AFL 2026, Power Rankings after Round 3

Welcome back to the Power Rankings.

Despite a Round 3 win, we’re feeling a certain vibe coming out of Geelong. And while there’s a long way to go, the first AFL wildcard finals race might already be down to three.

Watch every match of every round of the AFL Premiership Season LIVE and ad-break free during play on FOX FOOTY, available on Kayo Sports | New to Kayo? Join now and get your first month for just $1.

See our ranking of every AFL club from best to worst after Round 3 below!

How do the Power Rankings work? We take wins and losses into account, but also the quality of opposition faced and whether teams are likely to get healthier and/or improve going forward. It’s a little bit ‘who’s hot and who’s not’; part predictive, part analysis of what’s happened. If Team A is above Team B, we’d probably tip A to win if they were playing at a neutral venue this weekend.

All times AEDT/AEST from Sunday.

1. WESTERN BULLDOGS (3-0, 137.2%)

Last week: Ranked 1st, BYE

The Bulldogs had the bye, and have it again this week.

This week: Essendon at Marvel Stadium, Sunday 7:20pm

2. GOLD COAST SUNS (3-0, 191%)

Last week: Ranked 2nd, BYE

The Suns had the bye, and while the sting has been taken out of their Sunday afternoon showdown with Melbourne due to Christian Petracca’s injury, it’s another chance for them to get some MCG experience before September. They will need it.

This week: Melbourne at the MCG, Sunday 3:15pm

3. HAWTHORN (2-1, 118.1%)

Last week: Ranked 3rd, BYE

The Hawks had the bye, and while we have absolutely no idea whether it’s good or bad to have an 18-day break between games – seriously, we’re so sick of the bye week debate – we’re sure Easter Monday will be a belter. It always is. (Even that super weird 2023 game when Hawthorn led at halftime but lost by 82 points.)

This week: Geelong at the MCG, Monday 3:15pm

4. BRISBANE LIONS (1-2, 94.6%)

Last week: Ranked 4th, def St Kilda by 33 pts

Not the most convincing game overall from the Lions, but that last quarter burst was exactly what we needed to see – a reminder they can do what 2026’s best teams can do, and pile on quick goals. Of course it’s probably harsh to suggest the premiers needed to prove anything; they lost a coin flip to the Dogs, had a bunch of changes and lost to the Swans in full flight, and then beat a mid-table team on the road by five goals. On AFL 360 on Monday night, the idea was raised the Lions’ list might be tired after playing a historic number of games over the last few years (including two finals runs going the long way); there might be something to that though, at the same time, they’ve had to use so much of their list while winning two flags that few players have been truly overexposed. It’s not a concern for us yet.

This week: Collingwood at the Gabba, Thursday 7:30pm

5. FREMANTLE (2-1, 143.9%)

Last week: Ranked 5th, def Richmond by 60 pts

Another week, another big score from the Dockers – and this one should’ve been massive after their inaccuracy against the Tigers. They get Adelaide at a great time with all of their injuries, needing to take a scalp against a fellow contender to cement their place amongst the top four. With Collingwood to come in Gather Round, then the first Derby of the year and Carlton, could the Dockers be 6-1 heading into a blockbuster rematch of last year’s final-round epic against the Bulldogs on a Friday night?

This week: Adelaide at Adelaide Oval, Friday 7:15pm

6. GEELONG (2-1, 86.7%)

Last week: Ranked 6th, def Adelaide by 8 pts

Right now the Cats are the ultimate Eye Test vs Believe The Numbers team. As a naturally pessimistic fan (we know nobody has any sympathy for Geelong fans and we’re very annoying), we watch this Geelong team and think they’re more like the late 2010s teams – who were flawed but kept accidentally stumbling into preliminary finals – over the truly great Geelong teams of recent vintage. Those 2010s sides often weren’t real contenders, but made the top four through a combination of home ground advantage and professionalism, and that’s well and truly on the cards here. The midfield is iffy outside Smith and Holmes, and the defence looks incredibly vulnerable, especially at ground level. Thursday night being a thriller against a very understrength Adelaide side only backed up this view. But we also base a large portion of our views on footy on the numbers… and they say the Cats are pretty good. Not elite, but well and truly in the top-four mix. We knew they dominated territory against the Crows but remarkably expected score says they should’ve won that game by 10 goals. That means something.

This week: Hawthorn at the MCG, Monday 3:15pm

7. ADELAIDE CROWS (1-2, 100%)

Last week: Ranked 7th, lost to Geelong by 8 pts

It remains the biggest myth in footy that the Crows are some sort of exciting side featuring brilliant ball movement. They can be a good attacking side despite their flaws, as seen last year when they were No.3 for points scored. But their injury list, most notably a lack of Keane and Curtin, is exacerbating their flaws coming out of their defensive 50, which were best showcased in the first quarter against Geelong. (To be fair, a lot of teams struggle early in games as they acclimatise to the GMHBA Stadium dimensions; it’s one of the biggest factors in the Cats’ home ground advantage.) The Cats’ inaccuracy helped them avoid conceding a cricket score last Thursday night, so while the back six has been standing up, there were signs it can’t do that forever. It sounds weird to say, but Fremantle’s attack is very dangerous – Friday night is a massive test for two sides on the fringes of the top four.

This week: Fremantle at Adelaide Oval, Friday 7:15pm

8. COLLINGWOOD (2-1, 114.6%)

Last week: Ranked 9th, def GWS by 33 pts

Magpies fans may be getting slightly excited over having a good tall player in their side – some would hardly remember what that’s like – but Oscar Steene certainly looks like a promising addition to a side that needed a bit more juice. Theoretically there’s a path to preliminary final contention here, where the Pies remain one of the game’s best defences and claw their way to an average attack; their professionalism gives them a high floor and time to experiment. Throw in Bobby Hill in the second half of the season, potentially, and they can make something of this season. Still work to do though.

This week: Brisbane at the Gabba, Thursday 7:30pm

9. SYDNEY SWANS (2-1, 139.5%)

Last week: Ranked 8th, BYE

The Swans had the bye, and only drop down because we needed to give Collingwood some credit for their Round 3 win. What we said last week about Sydney being in the second tier of contenders, below the likes of the Suns and Dogs, without Errol Gulden still holds. It’s just a very deep second tier right now; throw a blanket over the last five or six teams.

This week: West Coast at Optus Stadium, Saturday 7:35pm

10. GWS GIANTS (1-3, 76.9%)

Last week: Ranked 10th, lost to Collingwood by 33 pts

This week: BYE

11. ST KILDA (1-3, 86%)

Last week: Ranked 11th, lost to Brisbane by 33 pts

This week: BYE

Things are getting a little interesting in the middle of these rankings, because while we still have the Giants above the Saints (despite the on-field result), the gap is closing. We’ve been wondering since the pre-season which team would break into the top 10 from last year’s bottom eight teams, and it may not be a case of someone like St Kilda or Melbourne moving up… but GWS moving down. Yes, injuries are a big reason why the men in orange are struggling, and they keep underperforming on expected score, but they’re also just failing badly up forward overall – sitting 18th for inside 50 to score rate. The Saints also have problems up forward but there’s a more obvious solution there – get Max King back. Ideally things won’t feel so difficult for them inside 50 once there’s a clear No.1 target, and there’ll be flow-on benefits for the other forwards who get easier opponents. They still challenged Brisbane and while being 1-3 isn’t ideal, the fact they’ve been competitive every week bodes well for them once the fixture eases up.

12. MELBOURNE (2-1, 96%)

Last week: Ranked 12th, def Carlton by 23 pts

We know it’s early but we’re happy to call it – none of the teams below Melbourne will make the top 10. (It’s easy to get swept up in the West Coast optimism but c’mon now.) And at the same time, we’re very confident in the top nine teams all being finals-calibre. That would’ve made for a pretty interesting 2025-style race if we had a top eight… but instead the most intriguing finals race looks like it’ll be for 10th, between GWS, St Kilda and Melbourne. The Demons are certainly flawed defensively thanks to their new exciting game style, but it feels like a fair trade-off, and more importantly it’s modern footy. They failed their first test against a true contender in Fremantle, so it would be a real step forwards if they can challenge the Suns.

This week: Gold Coast at the MCG, Sunday 3:15pm

13. WEST COAST EAGLES (2-1, 87.3%)

Last week: Ranked 16th, def Port Adelaide by 2 pts

Flying high indeed! 13th?! West Coast fans, when was the last time you felt THIS good about your team – maybe late in the 2020 season, when the Eagles were heading towards the top four before a controversial narrow loss to the Bulldogs? But even then, there’s just something about the excitement that’s generated when you don’t have expectations and are getting to watch an impressive crop of youngsters grow together. We don’t want to get too excited because it’s just two wins over fellow bad teams, but there’s something real happening here. The Eagles have shown something in every game this season – even the second half against Gold Coast was pretty solid, and telling in retrospect about the amount of effort they’re willing to put in. It sure seems like a club that struggled at the draft for many years has nailed a few of them in a row. Heck, we’ve been talking up Jobe Shanahan in the office so much he’s being called our boy.

This week: Sydney at Optus Stadium, Saturday 7:35pm

14. CARLTON (1-2, 72.9%)

Last week: Ranked 13th, lost to Melbourne by 23 pts

We don’t actually think Carlton is worse than West Coast, despite these rankings. But the vibes between the two clubs are polar opposites and we need to respect that. Sunday was the most depressing and predictable game of all-time, and we’re saying that as someone who tipped Melbourne (and was thrilled to get the most contentious tip of the round correct)! It’s the same old problems in second halves, and the same old problems allowing runs of goals which date back to the David Teague days, and the same old dilemma of everyone being part of the problem. Unfortunately for Michael Voss, the easiest thing to do when everyone’s at fault is to sack the coach, because you can’t sack the whole list, or change their entire playing style mid-season (the bye is the only real chance you get to reset strategically).

This week: North Melbourne at Marvel Stadium, Friday 3:15pm

15. NORTH MELBOURNE (2-1, 116.6%)

Last week: Ranked 15th, def Essendon by 12 pts

Not having Tristan Xerri will make beating the Blues quite a bit harder, but the Kangaroos will be desperate for a win on Good Friday to keep building momentum – and make amends for some horrendous displays on the day over the past few years. They’re a real chance of not finishing in the bottom four if they keep squeaking out wins over fellow battling sides. They did beat Carlton pretty comfortably last time they played but that was a weird game where the Blues were the ones coming back in the fourth quarter (we know! Crazy right?!).

This week: Carlton at Marvel Stadium, Friday 3:15pm

16. PORT ADELAIDE (1-2, 105.5%)

Last week: Ranked 14th, lost to West Coast by 2 pts

So it’s kinda not ideal that the Power came into the year with a fixture primed to give Josh Carr an easy start to his senior coaching career… and instead they’re 0-2 against last year’s bottom three, needing to win interstate to avoid going 0-3. They’re in a weird place with a lot of average to below-average players on their list – guys who were valuable during the first half of the 2020s when they were contending, but have since declined, plus some veteran additions who aren’t doing much. It’s a bit of a no man’s land list and that’s not where you want to be. They either need to be better than what they’ve showed, or to start cutting more aggressively this off-season to capitalise on the young talent they do still possess.

This week: Richmond at the MCG, Saturday 4:15pm

17. RICHMOND (0-3, 56.9%)

Last week: Ranked 17th, lost to Fremantle by 60 pts

They’re making a habit of being shockingly competitive against contenders for about a half – they’re like bizarro Carlton because that’s actually seen as a good thing instead of a horrendous, sack-worthy thing. The weird thing is they’re basically in the place West Coast was last year, watching a fellow wooden spoon contender surprisingly win games early in the year, but the worst part is the Eagles’ young draftees looking good (especially Jobe Shanahan). We still believe in the Tigers’ rebuild because the process, of cutting deep and cutting quickly, makes a lot of sense to us. They still need to hit on the picks, though.

This week: Port Adelaide at the MCG, Saturday 4:15pm

18. ESSENDON (0-3, 61.8%)

Last week: Ranked 18th, lost to North Melbourne by 12 pts

This is the test. Essendon has been so good about being patient since installing Brad Scott as coach, but the noise is becoming cacophonous. Things are definitely worse than it feels like they should be, but if they have truly changed, they must react to their current situation in a more measured way. They’re doing that at the moment, but the chimney at Tullamarine is going to start filling with white smoke if the losing streak hits record levels… and they’re gonna lose to the Dogs this week. So they need to beat Melbourne in Gather Round to avoid a club-worst 18th straight defeat.

This week: Western Bulldogs at Marvel Stadium, Sunday 7:20pm