We're now at the halfway point of the 2026 AFL season. 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 July edition of tiers.
Note: ESPN's AFL tiers will be a monthly column throughout the 2026 season.
All of our best footy content, now on Instagram. Follow @espnfooty here!
Premiership loading...
1. FREMANTLE
They've been the best team all season. Period. And right now they sit in a class of one. Fremantle's winning streak sits at a club record 14 games, and the more it extends, the more the footy public believes this will be the year they finally capture an AFL premiership. The Dockers don't seem to have a flaw, have a non-existent injury list, and will likely start favourite in every game they play from now until the Grand Final, should they make it that far. Ladies and gentlemen, your clear cut flag favourites.
The legitimate flag challengers
2. HAWTHORN
3. GEELONG
4. BRISBANE
If the Dockers don't win it all in 2026, chances are one of these four clubs will. The Hawks are the best Victorian club, which counts for plenty as we begin to set our sights on September. The Cats just know how to pace a season and I'm not at all concerned about their three loss in four game stretch, given who they've played, and where, and who has been missing from the side. They'll be fine. Speaking of which, how about the Lions? I told you to tread carefully when it came to writing their threepeat off. It's well and truly alive!
Fraud watch
5. SYDNEY
6. ADELAIDE
The Swans may sit a clear second on the ladder with a 12-3 record, but can we fully trust them? To this point, they have failed every test against their fellow flag contenders, suffering disappointing losses to the Hawks, Cats, and Lions. Good luck against the Dockers in Round 18! If we're being honest, since the win over the Demons in Round 8, Dean Cox's side has been plodding along; four of their last five wins have been by margins of eight points or fewer. Meanwhile, the Crows had won six out of seven games and were charging back up the ladder and into flag contention. So how on earth do you explain that Showdown loss to a completely undermanned Port Adelaide side?
I just don't know anymore
7. MELBOURNE
8. CARLTON
9. WESTERN BULLDOGS
I've been unsure about the Demons all year. I thought a bottom four finish was legitimately on the cards, and yet after Round 16, only percentage separates them from the top four! The Blues are in the midst of one of the greatest in-season turnarounds in football history, winning six straight games from that woeful 1-8 position that saw Michael Voss' tenure at the club come to an end. Josh Fraser has done a remarkable job since taking over the reins, which begs the questions, can a caretaker be the coach of the year? Carlton should beat Richmond this week for a seventh in a row, but then the fixture gets real interesting. And then there's the Bulldogs. Four wins. Four losses. Another three game win streak followed by a 57-point loss to the Crows. It's frustratingly inconsistent.
More bad days than good days
10. NORTH MELBOURNE
11. COLLINGWOOD
12. ST KILDA
13. GOLD COAST
14. GWS
15. PORT ADELAIDE
16. WEST COAST
I've lumped a bunch of teams in this group, but the sentiment is true for all: they disappoint more often than they impress. Yes, the Kangaroos are riding a three-game winning streak, but it has come against the competition's three worst sides. The game before they lost by 124 points, and the prior month they lost four straight. I'm convinced the Magpies are a Nick Daicos injury away from being a bottom six team. Even with him they're barely winning the season. The Saints just aren't good (I tried to tell you this at the start of the year), the Suns have been diabolical of late, and the Giants are up and down like a yo-yo. A quick glance at the ladder will tell you neither the Power nor Eagles have had much to celebrate this year.
Please just let the season be over
17. RICHMOND
18. ESSENDON
These two sides have been just about unwatchable all year and have a combined record of 3-27. You have to feel for fans of both clubs ... okay, maybe not Tigers supporters given those three flags in four years! This rebuild might feel brutal at times but it really was a necessary evil. For the Dons, yikes, they're now in the midst of one of the roughest 30 game stretches in league history. Round 23 can't come quick enough for either club.