Australian Rules Football has its showpiece day, but the sport’s biggest moments are spread across a whole season: fierce rivalry games, milestone awards, finals and themed rounds that turn ordinary fixtures into major occasions. If you’re choosing a match to watch—or trying to understand why a particular date matters—these are the events that give the AFL calendar its character.
The AFL Grand Final
The Grand Final is Australian football’s defining event. It decides the season’s premier, usually at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (the MCG), in front of a huge crowd and a national television audience. For players, it is the match every season is built around; for supporters, it can define a club’s fortunes for years.
The road there runs through the AFL finals series. The top eight teams qualify, with the system giving the highest-ranked sides an advantage: teams that win qualifying finals earn a second chance if they lose their next match. The elimination finals are more straightforward—lose and the season is over. After several weeks of do-or-die football, the two survivors meet in the Grand Final.
Grand Final history is full of contrasts: tense, low-scoring finishes, spectacular comebacks and games decided in the final minutes. The 2005 decider, for example, saw Sydney defeat West Coast by four points to claim its first premiership since 1933, when the club was known as South Melbourne. In 2010, Collingwood and St Kilda played the first drawn Grand Final in decades; Collingwood won the replay the following week.
Marquee rivalry matches
Some regular-season games feel almost as significant as finals because of the history between the clubs, the occasion or both. The result still counts toward the ladder, but the atmosphere is often the main attraction.
Anzac Day: Essendon and Collingwood
Essendon and Collingwood meet at the MCG on Anzac Day, April 25. The match combines a major sporting occasion with remembrance of Australian and New Zealand service personnel. A pre-game ceremony is central to the day, and the Anzac Medal is awarded to the player judged best afield. The game has become one of the best-attended fixtures of the home-and-away season.
Dreamtime at the ‘G
Dreamtime at the ‘G is a prominent celebration of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture, traditionally featuring Richmond and Essendon at the MCG. The event includes cultural performances and specially designed Indigenous guernseys, while the football carries its own edge as a high-profile rivalry match. It is one of the clearest examples of a fixture that brings sport, culture and community together.
The Showdown and the Sydney Derby
South Australia’s Showdown pits Adelaide against Port Adelaide. Local pride is at stake, and the result can shape the mood of the state’s football supporters for weeks. In Sydney, the Swans and Greater Western Sydney contest the Sydney Derby, a younger rivalry that has grown as both clubs have built larger followings in the city.
Other notable regional clashes include the Queensland derby between Brisbane and Gold Coast, often called the QClash, and Western Australia’s Western Derby between Fremantle and West Coast. These games give local supporters a clear occasion to rally around, especially when the clubs are competing for finals places.
The Brownlow Medal
The Brownlow Medal is the AFL’s best-and-fairest award for the home-and-away season. Umpires award votes after each match, and the player with the most votes wins. The count is held on Brownlow Medal night, just before the Grand Final, making it part awards ceremony and part suspenseful season recap.
It is not simply a goalscorer’s prize. Midfielders often feature prominently because they get frequent touches and influence play across the ground, but players in other roles can win votes through influential performances. A strong Brownlow contender may have controlled possession, created scoring chances and lifted their team in close games.
Gather Round and themed rounds
Gather Round is a newer addition to the AFL calendar. Introduced in 2023, it brings every club to South Australia for a round of matches played across Adelaide and other local venues. The idea is to make the entire weekend a football festival, with fans able to see multiple teams and games in one trip. It has also given the league a chance to showcase venues and football communities beyond the usual weekly routine.
The AFL also stages themed rounds that put a spotlight on important parts of the game’s culture and history. Sir Doug Nicholls Round, named for the Aboriginal footballer and civil rights campaigner, celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and their contribution to football. Clubs often wear commemorative guernseys, and the round features events and storytelling alongside the matches.
Other rounds and fixtures can highlight causes such as inclusion, mental health or the history of women’s football. Names, schedules and formats can change, so check the season fixture if you’re planning to attend a particular event.
AFLW finals and the season’s awards
The AFL Women’s competition has its own season, finals and Grand Final, offering a second major championship race on the Australian football calendar. AFLW matches have produced their own rivalries, memorable finals and standout performances, while the competition has helped bring new players and supporters into the sport.
Across both competitions, individual awards add another layer to the season. The Coleman Medal goes to the AFL’s leading goal-kicker in the home-and-away season. The Rising Star recognises an outstanding young player, while clubs also present best-and-fairest awards of their own. These honours don’t carry the weight of a premiership, but they help explain which players shaped the season.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the biggest event in Australian Rules Football?
The AFL Grand Final is the sport’s biggest annual event. It decides the premiership and draws national attention, with the MCG the usual venue.
When is the AFL Grand Final played?
It is generally played in late September, after the finals series. The exact date and venue are confirmed in the season schedule.
What makes the Brownlow Medal different from the Coleman Medal?
The Brownlow recognises the best-and-fairest player across the home-and-away season, based on umpire votes. The Coleman Medal recognises the player who kicks the most goals in that period.
Are Anzac Day and Dreamtime at the ‘G finals?
No. They are prominent regular-season matches. Their history, ceremonies and cultural significance make them major events even though they are part of the home-and-away fixture.
Final Thoughts
If you’re new to Australian Rules Football, start with a Grand Final for the stakes, then watch a rivalry match such as the Showdown or Anzac Day game for the atmosphere. Gather Round offers a festival-style weekend, while the Brownlow and themed rounds show how the sport celebrates its players and communities. Together, these events make the AFL season about much more than the final score each week.
Aiden Cross is a sports writer and editor at BeliveSports, covering a broad range of sports with a focus on clear, accurate, and practical information. His work covers rules, techniques, player roles, competitions, equipment, statistics, and the details that help readers better understand how different sports are played. Aiden takes a research-driven approach to sports writing, using reliable sources and established sporting information to provide context rather than simply repeating surface-level facts. His goal is to make complex topics accessible while maintaining the accuracy and depth expected by knowledgeable sports fans. At BeliveSports, Aiden contributes to the site’s editorial standards by focusing on accuracy, clarity, useful context, and reader-first explanations.