The positives and negatives for each AFL team who missed the eight in 2024

The 2024 AFL season is done and dusted for the 10 clubs that missed finals.

So, what went right and what went wrong for these teams?

We have taken a look at the positive and negatives for those sides who now have to watch on as the top eight fight for the flag.

Read our thoughts below:

POSITIVES

The 2024 season did not pan out how the Adelaide Crows would have liked.

After narrowly missing finals in the most controversial of circumstances last year, many expected that the Crows would simply show up in 2024 and make the eight.

That didn’t occur, but there were still some positives for Matthew Nicks.

Jake Soligo took the next step as an inside midfielder, Max Michalanney was excellent in defence in his second season, Luke Nankervis broke out and so did Josh Worrell.

There was also a lot to like about Riley Thilthorpe once he returned from injury, Darcy Fogarty led the line with 41 goals and Ben Keays should poll very well in the best and fairest.

The Crows won the first Showdown, which is always a highlight, and were able to beat finals contenders Carlton, GWS and the Western Bulldogs.

NEGATIVES

It was basically a wasted year, all things considered.

As mentioned earlier, finals should have been the prerequisite for the Crows in 2024, but they were unable to deliver.

They lost their opening four games and tallied just 4.5 wins by Round 14.

For a team that was on the edge of the eight in 2023 to fall away and finish in the bottom four this year was an enormous regression.

Former captain Rory Sloane was forced to retire and saying goodbye to a favourite is always tough.

Andrew Slevison

POSITIVES

One clear positive in an average season for the Pies was the emergence of Darcy Cameron who was clearly Collingwood’s most improved player.

The ruckman was well and truly capable previously and played a role in Collingwood’s flag last year, but he became elite in his position in 2024 as one of three rucks name in the All-Australian squad of 44. If he keeps that form up once much of the midfield returns to full fitness, the Pies could again become vaunted on-ball.

At his feet, Nick Daicos was again a clear positive with the 21-year-old superstar again every chance to win the Brownlow. He’s already amongst the absolute elite in the competition and with more than a decade of footy ahead of him, the Pies have their piece to build around going forward.

NEGATIVES

Injuries. Injuries. Injuries.

Health was Collingwood’s biggest enemy in their quest for back-to-back with key pieces Jordan De Goey, Tom Mitchell, Dan McStay, Jamie Elliott and Brody Mihocek among others missing big chunks of the season.

The club’s injuries seemed to come in big groups too, putting a huge dint in Collingwood’s mid-patch of the season after they stumbled out of the blocks early.

At least those injuries allowed the Pies’ depth to be tested and the club now knows that the likes of Ed Allan, Joe Richards, Charlie Dean, Lachie Sullivan, Harvey Harrison and Will Parker among others can compete at the top level.

Lachlan Geleit

POSITIVES

Essendon found their midfield group to move forward with in 2024.

At the start of the season, you would have no doubt had Zach Merrett on the inside along probably Darcy Parish, Dylan Shiel and perhaps even Ben Hobbs as the starting on-ball brigade when fit.

But through injury and form, both Jye Caldwell and Sam Durham got the chance to be full-time on-ballers and they thrived in the role alongside Merrett and the Dons will now move forward with that trio as well as Parish as their main midfield quartet.

The Bombers also have some pretty good depth in this position and will no doubt rotate impact players at centre bounces, but there’s no doubt now that this midfield group could be locked in for the next handful of years.

NEGATIVES

It just fell to pieces again.

It’s such a similar story for Essendon, but again they had a late-season capitulation to miss out on finals.

In 2023, the Dons finished 11th after being entrenched in the eight at the bye. In 2024, the Dons finished 11th after sitting second at Round 12.

It’s a recurring theme for the Dons and something they need to figure out quickly. 

While everyone saw signs of progression this season, the ladder doesn’t lie and 2025 must be the year that this side improves and becomes a top-eight fixture.

Mediocrity is becoming all too common at The Hangar.

Lachlan Geleit

POSITIVES

The season might not have finished the way they would have wanted, but Fremantle should go into 2025 bullish that they have discovered some key pieces to build around.

Josh Treacy is the big one who was emerged as the man to lead this Freo forward half into the future, kicking 45 goals. He’s just turned 22 and will form a long-term partnership with Jye Amiss inside 50 as the pair grow up together.

Hayden Young proved he can play on-ball for a full season, making the All-Australian squad and becoming one of the most lethal kicks inside 50 in the competition.

Caleb Serong went to another level, Luke Jackson has settled nicely, Josh Draper is a key defender worth building around and Matt Johnson also had a strong year.

All of these key players for Freo are young. They barely have a key long-term piece on their list over the age of 25, outside of Brennan Cox, Sean Darcy, Sam Switkowski, Luke Ryan and Alex Pearce.

This is a team that was top four with a month to go and fell apart. And Freo fans have every right to be frustrated. But this is a group that will be together for a decade and will have a long window in the top eight.

NEGATIVES

All of the above is true, but it is still a waste of what was a very strong position.

They were third after Round 20 having won four of their last five and had belted Melbourne twice, beaten the Swans in Sydney, beat Brisbane and beat the Bulldogs.

But in such an even competition, and with such a high bar at 13 wins to finish eighth, you can’t afford too many slip ups.

The Dockers lost their last four games. They dropped games at home to Port and Geelong and lost to an Essendon team with nothing to play for.

Across the season they lost to West Coast, drew with Collingwood and blew leads against Carlton, Hawthorn and Geelong in close losses as well.

This is a young group that will hopefully spend the summer smarting and lamenting what could have been.

Nic Negrepontis

POSITIVES

In a year of exploration for Damien Hardwick and his new troops, Mac Andrew has emerged as one of the most talented and versatile upcoming stars of our league. Andrew, who was tied to Melbourne through their Next Generation Academy, was snatched by Gold Coast with Pick 5 in 2021.

He was made to wait until Round 5 to play seniors in 2024 before enjoying a dominant patch of form. Andrew played 16 straight games across half-back where he impressed with his intercept marking and ball use. Hardwick then sent him to the forward line, where he kicked eight goals in the last four rounds of the season, including a clutch goal after the siren against Essendon in his bag of four.

Sam Flanders also took another step forward, tallying the fifth most disposals (680) for the home and away season.

The likes of Bodhi Uwland, Sam Clohesy and Will Graham showed plenty while Ben Long resurrected his career by kicking 26 goals as a small forward. Only Ben King (55) booted more majors for the Suns in 2024.

The Suns also won 11 matches - their most in a single season.

NEGATIVES

In what was one of the most astonishing statistics to come from the 2024 season, the Suns lost their first 10 away games in 2024 before beating Essendon after the siren by one point at Marvel Stadium in Round 22. 

Their form away from home ultimately cursed Hardwick’s first season as coach and made it impossible for them to ascend into the top eight, which Hardwick and other senior figures were predicting in the pre-season. 

Noah Desta

POSITIVES

In a year that was mainly filled with negatives, a major positive that all Melbourne fans can be excited about is the emergence of some young guns that shone very bright in 2024.

The surprise factor of Caleb Windsor cementing a spot on the wing in his first year, the improvement of Judd McVee which saw more midfield time for the young defender and the realisation that Trent Rivers has a future at being a full-time midfielder are only some examples of what the Dees were able to blood amid some unfortunate circumstances the club faced.

No matter which way the club decides to head, the young players that stood up this season have given the fans something to look forward to in what looms as a potentially really difficult off-season ahead.

NEGATIVES

Who would’ve thought that Melbourne, after everything they went through with Clayton Oliver and Joel Smith last year, would be entering the 2025 season with even a slight possibility not having Christian Petracca, Alex Neal-Bullen and Kysaiah Pickett playing in the red and blue?

Even with the unfortunate injuries that plagued the club from the start of this season, and with Angus Brayshaw's shock retirement, the Demons failed to keep themselves out of the headlines for all the wrong reasons.

The doubt around the futures of key personnel at the club, which many believe are integral in helping the Demons get back to contending for the premiership, is something that needs to be sorted out quickly before things go off the rails.

From the on-field woes of missing finals for the first time since 2020, to off-field issues relating to the club’s culture and direction being questioned by many around the league, it’s safe to say 2024 is a year that the Melbourne Football Club can ultimately accept deserves to be in the bin and hopefully, never repeated again.

Zac Sharpe

POSITIVES

If you’re stuck down the bottom of the ladder, you at least want to finish a season with more long-term magnets in place than you started with, and the Roos can say that.

Injuries may have held Colby McKercher and George Wardlaw back, but the pair look certain to live up to the daft hype as long-term star midfielders. Couple them with Harry Sheezel, who is already a top 30 player in the competition, and you have a trio to build around.

Tristan Xerri emerging as not only the club’s long-term ruckman, but someone capable of making the All-Australian squad also goes a long way. The Roos would be incredibly happy they didn’t allow him to move to St Kilda a few years back.

North fans would have loved seeing Jackson Archer break out as a small defender, Charlie Comben could be their long-term centre half back (or forward) and Paul Curtis also had an excellent season inside 50.

The Roos would feel a key position player or two short, but they are starting to put their long-term spine together at the very least.

NEGATIVES

A fifth straight year with four or fewer wins. Simple as that, really.

Look, nobody expected North to make the leap this year. Their backline came into the season in tatters, their midfield is young and inexperienced and they barely have a best 22 player over the age of 26 on their list.

But another three-win season? Losing your first 11 games? Finishing with back-to-back thrashings? It should leave a sour taste in the mouth, particularly as a team like Hawthorn laps them.

They’ve been stuck on the canvas since the world was in COVID lockdowns and Roos fans have every right to wonder why Alastair Clarkson can’t get the engine revving at all.

North will add more top draft talent and hopefully a few veterans to set standards, but they need to make inroads up the ladder in 2025.

Nic Negrepontis

POSITIVES

Richmond was smashed by injury in Adem Yze’s first season at the helm, basically derailing the 2024 season just a handful of games in.

Early on the Tigers knocked off minor premiers Sydney which showed what they could have been capable of with a full list to choose from.

The injury curse then struck, but with crisis comes opportunity and Yze was forced to blood plenty of youngsters while using a total of 42 players across the season.

They unearthed a gem in Mykelti Lefau who showed plenty of promise before his season-ending ACL injury, Rhyan Mansell stepped up as a small/medium forward to finish with 21 goals and Hugo Ralphsmith took significant strides as a hard-running wingman.

Tom Brown looks settled at the level with neat ball use off half-back and the ability to play forward and impact on the scoreboard. Ben Miller was thrown into the fire but held his own as a key defender and Seth Campbell showed signs.

The Tigers got some invaluable games into developing players which is important for the future.

NEGATIVES

The Tigers were at times competitive, but there was enough rock-bottom footy to frustrate fans.

The 91-point loss to the Western Bulldogs in Round 9 and the 119-point smashing at the hands of Brisbane the week after were astonishingly bad.

Yze’s side scored the least points for in the competition (1505 at 65.4) and had the second most kicked against them (2364 at 102.7). Only North Melbourne and West Coast had less inside 50s. Those numbers are utterly substandard.

It is somewhat contradictory to our positive, but the fact there were no players in the 22Under22 squad is a bit of a worry.

And the overriding negative is the mass exodus that is about to take place.

On top of the emotional retirement of superstar Dustin Martin and the departures of former captain Dylan Grimes and 2019 Grand Final hero Marlion Pickett, a handful of senior players want out.

Liam Baker, Daniel Rioli and Shai Bolton want to leave Punt Road and Jack Graham could also be on the way out. That is a disaster for the fabric of the club.

But hopefully the Tigers can put a positive spin on all of this drama by loading up at this and next year’s drafts as the rebuild commences.

Andrew Slevison

POSITIVES

St Kilda will take a lot into 2025 after finishing the season in strong fashion by winning six of their last seven games. This positive stretch of form included big the scalps of Geelong, Sydney and Carlton.

Furthermore, a major positive for St Kilda this season was the overall development of the young core. Darcy Wilson, who was selected last season with Pick 18 in the draft, has emerged as a real talent for the Saints. Wilson played every game this season and has impressed with his running capacity and skills.

Wilson, along with other rookies Angus Hastie, Arie Schoenmaker and Hugo Garcia, who showed real promise in his limited opportunities, will join the likes of Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera, Mitch Owens, Marcus Windhager, Liam Henry, and Mattaes Phillipou in an emerging youthful core.

NEGATIVES

Coming into the season, St Kilda was positioned to take another leap in Ross Lyon's second year back as coach.

They played finals after finishing the home and away season in sixth position, however, they unfortunately failed and regressed to 12th on the ladder in 2024.

St Kilda and their inconsistency was a key negative that plagued the 2024 campaign. At their best they showed strong signs by beating teams contending for the premiership.

However, the gap between their best and worst was too big, as they fell to teams like Adelaide, Melbourne and Essendon and suffered very heavy defeats to the Western Bulldogs and Brisbane Lions.

Noah Desta

POSITIVES

In a season full of negatives for the Eagles, a key positive that stood out from the 2024 season was Jake Waterman’s rise.

Coming into the season, Waterman had kicked 75 goals in 84 games across six seasons with the Eagles. 

This year, he kicked 53 goals in 20 games and finished fifth in the 2024 Coleman Medal. With co-captain Oscar Allen having an injury-ridden season, Waterman arose for the Eagles as one of the league's most reliable kicks for goal.

No.1 draft pick Harley Reid at times lived up to the hype with immense showings as a breakaway midfielder with forward craft.

NEGATIVES

In 2024, the Eagles failed to show any real improvement as they finished 16th on the ladder and suffered 10 losses by 50 points or more in yet another dismal season. 

A key negative in the season for the Eagles was the mid-year Adam Simpson sacking that ended his 11-year tenure with the club. Simpson guided the club to two Grand Finals and one flag in 2018.

In addition to this, West Coast are yet to find a full-time replacement and have already been ruled out by desired candidate Dean Cox, who has been an assistant coach at the Swans since 2017.

Noah Desta