Ranking the 10 best AFL games of 2025

The 2025 AFL season was littered with classic fixtures and dramatic matches, with post-siren winners and defining final-minute plays combining to create another memorable season. Before we look toward 2026, we recap some of the best encounters of the year, counting down the 10 greatest games of 2025. Starting at 10, here's our ranking of the 10 best games from the year that was... Geelong vs GWS, Round 9 The only game from the thrilling Round 9 that makes the list, with the week seeing the lowest average win margin for a round since Round 10, 1970, going at 10.33 points per buffer. The Giants secured a four-point win over the Cats, which would be the largest winning margin of May 11's three matches, given the Tigers beat the Eagles by two points and the Roos drew with the Lions in two contests worthy of making this list. Keen to extend their winning ways at Kardinia Park, the Giants had claimed the past four victories at the Cats' home ground in the lead-up to another highly anticipated affair. The back-and-forth affair saw 14 lead changes as GWS spearhead Jesse Hogan capitalised in front of goal, ending the afternoon with seven majors. http://gty.im/2214505953 At the other end of the ground, the Cats weren't as accurate, kicking three goals from eight scoring shots, with a Mark Blicavs set shot to win the game in the dying stages unfortunately clanging into the goal post just moments after Jake Riccardi put the Giants ahead with a close-range snap. GWS vs Richmond, Round 12 Another thriller involving the Orange Tsunami, with their clash against Richmond three weeks later seeing Adam Kingsley's men pull off an almighty comeback at ENGIE Stadium. The Tigers had a firm grip on another unlikely four points as GWS rued early errors and battled with the trends of the affair, with Richmond up by 28 points at the final break. But a switch was soon flicked after Callan Ward's famous address to the playing group after suffering a career-ending ACL injury earlier that day, with the Giants piling on five goals to Richmond's sole behind in the final term. http://gty.im/2217206897 Callum Brown kicked two late goals, including the major that put the Giants ahead for the first time since the 10-minute mark of the match, to help steer the Giants to an entertaining comeback win, holding onto their small lead in the final few minutes as the ball went end-to-end. Geelong vs Hawthorn, Round 6 We're beginning to lose count of how many Easter Monday blockbusters come in the form of a thriller, with 2025 no exception. Close to 90,000 fans were at the MCG to see the latest chapter in one of the game's best rivalries, and this one had it all, including a strike by Conor Nash on Gryan Miers that led to a four-game suspension and Bailey Smith flipping the bird. As for the contest itself, the Cats had shot out to a promising lead in the first half before the Hawks clawed themselves back by the main break to sit just 10 points behind. They would inch closer in the third to see the final term commence with just a kick in it, only for Cats skipper Patrick Dangerfield to get the fourth quarter rolling in his side's favour with the opening major and his third of the game. http://gty.im/2211229525 His counterpart, James Sicily, was swung forward and added his name to the goalkickers column before a Connor MacDonald major levelled the scores. Both sides missed their chances in front of goal to take the game, with Shaun Mannagh eventually standing tall to deliver the match-clinching goal and secure Geelong another memorable win over the brown and gold. Collingwood vs Fremantle, Round 19 The day 'The Prancing Pony' announced himself to the AFL. Fremantle livewire Patrick Voss led the Dockers to a stunning one-point win with six majors to his name, with his last of the game completing a three-goal run within a handful of minutes in the fourth term to have the away side in reaching distance. Two missed chances by Brody Mihocek at the other end allowed the Dockers to snatch back the lead in the dying stages via Luke Jackson, whose goal put Fremantle up by a single point. The often-clutch Jamie Elliott couldn't convert on his own chance to take the lead, with his behind levelling the scores, before a Shai Bolton shot on goal put the Dockers ahead by one point once more. A final roll of the dice from the Magpies saw a deep kick into attack land in the lap of Josh Treacy, who was awarded a 50-metre penalty after a Darcy Moore infringement that dashed any last hope for the Magpies. http://gty.im/2226103149 The defeat was Collingwood's second in as many weeks after claiming 14 wins in 15 games, while Fremantle strengthened their September prospects with an upset that galvanised a group late in the year. Gold Coast vs Collingwood, Round 18 A week prior to their heartbreaking loss to the Dockers, the Magpies saw their eight-game winning streak come to an end at the hands of the Suns at Carrara. Collingwood was sensationally held goalless to half-time, with the Suns carrying a 35-point lead into the second half to look in line for a comfortable win over the flying Pies. And despite the first goal of the third term going to Matt Rowell, the tide changed, with Collingwood piling on seven of the next eight goals to bring the contest back to life. Josh Daicos contributed two of those majors after being moved into the midfield for the start of the final quarter, with the star Magpie having one of the best terms of football in recent memory - amassing 16 disposals, 311 metres gained, 10 contested possessions, four clearances, two inside 50s and five tackles to go with his pair of goals in the last quarter alone. https://twitter.com/AFL/status/1970075019821953139?s=20 However, his heroics weren't enough to get the Pies - who had taken back the lead via Jamie Elliott - over the line, with Ben Long taking back the advantage for the Queenslanders. The topsy-turvy game was always going to come down to one big moment, and that moment was claimed by Suns skipper Noah Anderson, who burst out of the centre restart and kicked truly on the run to cement the win and the 2025 Goal of the Year title. Gold Coast vs Adelaide, Round 4 A rivalry is building between these two sides, with each contest having some heat and choice words shared by the pair of playing groups. The Crows ended the year with bragging rights thanks to a strong Round 19 win over the Suns at Adelaide Oval, but the earlier clash between the two this year went the other way in thrilling, yet controversial, fashion. Not for the first time, the game's aftermath saw the AFL concede the Crows should have seen an alternate ending due to a misjudged umpiring decision, with Izak Rankine not awarded possession for a last-minute marking contest in his side's forward 50. The dying moments that followed were encapsulating as Mac Andrew and Riley Thilthorpe went head-to-head, with the former getting the win as the Crows struggled to find the hands of their spearhead, who ended the day with five goals to his name. https://twitter.com/FootyonNine/status/1908676311389741468?s=20 The pair were happy to exchange words throughout the game, and Andrew delivered a sarcastic thumbs-up to his opponent after the final siren to pour salt in the wound of the Crows forward. Richmond vs Carlton, Round 1 A result nobody saw coming, with the young Tigers tipped by some to potentially go the year winless. The traditional Victoria opener packed the MCG as many anticipated the Blues to cruise to victory, and that result looked likely as Michael Voss' men held a 41-point buffer during the first half. However, a second-half onslaught from a sprightly Tigers outfit saw Richmond fight back in the second half, kicking nine goals to Carlton's two to record a 13-point win. https://twitter.com/AFL/status/1900145816506917292?s=20 No.1 draft pick Sam Lalor immediately announced himself to the AFL with two goals from 18 disposals on debut, while young forward Seth Campbell booked himself the front page of the next day's paper with his backflip celebration. Collingwood vs Geelong, Round 8 The contest's build-up was significant, with two of the top clubs set to come face-to-face in front of a heaving MCG crowd as Jack Crisp broke the record for consecutive games played with 245 in a row. And while Crisp took up most of the headlines prior to the opening siren, he would feature in just as many after the final one, with his chance to win the game off his own boot going wayward and handing the Cats a memorable win. Collingwood had closed the gap on the Cats late via two goals from Brody Mihocek in the dying moments, with the game restarting with just 20 seconds on the clock. The Pies won a free kick in the middle with six ticks left, and a hurried kick from Steele Sidebottom managed to find Crisp's chest with one second left on the clock. https://twitter.com/FOXFOOTY/status/1918642100851130520?s=20 Crisp couldn't convert from 45 metres out after the siren as the deficit stood at four points, with Collingwood fans angered in the aftermath due to a controversial free kick against Bobby Hill on Shaun Mannagh just minutes before the final siren. Fremantle vs Gold Coast, Elimination Final Gold Coast's first-ever AFL final was one for the ages. The Suns entered September with plenty to prove, heading out West to battle with a Fremantle unit looking to stake their own claim as a worthy flag contender. A tight contest saw just two goals kicked in the opening term before the Suns blew away before half-time to take a 25-point lead into the main break. The Dockers closed that gap to 15 points by the end of the third quarter to be a chance as momentum began to swing their way, only for Jy Farrar to convert within the first 30 seconds of the fourth stanza. Fremantle responded in style however, kicking the next four goals to be up by a single major with just minutes left in the match. The Suns had the next chance of the game to try and bring the game back to parity, with a long kick inside 50 from Bodhi Uwland somehow finding an unmarked Mac Andrew 30 metres from goal on almost no angle. The Gold Coast swingman kicked truly to have the game staring at a potential extra time ending, with just over a minute left on the clock. A hurried kick forward from the Suns fell to the retiring David Swallow, who was awarded a free kick and shot on goal after Brennan Cox was penalised for 'holding the man' in controversial circumstances. https://twitter.com/AFL/status/1964303966398714250?s=20 Swallow, who had snapped the record for longest game streak without a final that night, slotted it between the big sticks from distance, only for a score review to show the ball had been touched on the mark. The Dockers had to go end-to-end in just nine seconds to erase Gold Coast's one-point lead, but couldn't get possession past halfway, with the siren soon sounding and the Suns holding on for a thrilling first-ever finals win thanks to Swallow. The end of Fremantle's finals run also brought an end to the career of two-time Brownlow Medal winner Nat Fyfe after 248 games in purple. St Kilda vs Melbourne, Round 20 A 'where were you when?' kind of occasion. The Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera game. It seemed like just another Sunday twilight game at Marvel Stadium, which pitted two sides out of the September race against one another to conclude Round 20. The Demons had sailed out to a 46-point three-quarter time lead to have this one just about in the books, leaving the Saints to require the biggest fourth quarter comeback in V/AFL history to take the four points. Three goals to Ross Lyon's men in the opening seven minutes gave the game a heartbeat once again, before Cooper Sharman and Jack Higgins converted their second each of the final term to somehow have the margin sitting at just five points in the dying stages before Melbourne added a point via a rushed behind. The Demons had their chance to ice the game via Clayton Oliver, who somehow couldn't register a score from 25 metres out on a small angle in open play, with his shot on goal going out on the full and giving the Saints possession. The Saints eventually made their way up the flank, needing any chance they could get just to level the scores and clinch an unlikely draw. With a shot to go forward, Mason Wood drove a long kick from the wing to the pocket, where Wanganeen-Milera climbed the back of Bayley Fritsch and hung onto a stunning specky to have a set shot from 30 metres out with less than a minute left. The star Saint kicked truly to bring the scores level at 90 apiece, leaving the game with just eight seconds on the clock and the ball restarting in the middle, where it would be there for the taking for either side. https://twitter.com/7AFL/status/1949378987089625127?s=20 The commotion would only be compounded when a six-six-six call was paid against Melbourne, giving the Saints immediate possession through the hands of ruckman Rowan Marshall. Every player on the ground streamed forward, yet somehow the man of the moment, Wanganeen-Milera, went unmanned, with Marshall's perfectly weighted kick inside 50 finding his teammate before the siren. The final bell sounded just seconds after his mark, leaving Wanganeen-Milera just needing a single score from his set shot. With ease, the clutch Saint converted a goal to march the Saints to a record-breaking victory. The loss for the Demons mounted further pressure on Melbourne premiership coach Simon Goodwin, who was sacked just over a week later.

		P	W	L	PTS	%
1	ADEL	23	18	5	72	139.3
2	GEEL	23	17	6	68	141.5
3	BL	23	16	6	66	114.2
4	COLL	23	16	7	64	122.4
5	GWS	23	16	7	64	115.3
6	FRE	23	16	7	64	109
7	GC	23	15	8	60	124.9
8	HAW	23	15	8	60	120.9

Ranking the 10 best AFL games of 2025

We count down the most entertaining contests of the year. What would you have at No.1?

4Richmond vs Carlton, Round 1

JOIN THE DISCUSSION

Latest News

“Won’t dwell on it”: Why Crows’ “maturity” will shape 2026’s redemption...

The burning question facing YOUR AFL club in 2026

Delisted Bombers winger joins Victorian club for 2026

Track Watch: Superstar Pie absent from main group as Heppell dons...

Selecting every AFL team’s best 23 for 2026: Gold Coast Suns

FOLLOW US