AFL
Matt Walsh, Assistant Editor 7y

ESPN's AFL Power Rankings, R7: Changes aplenty after crazy round

AFL

Well, that was unexpected. If you're scratching your head wondering how you only managed three or four correct tips this week, you're not alone, because Round 7, 2017 was the first time that all nine matches were won by the team lower on the ladder.

Yes, the AFL has only had a nine-match round system since 2012, but you'll no doubt be staggered to find out it never happened in the previous format either, making it the most lopsided round of footy since 1975.

As a result, there are a few movers in this week's edition of ESPN's AFL Power Rankings. The Dogs showed the competition why they're the reigning premiers, while the Cats dropped a second winnable match in a row.

St Kilda continues to recover from a slow start to the year, as do the Dockers, but the Dees continue to slide down the rankings after a loss which leaves them with a less-than-ideal 3-4 record.

Carlton continues to exceed expectations but the Pies were yet again disappointing, while the Swans will need to beat a team better than Brisbane if this column in going to show them some love.

1. Adelaide:
Last week: 1 (no change)
Round 7: lost to North Melbourne by 59 points

Many punters following this match from afar would have been wondering if the AFL's shonky app was malfunctioning again when it showed North leading by 64 points at the first break. It was very real - and a very real wake-up call for an Adelaide side which seemed nothing short of complacent down in Hobart. The Crows can count themselves lucky to remain in first place on the rankings - had the Giants won, GWS would no doubt have taken the honours this week. Adelaide get the chance to right the ship when Melbourne comes to town on Saturday night.

Next: Melbourne (Adelaide Oval, Saturday, 7:10pm local)

2. Western Bulldogs:
Last week: 4 (up 2)
Round 7: defeated Richmond by 5 points

Good teams win close matches and the Dogs are up there with the best. Trailing by more than five goals in the early stages of their match against Richmond, Luke Beveridge's men were able to grind out a memorable, five-point victory. The Bulldogs seem to run out matches extremely well and, with a mastermind at the helm, should be shortening to secure back-to-back flags. A huge test looms this week, however, when they travel to Domain Stadium to take on an Eagles outfit no doubt intent on inflicting revenge for last year's elimination final loss.

Next: West Coast (Domain Stadium, Friday 6:10pm local)

3. Greater Western Sydney:
Last week: 2 (down 1)
Round 7: lost to St Kilda by 23 points

There were a number of worrying signs on display during GWS's shock Friday night loss to the Saints. In addition to the loss of Toby Greene for undisciplined play last week, the Giants were seen fighting among themselves under the lights of Etihad Stadium, with co-captain Phil Davis, veteran Steve Johnson and star forward Jeremy Cameron all involved in childish finger-pointing and yelling. The old saying says 'a champion team is better than a team of champions', and infighting is not a good look for a side full of potential superstars. Thankfully the Giants can make amends this week; Collingwood - bereft of confidence - visit Spotless Stadium on Saturday.

Next: Collingwood (Spotless Stadium, Saturday 4:35pm local)

4. West Coast:
Last week: 5 (up 1)
Round 7: defeated Port Adelaide by 10 points

Welcome back to the top four (of the rankings), West Coast. Footy analysts have harped on for weeks about the Eagles' inability to look threatening away from home, but they managed to do that at the Portress. It must be said that West Coast have good form at Adelaide Oval, having won four of five matches at the venue prior to the Round 7 win. Luke Shuey, Elliot Yeo and Andrew Gaff all showed why they're All-Australian contenders, while Mark LeCras continues to enjoy his late-career form. The Eagles return home to play under Friday night lights when the reigning premiers come to town.

Next: Western Bulldogs (Domain Stadium, Friday 6:10pm local)

5. Geelong:
Last week: 3 (down 2)
Round 7: lost to Gold Coast by 25 points

Geelong's season has well and truly hit a snag. After looking like genuine premiership threats after five rounds, the Cats have lost winnable matches to Collingwood and Gold Coast in successive weeks. The Suns smashed the Cats all over the ground, racking up 10 more scoring shots and 23 more inside 50s despite only winning by 25 points. Worryingly, the "Dangerwood" combination wasn't so potent, meaning the Cats' reliance on the duo remains a concern. Positively, following Saturday night's match against the Bombers, Geelong plays their next three matches at the Cattery.

Next: Essendon (MCG, Saturday 7:25pm local)

6. Port Adelaide:
Last week: 6 (no change)
Round 7: lost to West Coast by 10 points

After winning two matches against Carlton and Brisbane to the tune of 90 and 83 points over the previous fortnight, the Power were unable to match it with top eight contenders, West Coast. Trailing by more than five goals during the match, the Power did mount a mini-comeback but were unable to overrun the Eagles, going down by three points. Chad Wingard, Jasper Pittard and Brad Ebert were among the best, and no one really had a shocker - the Eagles were simply too good on the night. A unique challenge faces the Power this week when they travel to Shanghai to take on Gold Coast.

Next: Gold Coast (Jiangwan Stadium, Shanghai, Saturday 1:15pm local)

7. St Kilda:
Last week: 8 (up 1)
Round 7: defeated GWS by 23 points

After a slow start to the year, the Saints have won four of their past five including against the Hawks (in Tassie) and the Giants. St Kilda teased fans with strong preseason form and it seems as though Alan Richardson has finally kicked his side into gear. The Saints were wonderful to watch on Friday night - they matched it with the GWS side for three quarters and found another level in the fourth. The likes of Seb Ross, Jack Billings and Blake Acres continue to improve, while Jimmy Webster and Dylan Roberton are growing into their backline roles. Many commentators had the Saints and the Dees battling it out for one of the final top eight spots come September ... at the moment it's the Saints that look more likely.

Next: Carlton (Etihad Stadium, Saturday 2:10pm local)

8. Richmond:
Last week: 7 (down 1)
Round 7: lost to the Western Bulldogs by 5 points

We've said that good teams find a way to win the close ones, and that's what the Western Bulldogs did against the Tigers on Saturday night. Richmond led by five goals in the early parts of their clash, but couldn't hold off a fast-finishing Dogs outfit. Winning tight games such as that one is part-and-parcel of becoming a flag threat, and while the Tigers had a fast start to season 2017 thanks to a favourable draw, they'll need to battle hard to remain in contention for a spot in September. Keep an eye on their VFL depth as well, it's a good indicator for finals contenders and no one really took that game by the throat this week.

Next: Fremantle (MCG, Sunday 1:10pm local)

9. Fremantle:
Last week: 10 (up 1)
Round 7: defeated Essendon by 37 points

The alarm bells were sounding for Fremantle in the middle parts of their clash with Essendon, but to the Dockers' credit, they managed to convincingly overrun a depleted Bombers outfit. If Fremantle are to make a tilt for the top eight this year, it's winnable games at home which they cannot afford to drop. The good signs are there: ex-Hawk Brad Hill was everywhere and looks to be settling in well, while midfielders Lachie Neale and Connor Blakely were also prolific. Fremantle travel to Melbourne this coming week to take on Richmond at the MCG - where they've won the past two against the Tigers.

Next: Richmond (MCG, Sunday 1:10pm local)

10. Gold Coast:
Last week: 11 (up 1)
Round 7: defeated Geelong by 25 points

After losing the previous two matches to Adelaide and North Melbourne, Gold Coast have rebounded in strong fashion, defeating the travelling Cats by 25 points in a dominant display at Metricon Stadium. Gary Ablett must be in Brownlow contention after another scintillating effort, while Tom Lynch continues his strong year. Co-captain Steven May's influence shouldn't be underestimated, either. After coming back from a hamstring injury, he was a rock in defence, racking up 26 touches and taking seven marks. He is a must-sign, Lynch is a must-sign and it might be worth trying to convince Gaz to stick around, as well.

Next: Port Adelaide (Jiangwan Stadium, Shanghai, Sunday 1:15pm local)

11. Melbourne:
Last week: 9 (down 2)
Round 7: lost to Hawthorn by 3 points

This one hurts, Dees fans. Melbourne have fallen behind the eight ball in 2017, after going down to Hawthorn by three points on Sunday. The Demons almost pulled off a miraculous victory, trailing by six goals in the third quarter, but they were unable to do enough to secure the four points. According to club legend Garry Lyon, the Demons have been level with, or ahead of, their opponents in every match this year, meaning they're either not mentally strong enough or physically capable of running out close matches. It only gets harder for the 3-4 Dees; they meet the Crows at Adelaide Oval on Saturday night.

Next: Adelaide (Adelaide, Saturday 7:25pm local)

12. Carlton:
Last week: 14 (up 2)
Round 7: defeated Collingwood by 23 points

Remember when Carlton came up with the 'Can you smell what the Blues are cooking?' slogan? Well, they were a few years early. Brendon Bolton continues to extract the best out of this young list, and with Sam Petrevski-Seton securing the club's second Rising Star nomination in as many weeks, there is light at the end of the tunnel. The Blues were fantastic against the Pies, and could soon have the best back six in the league, with Caleb Marchbank, Sam Docherty, Lachie Plowman, Sam Rowe, Alex Silvagni and Kade Simpson all in career-best form. They're beating the teams around them and that's all the fans can ask for.

Next: St Kilda (Etihad Stadium, Saturday 2:10pm local)

13. North Melbourne:
Last week: 15 (up 2)
Round 7: defeated Adelaide by 59 points

What on Earth happened in Hobart? North Melbourne came out as a side possessed in that first quarter, scoring 10 goals to zip in an electric first term which put the match all but out of reach for Adelaide. Yep, the same Adelaide which was undefeated and averaging 140 points per game going into the match. It should also be mentioned that, refreshingly, it's not the veterans carrying this team (despite Jarrad Waite's six goals). North have now won two on the trot, and will have three should they beat the Swans this week.

Next: Sydney (Etihad Stadium, Sunday 4:40pm local)

14. Essendon:
Last week: 12 (down 2)
Round 7: lost to Fremantle by 37 points

Three matches in 13 days took its toll on the Bombers, who had to travel to Perth at the weekend. After opening up a lead in the middle part of the match, the Dockers were able to claw their way back for what ended up being an unchallenged victory. Essendon coach John Worsfold will be concerned with how his players allowed the Dockers to kick the last seven goals of the match, and with another six-day break looming, the bye can't come quick enough for a team which looks to be running on empty. His troops will need to rally for the big occasion however, with the Country Game against Geelong on Saturday night.

Next: Geelong (MCG, Saturday 7:25pm local)

15. Hawthorn:
Last week: 16 (up 1)
Round 7: defeated Melbourne by 3 points

Gee whiz, that was close. Like last year, the Hawks manage to scrape home in a tight tussle, but unlike last year, they almost gave up an insurmountable lead in doing so. Hawthorn were up by six goals early in the third quarter, but a dogged Melbourne outfit clawed back to draw level in the last. Coach Alastair Clarkson will want to see more from his charges as he continues to restore order, and they'll have to opportunity to do so when the hapless Lions visit Launceston - where Hawthorn have won 19 of the past 20 matches.

Next: Brisbane (University of Tasmania Stadium, Saturday 1:45pm local))

16. Collingwood:
Last week: 13 (down 3)
Round 7: lost to Carlton by 23 points

Happy 125th birthday, Collingwood. What a catastrophe. After requesting that the AFL schedule its 125th year match against rivals Carlton, Collingwood was embarrassed on the big stage in front of 70,000 people on Saturday afternoon. After such an encouraging performance against the Cats the week before, it was hard to pick even one winner on the ground for the Pies. Bizarrely, Levi Greenwood did not tag either Marc Murphy or Patrick Cripps, while out-of-form forward Darcy Moore had just a handful of touches. Worryingly for the Pies, their VFL side also struggled at the weekend, with no listed players signalling their intention for a senior call up.

Next: GWS (Spotless Stadium, Saturday 7:25pm local)

17. Sydney:
Last week: 17 (no change)
Round 7: defeated Brisbane by 54 points

It took seven weeks, but the Swans are finally on the board in 2017. When out of form, there's seemingly no better team to play than Brisbane, and the Swans were ruthless in their attack on the young Lions. Buddy was back to his barnstorming best with eight snags, while Zak Jones had somewhat of a breakout match as well. Unfortunately for the Swans, they don't rise in this week's edition of the Power Rankings because, after all, they did only beat Brisbane. They face North at Etihad this week - win that and they'll start to make their move.

Next: North Melbourne (Etihad Stadium, Sunday 4:40pm local)

18. Brisbane:
Last week: 18 (no change)
Round 7: lost to Sydney by 54 points

While Brisbane went into Sunday's game against the Swans with one win to their opponents' zero, it was always going to be hard to come away with the four points. Predictably, the Swans ran away with the match, and while it's easy to take pot shots at the Lions, everybody understands the mountain of work in front of coach Chris Fagan. He was complimentary of key back Daniel McStay's attitude despite being towelled up by Lance Franklin, while Josh Schache put together a solid outing with two goals. They play the Hawks in Launceston on Saturday. .

Next: Hawthorn (University of Tasmania Stadium, Saturday 1:45pm local)

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