AFL Power Rankings: Round 18 2015

Sometimes a side’s good form comes at the wrong time … from Round 13 to Round 15 Collingwood put together three good performances, but the Magpies were playing Hawthorn, and Fremantle and Port Adelaide outside of Victoria, and ended up losing all three matches by narrow amounts. Since then Collingwood has put in less impressive performances against West Coast, the Western Bulldogs, and this week lowly ranked Melbourne, and as a result have now lost six games on the trot.

The rankings suggested that the Magpies were going to come back to the pack on the ladder once they got around to playing the tougher clubs, but this week’s loss to Melbourne is a more concerning development. From being considered one of the eight best sides in these rankings last week, Collingwood is now only considered the tenth best club, which seems pretty much in line with their finals chances from here on in.

The Western Bulldogs meanwhile are now ranked as one of the top eight clubs for the first time in a few years – not just the beneficiaries of an easy draw, the Bulldogs are now considered here as a ‘legitimate’ top eight side.

During the final quarter of Friday’s night match against Hawthorn, I commented to my wife that Richmond may just well be the third best side in the AFL. Then Tyrone Vickery muffed a goal chance from a few metres out, and my wife may have snorted wine out of her nose. That aside, the Tigers’ win against the competition’s best club made me feel a lot better about their chances for the rest of the season.