The AFL landscape was once again defined by storylines of significance in 2025.
Paradigm-altering trades, moments of individual brilliance and administrative decision-making were just some of the sagas to fuel the perpetual news cycle this season.
So with most of the year in the rearview mirror, let's count down the 10 biggest stories of 2025, with some honourable mentions to kick us off!
Honourable mentions
- Richmond's Round 1 win over Carlton
- Jeremy Cameron's pursuit of the elusive 100-goal season
- The departure of Melbourne's dynamic midfield duo of Petracca and Oliver
- AFL scraps the bounce as the method of restarting play
- Tasmania's stadium gets parliament approval
10The Suns taste September in style
The Gold Coast Suns' first foray into September was a successful one, with the young Suns producing a memorable victory against Fremantle in Perth. Their maiden finals appearance was a long time and four coaches in the making, and represents reward for the years of investment that had gone into this expansion club, which had seen the second expansion club, GWS, surpass them for on-field success years prior.
There were multiple beneficiaries of the Suns' success. Damien Hardwick continues to build on his magnificent coaching legacy. Matt Rowell capped a Brownlow Medal-winning campaign with his first taste of September action, and captain Noah Anderson's standing in the game continued its rise, too.
With a suite of high-end Academy products joining the side in the last three National Drafts, the Suns' march towards a dynasty continues to gain momentum.
