The top of the Power Rankings
has not been this crowded and changeable since
the first seven rounds of 2012, when 2011 Grand Finalists
Geelong and Collingwood were brought back to the pack. Last week reigning AFL
premiers Hawthorn
crashed from first to fifth in the rankings, and this week
reigning runners-up West Coast crash from the top spot to fourth.
The new top-ranked club is the
Adelaide Crows, despite finishing last season in sixth, and winning only four
of their first seven matches. But the Crows’ performances in those three losses
– to Hawthorn, the Western Bulldogs, and North Melbourne – were pretty much in
line with how the rankings expect they would perform, given their two goal
disadvantage when playing in Victoria. Adelaide
have had a tough fixture to start the season, and once their
fixture becomes easier, and if they maintain their form, their win-loss record
should become more reflective of where they are at.
But that is not to say the Crows
will lead the ladder as the season goes on. According to the rankings they are
of pretty much the same quality as the teams ranked second and fifth. Adelaide
is the ‘worst’-performed side to hold the top position since West
Coast in Round 9 of 2012. Basically they are closer to what Sydney
and Richmond were last season than the 2015 Eagles or Hawks.
Another way to put it is that
so far in 2016 no club looks to be ‘great’. Adelaide, Sydney, Geelong, West
Coast, and Hawthorn are all ranked about the same, with the Dogs not far
behind. In
2012 Hawthorn and Sydney eventually separated themselves from the pack and
became clearly that year’s two best teams. Will that happen again this season?
Or will we have a season that is more like 1993 or 1997? Or are
we just a few weeks away from Geelong – this year’s most improved team outside
of GWS – re-establishing their comfortable perch at the rankings top?
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