AFL Power Rankings: Round 7 2012

This week we have a new No. 1 - Hawthorn, which might seem a bit strange given that they were ranked fourth a couple of weeks back, and on the actual AFL ladder they are not even in the eight! However, the Hawks' rivals (particularly Geelong) have crumbled around them over the past couple of weeks, and their only 'bad' performance for the year so far has been the loss against Sydney; their other losses have been narrow defeats to the Cats and the Eagles in Perth. 

Meanwhile, the team that some are calling a premiership contender - Essendon - are in eighth spot. The hype around the Bombers has stemmed from their performances over the past four weeks, during which they have been phenomenal, earning double the ranking points of any other team. (Hawthorn have been the second best team over those four weeks, and the Bombers' opponents next weekend - Richmond - have been the third best.)

And at the bottom of the rankings, the GWS Giants' win over the GC Suns has lifted them out of the last spot.

1 (2) Hawthorn 28.3 (26.2)
2 (3) Carlton 25.4 (28.0)
3 (1) Geelong 25.3 (32.9)
4 (4) West Coast 20.6 (27.9)
5 (5) Collingwood 16.1 (14.8)
6 (7) St. Kilda 14.6 (11.3)
7 (6) Sydney 9.7 (13.2)
8 (9) Essendon 6.9 (1.0)
9 (8) North Melbourne 6.0 (9.3)
10 (10) Richmond 0.8 (-1.9)
11 (13) Adelaide -3.9 (-11.2)
12 (11) Western Bulldogs -5.7 (-8.8)
13 (12) Fremantle -10.5 (-9.4)
14 (14) Brisbane -19.9 (-16.9)
15 (16) Port Adelaide -36.4 (-35.7)
16 (15) Melbourne -36.6 (-35.0)
17 (18) Greater Western Sydney -50.3 (-52.1)
18 (17) Gold Coast -51.2 (-48.2)