The AFL season is just around the corner, and fans are starting to believe that their team can compete for a premiership in 2026.
There are 11 teams with a legitimate chance to overcome the barriers in their way to lift the trophy come September, but only one side can do the honours. So, what may cause these premiership fancies to fall short of the AFL's pinnacle?
Here's one reason your favourite club will win the 2026 AFL premiership, and one reason why they won't...
Gold Coast
WHY - The additions of Christian Petracca and Jamarra Ugle-Hagan
Adding Petracca to this young, upcoming team automatically puts them into the discussion for premiership favourites. The premiership Demon is a September rise and delivers every week as a dynamic midfielder that regularly presents as a looming goal-scoring threat.
Adding him into the mix with Matthew Rowell, Noah Anderson and Touk Miller creates an engine room which will simply be hard to stop come finals time.
But with all the Petracca hype, the addition of Ugle-Hagan has flown under the radar. Should he prove his professionalism meets the required AFL standards, he will undoubtedly give the Suns another top-scoring avenue when fit and firing to combine with All-Australian hopeful Ben King.
WHY NOT - Not ready to compete with the big teams in big games
While being one of the more complete teams coming into 2026 on paper, Gold Coast have struggled to claim major scalps consistently, despite their improving play.
Yes, they were able to win their first-ever final, but only a week later, they got destroyed by their big brother, the Brisbane Lions. So, when will they be ready to win those games? The Suns went 6-7 in matches against top eight sides in 2025, and only won one of those games by double digits...
