There are a number of teams that are fighting for a finals berth this year as seemingly year-on-year the list grows of teams that can sneak into the eight.
Richmond, West Coast, Geelong, Brisbane and Port Adelaide loom as the most likely to dominate top four discussions, but who are the boomers coming from the cellar for a top eight slot?
The trend with most teams in this cluster is that consistency isn't their best friend, hence why they finish just about square at the ledger.
So, we have decided to take you through why each team in this group can, and maybe more importantly, can't make finals.
5. Gold Coast
Why they can
Matt Rowell. That's why. The 2019 number one draft pick took the competition by storm in 2020 and led the Brownlow medal in its early stages. The Suns looked like a team reborn under the guidance of everyone's favourite red-head.
Unfortunately, the NAB Rising Star favourite injured his shoulder and we wouldn't see him again in 2020, but in his absence his best mate and number two draft pick Noah Anderson stood up. He improved with every game and looked every bit the player the Suns need.
Ben King and Jack Lukosius bookended the Suns lineup and were excellent all year. Another pre-season under their belts can only be a good thing and they will be very damaging for the young Suns.
Why they can't
They just aren't ready. Yes they're exciting but they don't have the engines or the pre-seasons in the legs to maintain the rage just yet.
It has been a trait of Stuart Dew's side for some time, they tend to start seasons red-hot before falling away as the year rolls on.
That pattern is deathly when it comes to a race for finals spots. It is unlikely the Suns will bank enough wins in the first half of the season to allow themselves to fall away so dramatically and still fall into the eight.
