AFL 2025: Every club’s predicted ladder range, premiership, finals, top eight, bottom four, predictions, analysis

With a new season comes recalibrated expectations, and there’s a range of forecasts for the AFL’s 18 clubs in what shapes as another impossible season to predict.

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Be it a surge up the ladder, a plummet down or a continuation of form, the AFL hierarchy is taking shape as Opening Round beckons.

With that in mind, Foxfooty.com.au has predicted each club’s ladder range for the 2025 season.

ADELAIDE CROWS: 7th-10th

After a disappointing 2024 season that didn’t live up to expectations, the Crows, with a bevy of exciting new recruits in tow, are anticipated to bounce back into finals calculations. Alex Neal-Bullen, James Peatling and draftee Sid Draper add quality and grunt to a talented ball-winning group that already boasts Jordan Dawson, dual-threat Izak Rankine and Jake Soligo — and that already finished top-six for clearances last season — while Isaac Cumming brings outside speed on the rebound. If Riley Thilthorpe can stay healthy and work in conjunction with Darcy Fogarty and Taylor Walker, it will go a long way. Senior coach Matthew Nicks’ seat is gradually warming, and it’s time for results at West Lakes given the ample talent on display, with the Crows plotting a finals finish for the first time in eight years.

BRISBANE LIONS: 1st-4th

The reigning premiers lost Joe Daniher to retirement, but the talent on this list still forms an almighty force to be reckoned with, particularly after adding another budding Ashcroft gem to the fold in Levi, who joins forces with his Norm Smith medallist brother Will. Brownlow medallist Lachie Neale still heads a damaging engine room alongside Hugh McCluggage, Josh Dunkley and the older Ashcroft. Veteran Sam Day arrived in the off-season as the Lions sought to fill the Daniher void, while the developing Logan Morris and first-year tall Ty Gallop look to put their best feet forward. The smaller but electric Kai Lohmann and hybrids Cam Rayner and Zac Bailey figure to feature prominently in the forward half, while Lincoln McCarthy returns from an ACL rupture. Eyes will be on the prolonged injury recoveries of Keidean Coleman and Tom Doedee, but as long as 36-year-old Dayne Zorko remains a lethal ball user exiting the back half, there shouldn’t be much for Chris Fagan and co. to worry about as they plan a third premiership push in as many years.

CARLTON: 5th-8th

Pressure will mount on coach Michael Voss if the Blues again fall short of expectation, but this remains a list constructed to contend for a premiership in the present. Carlton has two of the league’s best key-position bookends in Jacob Weitering and Charlie Curnow, but the latter is under an injury cloud on the eve of the season. And speaking of injuries, the year-long absences of reliable rebounder Nic Newman and top draftee Jagga Smith will hurt, but the Blues added a much-needed defensive layer in Nick Haynes to a unit already comprising star stopper Weitering, roaming interceptor Mitch McGovern and forward-turned-backman Jack Silvagni — who it feels like is a new recruit anyway, given he missed all of last season. Small forward Matt Owies’ departure leaves a goalscoring void, but the Blues will hope Jesse Motlop can have a breakout season to offset that, while the positional in which Zac Williams is deployed remains a storyline worth monitoring.

COLLINGWOOD: 5th-8th

Wielding the oldest and most experienced list in the competition, the Magpies are perhaps the league’s most built-to-win-now side, and their off-season acquisitions are in alignment. Dan Houston is in the midst of his prime years and upon his arrival automatically became Collingwood’s best ball-user coming out of the back half, pre-season play suggests former GWS utility Harry Perryman will step into a more fulfilling inside midfield role, and veteran forward Tim Membrey appears a solid complementary piece to the likes of Dan McStay, Brody Mihocek and Jamie Elliott. Houston, though, is the marquee addition, and the justification for his recruitment is clear — the Pies ranked fourth-worst last season for defensive-half scoring, ahead of only North Melbourne, West Coast and Richmond. Adding the ex-Port Adelaide dual All-Australian, and maybe Josh Daicos, too, to its back-half transition operations is set to pay massive dividends in 2025. Scott Pendlebury, Steele Sidebottom and Jeremy Howe are likely entering their final AFL season, with the Pies set to ponder plenty of list questions at the end of this season. But until then, Collingwood shapes more than a good chance of returning to its 2023 glory.

ESSENDON: 11th-15th

Essendon collapsed in the second half of the season after sitting in the top-four in Round 18, ultimately resigned to another bottom-10 finish. The Bombers have an array of appealing and improving talent on their list, but there aren’t enough top-end names to carry them to a finals berth this year. Essendon has won 11 or 12 games in six of the past eight seasons, and we get the sense it’ll be a similar story here. If there’s one thing we’ve learned from the pre-season, rookie small forward Isaac Kako is going to form a formidable scoring tandem with second-year attacker Nate Caddy, likely offsetting the loss of Jake Stringer. And if Sam Draper can be a productive resting forward and Kyle Langford keeps his output up, this has the potential to be a very threatening forward unit. One of the main questions revolves around the important pieces staying fit. Darcy Parish and Jordan Ridley have had interrupted pre-seasons, and if that unavailability remains throughout the season proper, Brad Scott’s side could struggle to string together enough wins to contend for a September berth.

FREMANTLE: 3rd-6th

The Dockers should have played finals last year after sitting third in Round 21, but ill-timed injuries to experienced players — including Alex Pearce, Josh Treacy, Brennan Cox and Sean Darcy — played a significant hand in a late-season collapse. They are tipped for surge up the ladder after finishing 10th, with former Richmond livewire Shai Bolton headlining an off-season influx of talent that should aid Fremantle in its bid for a finals return. As for the coach, the club aimed to ease pressure on its sixth-year mentor Justin Longmuir — who was initially set to come out of contract at the end of this season — by adjusting his deal to an ‘ongoing employment agreement’, meaning the team’s ongoing performance will determine his standing in the role. A 13-win season in 2022 propelled the Dockers to September, but across Longmuir’s five total seasons in purple, he owns a 50.48 per cent winning clip. However, the hope is the continued starring form of gun onballers Caleb Serong, Hayden Young and Andrew Brayshaw, as well as the presence of crucial bookends Pearce, Cox, Josh Treacy, Jye Amiss and Luke Jackson, spur this side. On Tuesday, meanwhile, Brayshaw recommitted on a six-year deal, ensuring himself, Young (contracted until 2033) and Serong (2027) are tied to Cockburn for at least the next few seasons.

GEELONG: 3rd-6th

The Cats were tipped for a rise last year after missing the finals entirely in 2023, but not many would have predicted they’d storm to preliminary final weekend. This year, there’s no reason why it won’t be a similar story amid the injection of revitalised ball-winner Bailey Smith and the continued development of the club’s emerging talent. Key forward Shannon Neale is poised to step into the Tom Hawkins role on a full-time basis, with four-time All-Australian superstar Jeremy Cameron still spearheading one of the league’s premier attacks. Gryan Miers is a wizard with the ball-in-hand, while mid-sized and smaller options Ollie Henry, Tyson Stengle, Brad Close, Shaun Mannagh and Jack Martin all cause havoc. Geelong topped the AFL last season for goals per game (14.1) and trailed only runners-up Sydney for goal assists per game, demonstrating the constant threat this unit poses. In the midfield, Smith figures to slot in alongside Max Holmes, Tom Atkins and Patrick Dangerfield, while the Tom Stewart-led defence is as stout as ever, with Connor O’Sullivan tipped to make a name for himself in his second season. The question will be asked of Chris Scott’s ruck plans, with defender-turned-tapster Sam De Koning handling the majority of duties in the pre-season as promising tall Toby Conway is sidelined indefinitely.

GOLD COAST SUNS: 8th-12th

We say it most years, but this could finally be the year the Suns cement their maiden finals berth. In 14 AFL seasons, Gold Coast has yet to qualify for a finals campaign, having never finished a season higher than 12th on the ladder. But this year, at the very least, they should be in the frame of contention come the business end of the season. After all, on Monday night’s return of Fox Footy’s AFL 360, three-time premiership mastermind coach Damien Hardwick — entering year two at the helm — said his Suns were “a really capable group that’s on the verge of greatness”. For ‘Dimma’s troops, there will be less confusion over game-plan philosophy, and there’s even more talent that’s been injected into an already-burgeoning list. Half-back rebounders Daniel Rioli and John Noble, in particular, are set to aid a Gold Coast side that sat in the bottom-10 last year for defensive-half scoring, while new captain Noah Anderson, Matt Rowell and Touk Miller lead a stellar engine room. The Suns will again look to lean on their home-ground advantage after winning seven of nine games at People First Stadium last year.

GWS GIANTS: 4th-7th

GWS fell in straight sets last finals series in demoralising fashion, yet Adam Kingsley’s Richmond-inspired game-style remains one conducive to winning. The Giants were second-last in the AFL for clearance differential last season, but it was their strength in numbers and heat around the footy that proved the foundation for a 15-win season — and it will again act as a springboard. GWS added proven goalsneak Jake Stringer to a stinging forward-line that boasts reigning Coleman medallist Jesse Hogan, star skipper Toby Greene, electric crumber Darcy Jones and developing former No.1 pick Aaron Cadman. Defensively, the club remains strongly led by Sam Taylor, Jack Buckley and Connor Idun, while the midfield unit will need to cover the early-season void left by star ball-winner Tom Green, who rehabilitates a calf strain.

HAWTHORN: 2nd-5th

This year is about proving last year’s scorching late-season form wasn’t a fluke, and we don’t think it was, especially after the Hawks added star defenders Josh Battle and Tom Barrass to a list already teeming with contributors. After dropping six of its first seven, Hawthorn won 11 of its final 13 home-and-away matches last year to finish seventh, and in its last nine wins of the campaign its average winning margin was over 10 goals — illustrating just how dominant the Hawks’ sudden rise was. A curious situation to monitor will be whether skipper James Sicily remains in the back half alongside the new recruits, or if he is swung forward on more occasions in the injury absences of Calsher Dear and Mitch Lewis. All-Australian half-forward Dylan Moore and electric duo Jack Ginnivan and Nick Watson will continue to do damage at ground level, following a year where the Hawks averaged a third-best 44.8 points scored from the forward half. The midfield unit will continue to be propelled by Jai Newcombe — who polled a career-best 24 Brownlow votes last season — burgeoning centre-forward star Will Day and the hard-nosed James Worpel.

MELBOURNE: 8th-12th

The Demons last season were one of the better 11-win, 14th-placed teams in recent memory — despite the off-field tumult that has rocked the club in recent seasons. And after a year shrouded in controversy and despondency, Melbourne appears poised for a rebound — if not into the top eight, at minimum into the finals conversation. The return of a fit and firing Christian Petracca will do wonders for Simon Goodwin’s outfit, while a Clayton Oliver return to his stellar 2021-22 heights would be a sight for sore eyes. Last year, Melbourne conceded the fifth-most inside-50s (53.9 per game) yet ranked top-eight for limiting opposition goals per game (11.3). As long as the Dees’ key-defending tandem of Steven May and Jake Lever can stay fit, there’s no reason this side can’t maintain that level of output, with swingman Harry Petty also set to revert to the backline as added depth. Up forward, the Dees will hope for better results than in 2024, with emerging talls Jacob van Rooyen and Daniel Turner partnering as key-position focal points and mid-sized goalsneak Bayley Fritsch supporting — though Kozzie Pickett will be among the absent attacking names to start the campaign. There are still numerous 2021 flag-winners in this side, and a September charge could be on the cards.

NORTH MELBOURNE: 14th-17th

It seems a near-certainty the Kangaroos improve on their three-win total from last year, but it is unlikely to see them truly rocket up the ladder, at least this year. After all, the Dees finished 14th last year with 11 wins, plus, the gap between the Roos and 15th-placed Adelaide was 5.5 wins and about 36 points of percentage. But this list gained necessary premiership experience in Luke Parker, Jack Darling and Caleb Daniel over the off-season, adding to a list chock-full with young talent seemingly ready to explode. Burgeoning star Harry Sheezel figures to leap into the top-players-in-the-league conversation this year, while fellow influential midfielder Luke Davies-Uniacke seems poised for a big campaign in a contract year. This side should continue to challenge stronger rivals this year, but it needs to see improvement in key metrics. The Roos were easily last in the AFL for inside-50 differential (-13.8 per game) last year, last for points-from-turnover differential (-22.5), and third-last for scoring.

PORT ADELAIDE: 6th-9th

It might be the most intriguing Port Adelaide season in quite some time, with 13-year mentor Ken Hinkley set to cap his Alberton tenure at the end of this year — regardless of how it pans out — and senior assistant Josh Carr to take over from 2026. Losing Dan Houston really hurts this outfit’s ability to transition the footy from defence to attack, despite seemingly having a decent range of ball-using replacements exiting the back half. The Power were a top-eight defensive-half-scoring unit last year, and it will be tough to replicate that production without the dual All-Australian Houston kickstarting offensive chains. Still, Port Adelaide boasts one of the most potent midfield brigades in the competition, and while Zak Butters’ knee injury will cost him the start of the season, Connor Rozee, Jason Horne-Francis, Willem Drew, Ollie Wines and Travis Boak are handy names as Port sources alternate centre-bounce combinations. Further, this side tends to get it done in close confines, winning 12 of 15 ‘close games’ — decided by two goals and under — since the start of 2023.

RICHMOND: 15th-18th

Improving on a two-win campaign in Adem Yze’s second year at the helm shapes as a manageable hill to climb, but it will still prove a difficult task given the significant void in experience left by their departed stars, as well as unavailability across the board to begin the season. The Tigers will be without Noah Balta for four games and Josh Gibcus for at least the early portion of the season in a blow to their key-position defensive-half stocks, while Josh Smillie — one of the Tigers’ eight fresh-faced draftees from last November — is hamstrung, veteran Dion Prestia suffered an Achilles blow, and Judson Clarke, Mykelti Lefau, Taj Hotton and Tylar Young continue to rehabilitate ACL injuries. While Yze plots improvement from his Tigers after a baptism of fire in year one, they will need to correct troubling performances in key metrics. In 2024, Richmond ranked dead-last for scoring, last for inside-50 differential, second-last for disposal differential, second-last for points-from-turnover differential, and second-last for forward-half scoring differential.

ST KILDA: 10th-14th

An 11-win campaign last year netted the Saints a 12th-placed finish, but even considerable improvement this year mightn’t result in a much higher finish given the all-time-high level of competitiveness around the league. Off the back of solid recent drafting, St Kilda has an impressive core of young talent, headlined by Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera, Mitch Owens and Mattaes Phillipou, as well as top-10 choices Tobie Travaglia and Alix Tauru last November. However, we don’t believe it’s ready to contend yet, and the club in recent times hasn’t been able to lure rival stars with considerable cash offers as it continues in its search of top-end players. The theme around Moorabbin this pre-season is youth, and while the club added veteran ball-getter Jack Macrae to set the tone in the middle, he isn’t the game-breaker it desperately needs after recently failing to lure big fish such as Zach Merrett and Finn Callaghan. Ross Lyon and the Saints should, however, again be able to hang their hat on transition ball movement after ranking equal-first with Geelong last year for defensive-half scoring (37.2 points per game).

SYDNEY SWANS: 3rd-6th

The Swans will carry mental scarring from their most recent demoralising grand final into this season, but under first-year head coach Dean Cox, there seems to be a vibe of rejuvenation surrounding Sydney on the eve of the season, despite frustrating pre-season injuries to Errol Gulden and Callum Mills. Sydney led the league in scoring last season and was also the best forward-half-scoring outfit, and there’s no reason to believe it won’t at least come close to topping the charts again in 2025. The hope is superstars Isaac Heeney and Chad Warner — with an elevated level of support from the likes of James Jordon and Angus Sheldrick — can help ensure another top-end ladder finish for the Swans, especially after the Heeney-Warner-Gulden trio combined for a whopping 84 goals in 2024. With key forward Logan McDonald sidelined until at least the club’s Round 3 bye, Cox and his match committee have looked to swingman Tom McCartin this pre-season as an attacking prospect to complement Joel Amartey and Hayden McLean. It’ll be a storyline to monitor as McDonald nears a return to play.

WEST COAST EAGLES: 15th-18th

As first-year coach Andrew McQualter instils a new game-plan, the Eagles are unlikely to bounce immediately following a five-win, 16th-place finish last year. Improvement can be made without significant change to year-to-year ladder positioning, and that’s what we’re forecasting. The additions of ready-made players Liam Baker, Jack Graham and Matt Owies will aid West Coast’s cause, but star backman Tom Barrass’ departure to Hawthorn hurts and veteran Jeremy McGovern is one year older. Quelling strong rival attacks could again prove very challenging for these Eagles after they finished third-worst for defending score in 2024, but a Reuben Ginbey move to half-back exhibited promising glimpses in the pre-season, while the continued development of key backman Harry Edwards is worth monitoring. Elsewhere, uncertainty about the long-term Eagles futures of co-captain Oscar Allen and emerging star Harley Reid will linger throughout the season, but each will put out a more-than-solid footy product this year.

WESTERN BULLDOGS: 7th-10th

The only coach with a truly uncertain contract future beyond this season, Luke Beveridge enters a critical 11th season as the Bulldogs’ coach, and his side should once again be in the thick of the finals mix. However, Beveridge’s squad has been one of the very hardest hit by injuries this pre-season, with superstar skipper Marcus Bontempelli, All-Australian midfielder Adam Treloar, electric small forward Cody Weightman, emerging ball-winner Ed Richards, crucial one-on-one stopper Liam Jones and rebounders Bailey Dale and Jason Johannisen all out, as well as the stretching absence of Jamarra Ugle-Hagan. To say it will challenge the Dogs in the early going might be the understatement of the pre-season. It comes as the club aims to start fast, following a campaign where it won three of its first eight games but finished with a wet sail, winning eight of its last 10 to secure sixth spot. Scoring potency remains one of the Bulldogs’ biggest strengths, coming off a season where they recorded the second-most shots at goal per game (28.5), just .2 behind reigning premiers Brisbane. They will, however, need to be more accurate in front of the sticks after their 2024 accuracy rate of just 46.9 per cent ranked fourth-worst in the competition.