The answer was obvious but telling. As Andrew Dillon prepared for his second season as AFL chief executive, he was asked by a reporter who he thought would win the premiership this year, as he launched the 2025 season in front of the Sydney Harbour Bridge on Monday. “I think it’s hard to go past the two teams in Sydney,” the trained lawyer said.
Brisbane won last year’s premiership, perfectly complementing the AFL’s national growth strategy. The northern clubs have been given a leg up by hosting opening round matches – despite Tropical Cyclone Alfred’s interruption this year – and hundreds of millions of dollars have been invested into programs in non-traditional markets. Yet as the most recent two expansion sides enter their adolescence in 2025, it’s starting to sound like Dillon wants them to earn their keep.
