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...
2Fremantle 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.
An inaugural Sun, playing his first final in his 248 game career...
DAVID SWALLOW WINS IT FOR THE SUNS 🙌#AFLFinals pic.twitter.com/BISMEkmxWM
— AFL (@AFL) September 6, 2025
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.
