AFL 2020 fixture: How AFL ladder will look after round 12

The AFL season is set for a shake-up as the league embarks on a mid-season frenzy of 33 games in 20 days. So which teams will rise and fall?

When will the Crows win a game? (Photo by Daniel Kalisz/Getty Images)

Tipping five weeks of games in the AFL’s season of uncertainty isn’t easy, but after Tuesday’s fixture reveal fans are keen to know how their team fared — and if finals are a possibility.

We’re here to help. Here’s which teams will be moving north — and south — in the next month and how the ladder will look after round 12.

RISING

West Coast (4-3)

Fixture: Collingwood (Optus), Geelong (Optus), bye, Carlton (Optus), Hawthorn (Optus)

The Eagles’ next two games are serious tests but they’ll be favourite in both and need both if they want to finish top four. After that there’s a bye and two games to boost their ordinary percentage against the Blues and Hawks.

Carlton (3-4)

Fixture: North Melbourne (Giants Stadium), Hawthorn (Optus), bye, Eagles (Optus), Fremantle (Optus)

Robbie Gray’s heartbreaker pushed the Blues down to 10th in the mid-ladder logjam but they can well and truly keep their finals alive with three winnable games over the next month.

GWS (3-4)

Fixture: Richmond (Giants Stadium), Gold Coast (Metricon), Essendon (Metricon), bye, Sydney (Optus)

The Giants’ finals hopes rest on back-to-back games on the Gold Coast against the Suns and Bombers. If they’re good enough to win those — and we’re saying they are — they’ll be back in the eight.

North Melbourne (2-5)

Fixture: Carlton (Gabba), Adelaide (Metricon), Geelong (Gabba), Melbourne (Blundstone), Brisbane (Blundstone)

With games against the Blues, Crows and Demons the Roos should rise, but they’re coming from a very low base and certainly won’t be winning enough to be sniffing the eight.

FALLING

Richmond (4-2-1)

Fixture: GWS (Giants Stadium), Bulldogs (Metricon), Brisbane (Gabba), Port Adelaide (Adelaide Oval), Gold Coast (Gabba)

The Tigers loom as one of the teams that could go either way during this period. If they stay on a roll, road games against the Giants, Lions and even the Power won’t scare them. But until they beat a top eight side the jury is out — and failing to win more than three of these games will likely see them fall out of the top four.

St Kilda (4-3)

Fixture: Port Adelaide (Adelaide Oval), Sydney (Gabba), Gold Coast (Metricon), Geelong (Gabba), Essendon (Gabba)

The Saints still haven’t earned our trust. If they couldn’t beat North and Fremantle it’s hard to give them the nod against the Suns — or the Power and Cats. They might not fall out of the eight but it’s hard to see them staying in sixth.

Are the Suns the real deal? (Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)

Gold Coast (4-3)

Fixture: Bulldogs (Metricon), Giants (Metricon), Saints (Metricon), Bombers (Metricon), Richmond (Gabba)

With five games in Queensland the sun should be shining on Stuart Dew’s side, but are they ready? There’s no obviously easy game in this lot and we’d be surprised if Gold Coast grabs more than two.

Bulldogs (4-3)

Fixture: Gold Coast (Metricon), Richmond (Metricon), Port Adelaide (Adelaide Oval), Brisbane Lions (Gabba), Geelong (Gabba)

This is as brutal as it gets. The Suns on their home deck followed by four genuine premiership contenders could leave the Dogs’ finals hopes in serious trouble.

STAYING PUT

Port Adelaide (6-1)

Fixture: St Kilda (Adelaide Oval), Melbourne (Gabba), Bulldogs (Adelaide Oval), Richmond (Adelaide Oval), Geelong (Gabba)

The Power’s reward for spending almost the entire season to this point on the road? Five consecutive matches against finals contenders. Port should win at least three of these given they get a few at home, anymore than that and a top two position will be all but locked in.

Brisbane (5-2)

Fixture: Melbourne (Metricon), Essendon (Metricon), Richmond (Metricon), Western Bulldogs (Gabba), North Melbourne (Blundstone)

There’s a reason the Lions are the current flag favourite with the bookies. Richmond — and perhaps the Bulldogs — loom as the only major tests but we can see Brisbane winning all five of these.

Collingwood (4-2-1)

Fixture: West Coast (Optus), Fremantle (Perth), Sydney (Gabba), Adelaide (Adelaide), Melbourne (Gabba)

Five games in three different states will test the Magpies but outside of this week’s clash with the Eagles the opposition isn’t much to worry about.

Geelong (4-3)

Fixture: Fremantle (Optus), West Coast (Perth), North Melbourne (Gabba), St Kilda (Gabba), Port Adelaide (Gabba)

Similar story for the Cats as it is for the Magpies. They’ll beat the Dockers and if they can make the Gabba feel like home after that then they should be able to hold the Tigers out of the four.

Essendon (4-2)

Fixture: Adelaide (Adelaide Oval), Brisbane (Metricon), Giants (Metricon), Gold Coast (Metricon), St Kilda (Gabba)

A friendly trip to South Australia should see the Bombers return to the eight but from there it gets murky. Outside of their win over the Pies they haven’t been overly convincing so it’s hard to see them doing better than a split of the four games in Queensland. We’re not sure they’ll even do that.

Melbourne (3-3)

Fixture: Brisbane (Metricon), Port Adelaide (Gabba), Adelaide (Adelaide), North Melbourne (Blundstone), Collingwood (Gabba)

Sorry, Dees fans, it’s not happening this season. Enjoy beating the Crows again but with games against the top three and the Kangaroos down in Tassie it might be the only win in the next month.

Treading water for the Demons and Hawks isn’t what they want. (Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)

But staying put is exactly what Port wants to do. (Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)

Hawthorn (3-4)

Fixture: Sydney (SCG), Carlton (Perth), Bye, Fremantle (Perth), West Coast (Perth)

The Hawks could win their next three games but on current form the Blues and Dockers will likely be favoured to win over in Perth and they’re not beating the Eagles. We don’t have Hawthorn playing finals.

Fremantle (2-5)

Fixture: Geelong (Optus), Collingwood (Perth), bye, Hawthorn (Perth), Carlton (Perth)

A long-awaited return to WA hasn’t exactly lined up how Freo would have hoped. After a tough derby defeat last weekend they play two more top four sides. But if they can freshen up during the bye week wins against the Hawks and Blues are in sight.

Sydney: (2-5)

Fixture: Hawthorn (SCG), St Kilda (Gabba), Collingwood (Gabba), bye, Giants (Perth)

Stay on the sidelines, Buddy, it’s going to get ugly. The Swans might go winless over the next month if they can’t knock off the Hawks this weekend.

Adelaide (0-7)

Fixture: Essendon (Adelaide Oval), North Melbourne (Metricon), Melbourne (Adelaide), Collingwood (Adelaide), Western Bulldogs (Metricon)

With games against four teams ranked between 10th and 17th surely the Crows will break their drought. But it’s hard to pick them against anyone right now.

HOW THE LADDER WILL LOOK AFTER ROUND 12

1. Port Adelaide (10-2)

2. Brisbane Lions (10-2)

3. Collingwood (8-3-1)

4. West Coast (8-3)

5. Geelong (8-4)

6. Richmond (7-4-1)

7. GWS (6-5)

8. St Kilda (6-6)

9. Carlton (6-5)

10. Gold Coast (6-6)

11. Essendon (5-6)

12. Western Bulldogs (5-7)

13. Melbourne (4-7)

14. Hawthorn (4-7)

15. North Melbourne (4-8)

16. Fremantle (3-8)

17. Sydney (2-9)

18. Adelaide (0-12)