A CLUB BY CLUB ANALYSIS OF THE TEAMS EXPECTED TO MISS OUT ON THE AFL FINALS:

* PORT ADELAIDE

HITS: Stingy defence with stalwart Tom Jonas surrounded by Tom Clurey (24-years-old), Dougal Howard (22), Darcy Byrne-Jones (22) and Riley Bonner (21) who all have long careers ahead. Winger Jared Polec’s stunning season. Robbie Gray’s consistent excellence.

MISSES: Lack of scoring power. Trio of trumped recruits – Jack Watts, Tom Rockliff and Steven Motlop – fail to leave significant imprints. Sloppy skills, ranking above only Gold Coast for disposal efficiency. Slid from 11 wins four losses to move out of finals reckoning.

NEEDS: Midfield speed. Ruck support for Paddy Ryder. Chad Wingard to rediscover his best.

* NORTH MELBOURNE

HITS: Ben Brown’s emergence as one of the most prolific goalkickers in the competition. Majak Daw’s growth as defensive pillar. Shaun Higgins’ all-round influence. Rank sixth in the league for winning contested ball.

MISSES: Losing six games so far by less than three goals. Defeats to Gold Coast and Western Bulldogs.

NEEDS: Coach Brad Scott openly yearns for midfield class. After missing out on recruiting Dustin Martin and Josh Kelly in recent years, can the Roos lure a big-name onballer?

* ESSENDON

HITS: Dyson Heppell and Zach Merrett’s excellence. Improved scoring power and attacking game style bothers most opposition. Valuable input from recruits Devon Smith, Adam Saad and Jake Stringer.

MISSES: Joe Daniher’s absence since round seven because of groin issues. Losing five games by less than three goals. Defeats in six of their initial eight games. Rank 14th for rebound 50s. Losing to Carlton.

NEEDS: Daniher and Orazio Fantasia to win their injury battles. Continued development of a batch headed by Darcy Parish and Andrew McGrath.

* ADELAIDE

HITS: Tom Doedee filling the Jake Lever void with aplomb. Outstanding output from Rory Laird and Matt Crouch. Wayne Milera turning into an influential backman. Re-signing Rory Sloane and Tom Lynch.

MISSES: Disastrous mind-training pre-season camp. Massive injury toll, particularly a succession of hamstring strains. Gone from the highest-scoring team to 12th-best with Taylor Walker and Eddie Betts slipping alarmingly.

NEEDS: Better injury prevention. Speed to enhance a pedestrian midfield. Betts and Walker to rediscover their scoring power.

* WESTERN BULLDOGS

HITS: Prolific ball-winning of Jack Macrae and Lachie Hunter. The rise of Billy Gowers from rookie draft pick to the club’s leading goalkicker.

MISSES: Injuries. Losing streaks – five consecutive defeats from round nine and four successive losses from round 16. Fade-outs: suffering 11 losses by 35 points or more. Lack of scoring power, with no player kicking more than Gowers’ 23 goals so far.

NEEDS: A top-line ruckman. More attacking threats. Luck with injuries.

* FREMANTLE

HITS: Midfielder Lachie Neale’s elite ball-winning. David Mundy’s consistency. The undoubted class of first-year players Andrew Brayshaw and Adam Cerra.

MISSES: Rank 17th for winning contested possessions. Cam McCarthy’s lousy season. A dozen losses of 28 points or more, including a club-record 133 point defeat to Geelong. Nat Fyfe’s serious hamstring injury.

NEEDS: An imposing forward. Captain Fyfe to stay injury-free. Ruckman Aaron Sandilands to stay on the park after just 26 games in the past three years.

* BRISBANE

HITS: Improved ball use: rank equal-second in the league for disposal efficiency. The growth of key forward Eric Hipwood, the promise of Cam Rayner, the ball-winning feats of Dayne Beams. Competitiveness rising under coach Chris Fagan.

MISSES: Eight consecutive losses to start the season. Leaky defence: only four clubs conceded more scores so far this season. Prized recruit Charlie Cameron’s foot injury which ended his season after round 11.

NEEDS: Boost in defensive stocks. Hipwood, Rayner and fellow youngsters to continue their upward curve.

* ST KILDA

HITS: The feats of main ball-winners Seb Ross and Jack Stevens. Jade Gresham’s goalscoring nous.

MISSES: Fourteen of 16 losses so far have been by more than four goals. Goalkicking accuracy ranks second-worst in the league. Woeful defence: kept opposition to below 73 points just once, and that was Carlton.

NEEDS: Upper-class talent in every line. A key forward. More midfield grunt.

* GOLD COAST

HITS: Jarrod Witts’ rise as a ruckman. Round 18 win against Sydney. Consistency of Touk Miller and Jarrad Harbrow.

MISSES: Tom Lynch’s departure – and his injury-plagued season. Misfiring midfield rank last for centre clearances. Backline conceding more than 78 points in 17 games so far. Last in the league for disposal efficiency and goalkicking accuracy.

NEEDS: A replacement for Lynch in attack. Midfielders that can win their share of contested ball. Better skills. Tighter defence.

* CARLTON

HITS: Patrick Cripps’ brilliance. Kade Simpson’s continued sturdiness. The influence of Charlie Curnow and Paddy Dow.

MISSES: Rank last in contested possessions. Opponents have kicked more than 90 points against them 14 times. Impotent scoring: only twice kicking more than 79 points. Injuries to Matthew Kreuzer and Jacob Weitering.

NEEDS: Experienced talent in every division to help the youngsters hold up. A reliable ruckman.