Opinion 2026 Predictions and Prognostications - Rise or Fall?

[GreyCrow]

Can see us sliding next year. Club will take this season as an excuse to smell it's own farts instead of making genuine improvements. Just one example but we need total reform when it comes to recruiting and developing midfielders and I'm seeing sfa being done about that.

A quote from another thread

There have also been a few posts scattered around analysing where teams have improved and some ideas about rises and falls

Do you think we have done enough to remain competitive?
Who do you see shaping the 8 and who rises and who falls?

Given this thread will roll into draft week and we have finished trade week - do we have a better idea of what may or may not happen?


Like the above quote my biggest concern is we are rolling through with the same squad and coaching group. There also seems to be a fair number of '' why cant we finish top 2 again '' posts. And thats entirely fine to think that.

But we have seen time and time again standing still is death in football. Yes we are very likely to get a quality player in Callum Ah Chee

4

Callum Ah Chee

Age

28

Ht

182cm

Wt

80kg

Pos.

Fwd

Career

Season

Last 5

D

12.8

3star

K

7.0

3star

HB

5.9

4star

M

3.0

3star

T

2.9

4star

G

0.5

3star

D

11.1

3star

K

7.7

3star

HB

3.4

2star

M

3.1

3star

T

2.7

4star

G

0.1

3star

D

9.4

3star

K

4.4

2star

HB

5.0

4star

M

2.4

3star

T

3.0

5star

G

0.8

4star

into our side but with other teams trading in well established missing pieces - will we be good enough

Reid talks about organic growth but we know Nicks struggles with the idea - preferring the well of experience over youth ( cue the ' but we debut guys all the time '' crowd )

And our coaching group remains the same and my number 1 target NVB still running the midfield. At the start of the year Crowcast did some wonderful analysis of where our midfield were struggling and as we saw against Hawthorn those issues still remain. We identified these issues and actively pursued a midfielder ( great to see )

And this is the core of the issue. We dont seem to have improved. Or have we?

Of the teams in the 8 I see only Collingwood dropping significantly. I think we hit the 5-6 mark depending on fixture. Brisbane will be fine if not better. Some say Sydney will jump back up - as well as St Kilda . Dogs? Geelong? You can never write Geelong off as much as we do every year

 

[moses]

5 to 8 seems about right. Has a blessed run with form and injury last season, that's hard to maintain.

 

[Kane McGoodwin]

Expect we finish around the middle of the top 8. 3rd-6th range.

Usually at least 2-3 new teams play finals, eith 1 jumping into the top 4. Reckon that will be the Swans bulldogs & Saints are the only other 2 teams i see capable of pkaying finals, but reckon only 1 of them makes it. Think Saints as Bulldogs key defenders still a problem.

Agree with many that think the Pies will slide with lack of key forwards. Not sure who the 2nd side who will slide. Hawks possibly as have lost depth & can Gunston keep kicking goals.

 

[Bovo]

I think we finish in the mid 8.

 

[George CantStandYa]

Wait for the fixture to come out

 

[beartoo]

Our finishing spot on the ladder is hard to predict--it always is. Who picked 1/25 this year? If Draper, Curtin and Edwards emerge as genuine a-grade mids then we have a chance for top 4. Even 2 out of the 3 would do.
Don't know if Nicks can rise above the mediocrity he's shown so far and become a genuine matchday tactician.
Midfield and coaching are the weaknesses. If things remain as they were this season, I'd expect to slide a bit. Top 8 maybe.

 

[steve9798]

If we have a good run with injury and a favourable draw we will finish 6th. A poor run and a tougher draw could see us fall as low as 12th.

 

[Crowked]

Crows win the flag
Port left holding the spoon


Na not really. We’re a 5-8 team ATM. Can’t see Archie or organic growth making much difference next season.
Where we finish will probably depend a lot on how other clubs improve or decline.

 

[skam85]

This could easily be a 2023-24 style hubris fall but I reckon our talent supercedes anything else and we make it to week 2 of the finals.

 

[Golumless]

Considering our finishing position was 5-6, probably stay put, providing we don't throw out our defensive game plan. It's mostly in a good place, just needs a few tweaks to help develop a more reliable method to exit our defensive 50. If we're willing to pull the trigger on releasing Michaelanny into a more offensive role (say the one Laird plays), I could see it pushing us into the top 4. Equally, if Curtin breaks out as an inside midfielder? Skys the limit there seeing how damaging he was in that 5-6 game stretch on the wing (and inside would make it more consistent).

If we do lose that defensive strength to go much looser/more offensive? Probably 10th.

Of course, it all depends on injuries. Lose Worrell/Keane/Dawson/Thilthorpe etc and it could quickly become a lost campaign.

 

[PCORF]

We'll find out if 2025 was a fluke or if we are for real.

Could be anywhere from 3rd to 12th next year. It all depends.

 

[maxlilly]

Our finishing spot on the ladder is hard to predict--it always is. Who picked 1/25 this year? If Draper, Curtin and Edwards emerge as genuine a-grade mids then we have a chance for top 4. Even 2 out of the 3 would do.
Don't know if Nicks can rise above the mediocrity he's shown so far and become a genuine matchday tactician.
Midfield and coaching are the weaknesses. If things remain as they were this season, I'd expect to slide a bit. Top 8 maybe.

Coaching is the big question mark for me also.
After what we have seen for the last six years, I just don't think Nicks philosophy will do well in finals.
He is just too risk adverse.
We need to play a more attacking game so we can kick a score that can win us games at the pointy end of the season.
If he changes that, I think we can improve

 

[SLOWNE]

For 2026 I am hoping for a few things:

Rankine to come back with a point to prove, AA squad again, 25 touches equivalent as a mid and 2 goals a game equivalent when forward

Rachele to have a clean run injury wise, he was AA pace last year before injury and can be that 20/2 forward for us

Curtin to sprinkle some midfield time and go to another level

Draper big preseason and plenty of time in the midfield rotation

Berry to move to depth only


IF most of those things occur then I can see another top 4 finish. We finally removed 2 of Nicks's key security blankets, now it is time to get some games into Edwards, Dowling, Ryan.

Our draw will be more difficult and I would expect away games in Brisbane, Geelong along with our usual double up against the Pies and probably Hawks.


Fighting for top 4:

Bris
Suns
Crows
Freo
Cats
Hawks

Fighting for top 8:

Dogs
Swans
Pies
Saints
Giants

 

[Scorpus]

14 wins

So -4 wins on this season and somewhere in the 5-9 range

 

[1990crow]

I'll go 4th.
There's enough talent on the park to be just as successful as this season and will be a year older with finals experience. .

Just not good enough to win a prelim.

 

[Scorpus]

I reckon there will be a gameplan tweak that makes us worse

 

[1990crow]

I reckon there will be a gameplan tweak that makes us worse

Surely it couldn't get worse

 

[Eagleboy2011]

For 2026 I am hoping for a few things:

Rankine to come back with a point to prove, AA squad again, 25 touches equivalent as a mid and 2 goals a game equivalent when forward

Rachele to have a clean run injury wise, he was AA pace last year before injury and can be that 20/2 forward for us

Curtin to sprinkle some midfield time and go to another level

Draper big preseason and plenty of time in the midfield rotation

Berry to move to depth only


IF most of those things occur then I can see another top 4 finish. We finally removed 2 of Nicks's key security blankets, now it is time to get some games into Edwards, Dowling, Ryan.

Our draw will be more difficult and I would expect away games in Brisbane, Geelong along with our usual double up against the Pies and probably Hawks.


Fighting for top 4:

Bris
Suns
Crows
Freo
Cats
Hawks

Fighting for top 8:

Dogs
Swans
Pies
Saints
Giants

Throw in a Tassie against North or the Hawks and another contry match.
I suspect a fight for the top 8 finish may be more realistic.

 

[GameofSloanes]

I reckon there will be a gameplan tweak that makes us worse

Double down on the one used in finals is my bet

 

[SugarShane]

Feels like we had a dream run this year both injury wise, form wise, and playing a lot of good teams at home and bad teams away. Doubt we get as blessed run next year so I put us in the 5-8 bracket. Maybe sneak into 4th.

 

[Hodgy]

Any objective view would probably have us as premiership favourites, but so many factors come into such a compromised competition. We certainly have the best list currently, with the biggest scope for improvement, and we don’t really have any weakness (assuming that ROB’s finals weren’t indicative of his real potential). Coaching however could well hold us back, as though we have very solid coaching across the board, we also have too strong a reliance on process, and a stubbornness involved with this that is a bit reminiscent of Neil Craig. Hopefully we see over the summer some retrospection resulting in more flexibility with players positions and a better blend of attack versus defense.

We have several very brilliant players in our side who are currently not being as productive as they potentially could be, simply because of where they are playing. These include Michalaney, Tillthorpe, Curtin, Rankine and Rachelle, who can all have greater impact with less conservative selection, resulting in getting them around the ball more often.

I’m always an optimist, and actually backed us to be top 4 this last season, so I think we will win the flag next year. We certainly should be finishing top 2 in the minor round again at least.

 

[Scorpus]

Surely it couldn't get worse

We won 18 games so for a sizable chunk of the year we had a very successful gameplan

I just think Nicks in an attempt to find the next level, will take one step forward two steps back

 

[dogs105]

Rise

 

[Scorpus]

Rise

In ladder after the finals or in terms of winning finals?

 

[George CantStandYa]

Any objective view would probably have us as premiership favourites, but so many factors come into such a compromised competition. We certainly have the best list currently, with the biggest scope for improvement, and we don’t really have any weakness (assuming that ROB’s finals weren’t indicative of his real potential). Coaching however could well hold us back, as though we have very solid coaching across the board, we also have too strong a reliance on process, and a stubbornness involved with this that is a bit reminiscent of Neil Craig. Hopefully we see over the summer some retrospection resulting in more flexibility with players positions and a better blend of attack versus defense.

We have several very brilliant players in our side who are currently not being as productive as they potentially could be, simply because of where they are playing. These include Michalaney, Tillthorpe, Curtin, Rankine and Rachelle, who can all have greater impact with less conservative selection, resulting in getting them around the ball more often.

I’m always an optimist, and actually backed us to be top 4 this last season, so I think we will win the flag next year. We certainly should be finishing top 2 in the minor round again at least.

Objectively we should be premiership favourites and not the back to back premiers who improved their list, have a heap of returning players and an elite midfield? And you reckon we have a better list than them?

There’s optimism and there’s delusion