Who the hunters and the hunted are for AFL season 2024?

The Lions’ crown will be hunted this season after a finals heist in 2024, but who’ll be doing the hunting? JOSH BARNES unpacks Brisbane’s biggest challenger in 2025.

Paul Hasleby has no doubt – Fremantle should make the leap into the top four this year.

The 208-game former Dockers star watched as his old club landed Shai Bolton from Richmond in the off-season to top off a list that sat third at round 20 last year, before injuries saw a late fade out.

“They need to be top four to justify the list that they have got,” Hasleby said.

In every single one of the last 10 AFL seasons, a team has gone from missing the top eight one year to landing in the top four the next, with two sides pulling off that leap in 2018.

Fremantle had a fade-out in 2024. Picture: Michael Klein

Among those Nina Kennedy-style vaulters, West Coast (2015) and Collingwood (2018) made the grand final, while Richmond (2017) and Melbourne (2021) came from outside the finals to win the premiership.

Last year, Geelong shrugged off a premiership hangover to jump straight back into the four and fell a whisker short of a grand final appearance.

Like the Cats, Collingwood will have designs on bouncing back after finishing ninth last year and Melbourne (14th) will believe it is back to being a force.

Gold Coast (13th) and Adelaide (15th) both must expect to be in the top-eight mix.

But it is Fremantle, who finished 10th last year, that has the pedigree to stick a pole in and rise over the bar like Kennedy does.

As 2000 Rising Star winner Hasleby suggested, the Dockers want for very little and have added Bolton into a role in which he can provide a deadly spark at half-forward and in centre bounces.

Hayden Young. Picture: Daniel Carson/AFL Photos via Getty Images.

Caleb Serong. Picture: Paul Kane/Getty Images.

The midfield trio of Hayden Young, Andy Brayshaw and Caleb Serong is perhaps behind only Sydney in terms of star onball brilliance.

When not in the midfield, Bolton can slide up forward and read off talls Jye Amiss, Josh Treacy and Luke Jackson.

Down back, Luke Ryan, Jordan Clark and Alex Pearce lead a well-balanced defence.

“I don’t think they want for much,” Hasleby said.

“They have got three young, talented key forwards, three superstar midfielders and then you have got a pretty solid defence that can get the job done.

“I still think there is an undercurrent of youth that can get the job done, if they were to get three or four injuries, they can now cover that.”

So what does Bolton bring as an icing on the cake?

“At a minimum he is a 30-goal-a-season player and at his best he can get close to 50,” Hasleby said.

“The thing with him is he doesn’t have to be the star for Fremantle. They do have enough around him. He needs to play his role and be the X-factor within games when they need a spark.”

Is Shai Bolton the X-Factor the Dockers need? Picture: Paul Kane/Getty Images.

It may appear Fremantle is cruising towards contention but coach Justin Longmuir will enter the year under a contract cloud, in the final year of his deal.

“There is going to be pressure on Justin,” Hasleby said.

“The expectation around Fremantle here in the west, if they don’t get towards top four then unfortunately he becomes vulnerable in his position.

“He has been there for 5-6 years and played in the finals on one occasion (2022). Fremantle fans are getting impatient for some success and he knows that, but he has played a patient game with this list and he is going to get every chance to have success.”

The Dockers are one of three AFL teams still waiting for a maiden premiership.

And the runway is now open for a big vault up.

THE HUNTED: CAN LIONS BREAK FOOTY’S CURSE

It is a footy stat that is fast becoming curse territory.

Hangover watchers have delighted recently with none of the last four premiers winning a final the year after lifting the cup.

And in the last two years neither Geelong or Collingwood could back up a flag win with a top eight appearance.

To Brisbane Lions great Jason Akermanis, stats are just stats.

“It’s a great bit of data, that is what journos love,” he said.

“Will Brisbane break that cycle? Probably. They have the talent.”

The Lions not only have the talent to back up 2024’s remarkable September run, they will have a bolstered squad as Keidean Coleman, Tom Doedee, Darcy Gardiner and Lincoln McCarthy all return from serious knee injuries and ruck Oscar McInerney comes back from his grand final shoulder heartbreak.

Only the retired Joe Daniher will leave a hole in the Lions team.

“They are going to be better across the field. That doesn’t guarantee anything because they will have to be better,” Akermanis said.

“They are already concerned about if players take their spot. Will Will and Levi (Ashcroft) start to push me out of a spot? Despite winning and where you should be happy, they are concerned about the pressure coming on within the squad. As a coach you dream of that.

Can Eric Hipwood fill the void left by Joe Daniher? Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)

“You were the best team last year, had a wonderful last few games and a strong back-end of the season, won the flag and now there is a lot more improvement to go? That is exactly what you want.”

Brisbane shocked everybody in September by rolling through a series of upsets and comeback to win it all.

In 2025, they will no longer be hunters.

Chris Fagan’s team will be hunted week in week out.

Akermanis’ famed Brisbane side had to wear that target on the back for three years running, managing to repeat as premiers in 2002 and 2003, before going all the way to the grand final in 2004.

He said those Lions knew each week they would have to dodge the biggest swing their opponent could come up with after circling a date with the reigning premier on their calendar months out.

“Being good and everyone wanting to come up against you, for us they were just another team,” Akermanis said.

Will Zac Bailey and the Lions be a threat this season? Picture: Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images.

“For them, they think they have to do more and play better and they get themselves really worked up to play.”

For Collingwood last year, that target was hit early with Luke Littler precision and the Pies dropped their first three games.

Despite a bounce-back, it tightened the margin of error so much the Magpies finished ninth.

And in 2023, Geelong also went 0-3 to start the season and fell to a 12th-placed finish.

The Lions coach in that 2000s three-peat, Leigh Matthews, declared nice memories were like junk food – it tastes good but there is no nourishment.

Never one to fully agree with his coach, Akermanis said he wasn’t completely on board with that theory, but the Lions were always desperate to make more good memories.

He said the leadership from the top would be needed to stop the Lions from falling into that junk food hangover.

“After we won one (2001) Leigh to his credit said that he hadn’t seen any evidence that we weren’t just as hungry as the year before,” Akermanis said.

“I think that is important from your leaders to see you and your coaches telling you that. Even if we were incredibly successful, your standards after training were so high and so competitive.

“Having the leadership make sure that no-one is going to give it to us, just like no-one was going to give it to us last year. You have to go again.”

Originally published as Who the hunters and the hunted are for AFL season 2024?