2026 Ladder Predictions

[PCORF]

My new prediction with the wildcard in place.

1 Geelong
2 Sydney
3 Brisbane
4 Fremantle
5 Hawthorn
6 Gold Coast
7 Adelaide
8 Bulldogs
9 Giants
10 Collingwood

11 St Kilda
12 Port Adelaide
13 Carlton
14 Melbourne
15 North Melbourne
16 Essendon
17 West Coast
18 Richmond

Some crazy predictions which are unlikely to happen.

• 1st to 7th finish with 17 to 15 wins with % deciding their positions.
• Both Fremantle and Sydney out in straight sets.
• Gold Coast, Hawthorn makes prelim from outside the top 4. (Hawthorn were the second side to make the prelim from 8th in 2025)
• Adelaide win 15 games, finish 7th and then Collingwood knocks Adelaide out of the Wild Card.
• Collingwood struggle for most of the season but go on a late winning run to finish 10th. Been an Adelaide fan my reaction is Damn.
• The Grand Final is a rematch and Brisbane 3 peats this time coming from behind to beat Geelong in a nailbiter by 1 goal. Will Ashcroft becomes the 2nd player to win 3 Norm Smith Medals.

I'll post another prediction from the ladder predictor later.

 

[Dirty Bird]

I just did a random list generator

Didn't like 1 and 3 because it had Brisbane 18th. Didnt like 2 as it had Sydney and Fremantle bottom 4. But I dont mind the 4th option. It's not overly offensive.

1. Brisbane
2. Fremantle
3. St Kilda
4. Gold Coast
5. Geelong
6. Greater Western Sydney
7. Hawthorn
8. Sydney
9. Adelaide
10. West Coast
11. North Melbourne
12. Collingwood
13. Western Bulldogs
14. Port Adelaide
15. Richmond
16. Essendon
17. Melbourne
18. Carlton

 

[Andrewgtv05]

I just did a random list generator

Well that would explain on how you put Carlton at 18th

 

[timokane]

Where do we have the likes of Sydney Port Melbourne in 2026.
These 3 are hard to get a gauge on them.
Not sure what to make of Sydney and Melbourne mostly.
Sense of a kind of rebuild incoming at the Dees more then Swans and Port.
Also StKilda.
These 4 are hard to pick.
Really dont know what to make of the Swans tho.

 

[Makeshift Park]

I just did a random list generator

Didn't like 1 and 3 because it had Brisbane 18th. Didnt like 2 as it had Sydney and Fremantle bottom 4. But I dont mind the 4th option. It's not overly offensive.

1. Brisbane
2. Fremantle
3. St Kilda
4. Gold Coast
5. Geelong
6. Greater Western Sydney
7. Hawthorn
8. Sydney
9. Adelaide
10. West Coast
11. North Melbourne
12. Collingwood
13. Western Bulldogs
14. Port Adelaide
15. Richmond
16. Essendon
17. Melbourne
18. Carlton

It would be kinda fun hypothesising what events need to transpire for this to happen.

Except poor old Bont would need to suffer an early season ACL for 13 to be true.

 

[Seattle Mariners]

I’m not sure that’s outrageous like you think it is, given two non-Saints fans tipped us to finish 4th and another tipped us to finish 5th, on the first page of this thread alone…

As I said in my post, some of those predictions will come true (except for the Carlton coming 3rd bit, that was just plain ridiculous for a re tooling team such as the Blues)

My point was that most people seem to over inflate their team in proportion to where they finished last year. For example how can a Port supporter expect their side to finish 4th after having the fifth worst percentage in 2025. It’s unreasonable.

My club Melbourne was woeful last year and I think it’s fair, reasonable to expect them to finish bottom 3 with the list getting worse, a new coach and potentially worse injury run compared to 2025.

 

[JPetro83]

Just wait until after Round 5 in 2026 when Port are 5-0 or 4-1.. their arrogant cocky fan base over here will be chest beating again. Does take much for Power fans to get excited and cocky. That fixture though?? wow

 

[JPetro83]

 

[morningbrown]

		W	L	D	%
1.	Brisbane Lions	19	4	0	121.2%
2.	Hawthorn	18	5	0	118.2%
3.	GWS	18	5	0	112.9%
4.	Adelaide	17	6	0	120.2%
5.	Gold Coast	17	6	0	118.9%
6.	Fremantle	16	7	0	111.5%
7.	Geelong	16	7	0	108.4%
8.	Sydney	14	9	0	104.8%
9.	St Kilda	13	10	0	103.5%
10.	Western Bulldogs	13	10	0	101.8%
11.	Carlton	11	12	0	98.6%
12.	North Melbourne	8	15	0	87.7%
13.	Collingwood	6	17	0	92.6%
14.	Essendon	6	17	0	88.5%
15.	Port Adelaide	5	18	0	89.0%
16.	Richmond	5	18	0	86.4%
17.	West Coast	4	19	0	76.5%
18.	Melbourne	1	22	0	77.8%

Geez I really didn't rate the Dees lol

 

[Wolfgang West]

Where do we have the likes of Sydney Port Melbourne in 2026.
These 3 are hard to get a gauge on them.
Not sure what to make of Sydney and Melbourne mostly.
Sense of a kind of rebuild incoming at the Dees more then Swans and Port.
Also StKilda.
These 4 are hard to pick.
Really dont know what to make of the Swans tho.

In the VFL.

 

[timokane]

Ok Melbourne and Power then

 

[CanuckSuns]

I don't think Brisbane gets the top seed. They show up for Finals.
I think my Suns crack the Top 4. I like what they have done this offseason and are trending up.

Geelong
Brisbane
Hawthorn
Gold Coast
Adelaide
Western Bulldogs
Sydney
GWS

Melbourne
Collingwood
Fremantle
St Kilda
Carlton
Port Adelaide
North Melbourne
Richmond
Essendon
West Coast

 

[CanuckSuns]

Very early prediction and I'm 100% sure I will be wrong.

1 Geelong
2 Brisbane
3 Sydney
4 Hawthorn
5 Fremantle
6 Adelaide
7 Collingwood
8 Bulldogs

9 Giants
10 St Kilda
11 Gold Coast
12 Port Adelaide
13 Carlton
14 Melbourne
15 North Melbourne
16 Essendon
17 West Coast
18 Richmond

Sydney back in the finals.

Every team will win at least 5 games.

Players expected to retire after 2026: Taylor Walker, Patrick Dangerfield, Scott Pendlebury, Jeremy Howe, Todd Goldstein, Jack Darling.
Players expected to play on in 2027: Dayne Zorko, Steele Sidebottom, Jeremy Cameron

Gold Coast at 11 Bro, why?

 

[THE_GUN]

Brisbane
Adelaide
Gold Coast
Hawthorn
Fremantle
Bulldogs
GWS
Geelong
Sydney
Collingwood
StKilda
Carlton
North Melbourne
Port Adelaide

Throw a blanket over the rest
Richmond - Eagles - Melbourne - Bombers

 

[EBERT THE KING]

The heavyweights - Brisbane, Gold Coast, Geelong, Hawthorn (Flag only comes from this group)

The next best - Sydney, Fremantle, Adelaide, Western Bulldogs, GWS

Wildcard spots - Collingwood, Stkilda

Will miss finals - North Melbourne, Carlton

Ordinary sides - Port Adelaide, Melbourne, Richmond, Essendon, West Coast

 

[Mr Meow]

Brisbane
Adelaide
Gold Coast
Hawthorn
Fremantle
Bulldogs
GWS
Geelong
Sydney
Collingwood
StKilda
Carlton
North Melbourne
Port Adelaide

Throw a blanket over the rest
Richmond - Eagles - Melbourne - Bombers

A Richmond supporter that could (just barely) include Geelong in a predicted final 8. Very impressive.

 

[Seattle Mariners]

		W	L	D	%
1.	Brisbane Lions	19	4	0	121.2%
2.	Hawthorn	18	5	0	118.2%
3.	GWS	18	5	0	112.9%
4.	Adelaide	17	6	0	120.2%
5.	Gold Coast	17	6	0	118.9%
6.	Fremantle	16	7	0	111.5%
7.	Geelong	16	7	0	108.4%
8.	Sydney	14	9	0	104.8%
9.	St Kilda	13	10	0	103.5%
10.	Western Bulldogs	13	10	0	101.8%
11.	Carlton	11	12	0	98.6%
12.	North Melbourne	8	15	0	87.7%
13.	Collingwood	6	17	0	92.6%
14.	Essendon	6	17	0	88.5%
15.	Port Adelaide	5	18	0	89.0%
16.	Richmond	5	18	0	86.4%
17.	West Coast	4	19	0	76.5%
18.	Melbourne	1	22	0	77.8%

Geez I really didn't rate the Dees lol

We may as well have kept Goodwin if we’re going 1-22 next year.

Good grief man!

 

[beside the seaside]

A Richmond supporter that could (just barely) include Geelong in a predicted final 8. Very impressive.

Are you seriously going to sook about every post that doesn't have Geelong in the top four?

 

[Mr Meow]

Are you seriously going to sook about every post that doesn't have Geelong in the top four?

What I'm doing is mocking and/or taking the piss. In the case of the Richmond supporter though, that was genuinely an outlier to have us that high.

What you're doing in the above post is called sooking. Or an angry whinge.

 

[Toffee Lion]

What I'm doing is mocking and/or taking the piss. In the case of the Richmond supporter though, that was genuinely an outlier to have us that high.

What you're doing in the above post is called sooking. Or an angry whinge.

St.Kilda are the sookiest club in the land, so sounds about right.

 

[Gavin Excell]

Fremantle really should be challenging this year

 

[portly]

My point was that most people seem to over inflate their team in proportion to where they finished last year. For example how can a Port supporter expect their side to finish 4th after having the fifth worst percentage in 2025. It’s unreasonable.

Port Adelaide has finished Top 4 in very recent years, but our coach at the time spread the word to his team that finals are scary, and put lolly teeth in his mouth on air while his team was getting thrashed.

The new coach is quite different!

My optimistic guess is as follows: -

1 Port Adelaide
2 Brisbane Lions
3 Fremantle
4 GWS GIANTS
5 Gold Coast SUNS
6 Hawthorn
7 Sydney Swans
8 Geelong Cats
9 Collingwood
10 Western Bulldogs
11 Adelaide Crows
12 St Kilda
13 North Melbourne
14 Richmond
15 Carlton
16 Melbourne
17 West Coast Eagles
18 Essendon

 

[Howard Littlejohn]

The heavyweights - Brisbane, Gold Coast, Geelong, Hawthorn (Flag only comes from this group)

The next best - Sydney, Fremantle, Adelaide, Western Bulldogs, GWS

Wildcard spots - Collingwood, Stkilda

Will miss finals - North Melbourne, Carlton

Ordinary sides - Port Adelaide, Melbourne, Richmond, Essendon, West Coast

I'll be ****ing thrilled if we reach the heights oif "Ordinary"
You need a "useless" category that will certainly include North, Richmond and West Coast again. Melbourne and Essendon may join.
The bottom few aren't getting better by much, just the pile of shit is possibly bigger.

 

[EBERT THE KING]

I'll be ****ing thrilled if we reach the heights oif "Ordinary"
You need a "useless" category that will certainly include North, Richmond and West Coast again. Melbourne and Essendon may join.
The bottom few aren't getting better by much, just the pile of shit is possibly bigger.

North improve in 2026. They will be like 10th or 11th most experienced side now. Its time.

 

[Strapping Young Lad]

North improve in 2026. They will be like 10th or 11th most experienced side now. Its time.

I mean, they’ve got to at some point, but people have been saying this for 3 to 4 years.

In this very thread last year people were claiming that north should be finishing in the 8 to 12 range.

They need a very fit list and a bunch of youngsters to really step up in order for them to leapfrog some sides.