Former Port Adelaide premiership player Kane Cornes has revealed his top eight for 2018 on SEN on Friday morning, selecting two sides who missed the finals last season in the top four.
With the addition of Jake Lever to the Melbourne backline, Cornes believes the Demons can use the motivation from last season's final round loss to Collingwood to spur them on this year, with Cornes picking them for the minor premiership.
Cornes also believes the 2016 premiers will shoot back up the table once again, predicting the Western Bulldogs to finish in third place, with GWS fitting between the two Victorian sides.
The reigning premiers round out the top four, as last season's beaten grand finalists, Adelaide, are the final team in the top eight.
Port Adelaide, Sydney and Essendon are all set to play in back-to-back elimination finals according to Cornes, as teams like Geelong, St Kilda, West Coast and Hawthorn miss out on September action.
The Cats' omission is the most glaring, given the star-studded midfield Geelong has brought together with Patrick Dangerfield, Gary Ablett and captain Joel Selwood.
Cornes also gave his tip for the Brownlow Medal, suggesting young Bulldogs star Marcus Bontempelli could take out the prize.
Kane Cornes' top eight for 2018
1 Melbourne
2 GWS
3 Western Bulldogs
4 Richmond
5 Port Adelaide
6 Sydney
7 Essendon
8 Adelaide
