The fight for top 4 & top 8

After each team has now played 12 games and had their bye, there looks to be two distinct groups battling it out for top 4 and top 8.

The following six teams look locked in to the top six positions and will battle it out for top 4.

Collingwood - 10 wins - 123.1%
Sydney - 9 wins - 135.4
Essendon - 9 wins - 131.8%
West Coast - 9 wins - 131.6%
Adelaide - 9 wins - 119.1%
Hawthorn - 8 wins - 136.4%

Then we have the battle for the final two place in the top 8 between.

Geelong - 7 wins - 109.8%
St. Kilda - 6 wins - 121.6%
Carlton - 6 wins - 113.1%
Richmond - 6 wins - 108.7%
North Melbourne - 6 wins - 103%
Fremantle - 6 wins - 92.7%


I'll have a crack at a prediction

Collingwood
Hawthorn
Sydney
West Coast
Essendon
Adelaide
St. Kilda
Geelong

Richmond
Carlton
North Melbourne
Fremantle

So having said all that, how do you see it playing out?

West Coast get the Pies, Sydney and Adelaide (whom they are competing with). Win those and it goes along way to seeing them top 2. Lose them and they will probably round out the top 4.

Just did the ladder predictor and got

West Coast
Collingwood
Sydney
Adelaide
Hawthorn
Essendon
Geelong
Carlton
Richmond (9th lol)
Brisbane
North
St Kilda
Fremantle
Melbourne
Port
Bulldogs
Gold Coast
GWS

The logjam of teams on 6 wins is interesting. All of them a shot to play finals from here, games with 2 of them involved should be very interesting.

North have an OK run home.
Of the teams in the 8 we play Collingwood and Essendon both at Etihad, WC in Hobart and Saints next week at Etihad.
Outside the 8 we play Tigers, Melb, Dogs, Freo in Melb, GWS.
I don't think we'll get enough wins to make it.
I reckon Geelong will get there, the last spot is a raffle.

No bias at all

The predictions on these threads will mean nothing in two weeks. Impossible to predict what is going to happen.

We'll finish somewhere from 2nd to 6th. Crucial games against Sydney (H), Adelaide (A), Geelong (H), Collingwood (H) and Hawthorn (A).

I did a ladder predictor earlier and had
Adelaide
Collingwood
West Coast/Hawthorn/Sydney on percentage
Essendon/Geelong on percentage
Carlton
-------------------------
St Kilda
Richmond
Fremantle
North

So much football to be played though. The last few rounds have some spectacular matchups.

I definitely agree with this.. however, I might as well have a crack:

Collingwood
West Coast
Adelaide
Sydney
Hawthorn
Essendon
Geelong
St Kilda

Carlton
Richmond
Fremantle
North Melbourne

Collingwood is still a strong team, their shaky start for this year is worthless compared to other teams. West Coast isn't the team it was last year, it's much more consistent and should be able to grab top 2. Adelaide and Sydney based off recent performances and future fixtures (despite Sydneys tough end). I do believe Hawks can still make the 4, they just need to play excellent footy.

I'd still love for Adelaide to finish top 4 but it doesn't really matter if we don't. Top 4 just means more heartbreak and a risk of going out in straight sets if we vs Hawthorn or something. I have said this for many years and I still stand with it, Sydney will not win another flag anytime soon and if they do, it will be a Bradbury or a lucky finals draw like 05/06 (okay a bit offended). They are a waste of top 4.

Collingwood
West Coast
-----daylight------

Hawthorn, Sydney, Essendon, and hopefully Adelaide if our season doesn't fall apart. Hawthorn are the only team right now who can beat Collingwood (Essendon and WC close but not sure if they can get over the mental barrier).

One thing for sure this year...The team needs a good %

I had WC losing two more to Hawthorn and Adelaide. How is that biased?

Out of interest, who did you have Adelaide, Hawthorn, Essendon, + Coll/Syd losing to (apart from us)?

Round 17 looks to be a season defining round. Collingwood v Hawthorn, West Coast v Adelaide and Essendon v Geelong. All very important matches.

Collingwood
WCE
Adelaide
Hawthorn
Sydney
Essendon
Geelong
Carlton

sydney are a lot tougher team to beat than our squad looks on paper , our best i truly believe can beat anyone in the competition however we do have the ability to get beat by teams below us ( rich & stk).. in saying that top 4 would be a great result for the year and alot better than what i think the team would have been realistically expecting before the season..anything after top 4 is an absolute bonus.. our time will come with further emergance from reid , parker , jetta , johnson and mitchell...collingwood is virtually a lock to play gf and id say wc will also be there

What a great year of footy.

Agreed, round 23 is looking vital too

Carl vs. St. Kilda
Ess vs. Coll
Haw vs. WCE
Geel vs. Syd

Collingwood beat Essendon by 1 point, Eagles by 3, and Geelong by 12. They arent anywhere near a lock. I would have thought last year would have taught people to stop with "guarantees" in football.

A nice advantage for us to have. Having a (vastly) superior percentage is as important as a win. And may well decide who makes the top 4/8 alone.

Really looking forward to the last half of the season. Saints v North is suddenly a huge 8 point game.

Adelaide - Losing to Geelong, Brisbane and Port
Hawthorn - Collingwood, Essendon and Sydney
Essendon - Adelaide, Richmond and Collingwood
Collingwood - Sydney, WC and Geelong
Sydney - WC, Carlton and Geelong

When was the last time we lost to Sydney?

That's why it's called a Prediction.

Has to change sometime