THE ROOS are set to freefall from the eight this season, AFL players predict.
As part of the fourth annual AFL Players' Top 50, players were asked to nominate which club would take the biggest tumble down the ladder in 2017.
Nearly half the players surveyed (47 per cent) believe the Kangaroos are set for this season's biggest plummet.
Brad Scott's men have made the finals for three consecutive years.
But after rampaging to a 9-0 start last year, they limped home to finish eighth with 11 wins, before being bounced out by Adelaide in the first week of finals.
Since then, they've seen some big list adjustments with the likes of Brent Harvey, Drew Petrie, Daniel Wells, Nick Dal Santo and Michael Firrito departing Arden Street.
Hawks heading down?
It's also a new era for the Hawks, who 32 per cent of players think will fall furthest this season.
After finishing fifth last year, the premiers from 2013-15 found themselves in unfamiliar territory when they were beaten in straight sets by Geelong and the Western Bulldogs.
They reacted aggressively in trade period by shipping Sam Mitchell and Jordan Lewis off to West Coast and Melbourne, and acquiring younger midfielders Jaeger O'Meara and Tom Mitchell in their place.
And despite Geelong's improvement from 10th in 2015 to third last year, five per cent of players believe the Cats will tumble more than any other side despite their midfield led by Brownlow medallist Patrick Dangerfield and captain Joel Selwood.
Which team will tumble furthest down the ladder in 2017?
| Team | Votes | |
|---|---|---|
| North Melbourne | NMFC | 47 per cent |
| Hawthorn | HAW | 32 per cent |
| Geelong | GEEL | 5 per cent |
Catch up on the AFL Players' Top 50
• 50-41: Tough-as-nail Demon's time arrives
• 40-36: Magpie Treloar soars in the spotlight
• 35-31: What rising Blue Patrick Cripps still needs to improve
• 30-26: Baby Bomber Zach Merrett's next challenge
• 25-21: Who is the Giants' most valuable player?
• 20-16: The day Max Gawn became invincible
Who's next?
• Check out the rest of the AFL Players' Top 50 as they are revealed
• Breakout stars: The players name the seven most likely to explode
• Who topped the count in 2016?
