AFL Power Rankings after Round Five

1 Geelong (3-2)
Might seem silly that the Cats who are 7th on the ladder are still on top of the power rankings however at this stage I don’t see any other team who’d justify holding the number one spot. Looked a little slow, a little old and less imaginative in their loss to the Blues however only a week before beat Port by nearly 100 points. After this week's game against the Tigers Geelong have matches against Sydney, Brisbane and Collingwood which means that by this time next month we’ll know precisely whether or not the Cats are worthy of top spot and premiership favouritism.

2 St.Kilda (4-1)
The Saints first loss of the year however understandably some significant concerns after your team kicks just 6 goals and takes 3 marks inside 50. Truth be told these concern will exist until Riewoldt returns. Regardless the Saints do seem to be a little down on last year. They’ve won the inside 50 count just twice this season while every other team currently in the eight has scored more points than them. Very tough games coming up against the Dogs and Carlton. Have given away more free kicks than any other team, averaging 6 more than they did last year.

3 Collingwood (4-1)
Third on the ladder, third in the power rankings and genuine claims on being the league’s premier defensive team, third for points against and top of the pops in regards to tackling. Though they’re also quite dynamic going forward where they boast the best spread of goal kickers in the competition. In fact the Pies are averaging just under 100 points a game this year yet there’s not a player on their list who’s kicked more than 8 for the season. Much better games from some of their bigger forwards such as Cloke and Dawes who yesterday combined for 6 goals.

4 Fremantle (4-1)
Appear to be a legitimate top 4 team despite its early problems against the Tigers yesterday. Sandilands continues to excel while Pavlich looks as good as ever having already kicked 19 goals this year. Only Geelong have scored more than Freo this season, yet the Dockers are ranked 13th for total disposals illustrating just how direct they've been. Should account for West Coast this week before much tougher assignments against Brisbane, Collingwood and Sydney.

5 Sydney (4-1)
Sitting atop the actual ladder however 5th on the power rankings thanks largely to the quality of teams they’ve defeated, which hasn’t been much and who’ve combined for a 3-17 record on the year. The Swans are however unquestionably setting the pace from a defensive standpoint. Easily took care of the Eagles on Saturday where for the 3rd consecutive week granted their opponents less than 180 uncontested possessions which is testament to its intense defensive pressure. Going forward the Swans look just as good. Only 3 players in the league have kicked more than Bradshaw this year while White stepped up this weekend to post 3. Brisbane, Geelong, the Dogs and Freo over the next 4 weeks and set to give us the perfect indication of just where Sydney stands.

6 Brisbane (4-1)
Disappointing loss by the Lions who blew a golden chance to go top and remain undefeated. Take nothing away from the Demons however the Lions were decidedly down in all the areas which had previously helped them to their 4-0 start, most notably getting the ball inside 50, where they managed just 50 on Saturday night, down from the league leading 60 they’d been achieving. Like the Swans and the Dockers will be entering a tough section of their draw with a trip to Sydney this week followed by home games against Geelong and Freo.

7 Carlton (3-2)
Wow! Completely outplayed one of the best teams of all time today and with Judd back for his second game of the year the Blues appear to be a really good side. Are in the 8, only the Swans have won more quarters than Carlton this season while the Blues have yet to lose the tackle count in any of their 5 games. Have a tough couple of weeks coming up with games against Collingwood and the Saints however you’d think a 3-4 record would be a good return from what was unquestionably the hardest draw handed out.

8 Western Bulldogs (3-2)
A solid win by the Dogs however like Sydney some serious questions over the quality of the teams they’ve beaten. In the Bulldogs case we’re talking about a combined 1-14. Barry Hall’s been brilliant while Eade should be praised for going with Roughead and Grant, both of whom performed very well on Friday night. The Dogs are ranked 14th in the competition for tackles, which is an area they’ve won just twice this year. Enormous game against the Saints this week.

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9 Melbourne (3-2)
Outside of the eight by percentage only and on the back of there straight wins for the first time since the 2006 season. Brilliant to see Melbourne’s improvement which has been based largely on the back of a renewed defensive commitment. Only Sydney, St.Kilda and Collingwood have allowed less points this year while only two teams have conceded less marks inside 50 this season. They’re also the league’s top tackling team outside of Collingwood and have 3 players (McKenzie, McDonald and Moloney) who have all registered more than 30 tackles for the season. Yet to lose a last quarter where they're giving up just 12 points.

10 Port Adelaide (3-2)
Produced one of the season's biggest surprises by beating the Saints on Saturday night, six days after losing to Geelong by almost 100 points. Have quietly moved to 3-2 and like Melbourne are out of the 8 only on percentage. 6 of their next 8 games are against teams not currently in the 8.

11 North melbourne (2-3)
Would be rapt with winning their 2nd game of the year and if you take out their 100 point loss to the Saints on Easter Saturday would have a 2-2 record with a decent percentage and be worthy of the same excitement currently being generated about the Demons. Like Melbourne they’re younger players are proving to be amongst the most exciting in the league. 2 of their next 3 games are against teams not currently in the 8.

12 Hawthorn (1-4)
What can one say about God’s gift to football? Since they won the 2008 premiership only Richmond and Melbourne and have lost more matches than the Hawks. Will sight a tough draw and key injuries however it was precisely the same excuses for the bulk of last season. Will be happy to be playing Essendon this week yet would have been thinking he same when they were scheduled to play North yesterday. Have lost each of their last quarters this season.

13 West Coast (1-4)
Bought back to Earth after their maiden win with a comprehensive loss to Sydney. Only Richmond and Adelaide have won less quarters than the Eagles this year, while only the Tigers have taken less marks inside 50. On the positive side of things 4 of their next 6 games are in Perth. To be any chance of making finals they’ll have to win at least 3 of them. Yet to win a final quarter where they're giving up almost 6 goals.

14 Essendon (1-4)
You’d probably need to go back at least 30 years to find a worse Bomber team or one seemingly so far away from a flag. In defense they look short and inexperienced and only Richmond have conceded more points. Their midfield seems one paced and devoid of class and have this year twice given up more than 60 inside 50’s which is something no team in the league has done. They look to have gone backwards in the ruck while their forward line looks inept, not once this year having kicked more than 100 points. Scott Gumbleton's performance yesterday (18 touches, 10 marks and 2 goals) against a really good team definitely represents the most encouraging sign for a team well off the pace.

15 Adelaide (0-5)
Looking just as bad as the Tigers and have in fact scored less points. The only positive for the Crows is that their next three games are all against teams neither in the 8 or likely to play finals. Tippet did retrun to some form by kicking 3 goals against the Bulldogs.

16 Richmond (0-6)
Still winless but a much improved effort by the Tigers yesterday where they were able to kick 6 first quarter goals against a good Freo team. A much better all round defensive effort as well where they won both the tackle and contested possession counts and where they allowed Fremantle just 229 uncontested possessions, almost 80 less than what they've been giving up on the year.