AFL Power Rankings: Round 16 2015

Is the AFL 2015 Premiership a ‘one-horse race’? Well, nothing is ever a ‘one-horse race’ as long as there is a ‘second horse’, but yet another Hawthorn premiership is looking very likely at this stage.

According to these rankings the Hawks are at about two goals better than the next highest-ranked team, the West Coast Eagles. A match-up between those two teams on Grand Final day though would be played at the MCG, giving Hawthorn an estimated two more goals advantage, bringing its advantage up to about four goals in total.

Everyone else? Considerably more of a longshot. Both Sydney and Fremantle are about five goals back, meaning they would both be rated seven goal underdogs in an MCG Grand Final matchup versus the Hawks. The highest rated Victorian teams, Collingwood and Richmond, are five to six goals behind Hawthorn. And those two teams would likely have to negotiate some difficult interstate trips during the finals before they could make it all the way to the end.

I’m deflated by this. I’m seen seven Hawthorn premierships in the thirty years I’ve been following football, which is more than enough. I’d even throw my support behind West Coast if it stood the best chance of ending the Hawthorn monotony.

P.S. I'm been on holiday the past few days, hence the later than usual posting of this week's rankings.