15 rounds in and we've never been more perplexed over which teams are serious, and who's on fraud watch.
One thing is for certain, it is Sydney's to lose from here and it may take something miraculous to halt their surge to a sixth flag.
Below them lies unending confusion; the two sides with the second & third best percentage sitting outside the top eight.
10th-placed Brisbane sit less than two wins out of the top four, but the former bottom-dweller Hawks may be one of the four best teams going around at this moment.
As the ladder deceives us like never before, stars from every team are making a compelling case for their spot in the AFL All-Australian team.
In this edition, all but three sides are represented and five clubs have earned the honour of featuring multiple names.
Men we had thought set their names in stone by Round 10 have been stunningly omitted, through their own struggles or another's rise.
As always, a host of names remain stiff to miss, but here is the cream of the 2024 crop lucky enough to secure a spot in our Round 15 rolling side.
Luke Ryan is held, but with Fremantle on fraud watch, he is far from secure. The Dockers defence was found out by Bontempelli and co. in Round 14 and Ryan's struggles on the day may have exposed his deficiencies when the uncontested marking method is quashed. A solid win over Gold Coast on Sunday has fortunately eased some of the pressure.
Harris Andrews holds with a little more comfort as Brisbane appear ripe to rampage through the back half of the year and into finals. The unlikelier member, Sam Collins, continues to dominate one-on-one matchups and take charge of the Suns back six with rare consistency. These two remain secure until proven otherwise.
Jacob Weitering finally gets some external love with his placement. The numbers don't lie and the eyes don't either; his contested defensive loss rate of under 7% supports the eye test, seeing him tower over opposition forwards seemingly on a weekly basis.
Dan Houston and Max Holmes patrol the flanks, providing valuable intercepting ability in the air or on the ground, with even more damage on the rebounding and offensive side.
Stiff to miss:
While there's a strong case for fielding all of Brodie Grundy, Isaac Heeney, Chad Warner and James Rowbottom, with Errol Gulden floating on the outside, just three Swans have been named.
Heeney starts at centre while Warner sits to start, these two combine for nearly 17 score-involvements per game as two of the most concerning opposition matchups roaming through the entire AFL midfield brigade.
Gulden has also shone at the centre bounce, but is a proven winger who takes that combined score involvement tally to over 24 per game.
Nick Daicos is as close to a lock as they come in Round 15, having transitioned his game inside this year to become one of the best contested players in the competition, evading tags and influencing games any way possible.
Zach Merrett played his way into a starting spot with his performance against West Coast, reasserting his status as one of the most well-rounded onballers in the competition.
Max Gawn keeps edging out his competition for the ruck spot. Grundy has made a compelling case with his recent performances against Adelaide and GWS but it will take a herculean effort to uproot big Max.
Patrick Cripps and Caleb Serong round out the middies on the interchange bench, providing a nice balance of in & under grit, outside damage and defensive accountability between them. Adam Treloar unfortunately misses despite being the most prolific ball-winner in the competition, though there is still time to stake his claim.
Stiff to miss:
We've held all three roosters from our last edition, Charlie Curnow, Jesse Hogan and Jake Waterman all doing enough to hold. Curnow sits tied atop the goalkicking tally while Hogan and Waterman draw third. All provide a potent forward-50 aerial presence and all have been accurate thus far in front of the sticks.
Marcus Bontempelli starts on a flank. With 22 goals and 19 assists from his 14 games, often shifting forward to evade a run-with opponent, he is clearly eligible for forward status.
Dylan Moore is another formerly underrated cog in the Hawks front half who has finally done enough to earn a gig with the best, renowned for his elite work rate and smarts in the high-forward role, winning a heap of footy in the front half and at times hitting the scoreboard in a big way.
Tyson Stengle and Izak Rankine may be the two players battling for the forward-pocket spot the rest of the year. For now Stengle starts and Rankine sits on the pine, but both are a nightmare defensive matchup for opposing defenders once the ball hits the ground or is held for a stoppage inside 50.
Stiff to miss:
FB: Luke Ryan (FRE), Harris Andrews (BRIS), Sam Collins (GC)
HB: Daniel Houston (PA), Jacob Weitering (CARL), Max Holmes (GEEL)
C: Lachie Whitfield (GWS), Isaac Heeney (SYD), Errol Gulden (SYD)
HF: Marcus Bontempelli (WB), Charlie Curnow (CARL), Dylan Moore (HAW)
FF: Tyson Stengle (GEEL), Jesse Hogan (GWS), Jake Waterman (WCE)
R: Max Gawn (MELB), Nick Daicos (COLL), Zach Merrett (ESS)
I/C: Izak Rankine (ADEL), Patrick Cripps (CARL), Chad Warner (SYD), Caleb Serong (FRE)
Coach: John Longmire (SYD)