Is 2025 the most boring AFL season in recent memory?

[Shane Heard]

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 too agrees'.

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

Yes.

 

[Shane Heard]

Alan Ezard
Keiren Sporn
Mark Thompson
Greg Anderson

Bomber ?

Did you ever watch football?

 

[Rail King]

Bomber ?

Did you ever watch football?

I'm just naming 4 random Essendon players.
I thought that was the game

 

[windyhill]

My team are an absolute rabble, with or without injuries. We have been pathetic for well over two decades. I still go every week though, should I seek help ? Is this season boring ? For me, going to watch The Bombers ? It's just more of the same shit. " ohh look Ridley has done ANOTHER ****ing hamstring."
(I have witnessed four flags)

 

[north_lad]

Well Collingwood's probably gonna win it easily so yeah I'm bored by that prospect

 

[doppleganger]

Has been a great season

Adelaide and Gold Coast look like they have finally come good and are.playing some.high scoring attacking footy are a big chances to both jump from bottom 6 to top 6.

Pies are playing great footy and Carlton are delivering delicious results.

 

[TP86]

The malaise is created by the games and season narratives not being strong enough to grab the attention away from player contracts and trade period. A huge percentage of the in-season news cycle is focused on two weeks that take place in the offseason.

Every team wants to be sold the dream of hope and competing but arguably the only two weeks where that's genuinely true for all 18 teams is trade period and that's why it gets clicks and attention that has seen it engulf what footy media used to look like prior to say, the Ablett deal to Gold Coast.

We now have 15 years of clubs speaking direct to their fans via social media, and 25 years of them having their own websites that bypass independent media as the primary relationship between club and fan. That also has to be a massive factor in AFL fans' consumption habits and also how they feel about games not involving their own team.

 

[Clark G]

Well Collingwood's probably gonna win it easily so yeah I'm bored by that prospect

This time last season Sydney looked the goods and look how things turned out.

 

[Rethink]

There are two possible solutions, either we make the draft the only way into a team, or we change the league format to 4-team divisions only, with a half-year where we hop over between 1-4, 5-8, 9-12 cut-offs to 1-6, 7-10, 11-14 cut-offs instead.

 

[Rod Stroker]

My team are an absolute rabble, with or without injuries. We have been pathetic for well over two decades. I still go every week though, should I seek help ? Is this season boring ? For me, going to watch The Bombers ? It's just more of the same shit. " ohh look Ridley has done ANOTHER ****ing hamstring."
(I have witnessed four flags)

really? you were in Perth on Thursday?

 

[MagpieExcalibur]

2024 was a bit boring to be honest it still had some great games and a pretty decent finals series but i feel 2022 was the last real cinematic/movie-like season there was like 2 or 3 awesome games every week and it was an all-time great finals series 2023 was a decent followup with a very entertaining finals series and 2025 has just not had enough close games yet something i hope will change soon

 

[windyhill]

really? you were in Perth on Thursday?

Missed four games in Melbourne since 1973, take out covid obviously. It's a reasonable attendance record unlike others I could mention.

 

[keithrichards]

Regarding poor quality, there are still plenty of good footballers running around in the state leagues who would come in and instantly have a positive impact, but clubs choose to try and get games in to 18 year old kids treating the top flight completion as a development league

 

[Stottzy]

It was interesting how nobody has raised the issue after the Heralds Suns end of season prediction. I know, it's just a prediction, but won't be far off the mark. They had Hawthorn finishing 9th on 14 wins. The next was Carlton to finish 10th, on 10 wins! Last year, Melbourne finished 14th on 11 wins. It's not just the bottom 3 rubbish this year, it's half the comp

 

[Gavin Excell]

This Acer ad on the bigfooty site is bloody annoying

 

[VinnieB]

I would merge St Kila, North and Carlton and relocate them to Tasmania.
Have 16 teams as there is just not enough quality talent to support so many teams.

Only issue is the Hawks have done a great job in Tasmania, that the merged club may struggle with local suppor.t

 

[HairyO]

The gsme is mostly fine but goal kicking is absolutely ****ing god awful.

Players earning $500k a year or more cant kick a goal from 25m out. Players trying dribble kicks from 40m out when there are 2 opponents in the way. Kicking around the corner from 50m out or even directly in front.

Yesterday we saw players kicking out on the full from 30m out nearly in front.

It is becoming too painful to watch.

 

[Roobs321]

I’ve mostly preferred 2020s neutral games to the 2010s.

I do recall a flat spot in early 2022 just before McRae’s Pies became a thing. I sometimes wonder what would’ve happened that season if the pies didn’t go on that thrilling run.

2025 is fine, seen a lot of decent games this year. The media will media, the footy will footy.

 

[Fadge]

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.

It is the middle of a round, to be fair...

 

[Osho]

I think the footy is generally pretty good. Lots of narratives and interesting match ups, top teams are awesome, the next level teams are pretty good, can be exciting on their day, and there are some other emerging teams showing flashes.

The boredom for me is related to over exposure. I enjoy it more when I don't watch every game, just a selection.

 

[Billy ray]

Its been great

 

[SAweagle]

A once exhilarating sport that is being managed and controlled to death

The umpires whistle constantly ruins passages of play

Nobody even pretends to understand the rules of the game and how they are interpreted, it boils down to umpires choice on the day

Players focus more on running 15 ks at a decent clip than being able to hit a teammate with a pass. Goal kicking remains ludicrously difficult for full time professionals.

The draft, academies and the FS rules are a utter joke, the draft is compromised beyond belief.

Fixture is cooked. Literally rigged.

Mark Jackson said it best "AFL toilet trained media" can anybody name one truly independent footy media journo?

A cesspool of footy content from monday morning to friday night dressed up and taking themselves very seriously. One could be forgiven for thinking you've switched on the negotiations between Russia and the US the way they carry on. Let you in on a little secret, 36 players chasing a ball aint that deep fellas. 90% of it is pure speculation at best and straight bullsh*t at worst

Players on the whole are not playing to win a premiership. Money/Lengthy contracts then status are primary considerations, team success a distant 3rd on the list if indeed at all. The private school infestation means blokes have come up playing for 5/6 different teams and see themselves as the prized commodity. Earmarked from youth as being destined for the big time means players become insular and selfish. What can the game give me?

For better or worse players are aware of life post footy and staying uninjured is a priority. The desperation and ability to beat your opponent with attack on the ball and body is being squeezed out slowly but surely

The governing body is filled with corrupt selfish embezzlers there to line their own pockets, powder their snouts and bask in the status of being associated with the national sport. Guardians of the game is comical.

Greed will invite more sponsorships and promotions until every blade of grass has got a brand and QR code on it linking you to a betting site or the Chicken Game.

Game day experience resembles a circus, who suggested the constant stop start music blasts? Fan survey? Big 4 market research? Gilbert Mcfu*ckwit & Dildo Dillons saw it on a "business trip" in the USA?

The unending search for growth continues to dilute and cheapen the competition. After the TassieTwoHeads enter the comp we've still got the NT Crocs and the Canberra Lizards to look forward too. Post that there will be a push for. 3rd WA SA & NSW team, a 2nd Brisbane team. Where will the growth crazed AFL turn next! Fraser Island Dingos? Christmas Island Seekers?

Looming legal fiascos will broaden and hasten the evolution of the game to a full field game of basketball, corralling and blocking will replace tackling.

Get to your local league or go bush if you want to see what footy is all about, coz the AFL aint it.

 

[Rod Stroker]

Missed four games in Melbourne since 1973, take out covid obviously. It's a reasonable attendance record unlike others I could mention.

So when you said you "still go every week", that was a lie, because you actually don't go every week. Got it.

 

[windyhill]

So when you said you "still go every week", that was a lie, because you actually don't go every week. Got it.

Missing four games since 1973 in Melbourne ( yes minus covid) is a reasonable effort ,would you agree ?

 

[Toump Ass]

Compromised drafts have skewed the comp too far for me. The two best teams in it got their best players for loose change, nga is a rort too.

My club being shit doesn't help but I'd be a lot more interested in who wins if the comp was fairer.