AFL Season Preview For All 18 Clubs in 2023

Betseeker has you covered for expert AFL tips, same game multis and predictions for every game of the 2023 AFL season.

The 2023 AFL season promises to be an exciting one, with the Cats looking to defend their title, while others like the Demons, Tigers, Lions and Swans will all hope to make a run at the top.

In this AFL season preview, we’ll take a closer look at each team’s prospects, key players, and potential challenges. We’ll also provide our best bets for the season ahead, including premiership contenders and some potential value picks.

Adelaide

Premiership: $81
Top 8: $5.00
2022 Covers: 10/22
2022 Totals: 9/22 Under
2022 Outrights: 8/22, -19% Profit on Turnover

At a loss with Adelaide’s rebuild which is seemingly obsessed with creating an all-conquering forward line at the complete expense of their midfield.

Walker, Fogarty, Rankine, Thilthorpe, Rachelle and McAdam looks a potentially elite front six but Laird, Keays, Berry, Sloane, Crouch and Pedlar are a seriously stodgy group at the coalface.

Nicks will have them well-drilled but there isn’t enough quality around the pill for them to progress in 2023.

Prediction: 14th

Brisbane Lions

Premiership: $7.50
Top 8: $1.20
2022 Covers: 11/23
2022 Totals: 9/23 Under
2022 Outrights: 16/23, 6% POT

The Lions have rightly gone all in after four straight top six finishes without a Grand Final appearance, bringing in Josh Dunkley, Jack Gunston, Conor McKenna and #1 pick Will Ashcroft.

With Marcus Adams out for the year with concussion, key defence is the big worry and there may be no more important player to a single team than Harris Andrews.

The Lions had the 10th ranked defence in 2023 but the second-ranked offence. If they can achieve a slightly better balance then anything short of a Grand Final will be a failure. 

Prediction: 1st (Runners-Up)

Carlton

Premiership: $9.00
Top 8: $1.35
2022 Covers: 11/22
2022 Totals: 11/22 Under
2022 Outrights: 12/22, -5% POT

I’m not buying that this is the year the Blues surge up the ladder.

Carlton showed with their 8-2 start to last year that they can contend with their best team on the park but their 4-8 record on the run home demonstrated they don’t have much depth for when injuries hit, as they already have in 2023.

Zac Williams is out for the year while Sam Walsh has a back injury which will impact the start of his season.

Patty Cripps, Charlie Curnow, Harry McKay and Jacob Weitering can’t play much better, so others need to stand up. Carlton have given up plenty of picks and salary to bring in names like Saad, Cerra, McGovern, Williams and Martin with mostly underwhelming returns. This has also impacted their drafting which hasn’t delivered much over the last five years outside of Walsh and Tom De Koning.

Their midfield lacks run, their forward line lacks variety and their game plan lacks dimensions. I don’t see them challenging, let alone making finals.

Prediction: 11th

Collingwood

Premiership: $10
Top 8: $1.60
2022 Covers: 13/23
2022 Totals: 12/23 Under
2022 Outrights: 16/23, 42% POT

The Pies were the fairytale side of 2022, riding a incredible run to within a point of a Grand Final.

Pretty much everything went right for them, however, so expect some regression. You just can’t go 11-1 in games decided by under two goals again and they’ve copped a tougher fixture after finishing in the top six.

Dan McStay, Tom Mitchell, Bobby Hill and Billy Frampton are handy ins but this team still lacks the A-graders of the other top teams.

Prediction: 6th

Essendon

Premiership: $51
Top 8: $4.80
2022 Covers: 8/22
2022 Totals: 10/22 Under
2022 Outrights: 7/22, -29% POT

The Bombers’ defensive system was comically bad last year, and while Brad Scott was always coached an attacking style at North, anything would be an improvement on what we saw under Rutten.

The Dons remain the third-youngest list and led by a fairly uninspiring senior core in Darcy Parish, Dylan Shiel, Zach Merrett, Jake Stringer and Dyson Heppell.

We’re yet to see what, if anything, the talented young brigade of Archie Perkins, Jye Caldwell, Nik Cox, Zach Reid and Ben Hobbs will become.

Treading water at best. 

Prediction: 13th

Fremantle

Premiership: $17
Top 8: $2.05
2022 Covers: 14/23
2022 Totals: 13/23 Under
2022 Outrights: 10/23, -4% POT

Like what Justin Longmuir is building at Freo but this looks like a year of consolidation.

Luke Jackson and Jaeger O’Meara join the Dockers but they’ve lost some important depth in Blake Acres, Rory Lobb, Griffin Logue, Drcy Tucker, Lloyd Meek and Connor Blakely.

The Dockers are the fourth-youngest list so time is on their side, but they need to build on their strong defensive game with more dynamic mids and better avenues to goal before they’re ready to compete for some silverware. 

Prediction: 9th

Geelong

Premiership: $6.00
Top 8: $1.06
2022 Covers: 16/23
2022 Totals: 10/23 Under
2022 Outrights: 19/23, 23% POT

Yes, the Cats will be good yet again in 2023.

Coming off a 81-point Grand Final win (and a 71-point Prelim final win), this list is arguably better this season with Jack Bowes, Ollie Henry and Tanner Bruhn coming in for club legend Joel Selwood.

They’ll win at least seven of their nine games at GMHBA Stadium, so they only need seven or eight of their remaining 14 to finish top four.

A foot injury to Tom Hawkins is the only concern at present but as we saw with Patty Dangerfield last year, the Cats are pros at nursing their older stars through to September.

Prediction: 2nd

Gold Coast

Premiership: $61
Top 8: $4.00
2022 Covers: 12/22
2022 Totals: 10/22 Under
2022 Outrights: 10/22, -7% POT

It’s finals time on the Gold Coast.

The Suns finished with a percentage above 100 for the first time in their history in 2022, and while they didn’t do much in the off-season, they’ll have arguably the biggest inclusion of any club in Ben King, who is worth at least a goal or two per game.

A midfield led by Witts, Miller and Anderson will compete with most, while there’s plenty of improvement left in Matt Rowell, Jack Lukosius, Sam Flanders, Alex Davies, Jeremy Sharp, Malcolm Rosas, Elijah Hollands and Mac Andrew.

Finals beckon, at long last.

Prediction: 7th

GWS Giants

Premiership: $81
Top 8: $6.50
2022 Covers: 9/22
2022 Totals: 12/22 Under
2022 Outrights: 6/22, -56% POT

It’s rebuild time for the Giants after Jacob Hopper, Tim Taranto, Bobby Hill and Tanner Bruhn all departed at the end of 2022, replaced by four top 25 draft picks.

Anything above a bottom four finish would surprise in Adam Kingsley’s first year in charge, but if the likes of Toby Greene, Lachie Whitfield, Josh Kelly, Stephen Coniglio miss games (as they often do), then the spoon could be heading to western Sydney.

Prediction: 17th

Hawthorn

Premiership: $81
Top 8: $13
2022 Covers: 12/22
2022 Totals: 8/22 Under
2022 Outrights: 8/22,  -18% POT

It may have come a few seasons too late but the Hawks have finally pulled the trigger on a major rebuild.

Ben McEvoy, Jack Gunston, Jaeger O’Meara, Tom Mitchell, Liam Shiels, Kyle Hartigan, Daniel Howe and Tom Phillips is a nearly unprecedented exodus in one off-season. At an average of 42.3 games per player, this is the least experienced list since Brisbane in 2017 (who finished last).

Their midfield, led by Jai Newcombe, James Worpel, Josh Ward and Will Day, may be the worst since the launch of the expansion teams over a decade ago. God help them if James Sicily gets hurt.

It will take an act of god for them not to claim the spoon.

Prediction: 18th

Melbourne

Premiership: $7.50
Top 8: $1.16
2022 Covers: 10/23
2022 Totals: 14/23 Under
2022 Outrights: 16/23, -5% POT

Which Dees will we get in 2023? The team who destroyed the Dogs in 2021 Grand Final and then started last year 10-0 or the team who lost eight of their last 14 and were bundled out in straight sets?

I’m going with the former. Brodie Grundy coming in for Luke Jackson will turn Max Gawn into the ultimate utility while Lachie Hunter could be a very handy inclusion on the big wings at the ‘G.

If they stay fit and solve their tall forward quandary between Ben Brown, Tom McDonald and Jacob van Rooyen, then they’re at least top four and probably Grand Finalists.

Prediction: 3rd (Premiers)

North Melbourne

Premiership: $251
Top 8: $21
2022 Covers: 6/22
2022 Totals: 8/22 Under
2022 Outrights: 2/22, -58% POT

North should be a much better side in Alastair Clarkson’s first year in charge.

The Roos were clueless defensively under David Noble so any sort of improvement there should stop the blowouts we saw in 2022.

They’ve got some really good inclusions too, with Griffin Logue a perfect foil for the quickly improving Ben McKay, and most importantly, Ben Cunnington looks fit after his cancer scare. Liam Shiels, Darcy Tucker and Daniel Howe will provide some much needed depth.

Unlike their fellow spoon contenders in Hawthorn and GWS, the Roos have improved in the off-season and it should be enough to get them off the bottom.

Prediction: 16th

Port Adelaide

Premiership: $13
Top 8: $1.50
2022 Covers: 11/22
2022 Totals: 11/22 Under
2022 Outrights: 10/22, -28% POT

Perhaps the most difficult team to place. They went 10-7 after losing their opening five games and finished with the seventh-best percentage of 110.

Junior Rioli and Jason Horne-Francis join the Power while Karl Amon left for Hawthorn and Robbie Gray retired.

They should see some more growth from Connor Rozee, Todd Marshall, Zak Butters, Miles Bergman, Lachlan Jones, Xavier Duursma and Mitch Georgiadis (if he can fix his kicking) but their senior core doesn’t look strong enough to compete with the top sides nor is their back six big enough to stop the best power forwards. 

Prediction: 8th

Richmond

Premiership: $8.00
Top 8: $1.22
2022 Covers: 14/23
2022 Totals: 6/23 under
2022 Outrights: 13/23, -6% POT

Richmond have reloaded for another premiership tilt, with Jacob Hopper and Tim Taranto joining from the Giants.

They are precisely the type of players Richmond need to make a charge, with far too much responsibility placed on the often-injured Dion Prestia over the last few seasons.

There are stars all over the park plus some exciting youngsters like Noah Balta, Tyler Sonsie, Noah Cumberland and Maurice Rioli Jr who should all improve.

Will be right in the flag race as long as they keep their veterans fit.

Prediction: 4th

St Kilda

Premiership: $34
Top 8: $3.80
2022 Covers: 13/22
2022 Totals: 14/22 Under
2022 Outrights: 11/22, -16% POT

Ross Lyon replaces Brett Ratten at Moorabbin but to be fair to the former coach, the combined talents of Ron Barassi, Leigh Matthews and Jock McHale couldn’t have done much more with this list.

Their 150-gamers are Brad Hill, Seb Ross, Tim Membrey and Jack Billings, their midfield lacks pace and skill and Max King is out for at least the first six weeks.

Lyon has been fortunate to take over two very talented lists in his previous coaching stints but he will need every one of the four years in his contract to fix this one.

Prediction: 15th

Sydney 

Premiership: $8.50
Top 8: $1.40
2022 Covers: 12/23
2022 Totals: 10/23 Under
2022 Outrights: 17/23, 27% POT

How will the young Swans respond to an 81-point Grand Final capitulation? If history is any guide, not well, with only one of the last six teams to lose a decider by 60+ points making top four the next year and none making a Grand Final.

The Swans are still the fifth youngest list but rely heavily on 36-year-old Buddy Franklin to deliver up forward.

They’ve also copped a brutal draw, with double up games against Freo, Geelong, Gold Coast, GWS, Melbourne and Richmond.

On the right track but a big chance to have a down year. 

Prediction: 10th

West Coast

Premiership: $151
Top 8: $13
2022 Covers: 9/22
2022 Totals: 9/22 Under
2022 Outrights: 2/22, -67% POT

Call me crazy but I think the Eagles will be much better in 2023.

There’s parallels to draw with Collingwood last year in that they are a well-resourced, well-coached club who rarely stay down the bottom of the ladder for long.

There are still eleven premiership players and eight All Australians on this list and a lot of them clearly weren’t fit last season.

With some better luck on the injury front they’ll be big improvers. 

Prediction: 12th

Western Bulldogs

Premiership: $16
Top 8: $1.65
2022 Covers: 11/23
2022 Totals: 9/23 Under
2022 Outrights: 12/23, -22% POT

This is probably the best list that Luke Beveridge has coached after sacrificing some midfield depth in Dunkley for some much-needed talls in Rory Lobb and Liam Jones.

The Dogs have the talent to contend for another flag but whether it’s leadership, strategy or conditioning, they always seems to fall short.

Bevo hasn’t coached the Dogs into the top four in eight years at the helm and I think he’ll finish just short again. 

Prediction: 5th