Club captains have backed Adelaide to qualify for finals for the third consecutive season.
All 18 captains were quizzed on their predictions for Season 2017 as part of the annual pre-season captains’ survey.
Fifteen of the AFL’s 18 leaders tipped the Crows when asked to select seven other teams (apart from their own) most likely to make the top eight.
Sydney was the only club unanimously selected to play finals in 2017, while crosstown rival Greater Western Sydney was the clear premiership favourite among the skippers.
West Coast (16), the Western Bulldogs (15), Geelong and Hawthorn (both 14) were all popular selections while St Kilda and Melbourne were widely seen as this season’s big improvers.
All up, 11 different clubs were listed as potential finalists, while just four were tipped to make the Grand Final.
One rival captain predicted Adelaide to be a 2017 Grand Finalist.
Tex to do ‘everything possible’
Crows vice-captain Rory Sloane was backed by one captain to take out this year’s Brownlow Medal.
The courageous onballer polled a career-best 24 votes to be the fourth-highest vote-getter in last year’s count, despite being ineligible for the award.
Five skippers predicted Patrick Dangerfield to claim back-to-back Brownlows, while Marcus Bontempelli (Western Bulldogs), Dan Hannebery (Sydney) and Dustin Martin (Richmond) each polled two votes.
Gold Coast spearhead Tom Lynch and Swans star Lance Franklin each received six votes as the likely Coleman Medallist, ahead of 2016 winner Josh Kennedy, with four votes.
Last year's No.1 draft pick, Essendon's Andrew McGrath, led the predictions to win the NAB AFL Rising Star with four votes, ahead of Tim Taranto from GWS and Port Adelaide's Sam Powell-Pepper who both received three votes.
AFL CAPTAINS’ SURVEY - FULL VOTING
Which seven other clubs do you think can make this year's top eight?
(18 x seven selections)
Sydney (17)
GWS (16)
West Coast (16)
Adelaide (15)
Western Bulldogs (15)
Geelong (14)
Hawthorn (14)
St Kilda (11)
Melbourne (6)
Essendon (1)
Fremantle (1)
Which other club is most likely to reach the Grand Final?
(No captains picked the Western Bulldogs in 2016)
GWS (14)
Adelaide (1)
Sydney (1)
West Coast (1)
Western Bulldogs (1)
Who do you think will win the 2017 Brownlow Medal?
(Four captains correctly nominated Patrick Dangerfield in 2016)
Patrick Dangerfield – Geelong (5)
Marcus Bontempelli - Western Bulldogs (2)
Dan Hannebery – Sydney (2)
Dustin Martin – Richmond (2)
Lance Franklin – Sydney (1)
Max Gawn - Melbourne (1)
Luke Shuey - West Coast (1)
Rory Sloane - Adelaide (1)
Adam Treloar - Collingwood (1)
Callan Ward – GWS (1)
Jobe Watson - Essendon (1)
Who do you think will win the 2017 Coleman Medal?
(Seven captains correctly nominated Josh Kennedy in 2016)
Lance Franklin - Sydney (6)
Tom Lynch - Gold Coast (6)
Josh Kennedy - West Coast (4)
Jeremy Cameron - GWS (2)
Who do you think will win the 2017 NAB AFL Rising Star?
(Seven captains correctly nominated Callum Mills in 2016)
Andrew McGrath - Essendon (4)
Sam Powell-Pepper - Port Adelaide (3)
Tim Taranto – GWS (3)
Jacob Hopper - GWS (2)
Hugh McCluggage – Brisbane (2)
Jack Bowes - Gold Coast (1)
Sean Darcy - Fremantle (1)
Caleb Marchbank - Carlton (1)
Sam Petrevski-Seton - Carlton (1)
