We have gazed into the crystal ball ahead of the 2023 Toyota AFL Premiership Season. Picture: AFL Digital

OUR ESTEEMED team of journalists have peered into football's crystal ball and come up with their prognostications for season 2023.

Our experts believe this year's premiership battle will be a race in three between Geelong, Brisbane and Melbourne, while Hawthorn are the overwhelming favourites to win the wooden spoon.

CAPTAINS' PREDICTIONS Grand finalists, Brownlow, top eight tips for 2023

On an individual level, Will Ashcroft is the clear favourite to win the AFL Rising Star while Marcus Bontempelli and Christian Petracca got the most tips for the Brownlow.

Spooky or just kooky? Read 'em and weep (or laugh).

Damian Barrett

Premier: Geelong
Runner-up: Brisbane
Wooden spoon: North Melbourne
Moving up: Carlton
Set to fall: Western Bulldogs
Brownlow Medal: Chad Warner, Marcus Bontempelli to tie
Coleman Medal: Charlie Curnow
AFL Rising Star: Will Ashcroft
Recruit of the year: Jack Gunston
Surprise All-Australian: Jason Horne-Francis
Will Carlton finally make the finals? Absolutely
Which new club coach will have the best season? Ross The Boss. They won't be making the finals, the Saints, but Ross will use 2023 to work out exactly what needs to be done to this mess of a list.
Who should headline the Grand Final entertainment? Def Leppard and Icehouse
Headline you'll see: Clarko Blows Up At ….
Headline you won't see: Bevo: Dunks And I Are Good Mates
Big call: Hawks to lose multiple national draft picks as part of fallout to racism investigation.

Barrett's ladder prediction

1. Brisbane
2. Geelong
3. Sydney
4. Carlton
5. Melbourne
6. Port Adelaide
7. Collingwood
8. Fremantle

9. Richmond
10. Western Bulldogs
11. Adelaide
12. Greater Western Sydney
13. St Kilda
14. Gold Coast
15. Essendon
16. West Coast
17. Hawthorn
18. North Melbourne

09:19

'Never thought I'd coach again': Saint Ross's second coming

Ross Lyon tells Damian Barrett about his life lessons, the 'trauma' of past coaching stints and why he came back

Gemma Bastiani

Premier: Brisbane 
Runner-up: Geelong 
Wooden spoon: North Melbourne 
Moving up: Brisbane 
Set to fall: St Kilda 
Brownlow Medal: Isaac Heeney 
Coleman Medal: Jeremy Cameron 
AFL Rising Star: Will Ashcroft 
Recruit of the year: Luke Jackson 
Surprise All-Australian: Noah Anderson 
Will Carlton finally make the finals? No, but they will come agonisingly close (again) 
Which new club coach will have the best season? Adam Kingsley 
Who should headline the Grand Final entertainment? Lizzo 
Headline you'll see: What nightmares? Sydney's Grand Final performance simply a blip on the radar 
Headline you won't see: Melbourne's Grundy mistake: Gawn partnership not working 
Big call: Jack Gunston to edge out Daniher and Hipwood to be Brisbane's leading goalkicker.

Bastiani's ladder prediction 

1. Brisbane 
2. Geelong 
3. Melbourne 
4. Sydney 
5. Fremantle 
6. Western Bulldogs 
7. Collingwood 
8. Richmond 

9. Carlton 
10. Gold Coast 
11. Port Adelaide 
12. Greater Western Sydney 
13. Essendon 
14. Adelaide 
15. Hawthorn 
16. West Coast 
17. St Kilda 
18. North Melbourne 

Riley Beveridge

Premier: Melbourne
Runner-up: Brisbane
Wooden spoon: Hawthorn
Moving up: Carlton
Set to fall: Fremantle
Brownlow Medal: Marcus Bontempelli
Coleman Medal: Harry McKay
AFL Rising Star: Will Ashcroft
Recruit of the year: Josh Dunkley
Surprise All-Australian: Liam Jones
Will Carlton finally make the finals? Yes
Which new club coach will have the best season? Adam Kingsley
Who should headline the Grand Final entertainment? Dua Lipa
Headline you'll see: Pies somehow win a thriller from nowhere … again
Headline you won't see: Saints upload unmuted file of round one coaches' box audio
Big call: Buddy kicks a bag of eight goals at least once as a final send-off.

Beveridge's ladder prediction

1. Melbourne
2. Brisbane
3. Geelong
4. Richmond
5. Sydney
6. Carlton
7. Western Bulldogs
8. Collingwood

9. Fremantle
10. Port Adelaide
11. Greater Western Sydney
12. Gold Coast
13. Adelaide
14. West Coast
15. Essendon
16. St Kilda
17. North Melbourne
18. Hawthorn

33:18

The best 100 goals from the 2022 season

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Sarah Black

Premier: Geelong
Runner-up: Melbourne
Wooden spoon: Hawthorn
Moving up: Greater Western Sydney
Set to fall: St Kilda
Brownlow Medal: Tim Taranto
Coleman Medal: Jeremy Cameron
AFL Rising Star: Harry Sheezel
Recruit of the year: Tanner Bruhn
Surprise All-Australian: Alex Pearce
Will Carlton finally make the finals? No
Which new club coach will have the best season? While it won't yet be the full-on orange tsunami of old, Adam Kingsley will get the Giants back to big-wave surfing.
Who should headline the Grand Final entertainment? Gang of Youths. This will continue to be my answer every year until it happens. Aussie band, big stadium anthems, Triple J darlings, proven track record at the NRL Grand Final back in 2018.
Headline you'll see: One more time with feeling: Tomahawk to go again in 2024
Headline you won't see: One more time with feeling: Buddy to go again in 2024
Big call: Carlton's spot in the eight will once again come down to a final-round heartbreaker

Black's ladder prediction

1. Geelong
2. Melbourne
3. Brisbane 
4. Sydney
5. Richmond
6. Western Bulldogs
7. Fremantle
8. Collingwood

9. Carlton
10. Port Adelaide
11. Greater Western Sydney
12. Gold Coast
13. Essendon
14. Adelaide
15. St Kilda
16. West Coast
17. North Melbourne
18. Hawthorn

PLAY AFL FANTASY Pick your team NOW

Nat Edwards

Premier: Brisbane
Runner-up: Geelong
Wooden spoon: Hawthorn
Moving up: Richmond
Set to fall: Collingwood
Brownlow Medal: Marcus Bontempelli
Coleman Medal: Jeremy Cameron
AFL Rising Star: Will Ashcroft
Recruit of the year: Josh Dunkley
Surprise All-Australian: Will Ashcroft
Will Carlton finally make the finals? Yes
Which new club coach will have the best season? Brad Scott
Who should headline the Grand Final entertainment? Lizzo 
Headline you'll see: Grundy's last laugh: New Dee stars as Melbourne crushes Pies on King's Birthday
Headline you won't see: Buddy signs new deal with Swans
Big call: Nat Fyfe to make All-Australian team as a forward.

Edwards' ladder prediction

1. Brisbane
2. Melbourne
3. Geelong
4. Sydney
5. Richmond
6. Carlton
7. Western Bulldogs
8. Fremantle

9. Port Adelaide
10. Collingwood
11. Gold Coast
12. Adelaide
13. Greater Western Sydney
14. West Coast
15. Essendon
16. St Kilda
17. North Melbourne
18. Hawthorn

05:03

Mitchell explains Hawthorn's trade strategy

Coach Sam Mitchell reflects on Hawthorn's list changes and how it will set the club up for the future

Josh Gabelich

Premier: Melbourne 
Runner-up: Brisbane 
Wooden spoon: North Melbourne
Moving up: Carlton 
Set to fall: St Kilda 
Brownlow Medal: Christian Petracca 
Coleman Medal: Aaron Naughton
AFL Rising Star: Will Ashcroft 
Recruit of the year: Tim Taranto
Surprise All-Australian: Noah Anderson
Will Carlton finally make the finals? Yes
Which new club coach will have the best season? Adam Kingsley 
Headline you'll see: Not another Luke Jackson situation… clubs chase Pickett
Headline you won't see: Clarkson miracle happens at Arden Street, North return to September 
Big call: Curnow and McKay to kick 75 goals each, but Naughton will still win the Coleman

Gabelich's ladder prediction

1. Melbourne 
2. Brisbane 
3. Geelong 
4. Carlton 
5. Richmond 
6. Western Bulldogs 
7. Sydney 
8. Collingwood 

9. Port Adelaide
10. Fremantle
11. Gold Coast 
12. Greater Western Sydney
13. Adelaide 
14. St Kilda 
15. Essendon 
16. Hawthorn
17. West Coast
18. North Melbourne

Sarah Olle

Premier: Geelong
Runner-up: Melbourne
Wooden spoon: Hawthorn
Moving up: Carlton, Greater Western Sydney
Set to fall: Fremantle
Brownlow Medal: Clayton Oliver
Coleman Medal: Tom Lynch
AFL Rising Star: Sam Darcy 
Recruit of the year: Jack Gunston
Surprise All-Australian: Errol Gulden
Will Carlton finally make the finals? Yes
Which new club coach will have the best season? Adam Kingsley. The Orange Tsunami is back.
Who should headline the Grand Final entertainment? Dua Lipa (mainly for Tom Green).
Headline you'll see: The Hornet’s Nest: JHF clashes with former teammate
Headline you won't see: Father time finally catches up on Tom Hawkins 
Big call: Oscar Allen emerges as a genuine superstar.

Olle's ladder prediction

1. Geelong
2. Melbourne
3. Brisbane
4. Richmond
5. Carlton
6. Sydney
7. Western Bulldogs
8. Collingwood

9. Greater Western Sydney
10. Gold Coast
11. Fremantle
12. Port Adelaide
13. Adelaide
14. St Kilda
15. Essendon
16. West Coast 
17. North Melbourne
18. Hawthorn

15:56

Relentless: Geelong's decade-long journey to a flag

Chris Scott, Joel Selwood and more look back at the Cats' path to 2022 premiership glory

Nathan Schmook

Premier: Melbourne
Runner-up: Brisbane
Wooden spoon: Hawthorn
Moving up: Adelaide
Set to fall: St Kilda
Brownlow Medal: Lachie Neale
Coleman Medal: Charlie Curnow  
AFL Rising Star: Will Ashcroft, pipping Reuben Ginbey by a whisker
Recruit of the year: Josh Dunkley 
Surprise All-Australian: Michael Frederick
Will Carlton finally make the finals? Yes
Which new club coach will have the best season? Adam Kingsley
Who should headline the Grand Final entertainment? Arctic Monkeys
Headline you'll see: Fyfe joins Pav in Freo's 50-goal club
Headline you won't see: 'It was the wrong approach': Eagles reveal Draft regrets 
Big call: Adelaide to be the higher-ranked South Australian club in 2023.

Schmook's ladder prediction

1. Melbourne
2. Brisbane
3. Geelong
4. Sydney
5. Fremantle
6. Carlton
7. Western Bulldogs
8. Richmond

9. Collingwood
10. Adelaide
11. Gold Coast
12. Port Adelaide
13. Greater Western Sydney
14. West Coast
15. Essendon
16. St Kilda
17. North Melbourne
18. Hawthorn

Callum Twomey

Premier: Melbourne
Runner-up: Brisbane
Wooden spoon: Hawthorn
Moving up: Richmond
Set to fall: St Kilda
Brownlow Medal: Nick Daicos
Coleman Medal: Tom Lynch
AFL Rising Star: Will Ashcroft
Recruit of the year: Tim Taranto
Surprise All-Australian: Jordan Clark
Will Carlton finally make the finals? Yes
Which new club coach will have the best season? Brad Scott
Who should headline the Grand Final entertainment? Robbie again… but if not, Foo Fighters
Headline you'll see: Reid all about him: Clubs go crazy for top draft pick Harley
Headline you won't see: Tigers regret Giants' recruiting spree
Big call: Swans miss the eight on percentage after tightest ever home and away season.

Twomey's ladder prediction

1. Melbourne
2. Brisbane
3. Richmond
4. Collingwood
5. Geelong
6. Carlton
7. Port Adelaide
8. Western Bulldogs

9. Sydney
10. Fremantle
11. Gold Coast
12. Greater Western Sydney
13. Adelaide
14. Essendon
15. St Kilda
16. North Melbourne
17. West Coast
18. Hawthorn

03:46

'I go in with eyes wide open': How the Dons lured Scott back to coaching

Brad Scott tells Callum Twomey how his time at North Melbourne has him primed for a second crack at senior coaching

Michael Whiting

Premier: Geelong
Runner-up: Brisbane
Wooden spoon: North Melbourne
Moving up: Gold Coast
Set to fall: Richmond
Brownlow Medal: Christian Petracca
Coleman Medal: Charlie Curnow
AFL Rising Star: Will Ashcroft
Recruit of the year: Josh Dunkley
Surprise All-Australian: Max Holmes
Will Carlton finally make the finals? Yes
Which new club coach will have the best season? Brad Scott. We'll see a consistent gameplan that keeps Essendon competitive all year.
Who should headline the Grand Final entertainment? Taylor Swift
Headline you'll see: Rankine and Rachele light up Adelaide Oval
Headline you won't see: Horne-Francis given a warm reception by the Roos
Big call: Genuine wingmen to be picked in the All-Australian team – I'm willing it into existence.

Whiting's ladder prediction

1. Geelong
2. Brisbane 
3. Melbourne
4. Sydney
5. Western Bulldogs
6. Carlton
7. Gold Coast
8. Collingwood

9. Fremantle
10. Port Adelaide
11. Richmond
12. Adelaide
13. West Coast
14. Greater Western Sydney
15. St Kilda
16. Essendon
17. Hawthorn
18. North Melbourne

06:24

'They're rare, and we've got one': Why new Lion has Fagan smiling

Chris Fagan speaks with Michael Whiting on the summer of change in Brisbane