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.
11. Collingwood
(Backline ranking: 13th; Midfield ranking: 9th; Forward line ranking: 13th)
Too old, too slow? Or too old, too slow, too good?
The Pies are towing a fine line in their all-in approach for a premiership, owning the oldest list in the AFL.
But it's not necessarily a bad thing. Geelong won the premiership three seasons ago with the oldest list in the league and also managed to integrate younger talent to ensure they were back in September action in 2024, despite notable retirements to key club stalwarts.
Collingwood is littered with veteran A-graders currently, but whether these stars' influence will begin to deteriorate as they age is a story we'll have to watch unfold.
Questions hover over whether their form from yesteryear can be recaptured, or if 2024's lacklustre year was a sign of the future. The defence's form was scrutinised and the forward line lacked a key target, but with the inclusions of Dan Houston, Harry Perryman and Tim Membrey, those issues may be resolved.
However, a lack of depth and youngsters to come through the ranks could negatively impact the Magpies if veterans fall out of form or suffer injury blows in 2025.
