Following the nine-part series ranking each AFL club's positional lines, it is time to review each AFL team's list in its entirety and determine which sides can enter 2025 with full confidence in the talent on their list.
While some clubs may be star-studded in one spot, this list will take the entire squad into account, looking into the depth, firepower, and performances in 2024 across all three areas of the field.
Those who have been consistently at the top of the rankings throughout our series will undoubtedly find themselves at the top of the board once again, but those who popped into the top six just once, or those who had a starkly low ranking in comparison to their other results, may find themselves dropped to midtable or below.
RELATED: FORWARD LINE RANKINGS, MIDFIELD RANKINGS, & BACKLINE RANKINGS
So, here is the concluding chapter to Zero Hanger's pre-season list rankings, signifying the best and worst teams on paper for the year ahead.
15. St Kilda
(Backline ranking: 10th; Midfield ranking: 16th; Forward line ranking: 15th)
A middling list now cursed with injury setbacks, the Saints' list looks pretty dismal on paper.
How will their defensive structure hold up without Dougal Howard for two months? Will Max King stay on the park consistently? Will Mattaes Phillipou be the spark to the midfield, or will they remain one-paced?
Questions hover threateningly over every line on the field, clouding the club's potential.
Our view is that there are too many impeding factors that could impact St Kilda's season, despite their strong close to 2024 and finals appearance in 2023. It seems the club is lacking one or two beneficial factors in every position, whether it be the need for firepower or even just on-field reliability, but each element, or lack thereof, punts the Saints down the rungs when compared to other AFL lists.
