AFL Power Rankings: Round 22 2012

There are some weeks where I struggle to say anything interesting about the rankings ... this is not one of those weeks! Where do I start? Let's start from the top:

- The #1 ranked Hawks finally move to the top of the actual AFL ladder. The Hawks have been the #1 ranked team here since Round 10 (and for all but one week since Round 7).

- Sydney are still a clear #2, and Adelaide now look a clear #3.

- St. Kilda move to #4, and Collingwood slide three spots to #6. There is virtually no difference now between the teams ranked #4-#7 ... well, except that one of those teams (the Saints) is going to miss the finals. Indeed, between Collingwood and West Coast the difference is less than 0.01 of a ranking point! (And the #8 team is not that far behind that group.)

- Fremantle jump to #8 after an easy win against North, who in turn slide from #7 to #10. This is the first time since the rankings started that the Dockers, who are in hot form right now, have been in the top eight.

- Greater Western Sydney are clearly the worst team in the AFL; Gold Coast are actually creeping up to Melbourne and the Bulldogs.

So what does it all mean? Well, even though this is all based on past results, the Hawks have been playing like flag favourites, the Swans look like the team most likely to play them in the Grand Final, and the other teams in the finals all look pretty close (except for North Melbourne, who look like they're headed for a quick exit ... at least until next week's rankings).

1 (1) Hawthorn 43.2 (43.2)
2 (2) Sydney 32.0 (31.9)
3 (5) Adelaide 21.8 (18.0)
4 (6) St. Kilda 17.3 (14.6)
5 (4) Geelong 17.1 (19.0)
6 (3) Collingwood 16.9 (19.7)
7 (8) West Coast 16.9 (13.1)
8 (11) Fremantle 15.5 (6.8)
9 (9) Richmond 12.8 (9.0)
10 (7) North Melbourne 8.8 (14.4)
11 (10) Carlton 3.7 (8.7)
12 (12) Essendon -7.1 (4.4)
13 (13) Brisbane -12.4 (-14.0)
14 (14) Port Adelaide -26.9 (-25.9)
15 (15) Melbourne -33.1 (-31.0)
16 (16) Western Bulldogs -33.5 (-35.3)
17 (17) Gold Coast -39.4 (-43.9)
18 (18) Greater Western Sydney -69.2 (-66.3)