Melbourne have reclaimed their spot at the top of our Power Rankings after an impressive outing against the Lions in Round 15.
The Dees aren't the only side to move around the rankings, with the top four continuing to change as we approach the end of the home and away season, while St Kilda and Essendon find themselves losing places after poor performances on the road.
1. Melbourne (+1)
The Demons are back on top of the rankings after a dominant performance over the Lions on Thursday night. Running out 64-point winners over genuine premiership contenders after a run of losses was one impressive way to re-stamp their authority over the competition.
2. Fremantle (-1)
A disappointing loss to Carlton sees Fremantle slip from their one-week hold on the top spot. The Dockers were outclassed by an impressive Carlton, but have shown enough in the season so far to justify their spot on the table. A big test against Port Adelaide looms next.
3. Geelong (+1)
The Cats were very nearly facing a loss after holding a 35-point lead at one point over the Tigers but managed to crawl over the line in one of the games of the year. Geelong are in an impressive patch of form, having not dropped a game since Round 9, and now face an interesting run home, part of it without gun defender Tom Stewart.
is helped from the ground during the round 15 AFL match between the Geelong Cats and the Richmond Tigers at Melbourne Cricket Ground on June 25, 2022 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Darrian Traynor/Getty Images)
4. Brisbane (-1)
The Lions' premiership credentials took a big hit after their performance on Thursday night. A 64-point loss to the Demons was a harsh reality for a number of teams during the first half of the season, but after a month where the reigning premiers looked exposed, this was a poor display from the Lions.
5. Richmond
Richmond pushed Geelong right to the final siren on Saturday afternoon and did little damage to their finals credentials despite not walking away with the four points. The Tigers conceded an early lead but got things back on track with the help of an electric performance by Shai Bolton. Sitting pretty inside the top eight, the Tigers can make a big statement against the Eagles in Round 16.
6. Carlton
The Blues were unlucky not to gain any places despite their 31-point win over Fremantle, but thus is the nature of such a competitive top half of the table. Coming off the back of two losses, the Blues looked like a genuine premiership threat on Saturday afternoon, with Charlie Curnow doing plenty up forward with four goals.
7. Sydney
The Swans responded to a poor performance last week excellently, putting an uncompetitive St Kilda side to the sword on Saturday night. Conceding just four goals throughout the game did wonders for the Swans' percentage and they now face a very winnable game against the Bombers in Round 16.
8. Collingwood
The Pies continue to impress. Having now extended their winning streak to five games, there is a real argument that the club should be higher on the rankings, but they have upcoming matches against Gold Coast, North Melbourne and Adelaide to prove themselves as top eight certainties.
9. Western Bulldogs (+2)
The Bulldogs find themselves climbing higher on the table as we approach the pointy end of the season, with Luke Beveridge's men doing plenty to put their name in finals contention. Their Round 15 42-point win over Hawthorn was exactly what it needed to be, with their star-studded midfield doing plenty.
10. Gold Coast
The Suns were unlucky to not run out winners on Sunday afternoon against the Power, and showed enough despite the loss to hold on to their spot on the table. A big game against the in-form Pies is next, followed by Richmond, giving the Suns a chance to really prove themselves.
11. Port Adelaide (+1)
A narrow win over the Suns and a dismal Saints performance has seen the Power rise a spot on this week's rankings. Port backed up their impressive win over the Swans with another four points, with their season fully back on track after a disappointing opening month. A trip to Perth to take on Fremantle looms next, a big test for the surging Power.
12. St Kilda (-3)
It wouldn't be out of pocket to call the Saints one of the least in-form teams in the competition at the moment. A response was needed after a poor showing against Essendon a week prior, and the Saints failed to deliver one. Kicking just four goals in a game isn't even close to being a genuine finals team. Should they put in the same effort against Carlton, the Saints will be tumbling even lower next week.
13. GWS (+1)
The Giants are the fortunate beneficiaries of a poor Hawks outing, climbing up a spot despite losing to the Pies. The Giants were lucky Collingwood didn't make the most of their opportunities in front of goal, or this could have been a much less flattering scoreline.
14. Hawthorn (-1)
Hawthorn squandered a prime-time Friday opportunity to show some fight, instead losing to the Bulldogs by 42 points. The Hawks started well, but seemed to roll over after half time once the Dogs started showing some fight. A better fourth term provided some solace for Hawks fans, but not enough to stop them from dropping down the rankings.
15. Adelaide (+1)
The Crows were clinical against the struggling Kangaroos, piling on 17 goals in the 57-point win. Adelaide looked in form from the get go, showing North Melbourne no mercy as their key forwards had a day out. It's a good way to bounce back after a loss to the Suns, but given it was against the Kangaroos, doesn't improve their standings greatly.
16. Essendon (-1)
If Bombers fans were expecting a performance similar to the one that beat St Kilda, they were surely disappointed on Friday night. After climbing a spot on the rankings following the upset victory, handing the Eagles just their second win of the season has put the Bombers firmly back where they belong.
17. West Coast
The Eagles officially got their second win on the board after a competitive outing against Geelong last weekend. Starting to get some key players back after their first half of the season was plagued with injury and COVID concerns, the Eagles could become an actual danger team to play in the remaining rounds of the year.
18. North Melbourne
North planted themselves firmly on the bottom of the rankings after their performance against the Crows. Now a game behind the Eagles and with games against Geelong, Collingwood and Richmond to come, it seems inevitable that the Kangaroos will be inhabiting this spot for the rest of the year.
