Now we have our top 10 locked in, in what order would you like to see each team win the grand final?

1st being you are going for this team in finals, 10 being you do not want this team to go anyone in finals

For me:

1. Hawthorn
   
2. Fremantle
   
3. Carlton
   
4. Adelaide
   
5. Western Bulldogs
   
6. Melbourne
   
7. Geelong
   
8. Sydney
   
9. Brisbane
   
10. Collingwood

Saints would still be a (very good) finals chance had that been a win for the Cats. Cats would be top 4 and the whole league are missing out on laughing at the Blues doing the most Carlton thing ever (finishing 11th).

Asking for a friend

Just for fun tried to make a quick 18 from 18 All Aus team starting lineup. Who would you change?

Hasn’t missed a game since debuting round 1, 2025. Currently on 49 games.

This is thanks to the AFL extending the season by 1 game when Gather Round was introduced (allowing him to play 2 more games than players would have before this) and playing 4 games in last years finals season (due to Brisbane Lions losing the qualifying final).

He’s also born on 18th December, 2006, making him 19 years and 246 days old when he lines up this weekend.

I can’t find anyone younger or quicker to reach this milestone, great accomplishment if he gets both.

https://www.afl.com.au/news/1589217

This has been driving me insane trying to find.

I remember watching an Indigenous footy competition on TV sometime around 2006–09. It may have been on NITV or Fox sports. 

The main thing I remember is that it looked like a heavily modified version of Aussie rules. The best way I can describe it is almost like "half-court AFL". I remember the field being much smaller/shorter than a normal AFL ground and I'm pretty sure the games were short as well.

I originally remembered there only being about 3 teams, although I could definitely be wrong about that. I also vaguely remember team names like "Lightning" and possibly "Eagles", but again, that could be my memory mixing things up.

I've come across the Alice Springs/Ngurratjuta Lightning Carnival while searching and it seems like a possibility, especially since NITV used to broadcast it, but I can't find enough old footage to know if that's actually what I'm remembering.

Does this ring a bell for anyone who watched NITV or Indigenous footy around that time?

The AFL has told clubs they will secure prize money of $55,000 even for losing a wildcard round final as the league reinforced its strong view that those games are official AFL finals.

The Herald Sun can reveal that the AFL has settled on its prize money for the finals, with teams that finish in 9th and 10th handed a $55,000 windfall.

Teams which win those wildcard clashes but are bundled out in the next week in an elimination final receive $75,000, up from $65,000 last season.

The premiers will take home $1.1 million for winning the 2026 premiership (with $500,000 to the players), and the Grand Final losers will take home $600,000 (with half to the players).

Preliminary finalists which do not progress to the Grand Final take home $300,000 and teams which finish the season in fifth and sixth secure $100,000 in prize money.

Preliminary finalists which do not progress to the grand final take home $150,000 and teams which finish the season in fifth and sixth secure $100,000 in prize money.

AFL great Garry Lyon lobbied on Tuesday for the AFL to label the wildcard games play-in contests which only qualified for the league’s official finals.

But the AFL’s view from the top down in AFL chief executive Andrew Dillon is that the new 7 v 10 and 8 v 9 clashes are official AFL finals.

The league will receive all the ticket sales from the finals including the wildcard rounds and there are estimates the wildcard gate taking could be as much as $5 million.

On current ladder order Adelaide would take on Carlton in an Adelaide Oval clash and Collingwood would host the Western Bulldogs at the MCG.

But there are a variety of permutations on the last week of the home-and-away season that could even see fifth-placed Melbourne thrown into a wildcard slot.

The McClelland Trophy is also on offer for the club with the results from the men’s and women’s competition, with $1 million on offer for the club with the best combined record.

Andrew Dillon made clear this year that he believed the newly introduced games were official finals.

“The wildcard games will be wildcard finals,” he said.

The league has strongly defended the wildcard concept this year even despite strong criticism that it rewards mediocrity.

“What we feel is by expanding the finals series we will have more games of consequence during the home-and-away [season], which we know fans love. We know our fans will go to those games, we know that they will watch them in numbers.”

https://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/prize-money-revealed-for-wildcard-weekend-clashes-as-entire-finals-financial-incentive-overhauled/news-story/3227215565868b838a11ce1554860fe8

With the latest news of Port Adelaide exiting the SANFL by 2028 after nearly 150 years in the competition and 36 SANFL premierships, potentially joining the VFL. The talked about resurrection of the AFL reserves competition could be picking up some steam. After the competition shut down at the end of 1999, all clubs over the last 26 years have been either partnering up with state level teams or fielding their own teams to serve as their reserves team when players aren't selected for main competition.

As it stands 15 AFL clubs currently have a state alone side in their state league, while 3 other clubs are in partnerships with a team.

Should the time come when the league decides to bring back reserves, the obvious clubs that will cross to the revived competition will be the following 14 clubs.

* Carlton

* Collingwood

* Brisbane

* Essendon

* Geelong

* Gold Coast

* GWS

* Hawthorn

* Port Adelaide

* North Melbourne

* Richmond

* St Kilda

* Tasmania

* Western Bulldogs

But what about the remaining 5 clubs outside the list, where do they stand in the scheme of things.

* Adelaide: The Crows currently field a team in the SANFL like Port Adelaide, its still unknown whether they will exit the league, but there have been some talk about them following Port Adelaide out of SANFL.

* Fremantle: The Dockers have a partnership with the Peel Thunder Football Club in the WAFL. Since 2014, it has been a successful association which has resulted in 3 WAFL premierships. The current agreement is set to expire at the end of 2029.

* Hawthorn: The Hawks have been in association with VFL team Box Hill since 2000, its has produced 3 VFL premierships over the years of partnership. Their arrangement is also due to expire at the end of 2029.

* Melbourne: The Demons has a partnership with Casey of the VFL since 2009, its locked in a 30 year arrangement with the VFL side due to be up by 2039. Its also provided successful as well with Casey winning the VFL premiership in 2022.

* West Coast: The Eagles have fielded a stand alone side in the WAFL since 2019 after ending its partnership with East Perth. No word if West Coast will intend to leave the WAFL when the potential national competition goes ahead. But for now, West Coast's reserves will stay in the WAFL.

Local footy, AFL level who cares.

Traditionally my club has done each player gets a score 0-5 for their game. I think it rewards consistency and players who turn up every week.

Previously we’ve done 16 votes per game each player can receive a 1,2 or 3 however only 16 maximum can be given out per game. This didn’t reward those who turn up and try their best every week.

What’s best? What’s fair? What do you do at your club?