AFL 2026 Preliminary Finals: Brisbane and Fremantle Set for Grand Final

Published: 20 September 2026, 12:01 BST Updated: 20 September 2026, 12:28 BST Daniel Harris 7 mins read 0

Brisbane Lions advance to their fourth consecutive Grand Final following a dramatic and high-scoring preliminary final victory over Hawthorn.

Brisbane defeated Hawthorn 131–122 in a high-scoring preliminary final decided by Hugh McCluggage’s late holding-the-ball free kick and goal. The Lions reach their fourth consecutive Grand Final, with Nick Watson and Kai Lohmann recording career-best hauls for their respective sides.

Fremantle overcame a 21-point three-quarter-time deficit to defeat Sydney 83–71, scoring the final six goals. The Dockers will face Brisbane at the MCG aiming for their first AFL title.

Reigning Premiers Brisbane made it through to their fourth straight Grand Final after managing to overcome Hawthorn in what will go down as an all-time classic.

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The 97,835 in attendance at the MCG were treated to a fantastic encounter that saw both sides put up over 100 points on the scoreboard; not seen since 1999.

It featured nine lead changes throughout the evening, full of ebbs and flows, that ultimately went down to the wire and was decided by a highly contentious decision.

With just 36 seconds left on the clock, Hawks’ Jarmen Impey was pinged for holding the ball following a tackle by Hugh McCluggage. He took full advantage of the free-kick by holding his nerve to go back, 40 yards out and slot home to score the winner.

Certainly, an incident that will be all the talk amongst fans and media, with everyone having their own opinion as to whether it was the correct call by the umpires.

Unfortunately, it also saw some rather unsavoury scenes at the end, which have no place in the sport, with bottles being thrown onto the pitch towards the officials.

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Speaking on the ground to Fox Footy, post-siren, the 28-year-old All-Australian said, “Unbelievable. I am absolutely speechless. Such an arm wrestle, back and forth and the crowd was amazing. We had momentum in the third. They played really well in the fourth and we just came out on top; that’s how Prelims work.”

“They got on top of us with their run and centre bounce, really got some territory; they are an amazing team. They are hard to stop if you give them a look. I am just super proud of the boys to fight back the way we did at the end.”

On his big moment, he added, “I was thinking that I have kicked these and had a couple in the game. So, just run straight and kick it, take the moment. Probably could have taken a bit more time of the clock, when I think about it, but just ecstatic.”

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In a fixture featuring two quality teams, there were some real standout performances from the likes of midfielder Nick Watson (pictured above), who showed just why he is nicknamed ‘The Wizard’ by sprinkling some magic with a career-high six majors for the Hawks.

Whilst on the other side, Kai Lohmann hit a career-high five snags and two-time Norm Smith Medallist Will Ashcroft (pictured below) was also instrumental for the victorious Lions.

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They will now have the chance to go for an amazing three-peat, something the club achieved back at the turn of the century (2001-2003) and go in full of confidence.

Talking in the rooms to Channel 7, co-captain Harris Andrews said, “That was bonkers, just a crazy game. Such a rollercoaster of emotion; very proud of the boys in the way that they were able to handle those keys moments late on.”

“It is a special period of time for the club and we just want to have sustained success. We want to be a club that guys want to come and play at and late into the season like the last couple of years. I feel that we have created an environment where guys can come up, thrive and have a good time along the way.”

Result

Hawthorn 19.8 (122)
Brisbane 20.11 (131)

Dockers come from the clouds to Make the Grannie

A storming fourth-quarter comeback by Fremantle saw them book their place in the Grannie, as they ran over the top of a spirited Sydney in front of 40,000+ at the SCG.

It means that this year’s Minor Premiers (McClelland Trophy) will head to Victoria with the opportunity to rewrite club history by winning their first-ever Premiership.

However, towards the end of the third it wasn’t looking like that would be the case; they were up against it, with the hosts well on top and in a commanding position.

A key moment came on the siren, heading into the final change. Hayden Young (pictured below) took a fine mark and then booted a stunning goal from out on the boundary. It brought the margin back to 21 points and absolutely, no doubt, gave them a lift.

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Speaking on ground to Fox Footy, post-match, the 25-year-old midfielder said, “It is unbelievable. I can’t really describe it; it is a great feeling and just a massive sense of pride. We were challenged. On the whiteboard, at the start of the day, the message was “We play to win”. I just felt like we came out in the last quarter and did exactly that, didn’t take a backwards step, at all and got the job done.”

On that all-important goal, he commented, “I was pretty lucky to be honest. I wasn’t overly confident to be fair; it was a fluke. I was pretty happy when it went through and then stoked that we came out in that last quarter and responded.”

In the final term, it was all Dockers who simply overwhelmed the opposition and amassed 23 inside 50s – their highest ever return in a single quarter of finals footy.

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That led to them scoring the last six majors of the contest, with Isaiah Dudley (pictured above) capitalising on a defensive mistake to put through the big sticks and seal it for them.

The last team to win a Prelim having trailed by at least 21 points, heading into the last change, was Adelaide when they defeated the Western Bulldogs back in 1997.

Full credit to the Swans that played their part in a thrilling match. In the end, though they just ran out of legs and were unable to wrestle back any of the momentum.

Most had written off their chances at the start of the series, following the serious allegations centred around an incident that took place in a Melbourne hotel last month and led to five of their squad being stood down as part of the investigation.

Despite coming out on the wrong end of the ledger, Swans coach Dean Cox was proud of his players. In his presser, he said, “It’s hard to say it’s a missed opportunity when you play a really good footy team. Prelims are big games and there’s a lot at stake because there’s a Grand Final next week.”

“We missed the opportunity to take those moments to put ourselves in a Grand Final and that’s why everyone’s really disappointed. But we should also be really proud of finishing second on the ladder, hosting a prelim and just falling short.”