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 — multiple upsets, 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 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” that 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 lift 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 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 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.