Discussion 2026 Ladder Predictions

[jumperfan]

Might as well get these going now that the trade period's done.

1. Lions
2. Hawks
3. Cats
4. Gold Coast
5. Dockers
6. Crows
7. Sydney
8. Giants
9. Dogs
10. Saints
11. Pies
12. Port
13. Bloose
14. Norf
15. Dees
16. Essendon
17. Weagles
18. Tigers

 

[gringo2011]

Might as well get these going now that the trade period's done.

1. Lions
2. Hawks
3. Cats
4. Gold Coast
5. Dockers
6. Crows
7. Sydney
8. Giants
9. Dogs
10. Saints
11. Pies
12. Port
13. Bloose
14. Norf
15. Dees
16. Essendon
17. Weagles
18. Tigers

Hard to pick.

Premiership mode- Lions, Crows, Dockers, Hawks, maybe Cats but older best players.
Pushing up, maybe sides- GC, GWS, Sydney, Saints, Dogs
Improving or still have potential- North, Power, Blues, Pies
Don't see it- Essendon, Melbourne
Rebuilding- Richmond, Eagles

 

[Kildonan]

Most teams improve but the difference for us might be who wins those close matches that we were simply undermanned in last year. A few teams were unlucky with injuries and others will benefit with maturing youth and rising confidence. Others have aging lists and are only a calf strain away from dropping out of contention.

1 Geelong
2 Adelaide
3 Gold Coast
4 Brisbane

5 Western Bulldogs
6 Sydney
7 Hawthorn
8 St Kilda
9 GWS
10 Freo

11 Essendon
12 Collingwood
13 North Melbourne
14 Port Adelaide
15 Richmond
16 Carlton
17 Melbourne

18 WCE

 

[austinnn]

Won't really know till the fixture drops but with all other things considered, I'll go with this for now:

Finalists:

1. Lions
2. Suns
3. Hawks
4. Cats
5. Dockers
6. Crows
7. Saints
8. Swans

NML:

1. Magpies
2. Giants
3. Bulldogs
4. Power

Bottom 6:

1. Kangaroos
2. Blues
3. Tigers
4. Eagles
5. Demons
6. Bombers

 

[Mav3rick]

1. Fremantle
2. Brisbane
3. Gold Coast
4. Hawthorn
5. Sydney
6. Adelaide
7. Geelong
8. Western Bulldogs
9. GWS
10. St Kilda
11. Magpies
12. Port
13. Melbourne
14. Blues
15. North
16. Dons
17. Tigers
18. Weagles

I think those expecting us to play finals are forgetting how far off it we were this year. Finished 12th but were about six games and a million percent off the top 8, and most the teams above us have improved again. Hope I'm wrong, but will have to look like a completely different team next year to play finals.

 

[SaintsofSteel]

Some luck with injuries will dictate how we go next year, if we have a good run with key players we will be knocking on the door.

Brisbane
Hawthorn
Suns
Fremantle
Saints
GWS
Geelong
Western Bulldogs

Wooden Spoon: WCE

 

[RobbieMuir]

On average, three teams drop out of the eight every year but I always find it very hard pick which teams it will be.

As for which three will come in, I think Sydney and Bulldogs seem the two most likely.

The third one is trickier, but I don't see why it won't be St Kilda. Teams like Carlton and Melbourne are totally unpredictable at this stage but we seem to finally have a competitive (and deep) list that should push us into the eight.

Despite doing reasonably well in their finals games for the past two years, the Hawks actually had a bit of luck and scraped home in a few of 50/50 games, so could easily have missed finals in 2024 and 2025, so I wouldn't be shocked if they just miss out on playing finals next year.

Maybe Pies and Giants drop off a bit as well.

 

[Dard Ball Get]

I think those expecting us to play finals are forgetting how far off it we were this year. Finished 12th but were about six games and a million percent off the top 8, and most the teams above us have improved again. Hope I'm wrong, but will have to look like a completely different team next year to play finals.

Very true. Reminds me of Horx in 2023-2024.

Oh, wait

 

[DougalHoward]

1. Fremantle
2. Brisbane
3. Gold Coast
4. Hawthorn
5. Sydney
6. Adelaide
7. Geelong
8. Western Bulldogs
9. GWS
10. St Kilda
11. Magpies
12. Port
13. Melbourne
14. Blues
15. North
16. Dons
17. Tigers
18. Weagles

I think those expecting us to play finals are forgetting how far off it we were this year. Finished 12th but were about six games and a million percent off the top 8, and most the teams above us have improved again. Hope I'm wrong, but will have to look like a completely different team next year to play finals.

Mav Weller!!!

 

[gringo2011]

1. Fremantle
2. Brisbane
3. Gold Coast
4. Hawthorn
5. Sydney
6. Adelaide
7. Geelong
8. Western Bulldogs
9. GWS
10. St Kilda
11. Magpies
12. Port
13. Melbourne
14. Blues
15. North
16. Dons
17. Tigers
18. Weagles

I think those expecting us to play finals are forgetting how far off it we were this year. Finished 12th but were about six games and a million percent off the top 8, and most the teams above us have improved again. Hope I'm wrong, but will have to look like a completely different team next year to play finals.

100% true but a bit of better defence and a bit more firepower while improving through the midfield should make a huge difference. The loss of Battle left us really vulnerable alone. Adding Jack Silvagni should make a massive difference. Improving the midfield and adding King and Ryan and we start to look pretty damaging.

Fixture will help. Playing some of those lower sides looks a lot easier next year as a few sides have decided to step backwards to load up.

 

[gringo2011]

Very true. Reminds me of Horx in 2023-2024.

Oh, wait

Or Adelaide that were bottom three then topped the ladder.

 

[Windtagger]

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

 

[beside the seaside]

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

 

[beside the seaside]

Just did the above one on the main board and it's an interesting exercise. I reckon it's pretty open next year and if things click for us I honestly think we can have a crack at top four.

 

[ESPN8 The Ocho]

1. St Kilda









Daylight.

 

[Saints4ever]

1. Fremantle
2. Brisbane
3. Gold Coast
4. Hawthorn
5. Sydney
6. Adelaide
7. Geelong
8. Western Bulldogs
9. GWS
10. St Kilda
11. Magpies
12. Port
13. Melbourne
14. Blues
15. North
16. Dons
17. Tigers
18. Weagles

I think those expecting us to play finals are forgetting how far off it we were this year. Finished 12th but were about six games and a million percent off the top 8, and most the teams above us have improved again. Hope I'm wrong, but will have to look like a completely different team next year to play finals.

Agree with what you say and it is going to be tough to play finals.

When you say we will have to look like a completely different team next year I’ll just leave a few names below.

Tom De Koning
Sam Flanders
Jack Silvagni
Liam Ryan
Max King
Dougal Howard
Mattaes Phillipou
Liam Henry (maybe I’m not sure)

That’s a 1/3 of out starting side.

We will be a different team next year.

 

[The Punter]

Ladder (not flag)

GC
Bris
Adel
Haw
Syd
Frem
St K
Geel
WB
GWS
Coll
NM
PA
Rich
Carl
Melb
WC
Ess

 

[Kildonan]

1. Fremantle
2. Brisbane
3. Gold Coast
4. Hawthorn
5. Sydney
6. Adelaide
7. Geelong
8. Western Bulldogs
9. GWS
10. St Kilda
11. Magpies
12. Port
13. Melbourne
14. Blues
15. North
16. Dons
17. Tigers
18. Weagles

I think those expecting us to play finals are forgetting how far off it we were this year. Finished 12th but were about six games and a million percent off the top 8, and most the teams above us have improved again. Hope I'm wrong, but will have to look like a completely different team next year to play finals.

My belief is that any other team missing their full forward, full back and two potential difference makers (in Phillipou and Henry) would perform as poorly or worse than the Saints 2025 performance. Getting those players back, add the expected improvement of our considerable youth (recruited deliberately to suit the style of play that Ross Lyon promotes), then add the four senior players brought in - I don't think it is unreasonable to expect the sort of improvement that will see us playing finals football (or thereabouts).

 

[nikkig98]

1. GCS (Nepo Babies will get the easiest fixture after acquiring Trac, JUH, and 2 top 5 academy talents)
2. Sydney ( pretty scary when all of them are fit with Errol, Chad, and Heeney and now Curnow, we saw 2024)
3. Brisbane (will drop a few during the season, but come finals...)
4. Adelaide (Still have their best players at optimum age)
5. Fremantle (good team, others are better and they're held back from top 4 by Longmuir)
6. Geelong (Geelong)
7. St Kilda (i think 5-8 will be interchangeable)
8. GWS (Still decent enough, Clarry is decent pickup, well coached and physical)
9. Western Bulldogs (A full season of Bont and Darcy will get some win, Luke Beveridge and their defense will hold them back)
10. Hawthorn (My shock of the season, they didnt get better, team runs on emotion and their midfield will be found out)
11. Collingwood (The cliff starts here, good coach, still have daicos, but didnt get anyone)
12. Carlton (made some savvy pickups, but they're underestimating how important their outgoings were, Crippa cooked)
13. Port Adelaide (new coach, no picks this year, no FA pickups, lack talls)
14. Essendon (They'll be okay with their injury returns)
15. Richmond (Decent youth, will only get better)
16. North Melbourne (No defence at all, their players are already as good as they're ever gonna be)
17. Melbourne (Enjoy it dees fans, youll be here for a bit)
18. West Coast Eagles (Same as this year, but maybe a few more wins)

 

[Falchoon]

I think those expecting us to play finals are forgetting how far off it we were this year. Finished 12th but were about six games and a million percent off the top 8, and most the teams above us have improved again. Hope I'm wrong, but will have to look like a completely different team next year to play finals.

It doesn't need to be completely different, it needs to be 4 goals better per game.

2 more goals per game & 2 less against would give us a 15-8 record and 117%. Good enough for 7th, and equal with Freo.

 

[borderbarry]

1. Brisbane
2. Sydney
3. Adelaide
4. Gold coast
5. St.Kilda
6. GWS
7. Fremantle
8 Geelong.
9. Bulldogs
10 Collingwood
11 Port Adelaide
12 Hawthorn. Dont know why others have them so high. Done nothing to improve so far.
13. NORth.
14 Richmond
15 Melbourne
16. Carlton
17. West Coast
18. Essendon

 

[Mav3rick]

It doesn't need to be completely different, it needs to be 4 goals better per game.

2 more goals per game & 2 less against would give us a 15-8 record and 117%. Good enough for 7th, and equal with Freo.

That's completely different over the course of a season

 

[CursingFijian]

Top 6
Adelaide
Brisbane
Fremantle
Gold Coast
GWS
Hawthorn

Middle 6
Collingwood
Geelong
Port Adelaide
St Kilda
Sydney
Western Bulldogs

Bottom 6
Carlton
Essendon
Melbourne
North Melbourne
Richmond
West Coast

 

[LH7]

GC
Bris
Adel
Haw
Syd
St K
Frem
WB
Coll
Geel
GWS
PA
Carl
NM
Melb
Rich
WC
Ess

 

[SaintKing23]

Lions
Suns
Swans
Hawks
Saints
Cats
---------
Crows
Giants
Dockers
Dogs
---------
Port
Pies
North
Blues
Dees
Bombers
Tigers
Eagles