The 2026 AFL season is done and dusted, but that hasn't stopped ESPN's senior writer Jake Michaels from turning his attention to next year. Who are the 2027 flag favourites? Who are the legitimate contenders? And who should already be booking September holidays? It's our way-too-early edition of AFL tiers!
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Your new premiership favourite
1. HAWTHORN
Who knows if the Hawks would have been premiers this year if not for Hugh McCluggage's heroics late in that dramatic preliminary final at the MCG. There's certainly a real argument they would have gone all the way. This side, which is expertly coached by Sam Mitchell, just added Zach Merrett and Ben King to its best 23, two more experienced players desperate for flag success. There won't be many games the Hawks don't start favourite in next year. Even if this club's 2027 season over/under was set at preliminary final weekend, I'd still be taking the over.
Should be great, but there are some questions
2. BRISBANE
3. FREMANTLE
4. SYDNEY
The Lions just completed a remarkable three-peat and it certainly wouldn't have been outrageous for them to hold top spot here. But losing Lachie Neale and Chris Fagan -- arguably the two most important pieces of the club's modern-day dynasty -- cannot be underestimated. How do they fill those seismic gaps? The Dockers were the dominant team of the home and away season and if we played out the last four minutes of the Grand Final 100 times they probably win 99 of them. Instead, Fremantle has to spend all offseason dwelling on the greatest missed opportunity in club history. How do they respond in 2027? As for the Swans, who are always somewhere around the mark, nobody can really be sure what to expect after the Pullman Hotel saga. So many fascinating questions.
Silly season winners
5. GEELONG
6. WESTERN BULLDOGS
7. CARLTON
8. COLLINGWOOD
Each of these teams will be counting down the days until the 2027 season after drastically improving their lists during the trade and free agency window. The Cats landed the dynamic Toby Greene, significantly upgraded their ruck department with the singing of Rowan Marshall, and bolstered their defensive stocks with Jordan Ridley. The Bulldogs scored the biggest prize of all in Zak Butters, but they were also able to pry away Jordon Butts from the Crows, a much needed acquisition to what's been a shaky defence. The Blues will go into next season with Joel Amartey, Lachie Whitfield, and almost certainly father-son talent Cody Walker, while the Magpies added dual Brownlow medallist Lachie Neale and 2024 Coleman Medal winner Jesse Hogan.
Silly season losers
9. MELBOURNE
10. ADELAIDE
While a bunch of teams we'd expect to be in the fifth-to-10th range clearly improved their best 23, the Demons and Crows did nothing of the sort. Adelaide literally brought in nobody and will have to deal with the loss of key defender Jordon Butts, who departed as a free agent for the Bulldogs. Melbourne did sign several names, but do we think any of Zane Duursma, Will McLachlan, and Bodie Ryan can be needle movers in 2027? But hey, these were two sides I was down on this year and both ultimately outperformed expectations. Perhaps they do have it all figured out...
It's now or never
11. GOLD COAST
12. NORTH MELBOURNE
13. ST KILDA
If not now, then when? The Suns rocketed to co-flag favouritism this time last year after signing Christian Petracca and Jamarra Ugle-Hagan. They ultimately won just nine games and finished 13th on the ladder. Disastrous. Damien Hardwick is under serious pressure to get more out of this list. Meanwhile, the Kangaroos haven't played finals in a decade, but there's some newfound optimism after the senior coaching appointment of highly regarded Jaymie Graham and the signing of Nick Blakey, the biggest name the club has attracted in a decade. The Saints also need to show something early in 2027 or Ross Lyon could be on his way out ... again! But the real worry is not doing enough to ensure star midfielder Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera signs on.
It's going to be another long year
14. PORT ADELAIDE
15. GWS
16. WEST COAST
17. RICHMOND
18. ESSENDON
Perhaps I'm being a tad harsh on Port, who were pretty competitive this year. But at the end of the day we're taking Zak Butters out of a side that won just seven games. The Giants lost four of their best players in Toby Greene, Jesse Hogan, Lachie Whitfield, and Kieren Briggs, and will be relying heavily on their younger talent next year. And then there's the Eagles, Tigers, and Bombers -- three teams that combined for just nine wins this year. We all expect these sides to be somewhere around the bottom of the ladder.