The Brisbane Lions have secured the 2025 McClelland Trophy and one million dollars in prize money after standout seasons across the Toyota AFL Premiership Season and NAB AFLW Competition.
The Brisbane Lions have secured the 2025 McClelland Trophy and one million dollars in prize money after standout seasons across the Toyota AFL Premiership Season and NAB AFLW Competition.
This is the first time the Lions have won the McClelland Trophy since they entered the league in 1997, with the trophy recognising the successful club’s achievement in executing two high performance football programs.
After taking home the maximum 18 ranking points for claiming the AFL Premiership and their AFLW team guaranteed at least 15 points for making the preliminary final, the club’s combined score of 33 points cannot be beaten.
Hawthorn finished second on 29 points while the Adelaide Crows, who secured 27 points, finished third to round out the top three. The final ladder positions for Carlton, Melbourne and North Melbourne will be determined from the results of the preliminary finals.
This is the first time finals’ results have been taken into consideration for awarding the trophy, with changes to the criteria approved by the Commission and communicated in early March.
Following each respective finals series for both competitions, clubs are assigned a ranking from 1 to 18 in reverse order – the team claiming the premiership securing 18 points, down to the 18th team receiving one point.
The highest combined ranking score wins the trophy and the $1 million prize, with $500,000 evenly split between the AFL and AFLW players and $500,000 going to the club.
AFL CEO Andrew Dillon congratulated the Lions on securing another piece of silverware.
“On behalf of the AFL I’d like to congratulate the Brisbane Lions for claiming the 2025 McClelland Trophy and taking home the one million dollars in prize money,” Dillon said.
“The McClelland Trophy has a long and storied history, and this is the first time in the Lion’s history they have won this award, which is an outstanding result for their club.
“To deliver two high performance programs across the AFL and AFLW is a testament to Brisbane and the one club culture they continue to drive among their entire club.”
CEO of the Brisbane Lions, Sam Graham, said:
“Winning the McClelland is the culmination of many years of hard work by many people across both our AFL and AFLW programs,” Graham said.
“This is a whole-of-club effort, highlighting our strong commitment to both football programs and the alignment across the club from the Board through to our staff.
“It is a great acknowledgment and recognition for everyone at the Lions who make our club a great place to come to work every day.
“As we know, this would not be possible without the loyal support and belief from our 75,000 Lions members throughout our AFL and AFLW seasons and we thank them for their ongoing commitment.”
“As a club, the AFLW season isn’t over yet, and we’re all focused and looking forward to the Preliminary Final at Brighton Homes Arena on Saturday night.
“We can’t wait to see our members and fans out in force again, roaring in support of the maroon, blue and gold.”
Current standings of 2025 McClelland Trophy, noting final positions of Carlton, Melbourne and North Melbourne could change after results from Preliminary Finals:
Club
AFL Points
AFLW Points
Total
Brisbane Lions
18
15 (minimum)
33
Hawthorn
15
14
29
Adelaide Crows
14
13
27
Geelong Cats
17
6
23*
Carlton
8
15 (minimum)
23
Melbourne
5
15 (minimum)
20*
Collingwood
16
4
20
North Melbourne
3
16 (minimum)
19 *
Fremantle
11
8
19 *
Sydney
9
10
19 *
St Kilda
7
12
19 *
Western Bulldogs
10
7
17
Port Adelaide
6
9
15
GWS GIANTS
12
2
14*
Gold Coast SUNS
13
1
14
West Coast Eagles
1
11
12
Essendon
4
5
9
Richmond
2
3
5