Dwayne Russell names his three 2025 finals locks after Round 4

DWAYNE Russell is only willing to lock three teams into playing finals after Round 4 of the AFL season.

The three teams that Russell is willing to label as certainties have all started the season brilliantly and sit inside the top four. Those clubs are Hawthorn (1st), Brisbane (2nd) and GWS (4th).

While we’ve only seen each team play three or four games so far, Russell is confident that each of those clubs will remain near the top of the ladder as they’ve proven their consistency from at least midway through the 2024 season.

“I still don’t think the sample size is big enough to make too many certainties for this season, I’m not locking too many teams into the top eight just yet,” Russell said on SEN Afternoons. “We saw last year that teams made mid-season runs and put egg on the faces of some who made predictions off the first three or four weeks.

“For me, there’s only three teams that you can lock in for finals this year.

“I think Hawthorn because they’re backing up what they did at the end of last year, it’s not a small sample size.

“I think you can lock in Brisbane, they’re backing up their premiership and what we’re seeing is real because it’s what we saw last year.

“I also think you can lock in GWS as well, they had a great year last year and look like premiership contenders this year.

“I think those three are certain.”

The other team that sits inside the top four currently is Gold Coast (3rd), but Russell isn’t willing to state that the Suns will play finals for the first time in club history this season as they’ve started seasons well before.

He also isn’t willing to completely write off both Carlton and Melbourne despite their winless starts to the season.

“I’m not certain Carlton are done and can’t make the eight, same for Melbourne just yet,” Russell said.

“Gold Coast do this every year when they start well… I’m not putting them in ink just yet.

“It’s a small sample size for them.

“I’m certainly not locking in Adelaide, nor Geelong, Sydney, St Kilda or Fremantle.”

Last year’s premiers Brisbane ended up winning the grand final after a 0-4 start to that campaign.

BY SEN/LACHLAN GELEIT