Analysis Adelaide's true ranking each round
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- #77
I don't get the data. Is it suggesting we have had a hard draw and GWS and Geelong haven't?
Pdub
Norm Smith Medallist
I think it's adjusting the percentage based on the quality of opposition. So winning big against a good side gives you more percentage than winning big against a s**t side.
- Thread starter
- #79
Round 10
Firstly, Adelaide jumped up the rankings to 5th from 7th with the win over GWS. Earning a bonus point for the round, 3rd one for the year so far. Bonus points seem to speak volumes about the capabilities of a side and the quality of a teams draw. North Melbourne have won 9 games yet have only earned 2 bonus points while the Crows have earned 3. Carlton have proved to be a very dangerous side earning two bonus points very quickly and beating the number 1 ranked side. Geelong fell back to pack a little bit with a couple of losses in as many weeks giving Sydney a big opportunity to jump into first with a big win over Gold Coast next week.
Bonus points earned this week were:
Adelaide, Carlton, Port Adelaide, Sydney, Western Bulldogs
Firstly, Adelaide jumped up the rankings to 5th from 7th with the win over GWS. Earning a bonus point for the round, 3rd one for the year so far. Bonus points seem to speak volumes about the capabilities of a side and the quality of a teams draw. North Melbourne have won 9 games yet have only earned 2 bonus points while the Crows have earned 3. Carlton have proved to be a very dangerous side earning two bonus points very quickly and beating the number 1 ranked side. Geelong fell back to pack a little bit with a couple of losses in as many weeks giving Sydney a big opportunity to jump into first with a big win over Gold Coast next week.
Bonus points earned this week were:
Adelaide, Carlton, Port Adelaide, Sydney, Western Bulldogs
- Sep 30, 2014
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- Adelaide
After Round 10 - I missed doing Round 9, so going to show the net movement across the last 2 rounds:
1 Sydney 31 points (+21 from round 8)
2 North Melbourne 30 (+9)
3 GWS 22 (+6)
4 Hawthorn 21 (+5)
5 Western Bulldogs 18 (+5)
6 Adelaide 17 (+10)
7 Geelong 16 (-6)
8 West Coast 13 (+10)
9 Carlton -2 (+5)
10 Port -3 (+2)
11 Melbourne -5 (-4)
12 St Kilda -8 (-2)
13 Colllingwood -11 (+4)
14 Richmond -12 (-)
15 Gold Coast -22 (-13)
16 Brisbane -28 (-14)
17 Essendon -36 (-19)
18 Fremantle -41 (-19)
Well, what a difference two weeks makes. Update after Round 8 had Geelong on fire top of the league, but 2 losses to teams who had poor results themselves has sent them tumbling down to 7th, and below us! (Such on that Dangerfield)
Sydney the big mover, and now my official Premiership favourite after scoring big points with wins against the Hawks and maximum points for the first team to take points from the Roos.
We've stepped up as well, recording the equal second highest improvement with our GWS & GC wins.
Carlton now starting to look like the best team outside the top 8 after claiming some decent scalps, but still a big gap between 8th and 9th. I think the top 8 may just be settled.
Geelong v GWS & West Coast v Western Bulldogs should be a cracker and will see either GWS or Bulldogs pull away further, or West Coast or Geelong bunch it up again.
For us, a win against the Saints should be handy and help us consolidate our spot.
For Port ... meh, who cares.
1 Sydney 31 points (+21 from round 8)
2 North Melbourne 30 (+9)
3 GWS 22 (+6)
4 Hawthorn 21 (+5)
5 Western Bulldogs 18 (+5)
6 Adelaide 17 (+10)
7 Geelong 16 (-6)
8 West Coast 13 (+10)
9 Carlton -2 (+5)
10 Port -3 (+2)
11 Melbourne -5 (-4)
12 St Kilda -8 (-2)
13 Colllingwood -11 (+4)
14 Richmond -12 (-)
15 Gold Coast -22 (-13)
16 Brisbane -28 (-14)
17 Essendon -36 (-19)
18 Fremantle -41 (-19)
Well, what a difference two weeks makes. Update after Round 8 had Geelong on fire top of the league, but 2 losses to teams who had poor results themselves has sent them tumbling down to 7th, and below us! (Such on that Dangerfield)
Sydney the big mover, and now my official Premiership favourite after scoring big points with wins against the Hawks and maximum points for the first team to take points from the Roos.
We've stepped up as well, recording the equal second highest improvement with our GWS & GC wins.
Carlton now starting to look like the best team outside the top 8 after claiming some decent scalps, but still a big gap between 8th and 9th. I think the top 8 may just be settled.
Geelong v GWS & West Coast v Western Bulldogs should be a cracker and will see either GWS or Bulldogs pull away further, or West Coast or Geelong bunch it up again.
For us, a win against the Saints should be handy and help us consolidate our spot.
For Port ... meh, who cares.
- Thread starter
- #81
Round 11
The Crows statistically showing they are the 4th best side in the competition at the moment, reclaiming the number 1 spot for scoring efficiency from Geelong. The best sign the Crows are finding some serious form is the fact our defensive efficiency points have just hit a season high. In the last 3 weeks alone the Crows have managed to erase nearly 1.5 points.
Key indicators of defensive improvement has been that the first 7 weeks of the season we saw the Crows concede 100 points 4 times at an average of 98 points. In the last 4 weeks the Crows haven't conceded 100 points once and are averaging only 75.5 points against. After a very tough first part to the year I believe our defensive statistics are starting to fall into line with the other teams who haven't had it as hard like Geelong and Sydney etc.
Our forward line is scary good! The next closest team to us in scoring ability is GWS and they are 72 points behind. No other team is within 100 points.
The Crows statistically showing they are the 4th best side in the competition at the moment, reclaiming the number 1 spot for scoring efficiency from Geelong. The best sign the Crows are finding some serious form is the fact our defensive efficiency points have just hit a season high. In the last 3 weeks alone the Crows have managed to erase nearly 1.5 points.
Key indicators of defensive improvement has been that the first 7 weeks of the season we saw the Crows concede 100 points 4 times at an average of 98 points. In the last 4 weeks the Crows haven't conceded 100 points once and are averaging only 75.5 points against. After a very tough first part to the year I believe our defensive statistics are starting to fall into line with the other teams who haven't had it as hard like Geelong and Sydney etc.
Our forward line is scary good! The next closest team to us in scoring ability is GWS and they are 72 points behind. No other team is within 100 points.
- Sep 30, 2014
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- Adelaide
After Round 11:
1. North 38 Points (+8)
2. Sydney 36 (+5)
3. Hawks 28 (+7)
4. Bulldogs 27 (+9)
5. Cats 24 (+8)
6. Crows 24 (+7)
7. GWS 23 (+1)
8. Eagles 12 (-1)
9. Carlton 0 (+2)
10. Port -1 (+2)
11. Melbourne -10 (-5)
12. Richmond -13 (-1)
13. St Kilda -13 (-5)
14. Collingwood -18 (-7)
15. Gold Coast -26 (-4)
16. Brisbane -36 (-8)
17. Fremantle -45 (-4)
18. Essendon -50 (-14)
Some clear groups are emerging. For me, Sydney and North are the 2 clear flag favourites. North are getting little credit, but they have beaten us and the Bulldogs and stepped up when it mattered to see off some of the lesser teams. They'll be tested but they haven't put a foot wrong so far. Sydney, despite losses to us & Richmond (wtf), have beaten 3 of the contenders in the group below on their tail. For me, Sydney are flag favourites.
A bit controversial but I've put Eagles in a group of their own in 8th. They are clearly better than the teams outside the 8, but they haven't taken any top 8 scalps. They haven't beaten anyone with more than 5 wins themselves. Other teams with such a statistic include Essendon, Porta and St Kilda. Brisbane & Freo are the only teams with worse stats, Brisbane only beating Gold Coast and Freo the solitary win against the Bombers.
Carlton, Port & Melbourne (although only just) are the teams which you still need to respect as are capable of beating anyone on their day.
The next tier down I think have the potential to get victories amongst the easybeats and teams from the one or two tiers above.
And the bottom 4 are just s**t.
But what is interesting is the hot 5 (TM) - ranking for the last 5 games:
1 Western Bulldogs 19
2 Carlton 18
3 Sydney 15
4 North Melbourne 13
5 Geelong 9
6 Hawthorn 9
7 Adelaide 8
8 Richmond 7
9 West Coast 7
10 GWS 5
11 Port 1
12 Colllingwood -4
13 Melbourne -7
14 St Kilda -7
15 Fremantle -20
16 Gold Coast -20
17 Brisbane -26
18 Essendon -27
What can we see here? Bulldogs surprised me as I haven't been hearing about them being a Premiership threat, but in their last 5 they have had the loss to GWS (so little negative impact) but big wins against us & West Coast, with the Melbourne win also helping to pump up their score.
What I did find interesting is Port. For all their talk of being "back", they are 11th in the hot 5 (TM). Losses to Carlton And West Coast hurt, and could not be properly compensated as wins were only over Brisbane, Melbourne and Collingwood.
Richmond at 7th in the hot 5 (TM) is also interesting - the win over Sydney helps. A lot. 2 other wins, although against fodder, at least stemmed the negative tide, and their losses to Hawks and North did not have a great negatory impact either.
For us, we continue to be in that 5th - 8th range. It's probably where we belong - don't let the gloss of our easy win over Saints fool anyone. We have an opportunity to take a big scalp in the West next week, and then the biggest of them all at home after the bye. Win those 2, I think we may just be up there with Sydney and North. But that's a big if. Lose both, and we'll probably just swap places with West Coast, and prop up the 8th, on this ladder at least. In the real ladder, we'll likely be out of the 8, bypassed by Port and Carlton.
1. North 38 Points (+8)
2. Sydney 36 (+5)
3. Hawks 28 (+7)
4. Bulldogs 27 (+9)
5. Cats 24 (+8)
6. Crows 24 (+7)
7. GWS 23 (+1)
8. Eagles 12 (-1)
9. Carlton 0 (+2)
10. Port -1 (+2)
11. Melbourne -10 (-5)
12. Richmond -13 (-1)
13. St Kilda -13 (-5)
14. Collingwood -18 (-7)
15. Gold Coast -26 (-4)
16. Brisbane -36 (-8)
17. Fremantle -45 (-4)
18. Essendon -50 (-14)
Some clear groups are emerging. For me, Sydney and North are the 2 clear flag favourites. North are getting little credit, but they have beaten us and the Bulldogs and stepped up when it mattered to see off some of the lesser teams. They'll be tested but they haven't put a foot wrong so far. Sydney, despite losses to us & Richmond (wtf), have beaten 3 of the contenders in the group below on their tail. For me, Sydney are flag favourites.
A bit controversial but I've put Eagles in a group of their own in 8th. They are clearly better than the teams outside the 8, but they haven't taken any top 8 scalps. They haven't beaten anyone with more than 5 wins themselves. Other teams with such a statistic include Essendon, Porta and St Kilda. Brisbane & Freo are the only teams with worse stats, Brisbane only beating Gold Coast and Freo the solitary win against the Bombers.
Carlton, Port & Melbourne (although only just) are the teams which you still need to respect as are capable of beating anyone on their day.
The next tier down I think have the potential to get victories amongst the easybeats and teams from the one or two tiers above.
And the bottom 4 are just s**t.
But what is interesting is the hot 5 (TM) - ranking for the last 5 games:
1 Western Bulldogs 19
2 Carlton 18
3 Sydney 15
4 North Melbourne 13
5 Geelong 9
6 Hawthorn 9
7 Adelaide 8
8 Richmond 7
9 West Coast 7
10 GWS 5
11 Port 1
12 Colllingwood -4
13 Melbourne -7
14 St Kilda -7
15 Fremantle -20
16 Gold Coast -20
17 Brisbane -26
18 Essendon -27
What can we see here? Bulldogs surprised me as I haven't been hearing about them being a Premiership threat, but in their last 5 they have had the loss to GWS (so little negative impact) but big wins against us & West Coast, with the Melbourne win also helping to pump up their score.
What I did find interesting is Port. For all their talk of being "back", they are 11th in the hot 5 (TM). Losses to Carlton And West Coast hurt, and could not be properly compensated as wins were only over Brisbane, Melbourne and Collingwood.
Richmond at 7th in the hot 5 (TM) is also interesting - the win over Sydney helps. A lot. 2 other wins, although against fodder, at least stemmed the negative tide, and their losses to Hawks and North did not have a great negatory impact either.
For us, we continue to be in that 5th - 8th range. It's probably where we belong - don't let the gloss of our easy win over Saints fool anyone. We have an opportunity to take a big scalp in the West next week, and then the biggest of them all at home after the bye. Win those 2, I think we may just be up there with Sydney and North. But that's a big if. Lose both, and we'll probably just swap places with West Coast, and prop up the 8th, on this ladder at least. In the real ladder, we'll likely be out of the 8, bypassed by Port and Carlton.
http://maxbarry.com/squiggle/#
Heading in the right direction on ye olde squiggle.
Heading in the right direction on ye olde squiggle.
Pdub
Norm Smith Medallist
- Thread starter
- #85
I decided to put up the rankings table after each team has played 13 games. This means results for the teams that have already played 14 games, the 14th game won't be included. All will be included after next weeks round.
The Crows are pretty much sprinting to the top of this ladder and should continue to rise. Key points of interest are that in the last 5 games the defensive efficiency has gone through the roof and the reason it isn't better is the residual effects of the results from earlier in the season. Our ability to score is just superior to the rest of the competition as highlighted by our scoring efficiency.
The table appears to indicate that there is a glut of quality teams in the top 6 rankings with North Melbourne the only side in the top 6 performing above their pay grade an highly unlikely to do anything other than qualify for September. Instead they appear to be amongst the sides that are just making up the numbers in the middle of the table, joining Port, West Coast and Melbourne.
The Crows are pretty much sprinting to the top of this ladder and should continue to rise. Key points of interest are that in the last 5 games the defensive efficiency has gone through the roof and the reason it isn't better is the residual effects of the results from earlier in the season. Our ability to score is just superior to the rest of the competition as highlighted by our scoring efficiency.
The table appears to indicate that there is a glut of quality teams in the top 6 rankings with North Melbourne the only side in the top 6 performing above their pay grade an highly unlikely to do anything other than qualify for September. Instead they appear to be amongst the sides that are just making up the numbers in the middle of the table, joining Port, West Coast and Melbourne.
TexForPM
Premiership Player
Squiggle had us finishing 2nd and Geelong first with us winning the flag.
We beat north and Geelong lost and we finish 3rd and Geelong are winning the flag
#squiggle
We beat north and Geelong lost and we finish 3rd and Geelong are winning the flag
#squiggle
- Sep 18, 2013
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Geelong cant win the flag.
History is pretty clear about losing to the likes of collingwood st kilda and carton.
- Thread starter
- #88
Above is the table with just the data from every teams last 5 games.
- Crows are dominating scoring efficiency with the next best 2 how points behind.
- Crows are statistically the 3rd best defensive side in the competition
- North Melbourne are statistical pure garbage so it actually was no surprise we smashed them
- While Geelong are the boss team for the season so far, the last 5 rounds suggest they are anything but.
- St Kilda will be a very dangerous side to encounter for the remainder of the season.
- Surprised GWS and the Western Bulldogs are below Port Adelaide but GWS have only played 2 good games in the last 5.
All I can say is that we are killing our opposition all over the park.
- Thread starter
- #89
Round 15
- Sep 30, 2014
- 18,956
- 40,126
- AFL Club
- Adelaide
Well, well, well ... 3 holes in the ground, as they say in the classics
So I have been waiting for the Bye rounds to end before updating my ladder. For those new to this, shame on you. But it works like this. For every win, you score a point for every win your opponent has. For every loss, you have subtract how many losses your victor has.
So our win over North is worth 10 points, but our loss way back against Geelong is worth -4. Capisce?
And so what do we have here? A brand new leader, that's who ...
1 Adelaide 56
2 Hawthorn 54
3 Western Bulldogs 49
4 GWS 48
5 Geelong 45
6 Sydney 44
7 North Melbourne 38
8 West Coast 16
9 Port -8
10 St Kilda -9
11 Melbourne -14
12 Richmond -21
13 Carlton -22
14 Colllingwood -25
15 Gold Coast -41
16 Fremantle -57
17 Brisbane -75
18 Essendon -78
Take that! Us and Hawthorn building up a break up front with the pelaton of Bulldogs through to Sydney behind. North are slipping, West Coast making up the numbers, and Port dreaming. St Kilda not far behind thanks to the win over Geelong. Carlton starting to slip, and GC and Fremantle starting to build up again.
Onto the Hot 5 (TM), is as follows:
1 Adelaide 41
2 Western Bulldogs 28
3 Hawthorn 22
4 Geelong 14
5 Sydney 12
6 GWS 9
7 St Kilda 5
8 Port 3
9 West Coast -2
10 Richmond -5
11 Fremantle -7
12 Carlton -9
13 North Melbourne -9
14 Colllingwood -10
15 Melbourne -12
16 Gold Coast -14
17 Essendon -31
18 Brisbane -35
We are officially on fire. Maybe this is what scared Kane Cornes into retirement, seeing a blaze so strong.
An interesting stat that I've stated before, there are 5 teams who have only lost to fellow contenders: Crows, Hawthorn, North, West Coast and Bulldogs. The West Coast one is interesting. They are putting away the teams they should, but the best team they have beaten was Port. On the question of which teams have had the least convincing wins, it is Brisbane (who have only beaten GC), then Essendon, Gold Coast and Port. Yes that's right, Port's wins are just as impressive as Essendon and Gold Coast's wins. Those 3 teams have only beaten teams with 6 wins or less i.e. the St Kilda/Richmond/Melbourne pack. Certainly top 4 quality right Kochie?
So I have been waiting for the Bye rounds to end before updating my ladder. For those new to this, shame on you. But it works like this. For every win, you score a point for every win your opponent has. For every loss, you have subtract how many losses your victor has.
So our win over North is worth 10 points, but our loss way back against Geelong is worth -4. Capisce?
And so what do we have here? A brand new leader, that's who ...
1 Adelaide 56
2 Hawthorn 54
3 Western Bulldogs 49
4 GWS 48
5 Geelong 45
6 Sydney 44
7 North Melbourne 38
8 West Coast 16
9 Port -8
10 St Kilda -9
11 Melbourne -14
12 Richmond -21
13 Carlton -22
14 Colllingwood -25
15 Gold Coast -41
16 Fremantle -57
17 Brisbane -75
18 Essendon -78
Take that! Us and Hawthorn building up a break up front with the pelaton of Bulldogs through to Sydney behind. North are slipping, West Coast making up the numbers, and Port dreaming. St Kilda not far behind thanks to the win over Geelong. Carlton starting to slip, and GC and Fremantle starting to build up again.
Onto the Hot 5 (TM), is as follows:
1 Adelaide 41
2 Western Bulldogs 28
3 Hawthorn 22
4 Geelong 14
5 Sydney 12
6 GWS 9
7 St Kilda 5
8 Port 3
9 West Coast -2
10 Richmond -5
11 Fremantle -7
12 Carlton -9
13 North Melbourne -9
14 Colllingwood -10
15 Melbourne -12
16 Gold Coast -14
17 Essendon -31
18 Brisbane -35
We are officially on fire. Maybe this is what scared Kane Cornes into retirement, seeing a blaze so strong.
An interesting stat that I've stated before, there are 5 teams who have only lost to fellow contenders: Crows, Hawthorn, North, West Coast and Bulldogs. The West Coast one is interesting. They are putting away the teams they should, but the best team they have beaten was Port. On the question of which teams have had the least convincing wins, it is Brisbane (who have only beaten GC), then Essendon, Gold Coast and Port. Yes that's right, Port's wins are just as impressive as Essendon and Gold Coast's wins. Those 3 teams have only beaten teams with 6 wins or less i.e. the St Kilda/Richmond/Melbourne pack. Certainly top 4 quality right Kochie?
- Thread starter
- #91
If the Crows win tomorrow they will receive a bonus point for beating Carlton and head to the top of my rankings table due to Geelongs miserable performance. So the Crows if they win tomorrow become statistically the best team in the competition.
- Thread starter
- #92
Round 16
After demolishing Carlton in a mixed display, the Crows have surged into the #1 spot in the rankings. The Crows are defensive unit have continued their improvement and they are ranked 8th in the competition for the season, however we would be higher but that figure is skewed by the start of the seasons efforts where the Crows conceded several high scores.
Port Adelaide are not a top 4 team no matter the spin coming from Alberton. They are not demonstrating any real authority in attack and their defensive isnt up to finals standard.
WCE and North will not make the Grand Final. Based on this table, the lack of bonus points won compared to the top 6 ranked sides would be a concern as to their ability to match it with the best in heated battles. Their is also a really big gap in the rankings points that this year will come down to those top 6 sides.
Bonus points won for round 16
Adelaide, Hawthorn, Sydney, Collingwood and WCE
After demolishing Carlton in a mixed display, the Crows have surged into the #1 spot in the rankings. The Crows are defensive unit have continued their improvement and they are ranked 8th in the competition for the season, however we would be higher but that figure is skewed by the start of the seasons efforts where the Crows conceded several high scores.
Port Adelaide are not a top 4 team no matter the spin coming from Alberton. They are not demonstrating any real authority in attack and their defensive isnt up to finals standard.
WCE and North will not make the Grand Final. Based on this table, the lack of bonus points won compared to the top 6 ranked sides would be a concern as to their ability to match it with the best in heated battles. Their is also a really big gap in the rankings points that this year will come down to those top 6 sides.
Bonus points won for round 16
Adelaide, Hawthorn, Sydney, Collingwood and WCE
Pdub
Norm Smith Medallist
The funny thing about this map is that it is the average for the entire season, so it means we have now had a premiership standard attack and defense all year even those times when we didn't.
- Thread starter
- #94
The great sign for me is that in a single game we have different gears we can hit when teams throw everything at us, we not only respond we become the boss team. Like Hawthorn and Geelong used to do. We don't fold like a cheap suit at the first sign of trouble like we used to under Sando and we have the ability to utilise several different game plans and structures within a single game plan dependant on how the game is going. Geelong at Skilled will be interesting to see where we are at!
- Thread starter
- #95
Round 17
Round 17 Bonus points
Adelaide, Hawthorn, Port Adelaide, St Kilda
Crows continue to extend their lead at the top of the rankings tree. The Crows have won more games against in form opposition than any other side this year.
Port are still in mediocre city but are headed in the right direction.
Round 17 Bonus points
Adelaide, Hawthorn, Port Adelaide, St Kilda
Crows continue to extend their lead at the top of the rankings tree. The Crows have won more games against in form opposition than any other side this year.
Port are still in mediocre city but are headed in the right direction.
- Sep 30, 2014
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Here's the current Hot 5 (Patent Pending). Its a bit more interesting than the whole league table at the moment, as it gives a feel for who is Hot and who is less Hot:
1 Adelaide 41
2 Hawthorn 35
3 Western Bulldogs 26
4 St Kilda 14
5 West Coast 14
6 Geelong 12
7 GWS 10
8 Colllingwood 7
9 Sydney 6
10 Port -3
11 Richmond -5
12 Gold Coast -7
13 Melbourne -7
14 Fremantle -14
15 North Melbourne -25
16 Essendon -30
17 Carlton -31
18 Brisbane -43
Good news Port fans, the Hot 5 confirms that you are back and in top 8 form ...
<Checks the Hot 5 (TM)>
Oh wait, sorry, you are 10th. But never mind, you are still certainly the hottest team outside the 8 and the only genuine team to give North a scare ...
<checks the Hot 5 (TM) again?
Oh, sorry, that would be St Kilda, the 4th hottest team in the comp with wins against Carlton, Geelong and Melbourne and a solitary loss to Gold Coast in their brief window of fitness in the last 5. That stacks up better than Ports last 5 with an admittedly handy defeat against the 4th coldest team in the comp and Richmond, but the loss to Fremantle stings good.
On the whole alternative ladder, Port is only a shade in front of St Kilda, on -1 compared to -3. By comparison, North in 8th are on +32. Still a massive gulf between the 8 and the rest, and I am still proclaiming St Kilda to be the next best team ahead of Port & Collingwood.
By the way, in the Hot 5 (TM), Collingwood are the 8th hottest team after this round. They may even cause some problems.
Next week - the 3 challengers have games against top 8. Collingwood v North. St Kilda v Bulldogs. Port v GWS.
I think the Pies may go in favourites against North. St Kilda love Etihad as much as the Bulldogs do. If Stringer is out, then it could be close. Home ground advantage may save Port, as GWS don't travel South too well. Looks set for an interesting round.
1 Adelaide 41
2 Hawthorn 35
3 Western Bulldogs 26
4 St Kilda 14
5 West Coast 14
6 Geelong 12
7 GWS 10
8 Colllingwood 7
9 Sydney 6
10 Port -3
11 Richmond -5
12 Gold Coast -7
13 Melbourne -7
14 Fremantle -14
15 North Melbourne -25
16 Essendon -30
17 Carlton -31
18 Brisbane -43
Good news Port fans, the Hot 5 confirms that you are back and in top 8 form ...
<Checks the Hot 5 (TM)>
Oh wait, sorry, you are 10th. But never mind, you are still certainly the hottest team outside the 8 and the only genuine team to give North a scare ...
<checks the Hot 5 (TM) again?
Oh, sorry, that would be St Kilda, the 4th hottest team in the comp with wins against Carlton, Geelong and Melbourne and a solitary loss to Gold Coast in their brief window of fitness in the last 5. That stacks up better than Ports last 5 with an admittedly handy defeat against the 4th coldest team in the comp and Richmond, but the loss to Fremantle stings good.
On the whole alternative ladder, Port is only a shade in front of St Kilda, on -1 compared to -3. By comparison, North in 8th are on +32. Still a massive gulf between the 8 and the rest, and I am still proclaiming St Kilda to be the next best team ahead of Port & Collingwood.
By the way, in the Hot 5 (TM), Collingwood are the 8th hottest team after this round. They may even cause some problems.
Next week - the 3 challengers have games against top 8. Collingwood v North. St Kilda v Bulldogs. Port v GWS.
I think the Pies may go in favourites against North. St Kilda love Etihad as much as the Bulldogs do. If Stringer is out, then it could be close. Home ground advantage may save Port, as GWS don't travel South too well. Looks set for an interesting round.
