The Sydney Swans and Hawthorn Hawks have been condemned to watching the 2026 AFL Grand Final, as opposed to participating in it, following crushing, last-gasp defeats in their respective preliminary finals.
The Swans were reeled in by a hardened Fremantle outfit, laden with stars. Dean Cox's men battled gallantly; their fleet of unflinchingly competitive inclusions in the wake of August's Pullman incident lost no admirers. Sydney surrendered a considerable lead, out of petrol tickets as the Dockers continued their charge to a maiden premiership.
The Brisbane Lions truly outlasted Hawthorn in a titanic battle - the kind of game that should encourage the code's stewards to stop tinkering with its rules and regulations. The Hawks will take little comfort from the fact that the match was a classic, having fallen short of the big dance at the final hurdle for the second consecutive year.
So, how do these two eliminated sides go one better? What are the off-season acquisitions they could feasibly make, in the hopes of getting over this very same hump next year?
Sydney Swans
Many of the Swans' off-season plans will be parked until clarity is provided on the statuses of the Pullman five. Police and AFL investigations are still ongoing.
Chad Warner re-affirmed his commitment to the club during the week, adding credence to footy boss Leon Cameron's stance earlier this month. Cameron insists the players will honour their contracts, with speculation around Nick Blakey's future, rampant.
"Nick is contracted. He's got a five-year contract, and so that's real," Cameron said.
"I check in with the five guys - they're five good lads, I check in with them regularly. There's always going to be speculation (when) clubs go through a significant crisis, like we have gone through in the last two and a half weeks, but it's all speculation. Nick is contracted, and so are all the other guys as well."
Sydney's off-season looks certain to go one of two ways.
Either the Harbour City natives will sit on their hands, unable to attract talent in the wake of the scandal, while fighting desperately to keep their stars on their books.
Or, decision makers at Moore Park do their very best to maximise returns for the players, should offers come. Given the playing eligibilities of Nick Blakey, Isaac Heeney, Chad Warner, Riley Bice and James Jordon are still unknown, there is a risk in acquiring any of them, for rival clubs.
The Swans could look to move back into the first round of the upcoming National Draft. Their first pick is currently slated to fall in the late 30's, after they mortgaged their future to acquire the services of the recently recoronated Coleman Medallist, Charlie Curnow.
