this game if they\u2019re serious, time to prove they\u2019re the better team in the rivalry\u2019. But even we have to admit that applies to the loss against Brisbane. The Suns simply haven\u2019t improved on last year; they\u2019re an OK-to-good team that can\u2019t be counted as a genuine contender. They have basically beaten nobody of note since Opening Round; maybe you can count the Giants, at home in Round 8, but that was a different orange outfit to the current one. That has to change because the Suns don\u2019t have an easy game left on their fixture – they\u2019ve got the Blues and Saints away, the Pies at home, and a bunch of top-10 teams. Gold Coast could absolutely miss the finals and nobody is talking about it right now. (We reckon Saints-Suns is a big chance to be the final, decisive game of Round 24.)<\/p>\n

This week: Geelong at GMHBA Stadium, Friday 7:40pm<\/p>\n

Hardwick: “They taught us a lesson” | 05:49<\/p>\n

9. GWS GIANTS (6-6, 103.2%)<\/p>\n

Last week: Ranked 9th, BYE<\/p>\n

The Giants had the bye, and will look to prove that excellent two weeks before the break was a sign of their now-traditional second half of the season surge. They went 7-1 after the bye last year, 8-4 in 2024, and 7-2 in 2023…<\/p>\n

This week: St Kilda at Marvel Stadium, Sunday 3:15pm<\/p>\n

10. MELBOURNE (8-5, 102.3%)<\/p>\n

Last week: Ranked 10th, def Collingwood by 8 pts<\/p>\n

They failed to take plenty of chances, both early and late, making things feel like a traditional 2020s Dees-Pies game (ie they win on expected score but lose a close one). But they\u2019re now good enough to generate enough high-quality chances that, combined with the absolute A-grade talent of Kozzy Pickett, they can beat a Magpies team they really did need to beat to frank their form this season. The Demons have now officially improved on 2025, in a big tick for our yearly Pythagorean Wins column<\/a> – though just ignore everything we wrote about not expecting them to actually live up to the numbers. In fact, that piece is now a great reminder that the human element is usually where people go wrong with their predictions. Now 7-0 at the MCG, and with five more games to come there, the Demons will surely play finals. Remarkable.<\/p>\n

This week: Essendon at the MCG, Saturday 1:15pm<\/p>\n

King gives update on Mihocek injury | 09:53<\/p>\n

11. COLLINGWOOD (5-7-1, 99.2%)<\/p>\n

Last week: Ranked 11th, lost to Melbourne by 8 pts<\/p>\n

They\u2019ve done a full Freaky Friday with the Bulldogs now, having won just one of their six games decided by a single-digit margin this year (and they had to survive a kick after the siren for the lone win). The Magpies are still exactly what we\u2019ve thought for a while – good enough to scrap their way into being competitive against almost everyone, but no longer talented nor lucky enough to get over the line every time. We still have this gut feeling they\u2019ll end up winning an away wildcard final they have no right to win, but maybe that\u2019s just the 2022 and 2023 teams living too long in our memory.<\/p>\n

This week: BYE<\/p>\n

McRae urges critics to not compare side | 10:16<\/p>\n

12. ST KILDA (5-8, 101.9%)<\/p>\n

Last week: Ranked 13th, lost to Sydney by 2 pts<\/p>\n

It\u2019s funny how plenty of analysts fall into the same traps week after week. (Not us, obviously, we\u2019re perfect.) The Saints were very impressive against the Swans, but sometimes games are decided by superstars in key moments, and that\u2019s what happened with Isaac Heeney setting up the late winner on Sunday evening (along with some poor defence by the visitors). We came out of the game feeling better about St Kilda – it\u2019s why we have moved them up a spot. But the simple narrative is going to be \u2018oh, they failed to beat another contender, they haven\u2019t improved on last year, yada yada\u2019. That\u2019s just wrong, mostly because we forget that the 2025 Saints weren\u2019t very good – they were 5-13 before a run of four very close wins over bad teams. These Saints are at least average, which isn\u2019t sexy, but it\u2019s a step forwards. Unfortunately losing the close ones when you\u2019re average usually means you don\u2019t play finals, which is all anyone is going to care about. So they have to win this Sunday.<\/p>\n

This week: GWS Giants at Marvel Stadium, Sunday 3:15pm<\/p>\n

Saints take ‘good learnings’ from loss | 07:07<\/p>\n

13. CARLTON (5-8, 88.7%)<\/p>\n

Last week: Ranked 12th, def Essendon by 5 pts<\/p>\n

Sunday night was both a narrow escape and a win that felt inevitable very early in the third quarter – the Blues just looked off in the first half but it\u2019s a credit to Josh Fraser and the coaching staff that they responded after the break. This team is the perfect example of why the AFL wanted the wildcard; at 5-8 they\u2019re only one win out of the finals places, and still have games against West Coast and Richmond to come imminently. Of course this team isn\u2019t actually finals-quality but they are going to be in the conversation for a little while longer, and the very solid crowd against Essendon showed Blues fans are excited about this team; something you could not say a month ago. We\u2019re not trying to be apologists about a decision which was primarily about making a bit of extra cash; but there is merit in manufacturing additional hope where there previously was none.<\/p>\n

This week: BYE<\/p>\n

Fraser not happy despite win over Dons | 09:20<\/p>\n

14. PORT ADELAIDE (4-8, 101.4%)<\/p>\n

Last week: Ranked 15th, def West Coast by 6 pts<\/p>\n

More proof this is the most ethical tank in AFL history – it would\u2019ve looked really bad if the Power had lost to West Coast again, so they got a much-needed-if-only-for-perceptions win on Saturday night. Josh Carr\u2019s defence is still looking extremely solid and as long as they don\u2019t do anything silly, like beating a good team, the long-term plan will remain in effect…<\/p>\n

This week: Sydney at Adelaide Oval, Saturday 7:35pm<\/p>\n

Carr proud of fourth-quarter response | 05:00<\/p>\n

15. NORTH MELBOURNE (5-7, 87.7%)<\/p>\n

Last week: Ranked 14th, lost to Fremantle by 124 pts<\/p>\n

There have been some overreactions to the Kangaroos\u2019 humiliating loss to the Dockers – they clearly HAVE improved and anyone saying otherwise is being unfair, despite two really bad defeats in recent weeks, because we forget how poor they\u2019ve been for a half-decade. They have taken a big step forwards from being terrible to being mediocre. That means something! Their problem, as we\u2019ve seen against Adelaide and Fremantle (and even late against Geelong), is their total inability to stop huge runs of goals. We\u2019re not seeing any individual or collective response of \u2018holy crap, everything is going wrong right now, let\u2019s just put the brakes on for a little bit and reset\u2019. Instead they melt. One could argue it\u2019s better to have this problem (which feels like it\u2019s more about mentality and game planning) than to be just slowly leak goals across the course of a game, because theoretically it should be easier to fix? But that’s only a theory. Keep in mind just two years ago, while on top of the ladder Sydney conceded the first 11 goals of the game on route to a 112-point thrashing from Port Adelaide – sometimes weird things just happen!<\/p>\n

This week: West Coast at Optus Stadium, Saturday 4:15pm<\/p>\n

Clarko breaks down 124pt defeat to Freo | 08:07<\/p>\n

16. WEST COAST EAGLES (4-9, 71.3%)<\/p>\n

Last week: Ranked 16th, lost to Port Adelaide by 6 pts<\/p>\n

At least Reuben Ginbey\u2019s quad injury doesn\u2019t sound quite as bad as first feared, but it\u2019s still a sad result for one of West Coast\u2019s breakout players and an emerging All-Australian contender. Still, the Eagles continue to cement their status as \u2018definitely not one of the two worst teams this year\u2019 which is a pleasant surprise after the pre-season expectations. There aren\u2019t many wins left on their fixture – Richmond away in Round 21 is certainly doable – so they\u2019ll want to take advantage of their free home game this week against the Kangaroos.<\/p>\n

This week: North Melbourne at Optus Stadium, Saturday 4:15pm<\/p>\n

McQualter rues missed chances in loss | 08:04<\/p>\n

17. RICHMOND (2-10, 60.4%)<\/p>\n

Last week: Ranked 17th, BYE<\/p>\n

The Tigers enjoyed a second straight week without playing AFL-level footy and now return to face… oh. The premiers. Good luck!<\/p>\n

This week: Brisbane at Ninja Stadium, Sunday 1:10pm<\/p>\n

18. ESSENDON (1-12, 71.7%)<\/p>\n

Last week: Ranked 18th, lost to Carlton by 5 pts<\/p>\n

Well, they looked alright in the first half against Carlton. And now they\u2019re playing the one team they\u2019ve beaten all year for the second time. Look! Positives! For Essendon! They exist! (Also sorry to bring up a negative but we\u2019re pretty sure Zach Merrett the defender didn\u2019t work. Always good to trial stuff in a season like this but… no.)<\/p>\n

This week: Melbourne at the MCG, Saturday 1:15pm<\/p>\n

Solomon: “We’ve had a good week” | 09:21<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Welcome back to the Power Rankings. As if trying to prove us wrong, teams outside the top four…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":723780,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[560],"tags":[638,64,63,55,639,85],"class_list":["post-723779","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-afl","tag-afl","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-australian-football-league","tag-australianfootballleague","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/723779","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=723779"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/723779\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/723780"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=723779"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=723779"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=723779"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}