2022 AFL Finals Preview: Why Each Team Can & Can’t Win

It’s the business end of the season with the AFL finals starting next week and the start of the nine match finals series which will decide who is the Premier. Here’s a look at each team’s chances.

Eight teams remain and they will be whittled down to just the two who will contest the Grand Final.

In the box seat are the two teams which finished top two on the AFL ladder Geelong and Melbourne as they will host finals where the winner has the benefit of getting through to the Preliminary Final.

Who will win?

Let’s have a look at the eight teams and their strengths and weaknesses.

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GEELONG

PROS

They have been imposing, winning their past 13 matches to finish the season two games clear on top. They look a better team than they have in recent seasons with greater depth than ever before. They have a strong forward line headed by the twin towers of Jeremy Cameron and Tom Hawkins supported by All Australian nominee in small forward Tyson Stengle.

CONS:

There’s only one and that’s their recent pattern of making the Finals and losing matches. Since Chris Scott’s debut season as coach when he won the premiership, they have won 7 of 22 finals. His overall finals record is 10 wins and 15 losses.

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MELBOURNE

PROS

They were last year’s premiers and for the first 10 weeks of this season easily looked the best team. They have subsequently mixed their form with six wins and six losses although they looked awesome defeating the Brisbane Lions in Round 23. They have the best on-ballers in Max Gawn, Christian Petracca and Clayton Oliver.

CONS:

Their queries are their recent form other than the two wins against Brisbane. Their forward line can look a bit dysfunctional without Tom McDonald. They will rely on Ben Brown and Max Gawn to clock in with some big marks.

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SYDNEY

PROS

They have snuck under the radar winning their past six matches. They have a strong line-up of on-ballers led by Luke Parker, Isaac Heeney and Callum Mills plus a strong backline led by the McCartin brothers. They handed Collingwood their only defeat in the past 13 weeks with a 27 points win over them in Round 22.

CONS

They haven’t been regulars in the finals for several years. They haven’t won a final for five years.

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COLLINGWOOD

PROS

They have exceeded all expectations finishing fourth in Craig McRae’s first year as coach. They are the masters of the close finish. They are fit, fast and have several highly skilled players.

CONS

They lack a big marking forward. Also, there is a query on the strength of their rucks which may be exposed in a final.

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BRISBANE

PROS

When they are hot they are very hot. They’ve got stars such as Lachie Neale, Hugh McCluggage and Charlie Cameron plus Joe Daniher when he’s on. They have also beaten Richmond twice from their past three meetings so they can get their finals campaign off to a great start.

CONS

They can be ill disciplined and at times some of their players prefer a push and a shove of their opponent in preference to getting the ball. They can also be exposed for a lack of pace.

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RICHMOND

PROS

They are the final’s wild card. They’ve been in contention in every match but threw some away in the closing stages. Since half-time of the Brisbane Lions match four weeks ago, they have outscored their opposition by 35 goals. They still have the nucleus of the team which won three premierships in four years plus Dustin Martin will be back for the final’s series.

CONS

They have lost matches they should have won. At times they can be ill disciplined.

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WESTERN BULLDOGS

PROS

They have scraped into the finals, but they are familiar with the position they are in. Twice in the past six years they have made the Grand Final from the bottom four, winning in 2016 and losing last year. They have uncovered a giant youngster in Sam Darcy who could be a finals surprise packet.

CONS

Although they’ve made the eight, they haven’t really got going this season. At times they’ve also looked top heavy plus their backline is always a query.

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• OUR TIP: MELBOURNE
• GRAND FINAL: MELBOURNE v RICHMOND