Is 2025 the most boring AFL season in recent memory?

[Daics35Marvel]

Is anyone else finding the 2025 AFL season a little dull? I am less invested in neutral games than most years. With only 9 teams that seem capable of making finals, a lot of the matches don't feel like there is a lot on the line. For the last few years, there have been teams that made late runs into the finals (GWS, Carlton, Hawks), but this year there seems to be a noticeable gap between the top and bottom half of teams.

Then we have the three most recent premiership teams at the top of the table. For neutrals, it's hard to get too excited by watching the same teams fighting it out again. Not to mention the same teams at the bottom, not rising up the ladder despite years of concessions and draft picks.

Even the draft has lost its excitement, with so many of the top picks now already assigned to clubs through academies, father sons and zones.

Is it just me or are others less invested in neutral games in 2025?

 

[The Feeder Club]

I think we need more blockbuster games at the MCG involving Collingwood to make it more entertaining

 

[Corkintheocean]

The fixture is a mess. Opening Round, byes from rounds 2-4, then 12-16. By the time the season gets into full swing again the top 8 is all but decided and 2/3s the bottom 8 are in full blown tank mode. Anyone aside from the ignoramuses at AFL House can plainly see the current setup is a complete farce.

 

[The Feeder Club]

The fixture is a mess. Opening Round, byes from rounds 2-4, then 12-16. By the time the season gets into full swing again the top 8 is all but decided and 2/3s the bottom 8 are in full blown tank mode. Anyone aside from the ignoramuses at AFL House can plainly see the current setup is a complete farce.

Exactly. Who would have thought that a fixture prioritising money over integrity would yield a less interesting sport?

 

[Andyy]

Some things I've observed:

Standard of umpiring is horrendous.
Standard of football is ordinary.
Changes to the game are required - stand rule, deliberate OOB, players deliberately drawing high contact etc.

And we definitely are not ready for a 19th team. I don't even think the country is fielding 18 quality teams. Would be better if we folded two teams to make Tas.

 

[juss]

Is anyone else finding the 2025 AFL season a little dull? I am less invested in neutral games than most years. With only 9 teams that seem capable of making finals, a lot of the matches don't feel like there is a lot on the line. For the last few years, there have been teams that made late runs into the finals (GWS, Carlton, Hawks), but this year there seems to be a noticeable gap between the top and bottom half of teams.

Then we have the three most recent premiership teams at the top of the table. For neutrals, it's hard to get too excited by watching the same teams fighting it out again. Not to mention the same teams at the bottom, not rising up the ladder despite years of concessions and draft picks.

Even the draft has lost its excitement, with so many of the top picks now already assigned to clubs through academies, father sons and zones.

Is it just me or are others less invested in neutral games in 2025?

I've become slowly less invested in neutral games progressively over recent years, it's a common trend with people I speak to but not sure what the actual data would show.

 

[Gavin Excell]

The fixture is a mess. Opening Round, byes from rounds 2-4, then 12-16. By the time the season gets into full swing again the top 8 is all but decided and 2/3s the bottom 8 are in full blown tank mode. Anyone aside from the ignoramuses at AFL House can plainly see the current setup is a complete farce.

Opening round is a joke and an embarrassment to the administration but they seem too proud now to acknowledge they've fcked it up
The season now goes through this 4 week let down period now that just takes the momentum right away

 

[Shipping Report]

A third of the teams are outright shit, the top three are clearly the top three, and the rest battle for some has been finals appearances that just net contract extensions for their average coaches.

The quality has been really low in general though, very few shocks, even fewer comebacks, and any close game is a bad scrap.

 

[joe444]

Same teams, different year: Even the top sides' supporters are just waiting for "the real stuff".

Bumbling administration: How many times can a supporter be expected to roll their eyes in one season?

Blockbuster fatigue: Too many manufactured 'traditional rivals' contests , which leads to ...

Worst Fixture Ever: Besides the baffling requirement that certain contests have to happen twice a year, we have surely reached a tipping point. Not Carlton's fault that they've played five out of 14 games against the three bottom teams. But other sides haven't even played each other once yet.

Whinge exhaustion: As if it weren't enough that the same teams seem strong, when the weaker teams aren't shooting themselves in the foot, they're shooting their mouths off about the same old complaints.

 

[Bianconeri]

This was always going to be an issue as the number of teams increased

 

[PowerfulPies2023]

No.
And as for folding two teams to make Tassie, no. Just no.

 

[Stan_Darsh72]

Exactly. Who would have thought that a fixture prioritising money over integrity would yield a less interesting sport?

Draft and fixture have been compromised for money, leads to less excitement and supporters not having hope.

Add in umpiring is at its worst plus the lack of free to air games on a Saturday is just wrong.

 

[Shane Heard]

Imagine those spine tingling encounters in Tasmania soon.

It’ll add so much more to what already is a edge of the seat, pulsating competition ..delivering more must watch games to a frenzy fan base of AFL punters.

 

[PowerfulPies2023]

Imagine those spine tingling encounters in Tasmania soon.

It’ll add so much more to what already is a edge of the seat, pulsating competition ..delivering more must watch games to a frenzy fan base of AFL punters.

Bradley Plain
Ryan O'Connor
David Grenvold
Derek Kickett

 

[Randomizor]

The fact that you can look at the ladder now and see games played as:

12,13,14,15

Makes the ladder currently useless as an indicator of where teams are at, and I think that contributes to a lot of games and wins feeling meaningless.

 

[PowerfulPies2023]

Agreed about round zero. Try hard American shit. Just like Preliminary Final weekend which I get the term. But no one used to say it as such.

Try hard wannabe Americans.

 

[Hobbes]

There does seem to be a clear divide between the top 9 and the bottom 9. However, only five of the top 9 played finals last year, and the minor-round top two aren’t in finals contention.

Apart from that, the season is intriguing.

 

[Hobbes]

A third of the teams are outright shit, the top three are clearly the top three, and the rest battle for some has been finals appearances that just net contract extensions for their average coaches.

The quality has been really low in general though, very few shocks, even fewer comebacks, and any close game is a bad scrap.

It feels like the “top 3” thing is just an illusion. Adelaide are a win against Richmond away from stealing third place. Hawthorn and Fremantle could just as easily match Geelong on wins by next week, and Gold Coast has matches in hand. Collingwood will likely finish top, but nobody else is assured of a top-4 spot.

 

[SC_Power]

Yawn

More relevant question is, did AFL football lose its mojo with Covid?

Certainly has been an inferior product since.

 

[PowerfulPies2023]

Yawn

More relevant question is, did AFL football lose its mojo with Covid?

Certainly has been an inferior product since.

Don't know about that.

 

[Quinz]

Yawn

More relevant question is, did AFL football lose its mojo with Covid?

Certainly has been an inferior product since.

Major decrease in off field spending for many clubs at that time following the soft cap introduction

 

[My Tilly]

Footy's been on the decline for years.
I remember mentioning how very few speccies are taken on a weekly basis and was quickly shot down but seriously, we would be fortunate to get a couple of speccies every month.

 

[catters05]

Footy's been on the decline for years.
I remember mentioning how very few speccies are taken on a weekly basis and was quickly shot down but seriously, we would be fortunate to get a couple of speccies every month.

And soon we won’t see any once the first concussion 3 week suspension is caused by a marking contest.

 

[Rail King]

Bradley Plain
Ryan O'Connor
David Grenvold
Derek Kickett

Alan Ezard
Keiren Sporn
Mark Thompson
Greg Anderson

 

[Fire]

I've been round these parts more than 20 years now and most years there's a thread like this, despite the game growing constantly.

People point to issues with the current setup to blame why they are losing interest, and while those issues are legitimate, I don't think they are the real reason.

I think it's just a steady group of people growing up and getting on with life, having more responsibilities like careers, families, and developing more refined and varied interests as they mature. And so are their friends, which is why 'everyone I speak to agrees'.

It's fine, it's good, its normal.