Don’t let the loud voices distract you from the fact that Damian Barrett has delivered three fantastic preseason ladder predictions in a row.
Since he finished dead last in Squiggle’s 2019 Rate My Ladder analysis, Barrett has improved every year to become a reliable source of preseason insight. And 2024 was his best yet, smoking not just the rest of the AFL punditry, but all the models, too.
Look at this thing! Sure, he had the Hawks last, and only got 5 of the top 8. But the top 4 are all there. And this was a tough year.
If you’re ready to hop on board the Barrett train, you can find his 2025 predictions here. Or view all collected 2025 predicted ladders from both media experts and models.
As usual, models did better than pundits on average, filling half the top 10 slots but few of the lower ones.
I have also managed to get the Ladder Scoreboard back online after it collapsed last year under the weight of Round 0 bugs. Hooray!