Over half the season has passed and there are still a lot of things to be discussed in the next two months as the countdown to the finals continues.

In Parts 1 and 2, I reviewed the seasons to date for the top and middle six clubs, and picked out the matches that could decide their ultimate finals destiny. Here, I will do the same for the bottom six clubs.

While it’s hardly surprising seeing St Kilda, Melbourne and Carlton down in the bottom six, the two Queensland clubs have been the biggest disappointments so far in 2015, as has Essendon – whose recent dismal results could be attributed to the ongoing supplements saga.

Let’s now have a look back at the season that has been for the bottom six clubs:

Essendon
Position: 13th (4 wins, 8 losses, 16 points, 84.8%)
Next five: St Kilda (ES), Melbourne (MCG), North Melbourne (ES), Port Adelaide (ES), Western Bulldogs (ES)

No team could possibly be in a worse state than Essendon is in right now.

Ever since James Hird resumed his role as head coach after being suspended for 12 months for his role in the club’s supplements scandal, the Bombers have shown little to suggest that they will be contending for finals this season.

Their 38-point loss to Hawthorn last week was their eighth for the season, against just four wins, one of which was against those same Hawks at the MCG only eleven rounds earlier.

It has been suggested that WADA’s decision to appeal the not guilty verdict handed to the so-called Essendon 34 may have played a factor in the club’s recent poor performances, with the case not to be settled until the end of the season.

The club has won just one match since that announcement was made on May 11, in Round 8 against the Brisbane Lions. Their other two wins for the season came against Carlton and St Kilda in Rounds 3 and 5 respectively.

A pair of winnable matches against St Kilda and Melbourne await in the next fortnight for the Bombers, but so too does interstate trips for matches against the GWS Giants and Gold Coast Suns, and then a tough final two matches where they will face finals-bound Richmond and Collingwood for a second time this season.

It will now remain to be seen whether the Bombers can pick themselves up for the challenge that lies ahead in the next two months, while at the same time try to avoid any distraction that has come about by the ongoing supplements saga.

St Kilda
Position: 14th (4 wins, 8 losses, 16 points, 80.6%)
Next five: Essendon (ES), GWS Giants (SPO), Richmond (ES), Melbourne (MCG), Port Adelaide (Oval)

Having matched their total win tally from last season, it’s fair to say that St Kilda have exceeded expectations already in 2015.

Of the club’s four wins, two came in Queensland while the other two came under the roof at Etihad Stadium, the most recent of which was a two-point cliffhanger against Melbourne in Round 11.

Club veterans Nick Riewoldt and Leigh Montagna are doing all they can to lift their team in their twilight years, while Paddy McCartin has been thrown into the deep end after the former missed some matches early in the season due to injury.

The unheralded Josh Bruce has also made a name for himself in the first half of the season, taking a mark of the year contender against his old side GWS before kicking a career-best six goals against the Gold Coast Suns the following week.

Thus, Bruce and Tim Membrey loom as potential, permanent replacements in the Saints forward line when captain Nick Riewoldt eventually retires.

With four wins already this season, the Saints can chase more wins as they continue their long rebuild under coach Alan Richardson.

While there are winnable matches against Essendon, GWS and Melbourne to come in the next few weeks, they must also make the long trips to Adelaide (Port Adelaide, Round 18) and Perth (West Coast Eagles, Round 23) in the run home.

In addition, they will face premiership contenders Fremantle and the Sydney Swans at home in Rounds 19 and 22 respectively, and if they can repeat their upset win over the Dockers from late last season, then it could go a long way towards the club finishing outside of the bottom four for the first time since 2012.

Melbourne
Position: 15th (4 wins, 8 losses, 16 points, 78.3%)
Next five: West Coast Eagles (TIO), Essendon (MCG), Brisbane Lions (MCG), St Kilda (MCG), Collingwood (MCG)

Another team that has exceeded expectations this season is the Melbourne Football Club.

The club’s gradual improvement under Paul Roos has continued into this season, whereby they won their first Round 1 game since 2005, were 2-2 after a win against Richmond in Round 4 and will resume their season with a 4-8 win-loss record.

Given where they are coming from, the club’s 2015 season so far shouldn’t be considered either a success or a failure. Their most recent outing before the bye saw them upset the Geelong Cats at Simonds Stadium, with Bernie Vince and Nathan Jones, as they have done throughout the season, leading by example.

The Dees should probably have at least two more wins than the four they have so far; they were in a strong position against GWS in Round 2 while a poor final 41 seconds cost them against St Kilda in Round 11.

That could, at the end of the season, prove to be the difference between them finishing in the bottom four for the fourth straight year, or improving their year-end ladder position in which 12th in 2010 has been their best result since 2006.

Their run home will contain a mix of tough and winnable matches, starting with this Saturday night’s clash against the second-placed West Coast Eagles which will be played in Darwin; that is then followed by five straight matches at the MCG, of which only one is against an interstate team in the Brisbane Lions (Round 16).

If the club can notch up another few wins in the second half of the season, something they failed to do after Round 13 last year, then it could provide a strong platform ahead of Simon Goodwin’s takeover from Paul Roos in 2017.

Carlton
Position: 16th (3 wins, 9 losses, 12 points, 73.3%)
Next five: Western Bulldogs (ES), Richmond (MCG), Fremantle (DS), Hawthorn (ES), North Melbourne (ES)

At the start of the season, Mick Malthouse declared that “it’s very, very difficult to see where we’re going to lose a game”, but after their 69-point loss to West Coast in Round 2, it was made obvious that the Blues needed to rebuild.

Things did not improve for the Blues after that horror showing at Domain Stadium, with just one win (against St Kilda in Wellington on Anzac Day) to come in the six weeks that followed before Malthouse was eventually shown the door after Round 8.

If that wasn’t enough, former captain Chris Judd suffered a serious knee injury against the Adelaide Crows at the MCG in Round 10, prompting him to subsequently announce his immediate retirement from the game.

Since then, the Blues have shown some considerable improvement under caretaker coach John Barker, and reaped some rewards with recent wins over Port Adelaide and the Gold Coast Suns seeing them move off the bottom of the ladder.

It will remain to be seen if the club can continue to lift for the remainder of the season, especially with tough matches against the Western Bulldogs, Richmond, Hawthorn (twice) and Collingwood to come in the run home.

The Blues’ performances during this period should give an idea of the team that their next coach will inherit, whether it’d be Barker or any of Stuart Dew, Guy McKenna or even former coach Brett Ratten, who was sacked at the end of 2012.

Brisbane
Position: 17th (2 wins, 10 losses, 8 points, 66.3%)
Next five: Fremantle (DS), Sydney Swans (Gabba), Melbourne (MCG), North Melbourne (Gabba), Geelong Cats (SS)

Following a productive off-season in which the Brisbane Lions landed two premiership players (one from Collingwood and another from Geelong), a lot was expected from the club this season.

However, it has been the same old story for Justin Leppitsch’s men this season, with too many heavy losses, the worst of which was an 82-point loss to North Melbourne in Round 2, seeing them pinned to 17th on the ladder.

Injuries to key players, including captain Tom Rockliff and Claye Beams, who won’t play again after undergoing knee surgery last month, has also been a major factor behind the Lions’ woes this season, with their only wins this season coming back-to-back against Carlton and Port Adelaide in Rounds 6 and 7.

And it could get worse on Sunday when they make the longest road trip in the AFL to take on ladder-leading Fremantle, who will not only be fresh off a ten-day break, but will also be playing at home for the second consecutive week.

If that isn’t enough, then another premiership heavyweight and long-time bogey team the Sydney Swans will follow the week after.

The Lions will also have to pick themselves up for trips to Geelong (Round 18), as well as back-to-back road trips to Adelaide and Launceston to face the Crows and Hawks in Rounds 21 and 22 respectively.

Thus, it will be interesting to see if the Lions can salvage their year after having been widely expected to climb up the ladder this season on the back of their impressive off-season recruitment drive, and their strong second half of 2014.

Gold Coast
Position: 18th (1 win, 11 losses, 4 points, 66.3%)
Next five: North Melbourne (MS), Western Bulldogs (CS), GWS Giants (MS), Adelaide Crows (Oval), West Coast Eagles (MS)

Like their M1 neighbours, a lot was also expected from the Gold Coast Suns in 2015.

The arrival of an experienced coach who had a track record of turning clubs around in Rodney Eade and a premiership defender in Nick Malceski raised hopes within the club that they could take the next step up and contend for September this year.

But instead a raft of serious injuries and disciplinary issues has seen the Suns exposed like never before, with the club being forced to throw a large number of youngsters in the deep end as they battle to avoid a second wooden spoon.

Captain Gary Ablett Jr had been sidelined since Round 2 after his reconstructed shoulder failed tests against Melbourne and St Kilda in the opening two rounds, but seems certain to return this weekend against North Melbourne.

In his absence, the club could only win one game – against fellow cellar-dwellers the Brisbane Lions by 64 points – in Round 5. It marked just their second win without their captain after they defeated St Kilda in Round 19 last year.

In addition, 2013 Rising Star winner Jaeger O’Meara’s season ended before it started, after he suffered a knee injury in a reserves match played on the same weekend the senior side lost their season opener against Melbourne at the MCG.

The Suns will desperately be hoping that Ablett’s return will spark a return to form, especially with tough fixtures against the likes of the Adelaide Crows, West Coast Eagles, Richmond and the Sydney Swans to come in the run home.

With finals all but out of the equation, it will remain to be seen if the Suns, like the Lions, can salvage a season in which they were expected to improve, but have instead gone backwards, for the rest of the year.

However, not even Ablett’s impending return can spark a Richmond-like revival from last year for the embattled Suns – or will it?

That’s the bottom six teams’ seasons to date reviewed. Bring on the second half of the year.