AFL captains unanimously back Brisbane, Melbourne and Western Bulldogs to make finals

The captains have spoken, and they all agree — three teams are considered locks for the 2022 AFL finals series.

The Brisbane Lions joined 2021 grand finalists Melbourne and the Western Bulldogs as being unanimously voted for by the team captains as the likely finalists in 2022.

Only one team captain of the 18 polled said they thought Port Adelaide would not make the finals, while four captains predicted perennial finalists Geelong would miss out this year.

Richmond — which unexpectedly missed the finals in 2021 — also received 13 votes for making the finals, while Sydney (11), GWS (9), Essendon (5), Carlton (5), Fremantle (2) and St Kilda (1) all received votes.

Last year, no captains predicted Richmond's slide to 12th position, while only three correctly tipped West Coast and St Kilda to miss the top eight. None of the rival skippers backed eventual surprise packets Sydney to play finals.

Somewhat surprisingly, the Demons were only tipped by six rival skippers to reach the grand final again this year. Brisbane (five) and the Bulldogs (three) were popular choices ahead of Port Adelaide and Richmond (two each).

Last year not one rival skipper picked Melbourne or the Bulldogs to reach the 2021 decider, with most favouring Richmond or Brisbane. The Tigers were coming off a golden run of three premierships in the previous four seasons.

Bulldogs skipper Marcus Bontempelli (eight) is an overwhelming Brownlow favourite again, while no rival club captains believe Power midfielder Ollie Wines will repeat last year's victory. Melbourne's Clayton Oliver (four) is considered Bontempelli's main competitor for the game's most coveted individual award.

Last year, only one rival captain correctly picked Wines in 2021. Bontempelli (seven) was