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.
6. Melbourne
Why they can
The Dees are finding some of their 2018 groove again. The rise of Christian Petracca has been a key reason behind that after turning into a genuine game-winner and difference maker.
They have a deep midfield group with the likes of Petracca, Jack Viney, Clayton Oliver, Ed Langdon and Angus Brayshaw getting the silver service from skipper Max Gawn. Their defence looks much more solid than it has in the past with Steven May and Jake Lever forming a very reliable partnership in 2020.
Then you look down forward and the recruitment of Ben Brown looks like a win. Brown is a great goal-scorer and will give the Dees the focal point they have been lacking since the departure of Jesse Hogan.
Why they cant
Melbourne still lack the foot skills required to keep the ball. If you have the ball you can't be scored against. Yet too often the Demons return the football to the opposition and leave themselves vulnerable on the rebound.
They haven't seemed to address this issue in the off-season and it's hard to see who will be their elite deliverer of the ball when Brown is in the side. Brown and fellow forward Sam Weideman are both set to miss the opening part of the season and that could see the Demons fall behind the pack very early.
