With the 2023 AFL season officially just weeks away from kicking off after a competitive, and entertaining, 2022 edition, predictions on who will be atop the table come season's end are aplenty.
While there is plenty to be said about those in-form teams in the competition, there's also plenty to make of the race for the wooden spoon.
North Melbourne claimed the unwanted prize in 2022 after a rough season, with West Coast only narrowly missing out.
As the countdown to the season continues, we've named our five likely contenders for the 2023 wooden spoon.
2. Hawthorn
The Hawks are squarely in their rebuild under Sam Mitchell, who is heading into his sophomore season at the helm.
2022 saw the Hawks finish in 13th position with eight wins on the board, but an off-season exodus indicates that wins may be harder to come by this season.
As veterans were shown the doors at Waverley Park at the conclusion of the season, Hawthorn lost over 1000 games of experience as they decided to prioritise their youth, leaving a big task on very inexperienced shoulders.
Hawthorn are the youngest side in the competition heading into 2023, with an average age of just 22.9 years, while they also rank 18th in terms of experience, with an average of 42.6 games played. Just seven players on the list have over 100 games of experience, while 30 have less than 50 games to their name.
While this list management might pay off in the long run for Sam Mitchell and co, for 2023 at least, the Hawks should be expecting to deal with the consequences of having the youngest list in the competition.
