The 2026 AFL season is just a few weeks away. As always, the hype and expectation is beginning to build.

Will the Hawks overcome their midfield troubles? Was Carlton right to keep Michael Voss as coach? Can the Crows show they belong in September and come back from their devastating straight sets finals exit?

We’ve taken a look at the most interesting storyline to follow for each team in 2026.

AdelaideHow do the Crows bounce back from that catastrophic straight sets exit?

We all heard the stat. First minor premier to crash out of finals in straight sets since 1983. Ouch! But let’s not forget this side did finish top of the ladder after the home and away season, had one of the most potent forward lines in the competition, and was widely considered a serious flag chance throughout the year. Such a devastating finals exit would make for a tough offseason, but it might just be one that galvanizes the group and leads to success. Of course, that heartbreak, paired with a tougher fixture in 2026, could also mean a seismic drop off.

The Crows were knocked out of the 2025 AFL Finals in straight sets. Mark Brake/Getty ImagesBrisbaneDoes the Lachie Neale saga have a positive or negative impact?

Unless you’ve been stuck on a deserted island since December, you’ve probably heard the news that Lachie Neale and his wife Jules have split. Now, I’m not going to delve into the how and why, but the upshot is that Neale has stepped down as club captain. Despite the off-field issues, reports have emerged from Lions coach Chris Fagan that the two-time Brownlow Medal winner is enjoying his best preseason in years. Is that accurate or just spin? Who knows. It will be fascinating to see how Neale plays this year, whether he wants to remain in Brisbane beyond 2026, and the impact all of the above has on a club that’s chasing the rare threepeat.

CarltonWere the Blues right to re-sign Michael Voss?

No coach in the competition enters 2026 under more pressure to perform immediately than Michael Voss, who is out of contract at season’s end. Voss signed a two-year extension at the beginning of the 2024 campaign, but since putting pen to paper, his Blues have struggled immensely. Last year, Carlton missed finals by a staggering seven wins. The year before they finished eighth and were humiliated by eventual premier Brisbane in an elimination final. The list has been overhauled this past offseason, but Voss has been given one more opportunity to prove he’s the right man for the job. Will he be there in September? It honestly feels like a coin flip right now.

CollingwoodWhen do the Pies look to the future?

The Magpies have been in win now mode for the past couple of seasons, but now, with so many players close to the end of their careers, there’s a serious requirement for the club to look to the future. Scott Pendlebury and Steele Sidebottom are likely entering their respective final years, while there’s a further eight Collingwood players — many of which are core pieces — all on the wrong side of 30. Outside of Nick Daicos, there’s barely anyone on this list under the age of 25 that feels like a 100% secure, long-term talent. But we don’t know that definitively because we haven’t seen many of them play enough. When will the focus become blooding the next generation?

Scott Pendlebury and Steele Sidebottom celebrates after Collingwood’s R2 win over the Western Bulldogs. Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty ImagesEssendonDoes Zach Merrett fully buy back in?

It’s no secret Zach Merrett was seeking a trade away from the Bombers and to the Hawks this past offseason. Heck, it might just have been the biggest story of the year! His manager Tom Petroro was unable to execute a deal during the trade period and the pair have since gone their separate ways. Merrett has also stepped down as club captain and, more recently, missed the annual team photo due to illness. Cue the conspiracy theorists. It feels inevitable he will once again plead for a trade come season’s end, but what happens between now and then? How does he play? How do his teammates treat him? And what happens if the Bombers actually have a successful year?

FremantleAre the Dockers really as good as their 2025 record suggested?

Fremantle was an incredibly trendy ‘biggest riser’ pick ahead of season 2025, and after a sluggish start, Justin Longmuir’s side picked up some real momentum. In fact, no team won more home and away games than Fremantle from Round 10 onwards. The Dockers went 12-2 to finish the year before falling by a solitary point to the Suns in an epic elimination final at Optus Stadium. But of those 12 wins, seven were by 15 points or fewer, and six came after they had trailed at the final change. Now, some may argue that’s a sign of an incredibly resilient team. Others will claim it’s a sign they just can’t put games away early and might not have as much luck in the future.

GeelongWill the Cats be the latest team struck down by the Grand Final curse?

The Cats have been perennial flag contenders since Chris Scott took over at the helm 16 years ago, but that doesn’t mean this club is immune to the Grand Final curse. Since 1995, no team has won a final the year after they lost a Grand Final by at least 40 points. In that time, eight of the 14 teams to lose a Grand Final by at least that margin missed finals completely! Geelong is coming off a 47-point Grand Final loss to Brisbane last season and if history tells us anything, it’s that 2026 could be a lean one. The Grand Final curse is dismissed at the beginning of every relevant year with a ‘yeah, but not this team’ argument. Is this Geelong side going to be the first to buck the trend?

Can the Cats rebound after their 2025 Grand Final loss to Brisbane? Morgan Hancock/AFL Photos/via Getty ImagesGold CoastAre the Suns in flag contention for the first time ever?STAY IN THE KNOW WITH ESPN

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This isn’t the first year you’ve likely heard many football pundits bullish about Gold Coast’s season-long prospects, but this club has certainly never entered a season with a more talented list. The Suns made some blockbuster moves this past offseason, signing 2021 Norm Smith Medal winner Christian Petracca as well as troubled Bulldog Jamarra Ugle-Hagan, though it did come at the cost of some depth. Both Petracca and Ugle-Hagan can be major difference makers in 2026, for a side that’s now had a taste of football in September, won a final, employs the reigning Brownlow Medal winner, Matt Rowell, and, in Damien Hardwick, has one of the best coaches in the competition.

GWSWhat sort of Clayton Oliver do the Giants get?

Rewind just 24 months and it was universally agreed that Clayton Oliver was a top 20 player in the AFL. Most would probably argue top 10. Between 2021 and 2023, Oliver averaged 31 disposals, 16.5 contested possessions, 7.5 clearances, and 6 tackles per game, won a premiership, and finished top five in the Brownlow Medal twice. It’s no secret Oliver has endured a rough patch in recent years, but his offseason move to GWS might just offer the fresh start he needs to help rediscover his devastating best form. Don’t forget, he’s still just 28 years of age! If Oliver is even 80% of the player he once was, the Giants will feel as if they have a midfield group that’s as good as any other in the game.

HawthornCan the Hawks overcome its undermanned midfield?

Hawthorn should be smack bang in the middle of a premiership window. However, a lack of midfield firepower, and depth, remains a major worry for Sam Mitchell’s side heading into season 2026. Will Day is set to miss the first half of the year after undergoing a shoulder reconstruction, while the not-flashy, but ever-reliable James Worpel was moved to the Cats this past offseason. Failing to land six-time Bombers best and fairest winner Zach Merrett continues to look like a seismic error for the club. Are there any names that can stand up and consistently assist Jai Newcombe in the midfield or will this season end up being a frustrating one for Hawks fans?

The Hawks failed to sign Essendon star Zach Merrett this past offseason. Morgan Hancock/Getty ImagesMelbourneJust how bad are the Demons?

Is it crazy to suggest Melbourne might finish bottom of the ladder this season? Maybe, but it’s not that farfetched. The Demons finished 14th last year, winning just two games more than 17th-placed Richmond. The club also finished the year with a horrendous 2-10 run. Now take out midfield stars Christian Petracca and Clayton Oliver, the unknown about Steven May, add in a new unproven coach, and even with the ‘easy’ fixture, it’s tough to imagine this side winning many games. This season’s objective for Melbourne should be to pump experience into last year’s first round selections, Xavier Taylor and Latrelle Pickett, as well as the talented pair of Harvey Langford and Xavier Lindsay, taken in the draft the year before.

North MelbourneIs this side finally taking a meaningful leap?

For the Demons, we wait to see just how bad they are. But for the Kangaroos, it’s the complete opposite. This club has retooled with a plethora of top-end talent through recent drafts and last year began to show glimpses of a side that’s destined for a rapid rise up the ladder. From 2024 to 2025, North Melbourne increased its scoring by eight points per game, reduced its points conceded by eight points per game, and went from three season wins to five. They also drew tie eventual premier Brisbane, and lost four matches by single digit margins (and another two by less than three goals). Nobody is crazy enough to suggest a flag is coming this year, but why can’t this side, led by Alastair Clarkson, play finals for the first time since 2016?

Port AdelaideDoes Zak Butters stay or does he go?

This one might just be the biggest storyline to follow in the league this season. Zak Butters is set to become a restricted free agent at season’s end and will face a major decision regarding his football future. Does the superstar midfielder remain at Port Adelaide and sign the lucrative contract that’s already been tabled? Or is a high-profile move back to Victoria facilitated? And if it is the latter, which club is the lucky one to sign him? Butters is already a three-time club best and fairest winner, dual All-Australian, and winner of the 2023 Coaches’ Association Champion Player Award. At 25 years of age, Butters is one of the greatest assets in football today.

Where is Zak Butters playing his football in 2027? Sarah Reed/AFL Photos via Getty ImagesRichmondHow far along is the rebuild?

There were many people who believed the Tigers could actually go winless in 2025 after the club had shipped out just about every player of value in the prior offseason to create one of the biggest draft hands in football history. Richmond selected eight players in the 2024 draft, including top selection Sam Lalor and five others in the first round, and yet the inexperienced group still managed to bank five wins in what was a rather productive 2025 campaign. So what does this year bring for the Tigers? And is this aggressive approach to rebuilding not only going to pay immediate dividends, but become the standard for struggling clubs moving forward?

St KildaWill the Saints’ shopping spree pay dividends?

No club was more active than St Kilda during last year’s trade and free agency period. The Saints made a plethora of moves to revitalise what was a stagnant list, signing free agents Tom De Koning and Jack Silvagni from Carlton, as well as trading for midfielder Sam Flanders and forward Liam Ryan. The club is putting all of its eggs into the ‘win now’ basket in the hopes it can, well, win now, but maybe more importantly convince star midfielder Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera to stay beyond his current contract that will run until the end of 2027. You feel playing finals is an absolute minimum pass mark for Ross Lyon and the Saints this season.

SydneyCan Charlie Curnow rediscover his dominant best?

Over the past few years, Charlie Curnow’s form has basically mirrored Carlton’s. When the Blues were flying high, Curnow was dominating the forward line and anchored to the top of the Coleman Medal standings. When the club couldn’t buy a win, his goalkicking output dried up considerably. Curnow gets a fresh start in 2026 with the Swans, a club that’s been in desperate need of a top-line key forward to put them back in premiership calculations. Nobody would deny Curnow is that type of player, but just how good will he be at his new club? Don’t forget, he managed just six goals from his last seven games at Carlton and has kicked only one bag of five goals in two and a half years!

The Swans signed Charlie Curnow during the offseason. Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty ImagesWest CoastCan Harley Reid take a seismic leap?

He entered the league as one of the most hyped players in football history, and while Harley Reid hasn’t exactly underwhelmed through his first two seasons at the Eagles, now is the time you’d expect him to be taking a major leap in production. The soon-to-be 21-year-old showed flashes of his outrageous potential throughout last season’s campaign, but struggled at times with both his composure and consistency. There’s hardly any shame in that for a player who is still very much learning his craft in a struggling side. Andrew McQualter has been hyping him up in the preseason, and the West Coast faithful are hoping he’s the next Chris Judd. Well, Judd won a Brownlow Medal in year No. 3. What does Reid have in store for us?

Western BulldogsDoes Marcus Bontempelli finally get his Brownlow Medal?

Granted, some will argue the development of key forward star Sam Darcy or even the general flag prospects of the Bulldogs is more of a fascinating storyline to follow, but who knows how many more years Marcus Bontempelli has to be in serious Brownlow Medal contention? As the undisputed best player in the game over the past five seasons, it would be a sporting travesty if he fails to win the league’s highest individual honour. If we enter the final third of the season and all of the online predictors have Bontempelli among the top few names, you can bet your last dollar there will be mass intrigue in every Bulldogs home and away game to close the season, not to mention Brownlow Medal night!