Dwayne Russell ranks all 18 AFL teams ahead of the AAMI Community Series

Dwayne Russell has ranked all 18 AFL teams ahead of the AAMI Community Series beginning on Tuesday night between Geelong and Essendon at GMHBA Stadium.

All 18 clubs will play an official warm-up match in the six-day series with the final game taking place between Fremantle and Melbourne at Rushton Park in Mandurah on Sunday.

Russell also named a few teams that he’s particularly interested in watching over the next few days.

“I can't wait to see Collingwood on Wednesday night at Ikon Park against Richmond,” Russell said on SEN Afternoons.

“There is an expectation that Collingwood maybe is either on the edge of another flag with their old guys or on the edge of tipping off the cliff.

“The Western Bulldogs are going to be an interesting watch this Thursday against Hawthorn in Launceston.

“I mean, what are the Dogs going to look like given that they've got a few injuries at the moment? They've got a few bumps in the road to come early in the season with their injury list.

“I can’t wait to see Carlton against the Giants at Manuka Oval on Friday just to work out whether I should actually have them in the eight or not because the Giants are certainly a flag contender – I’ve picked them to win the flag.”

As for his early rankings and way-too-early ladder prediction, Russell foresees Melbourne being a big riser after finishing 14th in 2024.

Russell will take into account the AAMI Community Series games across the next week to finalise his top eight and ladder before the season begins officially when Brisbane hosts Geelong at the Gabba on Thursday, March 6.

Dwayne’s very early team rankings

1 - GWS
2 - Hawthorn
3 - Brisbane
4 - Fremantle
5 - Geelong
6 - Sydney
7 - Collingwood
8 - Melbourne
9 - Carlton
10 - Port Adelaide
11 - Western Bulldogs
12 - St Kilda
13 - Essendon
14 - Adelaide
15 - Gold Coast
16 - North Melbourne
17 - Richmond
18 - West Coast