While many fans gauge their sights to who might win the 2021 AFL Premiership as the season rolls closer, the tight battle at the top might be as enticing as the scrap to avoid the wooden spoon.
Adelaide *won* the 18th-placed trophy last season for the first time in their history following a nightmare season both on and off the field whilst in a tussle with North Melbourne for finishing second last.
The Kangaroos will enter the new season by kickstarting a newborn era under coach David Noble, who has arrived at Arden Street with plenty of optimism ahead of his new tenure.
Both the Kangaroos and Crows ended the 2020 season with three wins from 17 matches and will look to vastly improve on their disappointing campaigns.
While the two sides both stand a chance to avoid the wooden spoon, one of the 18 clubs must claim the league's most unwanted honour.
We take a look at the leading contenders for the unwanted wooden spoon award for 2021.
3. Hawthorn
Alastair Clarkson will be entering unfamiliar territory in 2021, with the club now faced with the task of looking up rather than over their shoulder.
The Hawks posted five wins and finished 15th for their efforts last season, six places lower than their finish at the end of the 2019 season.
The trajectory is no shock given the club's compass is pointing to a rebuild, but there are some concerns with just how low this club will go and just how long they'll be battling at the bottom.
Off-field discretions and distractions are sure to play their part, but when it comes to what matters on the field, there isn't a name better for the job than Clarkson.
The four-time premiership coach will be eager to keep the Hawks' wooden spoon drought well and truly alive, with the club's last finish at the bottom coming in 1965.
A new captain at the helm in Ben McEvoy and an exciting balance of pace, power and precision across the field will show glimpses of a contender down the road, but for the being the Hawks will be well in contention for a bottom four finish once again.
