No one barracks for the AFL but everyone rejoices when the sport is at its intoxicating best as it was in the 2026 AFL Grand Final.
From Kylie Minogue's iconically Melbourne pre-game entertainment, to Brisbane kicking four goals in four minutes to seal a threepeat, it was a dramatic afternoon to savour for the footballing public.
Every football publication has editorialised an exhilarating comeback that has immortalised Brisbane.
Stories of courage have emerged from the premiers, like Dayne Zorko playing through a hamstring injury and Logan Morris managing a fracture in his back.
But when one sits back and reflects on the conversations magnificent spectacle that unfolded on Saturday to cap a brilliant finals series, you ought to give the league some credit.
Haranguing the league has become a sport of its own on social media.
In the lead-up to the decider, there were ridiculous narratives circulating that the Lachie Neale sanction which was overturned was a manufactured outcome; the Brownlow; Greg Swann misspoke and was jumped on; a correct umpiring decision was the dominant storyline in the Monday of grand final week; free agency as a concept has been criticised given Sam Draper and Oscar Allen are now premiers.
Even in the aftermath of the grand final, fans jumped on the league for daring to consider shortening game time for trying to attract more fans...because of how good the product is.
The more you consume, the more the jabs at head office you will find.
Accountability is critical and fans have never had more of a voice than what they do in the social media age - which, on the upside, allows the league to easily gauge the industry's temperature. Fans will say they are often ignored and it's true there are many stakeholders beyond the thousands in the nosebleeds, to please.
Naturally, the human psyche will focus on the negatives and take the positives for granted, but it's important and healthy now and again to stocktake and appreciate.
One of the most memorable deciders of the century capped a terrific September.
Two powerful combatants delivered a fierce exhibition of theatre for the footy-loving masses who roared so loudly, even before Wharfie Time - Roarie Time? - that players could not hear the umpires whistle. Save for the strange crackdown on short kicks being called as not having traveled 15 metres, the umpiring was fantastic.
On quality, perhaps it falls short of the absolute classics - like 2023, 2012, 2010 and 2005 -but none reached a more thrilling climax.
And it came off the back of a preliminary final viewed as the best of a generation.
When the AFL Gods add to the proverbial catalogue of September folklore, the memory required will fill a hard drive on its own. The Tim Membrey miss, Mitch Lewis mark, Sydney win, Nick Watson preliminary final, Carlton winning a final, Hawthorn upsetting Fremantle, the Dockers breaking Sydney with a 15-minute blitz, Brisbane's five-minute demolition of Adelaide, the Matthew Nicks storyline, the cacophony of grand final moments...the list goes on.
The inaugural year of Wildcard Round was polarising but eventually won most fans over and debuted with a spectacular game decided after the siren.
Fans, traumatised by the low-scoring slugfests of the pandemic era, have been screaming for more goals for years and the theme of this September has been the helter-skelter scoring and breakneck speed.
Ryan Lester and Harris Andrews will attest to the fact defence wins premierships but the league's desire to open the game up, via the stand rule, the lasso rule, the 6-6-6 and this year's new ruck rules, was clearly on show in a September where offence was more important than ever.
In 2023, Collingwood won the grand final with a high score of 90 in the finals series. Three years later, Brisbane won the flag despite conceding at least 89 points in each of its four finals.
And that gradual shift was consistent across the finals series, with an average score of 93 points this year, compared to 76 in 2023.
It makes for more moments, more excitement, more heroes and more storylines and fans froth it.
If there was another lesson to come out of a remarkable September, it's that it takes an army to contend for a flag. Brisbane clearly have it, we already knew that.
Sydney proved it, by winning a qualifying final despite being decimated by unavailability of top-liners. And Collingwood's chronic over-reliance on one player proved unfruitful - notwithstanding they were a straight kick from progressing further.
Amid the hot takes and flurry of opinions which puts the sport at the forefront of a city's mind, let's give ourselves time to live in a space of celebration for the greatest game in the world.
