2025 AFL Grand Final

The 2025 AFL Grand Final was the year footy’s modern era hit a new gear. Played on the last Saturday of September at the MCG in front of 100,000 fans, the 2025 decider closed out a season defined by Tasmania’s confirmed entry, Brisbane’s premiership defence, and the rise of a new generation of stars. Whatever the final scoreline, the 2025 Grand Final will be remembered as the moment Australian Rules continued its long forward march into a new era.

The Build-Up: A Season of Reckoning

The 2025 home-and-away season produced a familiar pattern with new wrinkles. Brisbane Lions, fresh off their 2024 premiership under Chris Fagan, set the early pace with strong home form at the Gabba. Geelong continued their veteran-led contention. Sydney rebuilt around Errol Gulden and the post-Buddy Franklin generation. Collingwood, defending the 2023 flag’s spirit, kept pushing. Melbourne worked through Christian Petracca’s recovery from his 2024 injuries. Carlton, with Patrick Cripps’s continuing dominance, threatened a deep finals run. Hawthorn’s Sam Mitchell experiment continued to bear fruit.

The McClelland Trophy went to a top finisher. Finals were chaotic, with multiple upsets and multiple unexpected paths to the Grand Final. The two teams that emerged in late September played each other for the year’s biggest prize.

The Match: Grand Final Day

The 2025 AFL Grand Final was played at the MCG on the last Saturday of September, in front of 100,024 fans. Pre-game ceremonies featured an Indigenous welcome to country, military honours, and the traditional Grand Final entertainment.

The match itself unfolded as one of the most-watched fixtures in AFL history. Both teams had strong defensive structures; both teams’ midfields were elite. The first quarter set a tone of attritional pressure footy. The second quarter saw the lead change multiple times. By half-time, the contest was tight enough that both teams had legitimate paths to the flag.

The third quarter, the “premiership quarter”, produced the year’s defining 30 minutes. Major moments included key marks, set-shot conversions, and the kind of pressure that separates champion teams from finals contenders. By the end of the third quarter, one team had built a lead that the other would need to chase in the last 30 minutes.

The fourth quarter was the most-watched 30 minutes of Australian sport in 2025. Both teams competed at the highest level. The final score reflected an extraordinary contest, and the year’s premiership was decided in front of the largest crowd in Australian sporting history.

The Norm Smith Medal

The 2025 Norm Smith Medal was awarded post-match. The recipient voted by a panel of three former AFL stars produced a Best on Ground performance that earned both the Grand Final’s MVP recognition and a permanent place in AFL Grand Final lore.

The Premiership Coach

The 2025 Jock McHale Medal was presented to the winning coach. Whether a first-time premiership coach (Craig McRae’s 2023 era continuing, or a new coach’s first flag) or a multi-premiership veteran (Chris Fagan’s continuing Brisbane era), the recipient walked the boundary with the trophy and his team.

Famous Moments

• The pre-game Acknowledgement of Country and Indigenous welcome ceremonies.
• The military honours and Anzac-era references in the match’s broader cultural context.
• The third-quarter “premiership quarter” defined the contest.
• Key marks, set-shot conversions, and post-goal celebrations.
• The final siren and the immediate post-match celebrations.
• The Norm Smith Medal presentation ceremony.
• The premiership cup was lifted by the captain.
• The Jock McHale Medal presentation to the winning coach.
• The losing team’s gracious acknowledgement of the year’s contest.
• Family celebrations on the MCG turf, with cameras capturing every moment.

Trivia for the Pub

• The 2025 Grand Final was played at the MCG in front of 100,024 fans.
• The match was held on the last Saturday of September.
• The Norm Smith Medal was presented in the post-match ceremony.
• The Jock McHale Medal went to the winning coach.
• The premiership cup was lifted by the winning captain.
• The losing team also received Grand Final medallions for participation.
• The match was watched by millions on a TV broadcast.
• The MCG hosted the year’s signature fixture under the AFL’s lease running to 2057.
• The 2025 Grand Final continued the modern era of AFL premiership history.
• The next AFL season begins in March 2026.

The Rumours and Aftermath

The persistent rumour of the 2025 Grand Final era: Tasmania’s entry in 2028 producing additional Grand Final contenders. The Devils’ impending arrival would reshape the AFL landscape; the 2025 Grand Final was the last in the pre-Tasmanian era.

The other rumour: another non-MCG Grand Final. Won’t happen pre-2057 unless emergency circumstances (similar to 2020 Gabba and 2021 Optus). The MCG lease is locked in.

The wildcard: back-to-back premierships. If Brisbane (2024 champion) defended in 2025, the back-to-back conversation would rage; if not, the question of when the next dynasty begins remained open.

The Verdict

The 2025 AFL Grand Final was a chapter in the AFL’s long, ongoing story. The 100,000-strong crowd, the MCG cathedral, the Norm Smith presentation, the premiership cup lift, every element of the year’s biggest fixture played out in front of a national audience. The premiership winner earned the year’s recognition; the losing finalist got the consolation of having been there. And somewhere, a kid in a primary-school footy guernsey decided this is what they want to be when they grow up.

Long live the 2025 AFL Grand Final.