The Premiership Favourite 2026

[PowerfulPies2023]

Brisbane deservedly go in as favourites, they are the benchmark

Freo could jump, and saints a Smokey if they make top 4

Saints have no chance

 

[PowerfulPies2023]

Fwiw, in 21 I predicted that Collingwood would contend in 22 (true story).

Four years on and its looking very different. Good effort by your mob to win a flag in 23.

We have no chance in 2026. Will be lucky to make the 8.

 

[LionsOrDieTrion]

We have no chance in 2026. Will be lucky to make the 8.

Lucky there’s a top 10 then.

 

[timokane]

If not Collingwood of course.

i would like Suns or GWS or Freo win it.

Love a Suns and GWS grand final.

Winner and they win their first ever flag.

Like a first time flag winner in 2026 or Freo.

Or a drought breaker st kilda 1966-2026 flag drought.

Like a first timer i think this would be great for the AFL.

Will be another year the flag is won to an interstater.

Something different and out of left field.

Done with the same old.

 

[Borussia Teeth]

If not Collingwood of course.

i would like Suns or GWS or Freo win it.

Love a Suns and GWS grand final.

Winner and they win their first ever flag.

Like a first time flag winner in 2026 or Freo.

Or a drought breaker st kilda 1966-2026 flag drought.

Like a first timer i think this would be great for the AFL.

Will be another year the flag is won to an interstater.

Something different and out of left field.

Done with the same old.

Shut up, dickhead.

 

[1972championsofaust]

Alright, here it is. Carlton to go 27 and 0 in 2026. Perfect season. Undefeated minor premiers, straight sets in finals, and lifting the cup without dropping a single game. Sounds insane? Maybe. But when you look at what’s brewing at Ikon Park, it’s not just possible. It’s set up.

This is how it happens.

First, the list profile. Carlton’s best players are smack in the middle of their prime. Charlie Curnow will be 28. Sam Walsh will be 25. Patrick Cripps will be 30 and still a contested bull. Jacob Weitering will be 27 and coming off another All-Australian calibre year. Adam Cerra is hitting his absolute peak. Harry McKay will finally be free of injury niggles and playing as the second banana, not the main man. The list is hardened, experienced, battle-tested, and still has growth. And it’s deep. Look at the fringe talent coming in the door. These aren’t passengers. They’re 22-quality players.

Second, system. Michael Voss has turned this into a defensively mature, tactically flexible team. In 2024 and 2025, the biggest improvement wasn’t just personnel. It was structure. Carlton presses high, defends transition, and chokes sides out in the contest. When it clicks, it looks like 2018 Richmond, 2021 Melbourne, and 2023 Collingwood all rolled into one. The difference is that Carlton has more forward firepower than any of them.

Third, the best forward line in the comp. Charlie Curnow has kicked over 80 goals in consecutive seasons. He is entering 2026 fitter, more mobile, and more dominant than any key forward since peak Buddy. McKay’s worst is still 40 goals. When he’s confident, it’s game over. Add in the best small forward unit in the league. Ainsworth, Williams, Motlop, Fogarty. It’s relentless pressure and scoreboard damage. And when midfielders like Smith, Walsh, Cerra, or Acres roll through and hit the scoreboard, the forward line becomes impossible to contain.

Fourth, the defence is now elite. Weitering is a rock. Kemp will be healthy and reading the ball like a veteran. Newman is one of the most underrated interceptors in the comp. Saad provides elite rebound. The mix of lockdown and rebound is perfect. And Carlton defends as a unit now. Their team defence in 2025 ranked top three for points against. It tightens even more in 2026.

Fifth, the midfield. This is the scariest part. Walsh, Cripps, Cerra, Hewett, Smith and the small forwards all rotating through. Then you add dynamic weapons like Ainsworth and maybe a breakout from one of our young guns. Cripps no longer needs to carry the load. Walsh is at the pointy end of the Brownlow count every year. Cerra will be back to All-Australian candidate form. They win clearances, they dominate stoppages, and they apply massive forward-half pressure.

Sixth, the fitness and conditioning. Carlton was the fittest side in the back half of 2025. They won almost every final quarter. That is no accident. Their high-performance program under Andrew Russell has finally clicked. Injuries were down. Players were running out games. Come 2026, they will have another preseason with that system. Expect fast starts, strong finishes, and no fade-outs.

Seventh, the hunger. The 2023 near-miss still stings. The 2024 missed opportunity hurt. The 2025 season showed they were right there. This group has been climbing the mountain for three years straight. They know what heartbreak feels like. They know what pressure feels like. They are ready. This is not a club hoping for success anymore. It is a club expecting it.

Now the fixture. Carlton will get blockbuster games. MCG. Marvel. Thursday and Friday nights. They thrive in prime time. Most of their toughest games will be at home. They’ll get to play weaker sides like West Coast, Essendon and North twice. If they come out of the first six rounds at 6 and 0, the belief will snowball. Momentum will take over. Sides will start fearing them before the first bounce.

Finals? It will not matter. Once Carlton locks in a home qualifying final, it is lights out. No team matches up on them over four quarters. Brisbane cannot contain Curnow and McKay. Geelong are our bunnies. Collingwood cannot beat them in a clearance war. Hokball is a thing of the past. The Grand Final becomes a formality.

A perfect season in modern footy is nearly impossible. But nearly is not never. If any side is built to do it, it is this one. Carlton going 27 and 0 in 2026 is not just a dream. It is the natural endpoint of three years of growth, pain, pressure, and elite list management.

And when they do it, people won’t say how did this happen. They’ll say we should have seen it coming.

Bookmark it.

You’ll lose in Gather Round!

 

[timokane]

Congratulations Collingwood on winning the 2023 and 2026 premiership

 

[Mr.X]

Saints have no chance

Big chance for finals, and even a fluky top 4 finish likely to result in a straight set exit

 

[Andrewgtv05]

Big chance for finals, and even a fluky top 4 finish likely to result in a straight set exit

I prefer St Kilda to finish in the bottom four then get exposed for Salary Cap Breaches.

 

[PowerfulPies2023]

Still the Lions. Could beat the Hawks or Suns in the big one.

 

[ReturningHawk]

Saints have no chance

Have to agree with you. They are a chance to be in contention for the Wildcard round. Ross has far greater chance of losing his job next year

 

[Jezzitizle]

Freo will romp it home, not sure if we will even concede a goal this coming season, maybe if we let key players take a mid season vacation after we wrap up top spot.

 

[Fadge]

Freo will romp it home, not sure if we will even concede a goal this coming season, maybe if we let key players take a mid season vacation after we wrap up top spot.

Dead rubbers, they're hard to get motivated for.

Just hope you aren't drawn to play Carlton after you've wrapped up top 2 - their supporters will never let you hear the end of it if they beat you in a dead rubber...

 

[PowerfulPies2023]

Freo will romp it home, not sure if we will even concede a goal this coming season, maybe if we let key players take a mid season vacation after we wrap up top spot.

A goal? You cant be serious. You wont even concede a solitary point! But you'd still find a way to lose though. The whole team will test positive for Performance Enhancing Drugs on the eve of the Grand Final. You'll be the best non winners in the history of the VFL/AFL.

 

[Jezzitizle]

A goal? You cant be serious. You wont even concede a solitary point! But you'd still find a way to lose though. The whole team will test positive for Performance Enhancing Drugs on the eve of the Grand Final. You'll be the best non winners in the history of the VFL/AFL.

 

[Mr.X]

Still the Lions. Could beat the Hawks or Suns in the big one.

Maybe, the Neale scandal likely to be a distraction.

Crows will be the ones to watch, a top 4 team who have learnt a lot from last season

 

[PowerfulPies2023]

Maybe, the Neale scandal likely to be a distraction.

Crows will be the ones to watch, a top 4 team who have learnt a lot from last season

They'll be fine. Season starts in March. They wouldn't give a **** in all honesty. Most wouldn't. Regardless those that did will be over it jn no time.

 

[Miluxx]

Maybe, the Neale scandal likely to be a distraction.

Crows will be the ones to watch, a top 4 team who have learnt a lot from last season

We have had an off season distraction for the past 2 seasons. Think we will be fine.

 

[Mr.X]

We have had an off season distraction for the past 2 seasons. Think we will be fine.

This one seems to be cutting a little deeper.

talk is already starting about Neale heading back to WA

lions will be challenged, there are a few sides who’ll test them

 

[PowerfulPies2023]

This one seems to be cutting a little deeper.

talk is already starting about Neale heading back to WA

lions will be challenged, there are a few sides who’ll test them

Won't make a difference. He'll leave after this season they'll 3 peat.

 

[Miluxx]

This one seems to be cutting a little deeper.

talk is already starting about Neale heading back to WA

lions will be challenged, there are a few sides who’ll test them

I dont know. The boys seemed disgruntled after Vegas or whatever ended up being the case there.

I'm sure the vast majority will get on with the task at hand. Most of this will be forgotten apart from journos and bigfooty posters who hope this will be our downfall.

 

[Bagger72]

I think Freo will come close.

 

[RUNVS]

I think Freo will come close.

Come close to what exactly, as I know you don't mean the premiership?

 

[Gavin Excell]

Pies seem to be disrespected by markets

 

[Bucking Beads]

Pies seem to be disrespected by markets

They'll miss the 8.