When there are teams battling it out, vying for that elusive top four race, just remember the teams in the cellar.
When there's a winner there's also a loser, and we predict the following five teams will lose - a lot!
With a mixture of young, rebuilding lists and disappointing sliders, our 2025 wooden spoon race is exactly where you don't want to be.
3. North Melbourne
Another team not unaccustomed to the wooden spoon, North Melbourne have finished no higher than 17th for the past five seasons.
Although we predict the Kangas to again be in the race for the wooden spoon this season, it's not as much of a sure thing as in previous years.
A litany of first-round draft picks has created one of the best young cores in the AFL. Harry Sheezel is arguably the best under-21 player in the competition, having been nothing short of sensational since his debut. Add to that Colby McKercher, George Wardlaw and now Finn O'Sullivan, and you have the makings of success.
With Nick Larkey emerging as one of the best forwards in the competition, and Luke Davies-Uniacke and Cam Zurhaar hitting their peak, the Kangaroos should be pushing up the ladder this season, right?
They are still fundamentally a below-average football team, with numerous raw young players who will take time to fully develop on an AFL list. Their forward line outside of Larkey remains a particular issue. Although the Jack Darling acquisition is a step in the right direction, current small forwards including Paul Curtis and Eddie Ford have shown inconsistencies in their performance.
While they are an exciting prospect, expect more of the same from North in the battle for the wooden spoon.
