The new footy season is just around the corner and Betseeker once again will be the place for all your AFL tips in 2025.
Ahead of the new AFL season we’re taking a look at each team’s over/under win line in 2025 and which teams are expected to outperform or underperform their market expectation. We’ll also be looking at futures markets, the Brownlow and the Coleman in coming days.
As always, odds are thanks to our friends at TopSport.
Adelaide
The bolter for 2025. Neal-Bullen, Cumming, and Peatling add some sorely needed midfield depth, Thilthorpe looks set for a breakout year and Rankine could emerge as a top-10 player in the competition. Their backline is solid enough, and despite finishing bottom four last year, they had a percentage of nearly 100 and only went 2-6 in games decided by under 12 points. Capable of shooting straight up.
Brisbane Lions
Reigning premiers have struggled in recent years but don’t expect Brisbane to in 2025. Daniher is a big loss but this team has never struggled to score, they’ll get Coleman, Doedee, Gardiner and McCarthy back from injury and there is improvement to come from the Ashcrofts, Lohmann and Wilmot. Right in the mix again.
Carlton
Why does this team improve? Their best players can’t play any better, the same injury-prone players have had injury-affected pre-seasons, there are no goal-kickers outside Curnow and McKay, they were the fifth-worst defence last year and they’ve taken just two top-25 draft picks in five years so there isn’t much unexposed top-end talent. There are a host of teams who could race straight past the Blues.
Collingwood
Expecting the Pies to be right back in contention in 2025, provided they get a reasonable run with injury as they have limited depth. Love the recruitment of Houston, Perryman, and Membrey. They’re here to win another flag and have the team to do it.
Essendon
No idea what Essendon are doing. They splurged on McKay, Duursma and Gresham at the end of 2023 and did nothing this off-season aside from offloading one of their few match-winners in Jake Stringer. Outside of Merrett, Martin, Langford and a handful of others this looks a very ordinary list. They were bottom four for defence last year and are now a bottom four list in age. That’s where they can be expected to finish.
Fremantle
Freo imploded at the end of 2024 after looking set for finals, but they should return to September action this year with a list that doesn’t want for much. They finished 10th for points scored last year so if they can play a more attacking style than generates more goals from their strong clearance game they should clear this line.
Geelong
It’s always hard to write this team (or this coach) off. They play 10 games at Kardinia Park this year, so expect them to win at least eight of those, meaning they only need five wins from their remaining 13 to make finals. If Dangerfield can play 16+ games and Bailey Smith can add some more dash to their midfield, they’ll be in the hunt yet again.
Gold Coast
The AFL clearly wants the Suns rising up the ladder, handing them a dream start with games against last year’s bottom-five teams in their first six rounds. But the midfield lacks depth outside of Anderson and Rowell and their small and medium forwards aren’t great either. Expecting another frustrating year for Dimma before they begin their charge in 2026.
GWS Giants
Even after finishing top four and leading the premiers by 44 points in a semi-final, there’s still plenty of upside for the Giants. Toby Greene had a down year by his standards and should bounce back, recruit Jake Stringer is a match-winner on his day and the Aaron Cadman/Jesse Hogan duo could be a nightmare for opposition defences. Big flag chance.
Hawthorn
There’s far too much hype around Hawthorn. They only went 4-6 against top eight teams last year and will get a much tougher draw in 2025. The impact of Barrass and Battle for what was already a solid defence is also being overestimated. Expecting some regression and a 10-12 win season.
Melbourne
Probably the toughest to call. If Gawn, Petracca, Oliver, May and Lever all play 20+ games and return to their best and they could be right back in the mix. Will lean over as the younger group of Rivers, McVee, Van Rooyen and Windsor have upside but nothing would surprise with the Dees.
North Melbourne
The Roos showed some life in the back half of 2024 after a dreadful start, but despite some solid recruiting they still have a long way to go. Their back six still looks shaky and they remain the youngest list in the comp. They probably scrape over 5.5 wins on the back of their strong young midfield.
Port Adelaide
Perennial finalists but perennial disappointments once they get there. It’s hard to know what to expect with Port. Houston is a massive loss for their game style and recruiting Lukosius is another shocking list decision after splurging on Esava in 2023. But both Georgiades and Horne-Francis could reach superstar level this year and they’ve won 14+ in four of their last five years so back them to clear this line.
Richmond
The Tigers have completely blown up their list in a way few clubs ever have and it’s not going to result in anything competitive in the short-term. Their remaining veterans are injury-prone and the coach hasn’t shown he can instil the defensive application required to keep a bad team in games. A 2.5-win line seems low, but with few truly uncompetitive teams in the competition, it’s hard to see where three wins come from.
St Kilda
The Saints’ young brigade is really exciting but Battle’s departure and Howard’s long-term injury leaves them really thin down back, especially with a brutal opening nine-game stretch where they’ll face six of last year’s finalists plus Adelaide and Fremantle. Expect some painfully defensive footy from Ross Lyon to keep them competitive, but it’s unlikely to translate into many wins.
Sydney
The last five teams to lose a Grand Final by 40+ points have missed the top four the next season and while Sydney’s midfield remains elite, there are concerns at both ends of the ground – particularly with their key talls. A complete drop-off seems unlikely, but with the added uncertainty of a new coach, the Swans could find themselves battling for a spot in the eight.
West Coast
The line looks spot on for the Eagles who still have some solid veterans around a big group of largely unproven kids. Their fortunes will likely hinge on how much quality football McGovern, Allen, Yeo and Kelly can produce, along with how berserk Harley Reid goes in his second season. They won five games last year and that feels like their ceiling again. Leaning just under.
Western Bulldogs
It’s time for the Dogs to step up after three underwhelming years since their last Grand Final appearance, but not much has gone right this off-season. Their once-vaunted midfield suddenly looks a bit thin without Macrae and Smith and the early-season absences of Jones, Ugle-Hagan, and Treloar could cost them a few games. Expect them to be fighting for positions in the bottom of the eight.
Predicted Ladder
- GWS Giants
- Geelong
- Brisbane Lions
- Collingwood
- Adelaide
- Fremantle
- Port Adelaide
- Sydney
- Hawthorn
- Melbourne
- Western Bulldogs
- Carlton
- Gold Coast Suns
- St Kilda
- North Melbourne
- Essendon
- West Coast
- Richmond
