The leader is clear, but the second spot in the Grand Final is wide open. Can the Dogs duplicate their 2016 success?
Can the Dogs duplicate their 2016 success? Geelong might be in the first place, but the No. 2 seed and a spot in the Grand Final look like they could go to anyone. Even for the team that just got into the top eight. Here is a list of how the top 5 AFL teams rank. Which team do you like best?
1. Geelong Cats
We don’t think much will change with Chris Scott’s men over the next month unless the Cats really fall apart, which could throw the whole city of Geelong into an existential crisis. On paper, they must win every game they have left. They’ll probably lose one, though, because that’s how football works, but it looks like they’ll finish in the top two, and the top four is almost a given.
2. Melbourne
The premiers aren’t at their best in almost every area, from a defense that lets in too many points to a good but not great midfield to a forward line that doesn’t work. But even though this isn’t as good as we would usually expect, the Demons are still pretty good. They’ll be great again if they fix a few aspects of the game and of their team.
3. Sydney Swans
You could say that their win over Adelaide was the least impressive of their three wins. Still, it was really a microcosm of their season as a whole: an impressive but brutal start, followed by a bit of a slump where they weren’t as good as expected against weak teams, but overall it was enough. Even though Sydney is lower on the ladder, they have two easy games left, so it’s possible they could finish as high as second.
4. Brisbane Lions
They won the Pineapple Grapple, which was always going to be hard, but the Lions’ defense is still a big problem that will keep them from competing for a win, even if they still finish in the top four. In six of their last nine games, they’ve given up 93 points or more. Three of those games were at home against teams in the bottom ten.
5. Fremantle
The Dockers are the only team in the top eight that hasn’t won in the last two weeks. Unfortunately, they’ve lost a bit of form at the worst possible time when their schedule gets really tough. Even though on paper, they should be favored in their last three games, a loss to the Demons would really hurt their chances of making the top four.
The Dogs are currently in ninth place on the list of teams. Even though we still had doubts about their defense, the win over Melbourne showed that this team, which has been good against everyone but the best, can still beat the best. Their next game is at GMHBA Stadium against the Geelong Cats. Let’s see what they have and if they can turn things around for themselves.