The long wait is almost over with a new footy season on the horizon – it will officially kick off with Sydney hosting Carlton, in the curtain raiser as part of ‘Opening Round’, next Thursday evening (5 March, 7.30 pm), before a bumper crowd at the SCG.
FLAG FAVOURITES
Last season’s Premiers, Brisbane, come into the new campaign as the favourites and looking to complete what would be an impressive ‘three-peat’ – having lifted the trophy in 2024 and 2025 – something that they achieved back in the early 2000s.
However, the competition this time around looks to be fiercer than ever, with their Queensland arch-rivals, the Gold Coast, most likely to be the main challengers.
The Suns made their first finals in club history last year and, during the summer, further bolstered an already impressive squad with the additions of Christian Petracca (pictured below) and Jamarra Ugle-Hagan, along with some useful academy picks.
Last season’s beaten Grand Finalists, Geelong, under the tutelage of the longest serving coach, Chris Scott, will almost certainly be back for another shot at the grand prize – they are boosted by the arrival of James Worpel to their midfield line-up.
Hawthorn, a side that gained a lot of admirers before bowing out in a Prelim, will be an interesting watch, having lost a few experienced players. Have also been rocked by the news that gun midfielder Will Day (pictured below) is set to miss the first half of the campaign.
CONTENDERS
Following a disappointing 2005, there is an expectation that Sydney, who were minor Premiers in 2024 and also made the Grand Final, will be back amongst the contenders, especially with the acquisition of marquee signing and key forward Charlie Curnow (pictured below).
After finishing top of the ladder in the regular home-and-away season last year, Adelaide crumbled in the finals, going out in straight sets on their home deck – they will be desperate to have another crack at winning a first flag in nearly 30 years.
One of the most under-fire coaches, coming into the new season, will be Fremantle’s Justin Longmuir (pictured below) – his side have flattered to deceive during his time at the helm, despite a strong squad, with supporters over in the west desperate for success.
If the Western Bulldogs can finally fix their defence as well as improve consistency against the top sides, then they certainly have the potential, although six of their first eight games are against last year’s finalists. This will prove to be a brutal, early test of whether they’ve genuinely got better and their supporters can start to get excited.
Collingwood have lost a lot of experienced players over the close season and will be another side to keep an eye on – already been written off by some in the media, but still possesses arguably the best player in the competition in superstar Nick Daicos (pictured below).
FINALS CONTENTION
With the decision to extend the finals out so that a top ten finish will now guarantee you a place at the pointy end, this will bring the likes of Greater Western Sydney, St.Kilda, Melbourne, Port Adelaide and Carlton into the mix and fighting for a spot.
BOTTOM SIDES
At the bottom, there is an expectation that North Melbourne should improve, whilst Richmond fans will be looking for the same from their young troops, who showed glimpses and pulled off a couple of big scalps in the last campaign.
The West Coast Eagles, who picked up the unwanted wooden spoon and were decimated by injuries, have had a big overhaul of their squad during the summer.
They will be praying that the arrival of two-time Premiership player Brandon Starcevich along with No.1 draft pick Willem Duursma (pictured above) will led to some brighter times.
Rules change for 2026
- The ball will no longer be bounced in the centre of the ground by a field umpire at the start of quarters and after goals, and will be thrown up instead. This will allow umpires to focus more on decision-making, reduce the likelihood of players making accidental contact and reduce game length.
- Ruckmen will no longer be allowed to cross the centre line during ball-ups.
- The substitute rule has been removed in favour of a five-player interchange.
- The 6–6–6 rule will no longer require at least one player from each team to be in each goal square for centre ball-ups.
- The out-of-bounds rule has been amended to award a free kick against the last team to dispose of the ball if the ball crossed the boundary line between the 50-metre arcs directly from that disposal.
- Players taking kick-ins will only be given eight seconds to advance the ball forward, down from twelve.
- Ruck nominations are no longer required for a field umpire to restart play at ball-ups.
- If a player shrugs a tackle, it will be adjudged prior opportunity, similar to fend-offs or other attempts to evade tackles.
- Players inside the five-metre ‘protected area’ after marks or free kicks will be required to stand rather than move out of the area.
Format of the season
There was a huge change over the summer that met with quite a lot of negativity from supporters: the introduction of a wildcard round. This first significant change to this part of the season since 2000 will add an extra week to the finals series and increase the number of finalists from eight to ten in the home-and-away season.
It will continue to span 25 weeks, with each side playing 23 matches and having two ‘bye’ rounds: one early and the other around the midway point.
The campaign begins with ‘Opening Round’, where five matches will take place in Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria to officially kick off the action in 2026 (5-8 March), and is seen as a chance to promote the sport across the country.
The ‘Gather Round’, which has proved to be such a huge success, will take place once again (9-12 April), with all 18 clubs from South Australia participating.
The team that finishes top of the ladder is awarded the McClelland Trophy (Minor premiership). The top ten teams will then take part in a five-round finals series.
How the finals work
The finals will have a new look this season with the introduction of a wildcard round, giving teams in ninth and tenth a last-gasp chance to qualify for the point end.
The winners of the wildcard round, along with the sides who finished fifth and sixth, will play knock-out games – only the winners survive and advance in the tournament.
The top four teams will continue receive the “double chance” when they play in week-two qualifying finals. The winners receive a bye to the fourth week, while the losers remain and play a semi-final the following week.
They will advance through to the cut-through semi-finals in week three, with home advantage going to the team with the higher ladder position. The side that gets up will go through to the Preliminary Final, while the losers will be at the end of the road.
In the fourth week, the winners of the semi-finals from week three play the winners of the qualifying finals from the second week. The winners of those matches will then head to the Grand Final to be played on Saturday, 26 September at the MCG.
- Week 1 – Wildcard Round (28/29 August)
- Week 2 – Qualifying/Elimination finals (3/4/5 September)
- Week 3 – Semi-finals (11/12 September)
- Week 4 – Preliminary finals (18/19 September)
- Week 5 – Grand final (26 September)
Teams
Adelaide
Nickname: ‘Crows’
Colours: Navy Blue, Red & Gold
Coach: Matthew Nicks
Captain: Jordan Dawson
Brisbane
Nickname: ‘Lions’
Colours: Maroon, Blue & Gold
Coach: Chris Fagan
Captains: Harris Andrews, Josh Dunkley, Hugh McCluggage
Carlton
Nickname: ‘Blues’
Colours: Navy Blue
Coach: Michael Voss
Captain: Patrick Cripps
Collingwood
Nickname: ‘Magpies’
Colours: Black & White
Coach: Craig McRae
Captain: Darcy Moore
Essendon
Nickname: ‘Bombers’
Colours: Red & Black
Coach: Brad Scott
Captain: Andrew McGrath
Fremantle
Nickname: ‘Dockers’
Colours: Purple & White
Coach: Justin Longmuir
Captain: Alex Pearce
Geelong
Nickname: ‘Cats’
Colours: White & Navy Blue
Coach: Chris Scott
Captain: Patrick Dangerfield
Gold Coast
Nickname: ‘Suns’
Colours: Red, Gold & Blue
Coach: Damien Hardwick
Captain(s): Noah Anderson
Greater Western Sydney
Nickname: ‘Giants’
Colours: Orange, Charcoal & White
Coach: Adam Kingsley
Captain: Toby Greene
Hawthorn
Nickname: ‘Hawks’
Colours: Brown & Gold
Coach: Sam Mitchell
Captain: James Sicily & Jai Newcombe
Melbourne
Nickname: ‘Demons’
Colours: Red & Blue
Coach: Steven King
Captain: Max Gawn
North Melbourne
Nickname: ‘Kangaroos’
Colours: Royal Blue & White
Coach: Alastair Clarkson
Captain: Nick Larkey
Port Adelaide
Nickname: ‘Power’
Colours: Black, White, Teal & Silver
Coach: Josh Carr
Captain: Connor Rozee
Richmond
Nickname: ‘Tigers’
Colours: Yellow & Black
Coach: Adem Yze
Captain: Toby Nankervis
St.Kilda
Nickname: ‘Saints’
Colours: Red, White & Black
Coach: Ross Lyon
Captains: Jack Sinclair & Callum Wilkie
Sydney
Nickname: ‘Swans’
Colours: Red & White
Coach: Dean Cox
Captain(s): Callum Mills
West Coast
Nickname: ‘Eagles’
Colours: Royal Blue & Gold
Coach: Andrew McQualter
Captain(s): Liam Baker & Liam Duggan
Western Bulldogs
Nickname: ‘Doggies’
Colours: Red, White & Blue
Coach: Luke Beveridge
Captain(s): Marcus Bontempelli
Odds to win the Grand Final
- Brisbane $4.50
- Gold Coast $9
- Hawthorn $9
- Geelong $10
- Sydney $10
- Adelaide $13
- Fremantle $15
- Western Bulldogs $15
- Collingwood $18
- St.Kilda $18
- Greater Western Sydney $21
- Carlton $41
- Port Adelaide $51
- Melbourne $67
- Essendon $81
- North Melbourne $101
- Richmond $151
- West Coast $151
(Source: Sportsbet)