We are officially into the business end of the home & away season, though it seems like teams have been playing elimination finals since the bye rounds concluded.
An all-time season in 2023 has been undoubtedly trumped this year.
Never have we seen a more evenly poised playing field on the run to finals; just two wins separate 2nd and 13th on the AFL ladder.
Fans and pundits alike have tested their theories on the famousย Squiggle Ladder Predictor, eager to hypothetically squeeze their supported side into the finals mix or foreshadow which storylines will front the news cycle come the end of August.
Predicting the finish to the season with 100% accuracy is unfathomable, even this late into the season. Over 400,000 potential formations are possible, and perhaps half of them are plausible in the current state of affairs.
Impossibility considered, we will nonetheless look at the current record and run home for each team, predicting the result of each match in the lead up to September to see how the finals bracket could be shaped.
We'll give all teams from 1st-13th a brief summary of how their season may end up and which games will prove most pivotal, while Adelaide, St Kilda, West Coast, North Melbourne and Richmond sit eliminated, mathematically or de facto.
Carlton
Current Record: 11-6 (114.1%)
Run Home:
- North Melbourne (H)
- Port Adelaide (H)
- Collingwood (A)
- Hawthorn (H)
- West Coast (A)
- St Kilda (H)
Predicted Position: 2nd
Estimated Percentage:ย 120.1%
The Blues have a very friendly run into September and will be disappointed with anything less than a 5-1 record for the final six.
Meetings with North Melbourne, Port Adelaide at home, Hawthorn, West Coast and St Kilda should all result in wins, with a blockbuster clash against Collingwood in what is likely to be Scott Pendlebury's 400th the only predicted loss in that stretch.
A second-place finish will be crucial for their premiership hopes, providing them an edge over their interstate rivals and a likely home preliminary final if all goes according to plan.