Multiple Authors
The 2026 AFL season is now a month old. Who are the flag favourites? Who are the legitimate contenders? And who should already be booking September holidays? Jake Michaels has ranked each club in his April edition of tiers.
Note: ESPN’s AFL tiers will be a monthly column throughout the 2026 season.
The offensive juggernauts
1. WESTERN BULLDOGS
2. GOLD COAST
Both the Bulldogs and Suns are looking every bit like legitimate premiership contenders and neither club is yet to put a foot wrong in 2026. Luke Beveridge’s squad has navigated a tricky opening fixture, winning twice on the road (including against reigning premier Brisbane) and once at home, while averaging 113 points per game. The Suns, meanwhile, sit top of the ladder, having tallied 128 points per contest and three successive 10-goal wins, albeit against some weaker opposition. Can anyone slow these two sides down?
Marcus Bontempelli celebrates a goal against the Lions in Opening Round. Russell Freeman/AFL Photos via Getty Images
The best is yet to come
3. BRISBANE
4. SYDNEY
5. GEELONG
We haven’t quite witnessed these clubs at their devastating best just yet, but we know all three have both the personnel and experience to make noise in September. The Lions need no introduction. The back-to-back reigning premier may have lost its opening two games, but got the monkey off their back this past weekend, easing past St Kilda. The Swans have looked strong for the most part, but we still haven’t seen the best of boom recruit Charlie Curnow, while a long-term injury to Errol Gulden means the club will be without arguably its most important player for the bulk of the home and away season. The Cats were belted in their season-opener against the Suns, but have since steadied, and that’s with Patrick Dangerfield having barely featured. I’m not worried about any of them.
Are they actually better than last year?
6. HAWTHORN
7. FREMANTLE
8. ADELAIDE
9. COLLINGWOOD
Each of these clubs have legitimate top four aspirations and it would hardly be a shock if any of them ultimately locked up the double chance, but is the 2026 version of these teams better than what we saw last year? The Hawks began last season with the second-shortest odds to win the flag and ultimately featured on preliminary final weekend, as did the Magpies. The Crows took out the minor premiership, and the Dockers, while elimination final losers, were the most in-form team throughout the second half of the home and away season. But I haven’t seen anything to suggest any of them have in fact improved on last year, and until that happens, they will sit a rung below the genuine contenders.
Can the Crows rediscover their sparkling 2025 form? Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images
Alarm bells ringing loudly
10. GWS
11. ST KILDA
Both of these sides were supposed to be in the premiership window. We’re now a month into the season and both have been incredibly underwhelming, sleepwalking to 1-3 records. The Giants at least have an excuse. This club has been ravaged by injury and is missing a host of best 23 talent. The Saints, however, just haven’t delivered on the media hype generated off the back of their much-publicised off-season shopping spree. It’s fair to say the Round 4 bye week has come at an opportune time for both.
Signs of life
12. MELBOURNE
13. WEST COAST
14. NORTH MELBOURNE
Few expected much from these three clubs. The Demons entered the year without both Christian Petracca and Clayton Oliver, as well as a new coach in Steven King. The Eagles, well, are the Eagles. And the Kangaroos, who have also been perennial stragglers, appeared to have a mountain of issues during pre-season. But all three sides have already shown some impressive signs. Melbourne just pulled off one of the greatest comebacks in club history, West Coast has already won more games than it managed in the entire 2025 campaign, while the Kangaroos could very easily be 3-0. That’s a heck of a lot more than you can say for these next four teams…
Pull out the tarps?
15. PORT ADELAIDE
16. RICHMOND
17. CARLTON
18. ESSENDON
Dire. Putrid. Grim. All three descriptors can certainly be used when assessing the early part of the season for these four teams. Port Adelaide had the easiest opening fixture of all and still managed to botch it with two shock losses, to North and West Coast. I’ll cut the Tigers some slack, given the list profile, but there’s been very little to celebrate since their ‘nearly win’ in Round 1. The Blues did hang on and beat them in that game, but if Tom Lynch had kicked straight (even once) they wouldn’t have. Carlton has also been humiliated either side of that game with two inexplicable losses. And then there’s the Bombers. This team is currently riding a 16-game losing streak and is closing in on 12 months without a win. What more needs to be said?
