Ahead of the 2025 Toyota AFL Premiership Season launch, the 18 club captains have given their opinion on how the season's biggest moments will play out.
The results are in with nine captains backing in reigning premiers the Brisbane Lions to go back-to-back. They are closely followed by GWS, which eight captains have tipped to win its first premiership in 2025.
The captains have predicted there will be nine players across the competition in contention for this year's Brownlow Medal, with Nick Daicos (six votes) and Marcus Bontempelli (four votes) the two standouts.
The Coleman Medal as leading goalkicker was predicted to be a battle between Jeremy Cameron (five votes) and Charlie Curnow (four votes).
There was strong support for many youngsters of the competition, with a total of 12 different players named as the most likely to win the Ron Evans Medal as the Telstra AFL Rising Star. No.1 draft pick Sam Lalor (four votes) was the favourite, followed by Carlton's Jagga Smith (three votes).
As the AFL celebrates 30 years of NAB AFL Auskick, the captains reflected on their first football memories, with 15 of the captains beginning their careers at Auskick centres across the country, from Ulverstone in Tasmania to Northampton in WA.
Finally, the captains are looking forward to the return of Bruce McAvaney to Seven's broadcast, with six leaders voting for him as their favourite footy commentator, whilst three captains wish they could bring back Lance 'Buddy' Franklin in his prime to complete their team in 2025.
Note: all captains were surveyed ahead of AAMI Community Series
The captains were asked 11 questions, with the proviso that their individual answers would be treated anonymously to ensure personal views:
- Which other club is most likely to reach the Grand Final?
- Who do you think will win the 2025 Brownlow Medal?
- Who do you think will win the 2025 Coleman Medal?
- Who do you think will win the 2025 Telstra AFL Rising Star?
- Which clubs are you most looking forward to watching match up this year?
- Did you start out playing NAB AFL Auskick? What was the club?
- If you weren’t an AFL footballer, what would you be?
- Who is your favourite footy commentator?
- Who has the best haircut in the AFL?
- Name a past player you’d love to have in your team this year in their prime?
- Who would you love to see perform as the Telstra Pre-Game Entertainment this September?
The full voting is below:
Which other club is most likely to reach the Grand Final?
(Nine captains correctly picked eventual premier Brisbane in 2024)
9 – Brisbane Lions
8 – GWS GIANTS
1 – Sydney
Who do you think will win the 2025 Brownlow Medal?
(In 2024, no captains nominated eventual Brownlow Medallist Patrick Cripps)
6 – Nick Daicos
4 – Marcus Bontempelli
2 – Caleb Serong
1 – Patrick Cripps, Jordan Dawson, Harry Sheezel, Jason Horne-Francis, Zak Butters, Tom Green
Who do you think will win the 2025 Coleman Medal?
(In 2024, no captains nominated eventual Coleman Medallist Jesse Hogan)
5 – Jeremy Cameron
4 – Charlie Curnow, Jesse Hogan
2 – Nick Larkey
1 – Ben King, Riley Thilthorpe, Mabior Chol
Who do you think will win the 2025 Telstra AFL Rising Star?
(In 2024, no captains nominated eventual Ron Evans Medallist Ollie Dempsey)
4 – Sam Lalor
3 – Jagga Smith
2 – Sid Draper
1 – Bo Allan, Harvey Langford, Leo Lombard, Finn O'Sullivan, Isaac Kako, Connor O'Sullivan, Ty Gallop, Joe Berry, Levi Ashcroft
Which clubs are you most looking forward to watching match up this year?
5 – Adelaide and Port Adelaide (SA Showdown)
3 – Port Adelaide and Hawthorn, Collingwood and Essendon (on ANZAC Day), Sydney and GWS GIANTS (NSW Derby)
2 – Carlton and Collingwood, Brisbane and Sydney (Grand Final Replay)
Did you start out playing NAB AFL Auskick? What was the club?
15 – Yes
3 – No
Clubs:
- Ivanhoe VIC
- Ulverstone Robins TAS
- Northampton WA
- Penguin TAS
- South Augusta SA
- Darley/Bacchus Marsh VIC
- St Ives Saints NSW
- Hawthorn Citz VIC
- Watsons Park Ashburton VIC
- Mooroopna VIC
- Cobden VIC
- Naracoorte SA
- Eltham VIC
- St Albans VIC
- Robe SA
If you weren't an AFL footballer, what would you be?
2 – Fireman, soccer player, entrepreneur/business owner
1 – Author, Contiki tour operator, high performance coach, professional surfer, stay at home dad, teacher, travel TV show host, chef, cricketer, AFL Commissioner, calf model, professional gamer
Who is your favourite footy commentator?
6 – Bruce McAvaney
2 – Dale Thomas
1 – Alister Nicholson, Matthew Richardson, Brad Johnson, Adam Papalia, Jordan Lewis, Anthony Hudson, Brian Taylor, James Brayshaw, Hamish McLachlan, Matt Hill
Who has the best haircut in the AFL?
2 – Max Gawn
1 – Bailey Smith, Mabior Chol, Brandon Walker, Harry McKay, Kamdyn McIntosh, Lachie Jones, Aaron Naughton, Bayley Fritsch, Zak Jones, Dane Rampe, Gryan Miers (when he had dreadlocks), Griffin Logue (in 2019), Luke Davies-Uniacke, Sam Draper, Taylor Walker, Hugo Ralphsmith
Name a past player you’d love to have in your team this year in their prime?
3 – Lance 'Buddy' Franklin
1 – Alex Rance, Tony Lockett, Anthony Koutoufides, Cyril Rioli, Nick Riewoldt, David Wirrpanda, Matthew Richardson, Gary Ablett jnr, Andrew McLeod, Chris Judd, Byron Pickett, Bill Hutchison, Billy Goggin, Matthew Scarlett, Robert 'Dipper' DiPierdomenico
Who would you love to see perform at the Telstra Pre-Game Entertainment this September?
2 – King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard
1 – Tame Impala & Dua Lipa, AC/DC, Robbie Williams, Dido, Charli XCX, Led Zeppelin, Mumford & Sons, SZA, Oasis, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Beyonce, Zach Bryan, Eminem, Justin Bieber, Kings of Leon, Chris Stussy
