The AFL grand final is this Saturday, and Victoria’s faithful are once again without a home team to barrack for. Amid the NRL’s quest to conquer Perth, Papua New Guinea and everywhere in between, the continent-straddling decider between Brisbane and Fremantle is the AFL’s gentle reminder that rugby league is not yet The One Code To Rule Them All.
While neither team will enjoy home-ground advantage at the MCG, there remains a question about who will win the hearts of undecideds, casuals, neutrals and people Googling both teams for the first time at the bounce. Should once-a-year AFL fans back Brisbane, the juggernaut hunting their third-straight title? Or do the scrappy underdog Dockers deserve your heart?
Brisbane Lions
Some clubs would kill for just one golden era. The 21st century is barely a quarter done, and the Lions already have two. With an obscene five premierships under their belt since their Brisbane-based reincarnation in 1997, the Lions have a chance to equal their storied run of three consecutive flags from 2001 to 2003.
It’s hard to root for such an obvious favourite – out of 23 players on the squad, only two haven’t won flags yet – but no one can say they haven’t earned it. The Swans flogged them by 53 points in the qualifying final, forcing them to take the long way round. After demolishing Adelaide when back on home turf they prevailed in one of the all-time great prelims against a magnificent Hawthorn, trailing by as much as 22 points before half-time, clawing their way back, giving up the lead in the final minutes then controversially snatching it back at the death.
Collectively they’re a colossus, and on the whole the Lions players are annoyingly likable. The Ashcroft boys – Will and Levi – are the AFL’s own Williams sisters, winning everything in sight and being wholesome while doing it. Veteran small forward Charlie Cameron went from playing for the Newman Saints in between shifts down a Pilbara mine to becoming one of the game’s biggest stars. Even Dayne Zorko is compelling in a love-to-hate-him sort of way.
They might not be the humblest club, but humble doesn’t win three-peats. Brisbane won’t win many hearts and minds if they snag flag number six of this century, but they’ll be too busy celebrating to care.
Barrack for if: You’re a fan of dynasties.
Barrack against if: You need a change of pace.
Fremantle Dockers
It says something about Brisbane’s dominance of the last few years that the Dockers go into Saturday’s game as underdogs. Both clubs joined the league in the mid-1990s, but their paths have been very different. Brisbane were winning flags within five years of merging with Fitzroy. Fremantle had no fairytale beginning – it took the Dockers nine years to make the finals.
To this day, Fremantle have never won a premiership. Their best years, from 2012 to 2015, had the misfortune of clashing with one of the all-time great teams at Hawthorn, who beat them soundly in the 2013 grand final and went on to carve out a three-peat of their own.
Fremantle have only played three finals games in the decade since – until this year. Since the midpoint of 2025, losing has become a rare inconvenience for the Dockers. They posted a casual 14 wins in a row this season – a club record – and cruised to the minor premiership having dropped just four games all year. Many wrote them off when Hawthorn humbled them in the qualifying final, but hard-fought wins against Geelong and the Swans have vaulted them back into contention.
Casuals will find plenty to like in characters like Patrick “Prancing Pony” Voss, who was fined earlier this year for the unforgivable crime of ruffling an opponent’s hair. Captain Alex Pearce has stood tall on and off the field, refusing to apologise for social media posts in support of civilians in Gaza. The Dockers have recruited a host of unheralded cast-offs with a sprinkling of stars from other clubs and turned them into a premiership force.
It has been a 32 season wait, but the fanatical Fremantle faithful still believe this year is their year. Maybe, just maybe, it’s Wharfie Time.
Barrack for if: You believe in fairytales.
Barrack against if: You’re an East Coast Chauvinist.
