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See our ranking of every AFL club from best to worst after Round 14 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 14.Source: FOX SPORTS<\/p>\n
1. FREMANTLE (12-1, 147.9%)<\/p>\n
Last week: Ranked 1st, BYE<\/p>\n
The Dockers had the bye, and now get their biggest test yet – the one team they haven\u2019t beaten this year, at home, off a bye, in primetime. There would be no shame in losing because the Cats are a quality side, and we think are their No.1 challenger, but none could deny Freo are flag favourites should they win it.<\/p>\n
This week: Geelong at Optus Stadium, Thursday 8:10pm<\/p>\n
Lyon: Suns an “all duck no dinner team” | 02:13<\/p>\n
2. GEELONG (9-5, 123.1%)<\/p>\n
Last week: Ranked 3rd, def Gold Coast by 45 pts<\/p>\n
They\u2019re nearly through the meat of what we predicted to be, and what has turned into, a pretty brutal fixture. The Cats\u2019 next three are very loseable – Freo away is an obvious one, but then it\u2019s Brisbane and GWS, a pair of sides they\u2019ve had terrible form against in recent years. By the end of Round 17, they will have played 11 of their 16 games against the rest of the top 10… so yes, they\u2019re going to end the season against lesser opponents, but it\u2019s a completely false narrative. (We know we mentioned this last week but we\u2019re just preparing you for the nonsense coming down the pipeline.) Anyway – we\u2019ve moved the Cats above the Swans again because of the faith we have in the profile of Chris Scott\u2019s side, as poor as their defence can look on some nights. Beating Freo away might be a bit too hard but that\u2019s only a problem if the Cats end up on that side of the finals bracket and are heading there on preliminary final night.<\/p>\n
This week: Fremantle at Optus Stadium, Thursday 8:10pm<\/p>\n
Scott lauds young rucks after win | 15:13<\/p>\n
3. SYDNEY SWANS (12-2, 143.7%)<\/p>\n
Last week: Ranked 2nd, def Port Adelaide by 3 pts<\/p>\n
It\u2019s really hard to criticise a 12-2 team that\u2019s equal-top of the ladder, but we know Sydney\u2019s season is all about whether they can finally find September success with this group – and their flaws can\u2019t be ignored. It\u2019s not just the fact four of their last five wins have been single-digit escapes over average-to-bad teams – by itself that\u2019s concerning enough. But it\u2019s the fact they just don\u2019t look anything like themselves once they run into a top defence. Obviously, the best teams are usually worse against the best, but there\u2019s a clear trend here. The Swans lost to the Cats and Hawks (very good defences), barely got past the Magpies and Power (bad attacks, elite defences) and haven\u2019t played the Crows or Dockers yet. There is merit in demolishing the worst defences but much of their statistical premiership case is built on those flat-track wins. The last good team Sydney beat by more than three goals was… well, the injury-ravaged Bulldogs in Round 7 probably don\u2019t count… the Suns in Gather Round? Look, we\u2019re picking holes, but this stuff matters when you\u2019re among the elite.<\/p>\n
This week: BYE<\/p>\n
Cox praises Swans after comeback win | 06:31<\/p>\n
4. HAWTHORN (8-4-1, 113.2%)<\/p>\n
Last week: Ranked 4th, BYE<\/p>\n
The Hawks had the bye, and in the process slipped out of the top four. They\u2019ve got a pretty gentle run home so they should be OK but their next three games are against like types – Gold Coast away, GWS at home, Melbourne in Launceston. They should be favourites in all three but as we\u2019ve seen against the Magpies and Bulldogs, these Hawks can find a way to lose games they shouldn\u2019t. If they win all three, because of a very easy month to follow, they will be extremely likely to make the top four. Keep in mind this team hasn\u2019t played Carlton, North Melbourne, Richmond or West Coast yet (because the AFL fixture is flawless)…<\/p>\n
This week: Gold Coast at People First Stadium, Friday 7:40pm<\/p>\n
Kingy slams ‘Comical’ Roos defence | 01:19<\/p>\n
5. ADELAIDE CROWS (8-5, 112.4%)<\/p>\n
Last week: Ranked 6th, def Western Bulldogs by 57 pts<\/p>\n
There\u2019s something real happening here, and with one of the more favourable runs home for the contending sides, the Crows can absolutely still crack the top four. Jordan Dawson – who absolutely MUST be the All-Australian captain – is the biggest reason they\u2019re surging back into flag contention but it\u2019s more than just him. As AFL Media\u2019s Riley Beveridge pointed out this week, the Crows have outscored opponents 123-38 in ruck contests pitting Lachie McAndrew against the opponent\u2019s primary ruck in the last five games – the ex-Swan helping Adelaide dominate against the Bulldogs\u2019 name-brand midfield being his crowning achievement thus far. We have Adelaide favoured in eight of their final 10 matches (Sydney away and Fremantle away will be tricky) with lots of home games against solid but beatable opposition.<\/p>\n
This week: Melbourne at Adelaide Oval, Saturday 1:15pm<\/p>\n
Dawson form inspiring Crows turn around | 00:55<\/p>\n
6. BRISBANE LIONS (8-6, 108.4%)<\/p>\n
Last week: Ranked 5th, def Richmond by 35 pts<\/p>\n
They got there in the end, after a wobbly first half against the lowly Tigers, and now get a chance to reset heading into a fortnight that can define their season. After the bye, the Lions host Sydney and travel to Geelong before a very cruisy month – the latter should be enough to guarantee them a finals spot, but they\u2019re in a little bit of strife if they drop the former two. Their top-six chances will be touch-and-go if they\u2019re sitting 8-8 in a few weeks\u2019 time; and while we\u2019d still say Brisbane can win the flag if they finish 5th or 6th, we can\u2019t imagine anyone winning five straight finals. (Well, we can imagine it. Our imagination is not THAT limited.)<\/p>\n
This week: BYE<\/p>\n
Fagan eyes strong run home for Lions | 05:33<\/p>\n
7. MELBOURNE (9-5, 105.7%)<\/p>\n
Last week: Ranked 10th, def Essendon by 45 pts<\/p>\n
They are IN THE TOP FOUR. What on earth is going on?! Their next two games – Adelaide in Adelaide, and a rematch with Hawthorn but in Launceston – will decide whether they stay there and we\u2019d say it\u2019s unlikely. It\u2019s part of a tricky remaining draw that includes as many interstate trips as MCG games (four each), and two of those games at their fortress are against flag contenders Fremantle and Geelong. But with nine wins banked, this team now deserves enough faith that we\u2019re happy to declare they\u2019ll play finals, and probably host one – imagine if THIS was the year they finally won an MCG final again after all the frustrations around the 2021 flag and the 2022\/23 straight sets exits…<\/p>\n
This week: Adelaide at Adelaide Oval, Saturday 1:15pm<\/p>\n
King: “It was a pretty emotional week: | 09:51<\/p>\n
8. WESTERN BULLDOGS (8-6, 90.7%)<\/p>\n
Last week: Ranked 7th, lost to Adelaide by 57 pts<\/p>\n
There are enough question marks on the teams below them that we couldn\u2019t drop the Bulldogs any lower – but let\u2019s be clear, they\u2019re not a great side right now. As a post on the AFL subreddit pointed out on Sunday<\/a>, if all results in close games were flipped, the Dogs would be equal-last with Essendon. You\u2019re free to believe in the idea they have figured something out in close games, and to believe that matters heading into the finals. We don\u2019t; we think it matters that they\u2019ve won the games because of its impact on the ladder, and because it sets them up to take advantage IF they improve, but they have to actually improve first. They have the talent to do that, and Thursday night was kinda expected score-y (take out rushed behinds and the Crows had kicked 16.1 at one stage, which is absurd) so it wasn\u2019t as bad as it looked. But we\u2019re big percentage believers and theirs says a lot about their true quality.<\/p>\n This week: St Kilda at Marvel Stadium, Sunday 3:15pm<\/p>\n Has Hardwick gone too far? | 04:14<\/p>\n 9. GOLD COAST SUNS (7-6, 107.2%)<\/p>\n Last week: Ranked 8th, lost to Geelong by 45 pts<\/p>\n The trip to Geelong went almost exactly as you\u2019d expect – the midfield continued to underperform and they struggled to score at a ground where they\u2019re always poor. And as we wrote last week, there\u2019s absolutely a world where the Suns miss the finals from here. They should still be good enough to get into September, probably needing to split their last 10 games 5-5 – but that\u2019ll mean beating multiple quality sides in the process, given six of those games are against teams above them on the ladder. And unless they go on a seriously impressive run, we\u2019re still talking about a pre-season flag fancy just clinging onto a wildcard spot. This is not what they\u2019re supposed to be.<\/p>\n This week: Hawthorn at People First Stadium, Friday 7:40pm<\/p>\n Ralphy says Suns could trade Humphrey! | 00:56<\/p>\n 10. GWS GIANTS (6-7, 102.3%)<\/p>\n Last week: Ranked 9th, lost to St Kilda by 8 pts<\/p>\n This week: Carlton at ENGIE Stadium, Saturday 4:15pm<\/p>\n 11. ST KILDA (6-8, 102.4%)<\/p>\n Last week: Ranked 12th, def GWS by 8 pts<\/p>\n This week: Western Bulldogs at Marvel Stadium, Sunday 3:15pm<\/p>\n Clearly the Saints have a strong case to be above the Giants, having now beaten them twice, but we\u2019re leaving the orange team higher based on their upside. (Plus both games were so close as not to be decisive.) They\u2019re two teams either primed to pose a real threat in a wildcard final, or rise up high enough that they\u2019ll be hosting one; at the very least people are sleeping on them. Their remaining games are likely to shape the top 10 – the Giants have the four best teams over the next six weeks (and also Carlton and Essendon) and have the capacity to upset one or two of them. The Saints, meanwhile, can set themselves up for a run up the table if they beat the Bulldogs this week – with another five games remaining against teams below them on the ladder. Two very intriguing clubs.<\/p>\n Kinglsey brutally honest on Jesse Hogan | 06:21<\/p>\n NAS role change pays off for Ross Lyon | 10:16<\/p>\n 12. COLLINGWOOD (5-7-1, 99.2%)<\/p>\n Last week: Ranked 11th, BYE<\/p>\n The Magpies had the bye, which is good because you need naps as you get older. If they\u2019re any sort of serious, they should take care of business over the next fortnight against Port Adelaide and Richmond – those games, plus North Melbourne (Round 18), Carlton (Round 19) and West Coast (Round 22) are basically must-win if they\u2019re going to play finals.<\/p>\n This week: Port Adelaide at the MCG, Saturday 7:35pm<\/p>\n 13. CARLTON (5-8, 88.7%)<\/p>\n Last week: Ranked 13th, BYE<\/p>\n The Blues had the bye, and if you\u2019re a believer in momentum, perhaps that halted it. We suspect the fact the Giants are a better team will be the real culprit on Saturday, but if Josh Fraser\u2019s men instead make it five wins in a row, there\u2019s no reason why they shouldn\u2019t win seven straight with West Coast (Marvel) and Richmond to come…<\/p>\n This week: GWS at ENGIE Stadium, Saturday 4:15pm<\/p>\n Instant Classic: Swans survive big scare | 03:19<\/p>\n 14. PORT ADELAIDE (4-9, 101%)<\/p>\n Last week: Ranked 14th, lost to Sydney by 3 pts<\/p>\n