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
4Wildcard hullabaloo
The introduction of a wildcard round in the pre-finals bye drew the ire of rusted-on traditionalists everywhere. Finishing ninth or 10th now gives clubs an opportunity to feature in September, with a format similar to the NBA's play-in to be adopted from the 2026 season.
Such a seismic shift to the competition's structure engendered significant negativity, with the argument that the league is ‘rewarding mediocrity' by increasing the percentage of teams who play finals from 44% to more than 50%, among the most heavily echoed sentiments.
It remains to be seen how successful the new format will be, but the increased revenue seemingly means more than the integrity of competition and time-honoured tradition that have come to define one of the nation's favourite pastimes.
