Predicted ladder: Our experts predict the final finishing order of every team
The September-shaping round 23 is almost here. Will your team make the top eight? Our experts give their final ladders – and they all agree on one thing.
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Two rounds left but it’s anyone’s guess how the final ladder will look. The permutations are endless so we’ve tasked our AFL experts to give their view on who could make the eight. Have they got it right?
It’s a matter of faith – St Kilda or Geelong? Have stumped for the Saints to win that one which means the Cats miss, and the Crows to win their final two games, starting with Swans this weekend. Don’t expect Essendon to beat the Giants or Collingwood, so the Bombers also miss. The Bulldogs could finish as high as sixth if they beat the Cats in Round 24. Don’t think they will, but suspect they hang on to a spot on percentage. The Cats-Saints game will do a lot of shaping of the eight.
It might be misplaced but I still have enough faith to believe the Cats can beat St Kilda and the Western Bulldogs to find their way into September. It would see St Kilda drop out of the finals race with a Gabba loss to Brisbane, who will still need to win in round 24 to lock up a top-two spot. The Western Bulldogs will get Tom Liberatore back for that round 24 clash against Geelong but who would trust them to get it done given their flaky form?
The St Kilda versus Geelong clash on Saturday night is the big one. Ross Lyon’s men win that and they will thoroughly deserve their finals spot following the bold coach change last year, meaning the Cats and Swans both miss on the back of last year’s Grand Final. The Demons will have to travel to Adelaide in the first week of the finals after the weekend’s shock loss to Hawthorn.
Never mind the AFL’s bumper final round – this will be the one that will go a huge way to defining the finals series. And unfortunately for those fighting tooth and nail to scrape in, well, they’re facing others doing exactly that. Reckon Friday night will relegate the Lions to fourth and destined for an MCG trip in the first week – wouldn’t another look at the ground this week have been nice?! The Doggies can’t afford a repeat of the weekend and should notch two wins for sixth.
They’ve had some wobbles in the past few weeks but the two top sides for the vast majority of the home-and-away season – Collingwood and Port Adelaide – will hold onto their No. 1 and No. 2 seeds heading into the finals. The Demons will have to do it the hard way with a first-up Adelaide Oval qualifying final against the Power. But that could be the only game outside Victoria in the first weekend of the finals, with Carlton and Geelong set to lock in home finals.
I’m tipping the top-four after round 24 will be in the same order as they were after round 12. I can’t see the Cats being the “danger” that Chris Scott suggested they might be last month, but I do expect the reigning premiers to win their last two games and return to finals. The Crows should also be winning their last two matches to get there. Poor percentages might mean the Saints and Giants just miss out.
Geelong and Sydney’s draw at the SCG is going to haunt them over the next couple of months. While we have been expecting St Kilda to eventually fall out of the eight, Ross Lyon guides the Saints into finals in his first year back at the helm after they just edge out the Cats. While they haven’t got the job done on the road, Adelaide makes finals after defeating the Swans this week. Just the one game outside of Melbourne in the first week with Port Adelaide taking second spot.
Victoria is going to be rocking in the first week of September with four huge games to launch the finals. The Cats will just nudge the Saints and the Dogs to make it into the eight. And Adelaide will get it done over Sydney this week to ensure the Crows sneak in. Carlton will pack in 95,000 to host the Western Bulldogs in an elimination final at the MCG and will the age-old debate surface again about Geelong hosting a final?
The Swans are starting to click and with reinforcements coming back including co-captain Dane Rampe, two more wins should secure a home elimination final. The battle for 7th and 8th is key and if the Giants can get the job done over Essendon this weekend, they could have some luck against a Carlton side already locked into 5th.
Collingwood-Brisbane on Friday night will shape the top four and with the Magpies’ injury woes, this could be the Lions’ great chance to clinch a home qualifying final. Ross’ rollercoaster Saints can stamp their credentials with a win over Geelong this weekend to clinch a finals spot, while the Crows and Dogs will win the race to the lower reaches of the eight.
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