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What the ladder will look like after round 12

It’s not easy to play games in the AFL season of uncertainty for five weeks, but after Tuesday’s game, fans are curious to see how their team fared – and whether a final is possible.

We are here to help. Find out which teams will move north and south next month and what the leaders will look like after round 12.

INCREASING

West coast (4-3)

Fastening: Collingwood (Optus), Geelong (Optus), bye, Carlton (Optus), Hawthorn (Optus)

The next two games of the Eagles are serious tests, but they will be favorites in both and will need both if they want to be in the top four. Then there is a bye and two games to increase their normal percentage against the Blues and Hawks.

Carlton (3-4)

Game: North Melbourne (Giants Stadium), Hawthorn (Optus), bye, Eagles (Optus), Fremantle (Optus)

Robbie Gray’s heartbreaker pushed the blues to 10th place in the middle of the leaderboard, but they can really keep their finals alive with three winning games next month.

GWS (3-4)

Game: Richmond (Giants Stadium), Gold Coast (Metricon), Essendon (Metricon), bye, Sydney (Optus)

The Giants’ hopes for the final rest on successive games on the Gold Coast against the Suns and Bombers. If they are good enough to win them – and we say they are – they’ll be in the eight again.

North Melbourne (2-5)

Game: Carlton (Gabba), Adelaide (Metricon), Geelong (Gabba), Melbourne (Blundstone), Brisbane (Blundstone)

When playing against the blues, crows and demons, the roos should go up, but they come from a very low base and will certainly not win enough to sniff out the eight.

FALL

Richmond (4-2-1)

Game: GWS (Giants Stadium), Bulldogs (Metricon), Brisbane (Gabba), Port Adelaide (Adelaide Oval), Gold Coast (Gabba)

The tigers are one of the teams that could go either way at this time. If they stay up to date, street games against the giants, lions and even the power won’t scare them. But until they beat a top 8 team, the jury is out – and if they don’t win more than three of those games, they’ll likely drop out of the top four.

St. Kilda (4-3)

Game: Port Adelaide (Adelaide Oval), Sydney (Gabba), Gold Coast (Metricon), Geelong (Gabba), Essendon (Gabba)

The saints still haven’t earned our trust. If they couldn’t beat North and Fremantle, it would be hard to nod against the suns – or the might and cats. They may not fall out of eight, but it’s hard to see them stay in sixth place.

Gold Coast (4-3)

Game: Bulldogs (Metricon), Giants (Metricon), Saints (Metricon), Bombers (Metricon), Richmond (Gabba)

Five games in Queensland should have the sun shining on Stuart Dew’s side, but are you ready? There is no obviously easy game in this crowd and we would be surprised if Gold Coast got hold of more than two.

Bulldogs (4-3)

Game: Gold Coast (Metricon), Richmond (Metricon), Port Adelaide (Adelaide Oval), Brisbane Lions (Gabba), Geelong (Gabba)

It’s as brutal as it gets. The Suns on their home deck, followed by four real Premiership competitors, could put Dogs’ hopes of serious problems in trouble.

STAY PUT

Port Adelaide (6-1)

Game: St. Kilda (Adelaide Oval), Melbourne (Gabba), Bulldogs (Adelaide Oval), Richmond (Adelaide Oval), Geelong (Gabba)

The reward of power to be on the road for almost the entire season? Five games in a row against finalists. Port should win at least three of them, assuming they get a few at home, and a top 2 position will be pretty much secured.

Brisbane (5-2)

Game: Melbourne (Metricon), Essendon (Metricon), Richmond (Metricon), Western Bulldogs (Gabba), North Melbourne (Blundstone)

There is a reason why Lions are the current flag favorite among bookmakers. Richmond – and maybe the Bulldogs – are the only big tests, but we can see that Brisbane wins all five.

Collingwood (4-2-1)

Game: West Coast (Optus), Fremantle (Perth), Sydney (Gabba), Adelaide (Adelaide), Melbourne (Gabba)

Five games in three different states will put the magpies to the test, but outside of the clash with the Eagles this week, the opposition isn’t particularly worrying.

Geelong (4-3)

Game: Fremantle (Optus), West Coast (Perth), North Melbourne (Gabba), St. Kilda (Gabba), Port Adelaide (Gabba)

Similar story for the cats as for the magpies. They’ll hit the dockers and if they can make the Gabba feel at home afterwards, they should be able to keep the tigers out of the four.

Essendon (4-2)

Game: Adelaide (Adelaide Oval), Brisbane (Metricon), Giants (Metricon), Gold Coast (Metricon), St. Kilda (Gabba)

On a friendly trip to South Australia, the bombers should return to the eight, but it gets cloudy from there. Other than their win over the Pies, they weren’t particularly convincing, so it’s hard to see them do better than split the four games in Queensland. We are not sure if they will do that at all.

Melbourne (3-3)

Game: Brisbane (Metricon), Port Adelaide (Gabba), Adelaide (Adelaide), North Melbourne (Blundstone), Collingwood (Gabba)

Sorry, Dees fans, it doesn’t happen this season. Enjoy beating the crows again, but playing against the top three and kangaroos in Tassie could be the only win next month.

Hawthorn (3-4)

Game: Sydney (SCG), Carlton (Perth), bye, Fremantle (Perth), West Coast (Perth)

The Hawks could win their next three games, but in their current form, the Blues and Dockers are likely to be preferred to win in Perth, and they won’t beat the Eagles. Hawthorn does not play a final.

Fremantle (2-5)

Game: Geelong (Optus), Collingwood (Perth), bye, Hawthorn (Perth), Carlton (Perth)

A long-awaited return to WA hasn’t shown exactly how Freo would have hoped. After a tough Derby defeat last weekend, they play two more top 4 teams. But if they can refresh themselves during the bye-week, victories against the Hawks and Blues are in sight.

Sydney: (2-5)

Game: Hawthorn (SCG), St. Kilda (Gabba), Collingwood (Gabba), bye, Giants (Perth)

Stay on the edge, buddy, it’s getting ugly. The Swans could remain victorious next month if they can’t take down the Hawks this weekend.

Adelaide (0-7)

Game: Essendon (Adelaide Oval), North Melbourne (Metricon), Melbourne (Adelaide), Collingwood (Adelaide), Western Bulldogs (Metricon)

With games against four teams between 10th and 17th place, the crows will surely break their drought. But it’s hard to pick them out against anyone right now.

HOW THE LADDER LOOKS AFTER ROUND 12

1.Port Adelaide (10-2)

2. Brisbane Lions (10-2)

3. Collingwood (8-3-1)

4. West coast (8-3)

5. Geelong (8-4)

6. Richmond (7-4-1)

7. GWS (6-5)

8. St. Kilda (6-6)

9. Carlton (6-5)

Gold Coast (6-6)

11. Essendon (5-6)

12.Western bulldogs (5-7)

13.Melbourne (4-7)

14.Hawthorn (4-7)

15.North Melbourne (4-8)

16. Fremantle (3-8)

17.Sydney (2-9)

18. Adelaide (0-12)

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