The best part about entering new footy season is that it's a fresh slate - every club starts from zero.
Optimism is high as fans relish in the prospect of their club making some form of improvement on last year, whether that's contending for a premiership, returning to September action, or seeing young players blossom into genuine superstars to push a rebuild forward.
Whether they've just won back-to-back premierships or are coming off a one-win campaign, each club has something to look forward to next year.
So, here's one thing your favourite club should be excited about entering the new year.
Collingwood
Scott Pendlebury's record-breaking year
It would be easy to point to a Nick Daicos revenge season after finishing runner-up in the Brownlow Medal count or the storyline of how the Magpies' forward line will turn out next year, but really, there's no bigger story than Scott Pendlebury likely breaking the all-time V/AFL games record sometime during 2026.
As it stands, 'Pendles' will tie Brent Harvey's 432-game record on ANZAC Day, should he feature in all of Collingwood's first seven games, and then break the record the following week at the MCG in a blockbuster fixture against Hawthorn; two titanic stages fitting for a titanic career.
He won't just crawl over the line either. Pendlebury, the soon-to-be 38-year-old, continues to be a classy ball user and impactful midfielder for the Pies, averaging 22 disposals at 75 per cent efficiency in 2025 while contributing to almost a quarter of Collingwood's scores (24.9 per cent score involvement rate).
Whether 2025 is Pendlebury's retirement tour or not, his historical moment will be one to remember for every AFL fan in 2026.
