Cornes and King's Bullseye: AFL win targets for 2026

With the 2026 AFL season now just over a week away, Fireball co-hosts David King and Kane Cornes got up early and did the work to calculate their 2026 “Bullseye” targets for each of the 18 clubs.

Based on their recruitment, off-season prep and what they have seen in intra-club and match sim, King and Cornes presented their win target for each club.

According to recent history, 16 wins is the magic number for a flag winner. So who have they got above this target?

Starting with the top nine from the 2025 home and away season, here are their predictions with the remaining teams to come on Friday's Fireball.

2025 H&A season: 18-5, 139%

King: "15 wins, this will be bottom part of the eight for me. Injuries will be a concern for me early on. I don’t know if they have improved enough, Callum Ah Chee is not a needle mover."

Kingy's Crows bullseye: 15 wins

Cornes: "They welcome in Callum Ah Chee as the biggest list change, 15 wins. They were healthy last year with a tough draw but they will be tough to beat and they will play a good brand of footy."

Kane's Crows bullseye: 15 wins

2025 H&A season: 17-6, 141.5%

King: "I’ve gone 17, they will have a sluggish start to the year. Jeremy Cameron’s early absence worries me. They have a tough start but the back half I think they will put together two long runs."

Kingy's Cats bullseye: 17 wins

Cornes: "No real changes, Worpel comes in, they lost some experience in Duncan and Guthrie. My bullseye, I have them slipping, it’s 14. It has to become difficult for them at some stage. Do they have the fire power through the midfield? They play a lot at home which will be in their favour but I don’t think they will be as powerful as they were last year."

Kane's Cats bullseye: 14 wins

2025 H&A season: 16-6-1, 116%

King: "20 wins, I don’t think they have lost a lot. There’s not a lot on the outs but the ins are significant. I’m a believer in Oscar Allen and I understand those that aren’t. Everyone is chasing Brisbane; there’s no hiding that. Their system is only getting better through the stand rule. I don’t know how you stop them."

King's Lions bullseye: 20 wins

Cornes: "Allen, Annable, Draper the big ins to their list, Big O retires and Ah Chee has gone to the Crows. I’m not as high, I have them at 17 wins. It’s tough to stay motivated when you have won two in a row, they will peak towards the back end."

Kane's Lions bullseye: 17 wins

2025 H&A season: 16-7, 122%

King: "11 wins, sticky start to the year. St Kilda will come hard, they will tag Daicos. It will be on the fortunes of Nick. I think they have a couple of match ups early that will rattle the cage. 11 could be a lofty number."

King's Magpies bullseye: 11 wins

Cornes: In comes not a whole lot. Out goes Cox, Hoskin-Elliott, Mitchell and Mihocek which is what they have to do to shake up this list. I think they will slip, I’ve got them at 11.

2025 H&A season: 16-7, 115%

King: "Is 12 a bit low? I’ve gone 13 wins. Injuries are a concern and I think they have a tough start. I’ve got them struggling early, they are banged up. They will get rolling after the first few."

King's Giants bullseye: 12 wins

Cornes: "Not a whole lot comes in except Clayton Oliver and there’s a lot of injuries. I think it will be hard for them. They are well coached, but I’ve got them at 12."

Kane's Giants bullseye: 12 wins

2025 H&A season: 16-7, 109%

King: "18 wins, Cox I think is a smart selection, but he is not a needle mover necessarily. They have a suite of kids to step up. I don’t think they’ve been in a better position than they are right now."

King's Dockers bullseye: 18 wins

Cornes: "Cox is in, McVee will be handy, Fyfe has retired as has James Aish. I’ve got a big number, it’s 18. What’s their weakness? Where is it? Their ability to kick longer contests and play with speed off that is a weapon we started to see late. Midfield is stacked; they have depth in their ruck their back line is strong. They will be up there."

Kane's Dockers bullseye: 18 wins

2025 H&A season: 15-8, 128%

King: "17 wins, Petracca is the biggest needle mover across the competition this year. He is what you need to win big games. Who knows what they get out of Jamarra but that will be a bonus if he wins games. I like what they have built. It’s time now for them to stack consistent wins."

King's Suns bullseye: 17 wins

Cornes: "Petracca, Ugle-Hagan and Zeke Uwland are in. They lost some experience but I don’t think it will affect them too much. 17 wins, there’s a resilience about them now, They have ruck depth, there a very good chance to win the flag."

Kane's Suns bullseye: 17 wins

2025 H&A season: 15-8, 121%

King: "17 wins. Will Day is the only concern, they are set and ready to go. My query is, was this the year they’re meant to be there to win it and I think the Zach Merrett conversation will loom large in the second half of the year and they might be lacking one midfielder. They want for nothing really."

King's Hawks bullseye: 17 wins

Cornes: "Not a whole lot of change. Out goes some experience and Will Day is injured of course. They’re a very good side, I have their bullseye at 16 wins."

Kane's Hawks bullseye: 16 wins

2025 H&A season: 14-9, 137 %

King: "The big boys will get hold of them. I’ve got them on 16 wins. It will happen around the edges of the top four or five sides. Rounds 5-17 or 18 I’ve got them winning 10 in a row. See how they start. They have a sticky start. They look like a team hitting the line hard."

King's Bulldogs bullseye: 16 wins

Cornes: "They were hard done by to miss the eight and their first three weeks is hard. They lose some experience. I’ve got their bullseye at 17. They play 13 games at Marvel so there’s 11 and they don’t travel a whole lot. A powerful midfield and they have the two best players in the league. If you’re not winning 17, what are you doing? This list is too good not to be deep in September."

Kane's Bulldogs bullseye: 17 wins