Following the nine-part series ranking each AFL club's positional lines, it is time to review each AFL team's list in its entirety and determine which sides can enter 2025 with full confidence in the talent on their list.
While some clubs may be star-studded in one spot, this list will take the entire squad into account, looking into the depth, firepower, and performances in 2024 across all three areas of the field.
Those who have been consistently at the top of the rankings throughout our series will undoubtedly find themselves at the top of the board once again, but those who popped into the top six just once, or those who had a starkly low ranking in comparison to their other results, may find themselves dropped to midtable or below.
RELATED: FORWARD LINE RANKINGS, MIDFIELD RANKINGS, & BACKLINE RANKINGS
So, here is the concluding chapter to Zero Hanger's pre-season list rankings, signifying the best and worst teams on paper for the year ahead.
3. Sydney
(Backline ranking: seventh; Midfield ranking: second; Forward line: eighth)
The Swans' remarkable trio of Isaac Heeney, Chad Warner and Errol Gulden headline the surplus of talent on Sydney's list.
Heeney, Warner and Gulden are all untouchable midfielders that can explode to hit the scoreboard, which in turn, assists with their fairly ordinary, inconsistent forward line.
That's not to say Sydney don't have strong forwards though, with the likes of Tom Papley in the mix, however their key forwards have yet to own centre stage since Lance Franklin's retirement.
The backline has a collection of role players that work together well, and despite not owning a superstar like James Sicily, Jacob Weitering or Harris Andrews, they conceded the seventh-fewest points in 2024.
Although history suggests that after a grand final thumping the Swans will fall in 2025, the individual talent they boast will surely defy the odds. However, as seen on grand final day, becoming too reliant on big-name players can be harmful to winning results.
