AFL Week 9 Power Rankings

With just 1 week left in the regular season, we know what 4 teams will compete for a chance at AFL Championship glory! Of course, there is more than pride on the line for the final week. For the top 2 squads, home field advantage is at stake, and any momentum gathered now could carry over to the postseason.

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1. Danube Dragons

The Danube Dragons had a close game against the Salzburg Ducks last week. Almost everyone was sure they would win, but most were left surprised when the scoreboard showed such a competitive final score. This showed that either the Dragons were slacking off in this one, or the Ducks finally got their shit together (which would be disappointing considering they will not be participating in the playoffs). The Dragons are still atop the league rankings but have to have a better performance in their rematch with Salzburg in Week 10.

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2. Graz Giants

The Graz Giants won their game against the Prague Black Panthers with a comfortable 25-point margin and are tied with the Dragons in wins/losses. The Giants are also one of the four teams that earned a spot in the playoffs and have a real chance at making some noise in the Austrian Bowl XL.

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3. Vienna Vikings

The Vikings lost yet another game after playing the Raiders in Tirol. The Vikings head coach acknowledged their mistakes, saying, “It sounds like a broken record, but we should have continued the game like we started in the first quarter.” This shows that the core problem for Vienna is that they become overly confident after scoring in the first half. They will be participating in the playoffs but will need to find a way to keep their foot on the pedal if they want to compete with Graz or Danube.

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4. Prague Black Panthers

The Prague Black Panthers are the last team that will be in the playoffs. They were hoping for a victory against the Giants for a home game in the playoffs, but just couldn’t find a way to win. Hopefully their performance will improve and they can show the league exactly why they were last year's champions.

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5. Swarco Raiders Tirol

The Raiders had an unsurprising loss against the Vikings and will not be part of this season's playoffs. At times they showed promise, and other times, well, they showed why they didn’t deserve to make a postseason appearance. One can only hope they learn from their mistakes and come back stronger than ever next year.

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6. Salzburg Ducks

The Ducks had an embarrassing season. Only one win all year (vs the Raiders) with most of their other matches not even close in the final tally. They definitely have things to work on in the offseason, but who knows? With the fight they showed this week, maybe Salzburg can get another win in the final week of the AFL and end the season on a good note.