Join now and get your first month for just $1<\/a>.<\/p>\nScroll down to see the current state of play for the 2025 AFL finals and where all nine contenders can potentially finish based on results thus far, plus the live ladder.<\/p>\n
All times AEST.<\/p>\n
Collingwood and Gold Coast are playing for their top-four hopes on Friday night.Source: FOX SPORTS<\/p>\n
CURRENT AFL LADDER (entering Round 24)<\/p>\n
1. Adelaide Crows (17-5, 141%)<\/p>\n
2. Geelong (16-6, 140.7%)<\/p>\n
3. Brisbane Lions (15-6-1, 114.3%)<\/p>\n
4. Collingwood (15-7, 123.1%)<\/p>\n
5. Hawthorn (15-7, 122.7%)<\/p>\n
6. GWS Giants (15-7, 115.5%)<\/p>\n
7. Fremantle (15-7, 108.6%)<\/p>\n
8. Western Bulldogs (14-8, 140.3%)<\/p>\n
9. Gold Coast Suns (14-7, 121.2%)*<\/p>\n
* = game in hand<\/p>\n
Current percentage gaps (approximate)<\/p>\n
Adelaide one goal ahead of Geelong<\/p>\n
Collingwood one goal ahead of Hawthorn<\/p>\n
Hawthorn four goals ahead of Gold Coast<\/p>\n
PREDICTED WEEK 1 OF FINALS<\/p>\n
First Qualifying Final (1st hosts 4th): Adelaide Crows vs Gold Coast Suns at Adelaide Oval<\/p>\n
First Elimination Final (5th hosts 8th): Collingwood vs Hawthorn at the MCG<\/p>\n
Second Elimination Final (6th hosts 7th): GWS Giants vs Western Bulldogs at ENGIE Stadium<\/p>\n
Second Qualifying Final (2nd hosts 3rd): Geelong vs Brisbane Lions at the MCG<\/p>\n
PREDICTED FINAL LADDER<\/p>\n
1. Adelaide Crows (18-5)<\/p>\n
2. Geelong (17-6)<\/p>\n
3. Brisbane Lions (16-6-1)<\/p>\n
4. Gold Coast Suns (16-7)<\/p>\n
5. Collingwood (16-7)<\/p>\n
6. GWS Giants (16-7)<\/p>\n
7. Western Bulldogs (15-8)<\/p>\n
8. Hawthorn (15-8)<\/p>\n
9. Fremantle (15-8)<\/p>\n
10. Sydney Swans (12-11)<\/p>\n
11. Carlton (9-14)<\/p>\n
12. St Kilda (9-14)<\/p>\n
13. Port Adelaide (8-15)<\/p>\n
14. Melbourne (7-16)<\/p>\n
15. Essendon (6-17)<\/p>\n
16. North Melbourne (5-17-1)<\/p>\n
17. Richmond (5-18)<\/p>\n
18. West Coast Eagles (1-22)<\/p>\n
Lynch & Brown’s Top 5 Marks of 2025 | 02:07<\/p>\n
FIXTURE AND HOW ROUND 24 WILL PLAY OUT, CHRONOLOGICALLY<\/p>\n
Thursday night: Essendon vs Carlton, 7:30pm at the MCG<\/p>\n
This match has no impact on the finals race.<\/p>\n
Friday night: Collingwood vs Melbourne, 7:10pm at the MCG<\/p>\n
They\u2019re fourth for now, with a bottom-nine opponent left to play, so clearly the Magpies can still make the top four. If they win tonight they\u2019ve got a good shot at making it. But their biggest problem is the team in ninth – Gold Coast. The Suns have two very winnable games which will give them chances to gain percentage, and they\u2019re already pretty close to the Pies. So all Craig McRae\u2019s men can do is win by as much as possible; if they do that they\u2019ll be hosting an elimination final at worst.<\/p>\n
Friday night: Port Adelaide vs Gold Coast Suns, 8:10pm at Adelaide Oval<\/p>\n
The Power will farewell Ken Hinkley as the Suns look to clinch their maiden finals appearance. They need just one win from their two opportunities in this round, but beating both Port Adelaide and Essendon will give them a huge chance of making the top four. A loss would make next Wednesday night verrrrry interesting…<\/p>\n
Saturday afternoon: North Melbourne vs Adelaide Crows, 1:20pm at Marvel Stadium<\/p>\n
A win will give Adelaide their first minor premiership since 2017, while with a major upset they would likely drop into second.<\/p>\n
Saturday twilight: Richmond vs Geelong, 4:15pm at the MCG<\/p>\n
If the Crows somehow lose earlier in the day, the Cats will be playing for the minor premiership. Otherwise they will just be looking to seal second spot and a home qualifying final.<\/p>\n
Saturday night: West Coast Eagles vs Sydney Swans, 7:35pm at Optus Stadium<\/p>\n
This match does not impact the finals race. The Swans are gonna be good next year, though. The Eagles aren\u2019t.<\/p>\n
Sunday early: GWS Giants vs St Kilda, 12:20pm at ENGIE Stadium<\/p>\n
The Giants\u2019 upset win over Gold Coast in Round 23 virtually guaranteed them a finals place, so they\u2019re playing for finals seeding – a top-four spot is gettable but unlikely, requiring Collingwood and Gold Coast to each lose a game. With a victory, the Saints would continue their impressive streak of winning 10 games every season this decade.<\/p>\n
Sunday afternoon: Western Bulldogs vs Fremantle, 3:15pm at Marvel Stadium<\/p>\n
This is the big one. Assuming the Suns beat the Power earlier in the round, this is simply an early elimination final. The winner makes the eight, and has a shot at hosting an actual elimination final, while the loser will finish ninth. They will have the best record of any team to miss the finals in the top eight era. If the Suns didn\u2019t win earlier in the round, the loser will still be alive, and will be cheering madly for the Bombers on Wednesday night.<\/p>\n
Sunday night: Brisbane Lions vs Hawthorn, 7:20pm at the Gabba<\/p>\n
Wins for both sides in Round 23 mean this game isn\u2019t quite as high-stakes as it could\u2019ve been. They\u2019ll both play finals, but instead they\u2019re fighting for a potential double chance. Brisbane would finish top four guaranteed with a win, while Hawthorn would be fighting the likes of Collingwood and Gold Coast on percentage. The loser of this game is likely heading into an away elimination final.<\/p>\n
Wednesday night: Gold Coast Suns vs Essendon, 7:20pm at People First Stadium<\/p>\n
No, a Wednesday night game on the Gold Coast doesn\u2019t mean we\u2019re back in Covid times. It means what should\u2019ve been the third match of the season is instead the last, and will either determine whether the Suns play finals (if they lost to Port Adelaide) or if they can make the top four (if they beat Port Adelaide). They will know the exact margin they need to boost their percentage past the likes of Collingwood and Hawthorn, should those teams win.<\/p>\n
‘The pressure is on them too!’: Longmuir | 01:38<\/p>\n
TEAM-BY-TEAM FINALS SCENARIOS<\/p>\n
1. ADELAIDE CROWS (17-5, 141%)<\/p>\n
Current percentage gap: Approx. one goal ahead of Geelong<\/p>\n
To play: North Melbourne at Marvel Stadium, Saturday 1:20pm<\/p>\n
Win: Finish 1st<\/p>\n
Lose: Finish 2nd if Geelong wins and is above them on percentage (extremely likely), otherwise finish 1st<\/p>\n
Analysis: Five years ago, Matthew Nicks\u2019 Crows won the wooden spoon, finishing one spot below North Melbourne. Now a win over those Kangaroos, who are still languishing in the bottom four, will hand Adelaide the minor premiership and complete the largest ladder rise in V\/AFL history from 15th to 1st. They\u2019re locked into the top two regardless.<\/p>\n
Fox Footy\u2019s prediction: Win and finish 1st, host Gold Coast in a qualifying final<\/p>\n
2. GEELONG (16-6, 140.7%)<\/p>\n
Current percentage gap: Approx. one goal behind Adelaide<\/p>\n
To play: Richmond at the MCG, Saturday 4:15pm<\/p>\n
Win: Finish 1st if Adelaide loses and is below Cats on percentage (extremely likely), otherwise finish 2nd<\/p>\n
Lose: Finish 3rd if Brisbane def Hawthorn, otherwise finish 2nd<\/p>\n
Analysis: After avoiding the banana peel known as the Swans, the Cats just need to beat lowly Richmond to clinch a home qualifying final. (They also need to send a bouquet of flowers to the AFL fixturing department for giving them the Tigers twice this year.) Because of their percentage, they can only be caught by Brisbane if they cop a shock loss next Saturday – flipping the location of a likely Cats-Lions qualifying final.<\/p>\n
Fox Footy\u2019s prediction: Win and finish 2nd, host Brisbane in a qualifying final<\/p>\n
‘As an industry we got to get better’ | 01:04<\/p>\n
3. BRISBANE LIONS (15-6-1, 114.3%)<\/p>\n
To play: Hawthorn at the Gabba, Sunday 7:20pm<\/p>\n
Win: Finish 2nd if Geelong loses, 3rd if Geelong wins<\/p>\n
Lose: Finish 4th if Collingwood, GWS, Gold Coast and Fremantle all lose, 5th if three of those happen, 6th if two happen, 7th if one happens, 8th if none happen<\/p>\n
Analysis: Last year\u2019s prelim was pretty epic, so we wouldn\u2019t mind seeing another Lions-Cats final. If the reigning premiers beat Hawthorn next Sunday night that\u2019s what we\u2019ll be seeing, with the game either hosted at the MCG (if Geelong wins) or the Gabba (if Geelong loses). Heck, you could argue with Brisbane\u2019s recent form home and away, they\u2019d rather play it at the MCG. But with the ladder being this tight, the Lions can hardly afford a loss, with the most likely results sending them all the way down into an away elimination final. (We reckon it\u2019d be away to the Giants… another epic 2024 finals rematch!)<\/p>\n
Fox Footy\u2019s prediction: Win and finish 3rd, away to Geelong in a qualifying final<\/p>\n
4. COLLINGWOOD (15-7, 123.1%)<\/p>\n
Current percentage gaps: Approx. one goal ahead of Hawthorn, five goals ahead of Gold Coast<\/p>\n
To play: Melbourne at the MCG, Friday 7:10pm<\/p>\n
Win: Finish 3rd if Hawthorn wins but stays below them on percentage AND Gold Coast either loses once or stays behind them on percentage, 4th if Brisbane wins\/Hawthorn wins and gains percentage OR Gold Coast wins both and passes them on percentage, 5th if both happen<\/p>\n
Lose: Finish 5th if Gold Coast, Hawthorn and GWS lose, 6th if two of those happen, 7th if one happens, 8th if none happen<\/p>\n
Analysis: Another painful, narrow loss leaves the Magpies on the fringe of the top four and arguably reliant on Port Adelaide or Essendon pulling an upset. While the Hawks could pass the Pies on percentage and knock them out of the four, it\u2019s more likely Gold Coast will do it, given they face the lowly Bombers in the final game of the season and will know how much they need to win by. In this way, Collingwood playing before their rivals is a disadvantage; all they can do is try and win by as much as possible. Arguably Hawthorn beating Brisbane would help them because while the Hawks can finish above the Pies with a win, the Lions definitely will.<\/p>\n
Fox Footy\u2019s prediction: Win and finish 5th, host Hawthorn in an elimination final<\/p>\n
Gaz GOES OFF at umps missing Crow throw | 03:58<\/p>\n
5. HAWTHORN (15-7, 122.7%)<\/p>\n
Current percentage gaps: Approx. one goal behind Collingwood, four goals ahead of Gold Coast<\/p>\n
To play: Brisbane Lions at the Gabba, Sunday 7:20pm<\/p>\n
Win: Finish 3rd if Gold Coast and Collingwood lose or win but fall below on percentage, 4th if one happens, 5th if neither happens<\/p>\n
Lose: Finish 5th if Gold Coast and Collingwood lose by a few goals more than them and GWS loses by any margin, 6th if two of those happen, 7th if one happens, 8th if none happen<\/p>\n
Analysis: Their Sunday night showdown with the Lions was threatening to become an elimination final; instead the Hawks and their hosts are playing for a shot at the top four. Sam Mitchell\u2019s men will certainly have a shot at it, given that Brisbane has been worse at home than on the road this season, but with a loss they\u2019re most likely to finish 8th. <\/p>\n
Fox Footy\u2019s prediction: Lose and finish 8th, away to Collingwood in an elimination final<\/p>\n
6. GWS GIANTS (15-7, 115.5%)<\/p>\n
To play: St Kilda at ENGIE Stadium, Sunday 12:20pm<\/p>\n
Win: Finish 4th if Gold Coast and Collingwood lose, 5th if one happens, 6th if neither happens<\/p>\n
Lose: Finish 7th if Gold Coast loses twice, otherwise finish 8th<\/p>\n
Analysis: An impressive win over the Suns leaves the Giants likely heading towards a home elimination final, though if everything goes right (Melbourne def Collingwood and Gold Coast lose to Essendon and\/or Port Adelaide), they could still sneak into the top four where nobody would want to face them. Our predicted match-up against the Bulldogs would probably be their worst-case scenario given their recent record against their rivals. A loss will send the Giants into an away elimination final, almost certainly either at the MCG or against the Suns. Note: There is a fringe scenario where the Giants win by enough to finish 3rd if Hawthorn beats Brisbane by very little.<\/p>\n
Fox Footy\u2019s prediction: Win and finish 6th, host Western Bulldogs in an elimination final<\/p>\n
Injury puts key Lion in doubt for finals | 00:33<\/p>\n
7. FREMANTLE (15-7, 108.6%)<\/p>\n
To play: Western Bulldogs at Marvel Stadium, Sunday 3:15pm<\/p>\n
Win: Finish 4th if all of Gold Coast, Collingwood and GWS lose a game, 5th if two of those happen, 6th if one happen, 7th if none happen<\/p>\n
Lose: Will miss finals unless the Suns lose twice, then finish 8th<\/p>\n
Analysis: It will be incredibly cruel if the Dockers miss the eight with 15 wins – a total that would\u2019ve got you into every single V\/AFL finals series before 2025. But this remarkable season is going to create a remarkable 9th-placed team and, if they can\u2019t beat the Bulldogs on the road next week, it\u2019ll be the Dockers. (Unless the Giants lose by over 100 points, or the Suns lose twice.) If they pull the upset, it\u2019ll be yet another win over a top-nine team, so they\u2019ll deserve to play finals – and the top four is even reachable! But in the end all of those close wins were brilliant but costly; their percentage is not good for their win-loss record and you can look back at games like the pitiful loss to St Kilda and say that\u2019s the moment Fremantle ruined their season.<\/p>\n
Fox Footy\u2019s prediction: Lose and miss finals<\/p>\n
8. WESTERN BULLDOGS (14-8, 140.3%)<\/p>\n
To play: Fremantle at Marvel Stadium, Sunday 3:15pm<\/p>\n
Win: Finish 4th if all of Gold Coast, Collingwood, Hawthorn and GWS lose a game, 5th if three happen, 6th if two happen, 7th if one happens, 8th if none happen<\/p>\n
Lose: Will miss finals unless the Suns lose twice, then finish 8th<\/p>\n
Analysis: A few results went against the Dogs last week but enough has gone right over the past month that their scenario is simple – win and you\u2019re in. They can even sneak into the top four if everything goes right though it\u2019s more likely they\u2019re headed for the 6th vs 7th elimination final, or possibly 8th (which could be against the Hawks again!).<\/p>\n
Fox Footy\u2019s prediction: Win and finish 7th, away to GWS in an elimination final<\/p>\n
Jamarra opens up about shooting incident | 05:00<\/p>\n
9. GOLD COAST SUNS (14-7, 121.2%)<\/p>\n
Current percentage gaps: Approx. four goals behind Hawthorn, five goals behind Collingwood<\/p>\n
To play: Port Adelaide at Adelaide Oval, Friday 8:10pm then Essendon at People First Stadium, Wednesday 7:20pm<\/p>\n
Win two: Finish 3rd if Hawthorn wins but falls below them on percentage AND Collingwood loses\/wins but falls below them on percentage, 4th if Brisbane wins AND Collingwood loses\/wins but falls below them on percentage, 5th if Brisbane wins AND Collingwood wins and stays above them on percentage<\/p>\n
Win one: Finish 5th if Collingwood, Hawthorn and GWS all lose and are below Suns on percentage, 6th if two happen, 7th if one happens, 8th if none happen<\/p>\n
Lose both: Will miss finals<\/p>\n
Analysis: Everyone expects the Suns to play finals, only needing to beat Port Adelaide and Essendon sides with nothing to play for… though the Power do have Ken Hinkley to play for. If the Suns drop that game in Adelaide, things get very interesting, as they\u2019ll still need to beat Essendon in the final game of the season to guarantee themselves a September debut, likely in 7th or 8th. But if the Suns beat the Power they can dream of a qualifying final – our predicted scenario will see them needing to beat Essendon by enough to catch Collingwood on percentage.<\/p>\n
Fox Footy\u2019s prediction: Win twice and finish 4th, away to Adelaide in a qualifying final<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The final round of the 2025 AFL season has arrived, with all nine remaining contenders unsure where they\u2019ll…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":83876,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[560],"tags":[638,64,63,55,639,85],"class_list":["post-83875","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-afl","tag-afl","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-australian-football-league","tag-australianfootballleague","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/83875","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=83875"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/83875\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/83876"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=83875"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=83875"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=83875"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}