September 21, 2026

AFL Predictions for the Grand Final

Team Ratings for the Grand Final

The basic method is described on my Department home page.
Here are the team ratings prior to this week’s games, along with the ratings at the start of the season.

Current Rating Rating at Season Start Difference
Brisbane Lions 25.18 26.20 -1.00
Geelong Cats 24.17 26.75 -2.60
Sydney Swans 24.04 0.56 23.50
Fremantle Dockers 22.14 6.56 15.60
Hawthorn Hawks 18.94 22.83 -3.90
Adelaide Crows 12.34 15.32 -3.00
Melbourne Demons 9.05 1.64 7.40
Carlton Blues 6.99 -4.77 11.80
Western Bulldogs 4.93 26.06 -21.10
Collingwood 3.06 11.76 -8.70
GWS Giants -0.48 9.54 -10.00
Gold Coast Suns -1.87 10.24 -12.10
St Kilda Saints -3.24 -7.63 4.40
North Melbourne -10.83 -21.71 10.90
Port Adelaide Power -18.07 -14.65 -3.40
West Coast Eagles -33.36 -39.36 6.00
Richmond Tigers -33.74 -29.44 -4.30
Essendon Bombers -37.26 -27.89 -9.40

 

Performance So Far

So far there have been 217 matches played, 153 of which were correctly predicted, a success rate of 70.5%.
Here are the predictions for last week’s games.

Game Date Score Prediction Correct
1 Sydney Swans vs. Fremantle Dockers Sept 18 71 – 83 17.40 FALSE
2 Hawthorn Hawks vs. Brisbane Lions Sept 19 122 – 131 7.30 FALSE

 

Predictions for the Grand Final

Here are the predictions for the Grand Final. The prediction is my estimated expected points difference with a positive margin being a win to the home team, and a negative margin a win to the away team.

Game Date Winner Prediction
1 Fremantle Dockers vs. Brisbane Lions Sept 26 Brisbane Lions -3.00

 

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David Scott obtained a BA and PhD from the Australian National University and then commenced his university teaching career at La Trobe University in 1972. He has taught at La Trobe University, the University of Sheffield, Bond University and Colorado State University, joining the University of Auckland, based at Tamaki Campus, in mid-1995. He has been Head of Department at La Trobe University, Acting Dean and Associate Dean (Academic) at Bond University, and Associate Director of the Centre for Quality Management and Data Analysis at Bond University with responsibility for Short Courses. He was Head of the Department of Statistics in 2000, and is a past President of the New Zealand Statistical Assocation. See all posts by David Scott »

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