The 2026 AFL season is upon us, and with that comes mounting expectations for several key figures around the league.
Whether it’s coaches, key players or league executives, it’s a huge year for many, and it goes without saying that some jobs are at stake.
Others, meanwhile, have big paydays to live up to or must make amends for previous mistakes.
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Wide World of Sports unpacks 10 AFL figures with the most to lose in 2026
Tom De Koning. St Kilda
10. Tom De Koning (St Kilda ruckman)
De Koning is now the highest-paid ruckman in league history. He signed a deal with the Saints in free agency worth nearly $14 million.
His call to leave Carlton was completely understandable given the cash on the table, but with that comes now pressure to live up to the money.
Especially with established St Kilda ruckman Rowan Marshall still at the club and likely to be forced forward with De Koning in the side.
The new ruck rules favour high jumpers, which should be right in TDK’s wheelhouse, but after a few seasons of strong, but intermittent form, it’s time for him to reach an All-Australian level.
Port Adelaide coach Josh Carr. Â AFL Photos via Getty Images
9. Josh Carr (Port Adelaide coach)
Generally, a first-year head coach gets a grace period without a ton of pressure, but Port Adelaide has not made things easy on Josh Carr thus far.
First, you had the 12-month succession plan, from Ken Hinkley to Carr, which coincided with the team plummeting from top four to well outside the finals race.
How much of last year was on the early announcement of the transition remains unclear, but it clearly took the wind out of the group’s sails.
Now you have club chairman David Koch saying they expect to play finals in 2026, while Carr must also help convince star free agent Zak Butters to stay long-term.
It’s certainly not your typical first season at the helm.
Suspended Adelaide Crows AFL player Izak Rankine speaks to the media. Getty
8. Izak Rankine (Adelaide star)
To put it simply, Izak Rankine owes Adelaide one. The team was white-hot at the end of the 2025 season. They’d knocked off Collingwood and were about to be crowned minor premiers and potentially flag favourites.
But Rankine’s suspension for a homophobic slur in the direction of a Magpies player derailed everything.
Their best player was banned for four games, ruling him out of the finals series, and Adelaide’s momentum disappeared with it as he became a clear distraction.
They lost eight straight quarters and were booted out of the finals in straight sets. Now the pressure is on Rankine to lead the Crows back to that same precipice in 2026.
Ross Lyon. Getty
7. Ross Lyon (St Kilda coach)
Ross Lyon and the Saints have used the youth of their squad to dismiss results for the last few seasons, but that all changes in 2026.
The club splashed over $5m on both retaining star talent like Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera and Marcus Windhager, and bringing in some of the biggest names available in the trade period.
As mentioned, they made De Koning the highest-paid ruckman in league history, while also throwing big money at not-quite-established players in Jack Silvagni and Sam Flanders.
Now the pressure is on Lyon to put all the pieces together and lead his mob back to the top eight.
Justin Longmuir, coach of Fremantle. Getty
6. Justin Longmuir (Fremantle coach)
Fremantle has undoubtedly one of the best lists in the competition, and 2026 feels like the year where it needs to come together.
Many thought they would be the breakout top four riser of last season, but that ultimately proved to be Adelaide, with the Dockers in the next tier below.
They then lost a home final to Gold Coast, and their premiership hopes evaporated into thin air.
A poor 2026 season would put Longmuir squarely on the hot seat, given he has a rolling contract and this squad needs to be in premiership contention going forward.
If they miss the top eight, things might get ugly at Freo.
Charlie Curnow kicks a goal in his first Swans action. Sydney Swans
5. Charlie Curnow (Sydney star)
Charlie Curnow simply must be the missing piece of the premiership puzzle for Sydney. Anything short of that will be below expectations for the dual Brownlow Medallist.
After another season derailed by knee issues in 2025, he is fit, firing and ready to have a big impact in the red and white.
But this team has been to the top of the mountain twice in the last few years and fallen short in both grand final appearances.
And they paid three first-round picks and blew up their relationship with two veterans to bring him in. He will now need to live up to his end of the bargain.
Bailey Smith of the Cats and Andrew Dillon, Chief Executive Officer of the AFL at the Brownlow Medal. Â AFL Photos via Getty Images
4. Andrew Dillon (AFL CEO)
It’s fair to say 2025 was a rocky first full season at the helm for Andrew Dillon, and all eyes will be on how he finds his feet one year on.
It’s hard to remember head office feeling so disjointed as issues like the Lachie Schultz concussion and blaming of umpires, the Willie Rioli and Rankine suspension, and the first full year without footy on free-to-air on a Saturday led to much frustration.
Now, he has bolstered his executive team with Greg Swann and Tom Harley straight out of top clubland positions. A move that has been widely applauded. Origin was his baby, and that also proved to be a great success and was worth the risk.
But all eyes are always on the man at the top, and to this point, Dillon needs a smooth season.
Carlton coach Michael Voss. AFL Photos via Getty Images
3. Michael Voss (Carlton coach)
When a senior coach enters a season without a contract beyond the existing year, the pressure speaks for itself.
Particularly when you’re the coach of Carlton and coming off 18 months of downward trajectory.
Carlton and coach Michael Voss have changed up a lot in the off-season. New coaches, a new football operations team and significant personnel changes.
The Blues have bucked expectations and backed Voss in the face of significant pressure on multiple occasions now, but it will certainly come again this year, even if expectations externally aren’t quite as high.
Greg Swann at the AFL Draft. AFL Photos via Getty Images
2. Greg Swann (AFL Head of Football)
In just his first off-season in charge of the game, Greg Swann implemented multiple rule changes that greatly altered the fabric of the game.
The former Brisbane chief axed the bounce to restart play and added a last touch out of bounds between the arcs. He got rid of the substitute, tightened the stand rule and is making big changes to both the MRO and draft rules.
It’s fair to say the game will look quite different this season, and the scrutiny on Swann will be enormous if games are clunky or if rules don’t work as hoped.
He’s been given the power to reshape the game, and has immediately grabbed that opportunity with both hands. Now we wait to see the fallout from that.
North Melbourne coach Alastair Clarkson. AFL Photos via Getty Images
1. Alastair Clarkson (North Melbourne coach)
Alastair Clarkson enters his fourth season as coach of North Melbourne with 11 wins and 57 losses to his name.
The club has been stuck in the depths of a rebuild since the beginning of the 2020s, and despite the presence of the four-time premiership coach, not much has changed.
The pressure on him to get this club off the canvas in 2026 is enormous. Another year drained of hope in the bottom four might just force the Roos hierarchy into yet another fresh start.
Clarkson is undoubtedly one of the greatest AFL coaches of the 21st century, and things need to start turning around sharply for both his club and his legacy.
Particularly when you consider how quickly Hawthorn rebuilt in the aftermath of his departure.