''I just can't get my head around … looking at the ladder and seeing Sydney on top, Adelaide second. I can't get my head around them being the best two sides in the comp - because they're not,'' Malthouse said on 3AW yesterday.

''It's a lot to do with the draw. They're not the best sides.

''If Sydney and Adelaide finish first and second and they knock over [in week one] the next two on the ladder, say it's Collingwood and Hawthorn, then [Collingwood and Hawthorn] will run into Geelong, who've run into some good form, North Melbourne, who've snuck up on people … and West Coast, who are a better side than how they've been playing. You can throw a blanket right over this group at the moment.''

Malthouse said he considered Hawthorn to be ''a far better side'' than Sydney, despite the Swans having convincingly beaten the Hawks in Launceston in round five. He also said Adelaide, drawn to play Gold Coast and GWS twice as well as local rival Port Adelaide, was benefiting significantly from having finished fourth from bottom last season.

''I'm not saying they're a dreadful side, but … I don't think they're the best side, and they can finish on top of the ladder,'' he said.