With the calendar moving from 2020 to 2021, our attention now moves towards the 2021 AFL year.
To add to that, here is your complete guide to the 2021 season.
Ladder
1. Geelong – they are an elite team with lots for star players.
2. Brisbane – they have the best forward, defence and midfield line-up.
3. Port Adelaide – their best is brilliant.
4. West Coast – they have an amazing line-up of players.
5. Richmond – they have created a dynasty and they are an unstoppable side.
6. St Kilda – they have young guns on the rise.
7. Melbourne – they nearly made the eight in 2020 and will have better luck in 2021.
8. Carlton – they are an up-and-coming side.
9. Western Bulldogs – they are another brilliant team with plenty of stars, but will drop off.
10. Fremantle – they are a young side that will move on from recent lost years and make the eight in 2022.
11. Collingwood – they lost some of their star players as their list is ageing.
12. Greater Western Sydney – they lost star players and talent.
13. Hawthorn – they may be rebuilding, but should have enough class to take them a few places up from 2020.
14. Gold Coast – more improvement is coming, and they will push for finals in 2022.
15. Adelaide – they are rebuilding but they still have a long way to go from making the eight again.
16. North Melbourne – they will continue to rebuild with a new coach, but will still avoid their first wooden spoon in nearly 50 years.
17. Essendon – they are rebuilding with a new coach.
18. Sydney – they will rise in 2022 and ’23.
(Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)
That means the finals would look like this. Below are my predictions.
Week 1
Qualifying final 1: Geelong (118) beat West Coast (62) at GMHBA Stadium
Qualifying final 2: Brisbane (80) beat Port Adelaide (73) at the Gabba
Elimination final 1: Carlton (83) beat Richmond (73) at the MCG
Elimination final 2: St Kilda (134) beat Melbourne (60) at the MCG
Week 2
Semi-final 1: Port Adelaide (92) beat St Kilda (80) at the Adelaide Oval
Semi-final 2: West Coast (105) beat Carlton (45) at Optus Stadium
Week 3
Preliminary final 1: Port Adelaide (97) beat Geelong (80) at the MCG
Preliminary final 2: Brisbane (102) beat West Coast (92) at the Gabba
Week 4
Grand final: Brisbane (79) beat Port Adelaide (70) at the MCG
This is who will win the major awards, too.
Awards
Brownlow Medal: Dustin Martin (Richmond)
Coleman Medal: Charlie Dixon (Port Adelaide)
Norm Smith Medal: Lachie Neale (Brisbane)
Rising Star Award: Hayden Young (Fremantle)
Laurie Alach
Guest
Yes. Did you notice how Richmond just won the 2017, 2019 and 2020 grand finals by a mere 48 points, 89 points, and 31 points respectively ... and in BLINDING RAIN ?
Graham
Guest
You might want to reassess the rising star award as Matt Rowell is still eligible for this season
Zaco_
Roar Rookie
18th-North Melbourne (2-20) 17th-Hawthorn Hawks (3-19) 16th-Sydney Swans (3-19)-Higher by Percentage 15th-Essendon Bombers (4-18) 14th-GWS Giants (5-17) 13th-Adelaide Crows (6-16) 12th-Western Bulldogs (7-15) 11th-Fremantle Dockers (8-14) 10th-Gold Coast Suns (10-12) 9th-Carlton Blues (11-11) -Top 8>AFL 2021 Finals- 8th-Melbourne Demons (12-10) 7th-Collingwood Magpies (13-9) 6th-Port Adelaide Power (14-8) 5th-St Kilda Saints (15-7) 4th-West Coast Eagles (16-6) 3rd-Geelong Cats (17-5) 2nd-Richmond Tigers (18-4) 1st-Brisbane Lions (19-3) (AFL 2021 Finals Series) -Week 1- Friday 3rd September 7:30 PM-The Gabba (Channel 7) Brisbane Lions (1st) 87 def 54 West Coast Eagles (4th) Saturday 4th September 3:45 PM-Adelaide Oval (Channel 7) Port Adelaide Power (6th) 63 def 49 Collingwood Magpies (7th) Saturday 4th September 7:10 PM-Marvel Stadium (Channel 7) St Kilda Saints (5th) 75 def 72 Melbourne Demons (8th) Sunday 5th September 5:25 PM-Melbourne Cricket Ground (Channel 7) Richmond Tigers (2nd) 89 def 76 Geelong Cats (3rd) -Week 2- Saturday 11th September 7:15 PM-Optus Stadium (Channel 7) West Coast Eagles (4th) 78 def by 83 St Kilda Saints (5th) Sunday 12th September 6:30 PM-GHMBA Stadium (Channel 7) Geelong Cats 56 (3rd) def by 66 Port Adelaide Power (6th) -Week 3- Saturday 18th September 7:30 PM-The Gabba (Channel 7) Brisbane Lions (1st) 97 def 88 Port Adelaide Power (6th) Sunday 19th September 7:25 PM-Melbourne Cricket Ground (Channel 7) Richmond Tigers (2nd) 79 def 55 St Kilda Saints (5th) -Week 4-AFL Toyota 2021 Grand Final Sunday 26th September 5:30 PM-Melbourne Cricket Ground (Channel) Brisbane Lions (1st) 86 def 78 Richmond Tigers (2nd) -The Brisbane Lions will be my 2021 AFL Premiers-
Steve J
Roar Guru
My favourite AFL stat is the rise of a bottom 5 team to play finals the following season It has happened every seasons since 1990, with the exception I think in 3 or 4 instances. Hell the Crows even won a premiership coming from bottom 5. Last year it was the Saints, season before the Lions The issue I have here is that 2020 was a weird year so maybe 2021 will be an outlier in that none of the Suns, Hawks, Swans, Roos or Crows will rise. But if I had to pick 1 team I would pick the Suns with the qualifier that King, Anderson and Rowell play the entire season, especially that last bloke!! Other kids like Flanders, Sharp and Hollands are going to impact that team too, also Lukosious is looking like a true quality player, as is Rankine - they have talent to burn but they also have a more stable set of mature age players for once It could be an outlier year, but on talent alone the Suns should be the team to rise up
Mr Right
Roar Rookie
Pete, you keep going off on a tangent re "happy to win McClelland trophy" & no one remembers who won top of the ladder. Please re-read my query to your post listed by you on the January 3rd 2021 @ 7:23am stating that the best team win finals FULLSTOP. My query has nothing to do with either of those 2 tangent points. We all know won in the GFs in 2008 & 2016, but I would be interested to read who you actually believe was the best team in both of those years? If a team loses a qualifying final but comes back & beats the same team in the GF, who is the best team FULLSTOP? A bit of advice, I am a Hawks fan so don't make the assumption that I am a Geelong supporter, it makes you look foolish.
WCE
Roar Rookie
You from the Philippines mate?
WCE
Roar Rookie
I'm Western Australian mate it's all we do remember. Oh well at least I am Australian mate
Cracka
Roar Rookie
What you still crying, tissues... :laughing:
Mr Right
Roar Rookie
BTW, Peter's statement "The BEST team wins finals. FULLSTOP", is about as a selective criteria is you are ever going to read on this website.
Mr Right
Roar Rookie
"The percentages of teams above them are pretty irrelevant". RT, once the finals start, I would go even further & state that they are totally irrelevant in how any individual game plays out. I only used them to show that they weren't one of the sides dominating the competition that year. In fact they weren't even close to them. To most people they were like North, they were making up the numbers. But they played above themselves in those in the 4 weeks, the Swans choked on the most important day of the year & Tom Boyd played the best game of his career. All those stars don't align that often unless a club is building up to be a great team. History shows that the next 2 years they finished 10th & 13th.
WCE
Roar Rookie
I’m just so sick of have an unfair playing field....... Lol who is the one crying that's your words mate haha at least your crying about something new not just about everything to do with WA. Like another poster said about you that you really make some wack claims/calls and you really do struggle with words when trying to make an argument. Clarified by how much you have to edit almost each time you comment. Keep trying you will get it one day maybe probably not thou
RT
Roar Rookie
That's pretty selective. They finished the home and away with 3-1 and that loss to Freo was with the same number of scoring shots, so I am not sure on face value they were "towelled up". The percentages are of teams above them are pretty irrelevant given they then went on to beat 4 of them in finals. It is like saying Geelong were best in 2019 when they couldn't string 2 wins together after the bye. Factual but meaningless in the end. So in the end, 7-1 in the last couple of months. You don't get much better.
Mr Right
Roar Rookie
Just checked the Stats. They finished the H&A with 3 wins & 3 losses in their last six games. 1 of those wins was by only 3 points. They got toweled up Fremantle in the last game. Fremantle finished 3rd last. They finished on 115%. Every other team above them except for Hawthorn scored @ 130% or better, including the Swans @ 151%.
Cracka
Roar Rookie
lol, still whinging and crying, :laughing:
WCE
Roar Rookie
Your pretty simple Cracka if you noticed it wasn't me who made the comment your saying is crying in the first place. But good try mate your the only one crying constantly about anything Western Australia says alot about you. Take a look at my profile no crying no whinging about people from other states that's just beyond pathetic. But each to their own some people are pathetic like the teams t they follow lol. Have a good day from WA
Cracka
Roar Rookie
Please mate stop your crying, its okay.... :laughing:
WCE
Roar Rookie
More nonsense you need to take your meds bud
Cracka
Roar Rookie
Always complaining about the Victorians, just a hater… Boo Who…
Cracka
Roar Rookie
Never said 2018 I said over the last 4 years as a collective period, but yes your are 100% right Eagles in 2018 was the best side in 2018, clearly as they won the only prize on offer, which was the Premiership Cup.
WCE
Roar Rookie
I see no crying just more of your nonsense....