The last two seasons have given footy fans reasons to believe that any team in the right form can go all the way in September. The pre-finals bye and equalisation have made finals harder to call than ever so no team can be written off. Here are the teams ranked in order from first to last to win the flag.

  1. Richmond: The Tigers are undeniable favourites for the flag this year. They’ve built on the pressure tactics that saw them go all the way last year and are brimming with confidence. An all MCG path to the flag lies before them and they play that ground perfectly.
  2. West Coast: The surprise hit of the season. The Eagles, like Richmond, can head into the GF playing on a formidable home turf. No Gaff and Naitanui hurts their chances but they’re likely to regain spearhead Josh Kennedy for a September campaign.
  3. Collingwood: The Pies are full of youthful exuberance and have a devastating game plan built on a deep midfield and a bevy of forward options. They’ve been hurt badly by injuries but if Jeremy Howe and Adam Treloar can return then they’ll be a very dangerous side.
  4. Geelong: They’ve been disappointing and will be kicking themselves on missing top four but that midfield can do serious damage. Ablett, Dangerfield, Menegola, Kelly, Selwood and Duncan. It’s the deepest in the competition and you can’t help but feel they’ve still got fuel in the tank.
  5. Melbourne: The upstarts might be without much finals experience between them but you wouldn’t want to put a limit on what this Demons side can do. This probably isn’t their year but they’re a major danger team.
  6. GWS: The sleeping Giants. If they can get players like Zac Williams, Toby Greene and Brett Deledio back together, oh boy oh boy wowee. They’ve got the most talented list in the competition and it is time to get results before stars like Shiel and Kelly walk out the door.
  7. Hawthorn: The comeback kids have maybe been taken as far as they can go. Clarkson has done amazingly to get Hawthorn this far but their bottom ten are weak and will likely be found out in finals.
  8. Sydney: The one man band limped into finals. They’ll need massive efforts from the All Australian captain to make it into the second week of September let alone to go all the way to Longmire’s second flag.

How do you rank them? Discuss who wins the flag on Big Footy.