FROM nailbiters to unforgettable individual moments, this season delivered games that etched themselves into instant-classic territory.

As the year draws to an end, AFL.com.au has trawled through all 216 games and identified the best 12 from the season.

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Richmond 13.4 (82) d Carlton 9.15 (69), R1

Midway through the second quarter, the traditional round one blockbuster was following the pre-game script and threatening to turn into a fizzer. But from 41 points down, the young Tigers side - which some had forecast might not win a game all season - kicked 12 of the last 14 goals of the match to secure a famous victory. Having drawn level at the final change thanks to a five-goal third term, the Tigers showed maturity beyond their years to shut the Blues out of the game, with the victory sealed by a Seth Campbell back flip at the City End of the ground. Having started the season with plenty of hope, it was a blow from which Carlton never truly recovered.

TIGERS v BLUES Full match coverage and stats

Collingwood 10.16 (76) d Western Bulldogs (10.10 (70), R2

The Magpies ultimately spoiled the Bulldogs' centenary celebrations, but the Dogs didn't go down without a fight in front of nearly 80,000 at the MCG. Third generation Bulldog Sam Darcy was immense, booting four goals - including three in a blistering first half - from 15 disposals and eight marks, but even his heroics couldn't drag the Dogs over the line. Collingwood didn't score for the first 20 minutes and trailed by 22 points early, but their class shone through as the match wore on. A sprinting Bobby Hill looked to have broken the Dogs' resistance when he slotted a goal on the run to put the Pies 14 points up early in the final term, but there was more Footscray fight to come. Bailey Williams denied a certain Dan McStay sealer with a lunging effort on the goal line, before Joel Freijah capitalised on a rare Steele Sidebottom blunder to set up a grandstand finish. But Sidebottom redeemed himself moments later, snapping the match-winner from a stoppage deep in the Magpies' forward-50 to ice the contest.

BULLDOGS v MAGPIES Full match coverage and stats

Gold Coast 13.13 (91) d Adelaide 14.6 (90), R4

It was hyped as the game of the round and the Suns and Crows delivered a classic, complete with late controversy and a stoush between two young stars of the competition. The game had five lead changes before the Suns stretched their advantage to a game-high 18 points early in the final quarter, but Adelaide kicked four of the last five goals of the game to get within a point in the dying stages. The controversial moment came with just over a minute remaining; Izak Rankine appeared to have a good piece of a chest mark in the left forward pocket before the ball was jolted free and the umpires called play on, denying the Crows a shot that would have - at worst - levelled the scores. The AFL later admitted the umpiring call was a mistake, but it did little to soothe the Crows in the one-point defeat, with Mac Andrew's late run-in with five-goal hero Riley Thilthorpe adding another element to a fascinating contest.

SUNS v CROWS Full match coverage and stats

Geelong 12.14 (86) d Hawthorn 11.13 (79), R6

In a throwback to the glory days of Cats v Hawks blockbusters, 2025's Easter Monday clash delivered. In front of a massive crowd of 88,746, the Cats led for almost the entire day but never managed to push their advantage beyond four goals as the young Hawks rallied and rallied again. In a game with two serious flashpoints - Bailey Smith slammed the ball into Jarmen Impey's head on the southern wing, while Conor Nash copped a four-game ban for a crude strike on Gryan Miers - the Hawks drew level with 12 minutes to go thanks Connor MacDonald, but that was as close as they would come. Nick Watson and James Sicily missed late chances as Shaun Mannagh's third goal sealed a memorable win for the Cats.

CATS v HAWKS Full match coverage and stats

Geelong 13.12 (90) d Collingwood 12.15 (87), R8

While this contest will probably always be best remembered for Jack Crisp's missed shot after the siren, it should not detract from what came before it as two premiership contenders duked it out in a classic. The Cats jumped out to an early lead before the Magpies took control and led by as much as 20 points midway through the third term. But the Cats then kicked six of the next seven goals and appeared likely winners until a late Brody Mihocek double set up a grandstand finish. With the margin back to four points and the Magpie Army in full voice after some contentious umpiring calls in the last two minutes, Steele Sidebottom's hacked kick out of the centre square somehow landed in the lap of Crisp - in his record-setting 245th consecutive game - as the siren sounded. But the Pies' iron man couldn't convert, with the Cats saluting by three points in one of the games of the season.

MAGPIES v CATS Full match coverage and stats

Adelaide 13.11 (89) d Port Adelaide 12.12 (84), R9

Showdowns rarely disappoint, but this season's first meeting between the arch rivals was one of the all-time classics. Adelaide led by two points at the final break before a little bit of Izak Rankine brilliance broke the game open. Quiet for three quarters, Rankine flicked the switch, curling home his first goal to push the Crows out by 15 points early in the final quarter. Less than a minute later he stunned everyone with a mid-air soccer that somehow squeezed through the narrowest of gaps. But just when the Power appeared out of it, they booted two late goals, with the last from Jeremy Finlayson reducing the deficit to four points with just under two minutes remaining. The Power surged again as they looked to steal it, but Irish Crow Mark Keane took a courageous contested mark to shut the door on Port and seal a famous victory for the Crows.

POWER v CROWS Full match coverage and stats

Greater Western Sydney 16.9 (105) d Geelong 14. 17 (101), R9

A staggering 10 lead changes and a seven-goal haul from Jesse Hogan highlighted a Mother's Day special as the Giants extended one of the rarest winning streaks in footy - consecutive victories at the Cattery. GWS got a fast start, kicking five of the first six goals of the game, before the Cats responded to hit the front in the second term and the see-sawing battle continued right into the final moments. A Jake Riccardi snap gave the Giants the lead back with just minutes remaining and the Cats couldn't make the most of their chances in the dying stages as three wayward shots - including a poster from Mark Blicavs - sealed the Giants' fifth win in a row at Geelong's normally impenetrable home ground.

CATS v GIANTS Full match coverage and stats

Collingwood 11.6 (72) d Melbourne 10.11 (71), R13

What this game lacked in free-flowing football it made up for in pure tension and drama. The Demons (5-7) were not expected to put up much of a fight against the ladder-leading Magpies (10-2) and after a tight first half, the game seemed to be following the script when the Pies stretched out to a 20-point lead early in the third quarter. But when Bayley Fritsch snapped out of his form slump with three goals in 20 minutes either side of three-quarter time and Kysaiah Pickett kicked his third, the Dees were in front and a massive upset was on the cards. But a Dan McStay major and four behinds in the dying stages - as well as a Clayton Oliver shank that went out of bounds on the full - saw the Pies hold on by a point, with an on-field confrontation between veterans Max Gawn and Steven May late in the game taking plenty of gloss off a spirited Dees performance.

DEMONS V MAGPIES Full match details and stats

Gold Coast 10.9 (69) d Collingwood 8.15 (63), R18

Friday night football hit the Gold Coast with a see-sawing, thrilling and at times bizarre game as the Suns took a huge step towards their first finals campaign. Remarkably, the Suns kept Collingwood goalless (0.8) in the first half and led by 40 points at one stage in the third quarter before the Pies kicked eight of the next nine goals to somehow take the lead midway through the last. Josh Daicos (16 disposals, five tackles, two goals) produced a final quarter for the ages but it wasn't enough as Noah Anderson's stunning goal on the run and some smart Suns play late in the game sealed a famous win.

SUNS v MAGPIES Full match coverage and stats

Fremantle 12.7 (79) d Collingwood 11.12 (78), R19 

Both sides had their chances, but it was Fremantle who saluted in a stunning come-from-behind win on the road against Collingwood. The Magpies led by as much as 22 points early in the final term, but the Dockers, teetering on the edge of the top eight at the time, slammed home the final four goals of the game to stun the then-ladder leaders and ignite their September surge. Luke Jackson put his side in front by a point with five minutes remaining, before a usual suspect in Jamie Elliott had his chance to wrestle it back for the Pies. But, uncharacteristically, the normally dead-eye sprayed his set shot, tying things up with just minutes remaining. Fremantle livewire Shai Bolton was awarded a free kick in attack with 90 seconds left on the clock, but he too missed although it was enough to give his side a one-point buffer. The Pies surged forward in the dying seconds, but Josh Treacy took a game-saving mark in the goal square, then earned a 50m penalty when Pies skipper Darcy Moore slid his knees into his back, sealing an unforgettable Dockers victory. Earlier, Pat Voss announced himself with a career-best six goals that paved the way for the win.

MAGPIES v DOCKERS Full match coverage and stats

St Kilda 15.6 (96) d Melbourne 13.12 (90), R20

For three quarters, this game looked like it would fit into the 'instantly forgettable' category as Melbourne cruised to a comfortable lead, which had stretched to a seemingly insurmountable 46 points at the final break. But 30 minutes of madness under the roof at Marvel became the stuff of legend as Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera produced a performance that had to be seen to be believed. Having toiled hard all day, the silky Saint secured the biggest comeback in VFL/AFL history with a stunning mark and goal inside the final 60 seconds to level the scores. But he wasn't done yet; a series of inexplicable Demons errors resulted in a 6-6-6 free kick, mass confusion and another Nasiah mark and goal, this time after the siren to win the game. Arguably THE moment of the 2025 season.

SAINTS v DEMONS Full match coverage and stats

Gold Coast 11.14 (80) d Fremantle 12.7 (79), EF

Gold Coast will never forget its first ever finals experience, and it was a club legend - playing the penultimate game of his career - who would ensure the memory will forever be a happy one. Having pushed out to a 26-point lead in the third quarter, the Suns were in danger of being overrun by a spirited Dockers side, who kicked the first four goals of the final quarter to re-take the lead with less than three-and-a-half minutes to play. But when Mac Andrew was swung forward and held his nerve - not for the first time late in a game - in front of goal, the scores were level entering the final 60 seconds. With extra time looming, veteran substitute David Swallow won a free kick on the 50m arc and while he initially thought his set shot kick a goal, he still managed to secure the point the Suns needed to keep their season alive and break Docker hearts.

DOCKERS v SUNS Full match coverage and stats