The AFL, like so many other sports, is defined by its rivalries.
For footy fans, winning becomes as much about defeating and demoralising a hated opposition, as it is about receiving four premiership points.
With a mix of modern rivalries and more historic duels, these are the AFL's 10 best current rivalries ranked.
1. Carlton vs Collingwood
It just has to be Carlton vs Collingwood. The biggest and most storied rivalry in AFL history, this matchup has everything—decades of success, bitter defeats, passionate fan bases, proximity, and complete, utter hatred for the other.
One of the most famous moments came in the 1970 Grand Final, when Carlton mounted the greatest comeback in AFL history, overturning a 44-point halftime deficit to snatch victory in front of a still-record crowd of 121,000. Controversy erupted in the 1979 Grand Final, when a Wayne Harmes' boundary-line tap set up the winning goal for Carlton, with Collingwood fans still contesting the ball was out of play.
Recent history has only fuelled the hatred, with Collingwood getting their revenge by famously knocking Carlton out of the 2022 finals series with an unforgettable one-point win. Four of their last six matches have been decided by under a goal, and with both teams vying for finals, featuring stars such as Nick Daicos and Patrick Cripps, 2025 will surely continue to build the legacy of the AFL's greatest rivalry.
Confected garbage used as “content-filler”.
Carlton v ‘wobbles…. it’s a “rivalry” only.. no more ….. there’s nothing there. Neither club has ever challenged the existence of the other.
The Darby and the Showdown have far more than “rivalry” both behind the members and the history of each club and the Leagues they came from.
The card games of the vfl don’t come anywhere near what’s behind these clubs.
The “q clash” – if you want to make a confection this is it.
It means nothing, it’s just another game, they might be in the same state but there is no history, in every way, it’s simply another game.
Simply pretending they’re in WA or SA is indicative of the pretence the afl is pushing.