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Why each preliminary finalist can and can't win the flag
Two do-or-die prelims. Four teams. One premier. The 2026 AFL season is nearing its conclusion, with Sydney, Fremantle, Hawthorn, and Brisbane still in the hunt for this year's flag. Here's why each of them can -- and cannot -- win the 2026 premiership.
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TOP HEADLINES
PF2 - Swans vs Dockers
Steals of the century: how Freo's misfits became gems
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DRAFT LATEST
September Power Rankings: An extended top 35, plus current player comparisons
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'I just hate that': Harry Van Hattum wants to end ruck disrespect
THE W FILES
The W Files: End of an AFLW era? Plus Ella Roberts the star
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ARE WE OVERREACTING?
AFL overreactions: The Swans have already played their 'Grand Final'
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REVIEWING SEMIFINAL WEEKEND
Stocks: Freo star to another level but Cats fall short, again
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GRADING EVERY TEAM'S SEASON
UPDATED: Pass or fail? Grading every team's season
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SF2 - Lions vs Crows
What we learned: Selfless Lions maul Crows to leave Hawks shaking in their boots
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SF1 - Dockers vs Cats
What we learned: The unicorn can take over a final; the AFL 'is failing the game'
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Top Headlines
- AFL Finals: Ins and outs, selection whispers
- AFLW R6: Team news, whispers, tips, and more
- High draft pick among five Essendon delistings
- No stadium, no problem as Devils build roster
- Longmuir, Dockers on red alert for Swans
- Hawks skipper's worst injury fears confirmed
- 'Tip of the iceberg': Crow backed after online abuse
- Lions zero in on rare flag threepeat
- Swans name stand-in for injured captain Mills
- ⇄ AFL trades, free agency tracker: latest news
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Expert tips, best tips for AFL preliminary finals
Who should you be tipping in the preliminary finals? Our footy experts have put their heads together to help you out. So open your ESPNfootytips app, take notes, and get ahead of the game!
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ESPN's All-Australian team for 2026: Final 23 named -- who gets snubbed?
Who would pick up an AFL All-Australian blazer if our three footy writers, Jake Michaels, Matt Walsh, and Jarryd Barca had their way? Here's ESPN's final All-Australian team.
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Pass or fail? Grading every AFL team's season based on preseason expectations
Make finals, win the flag, or avoid the bottom four ... we gave each team a pass mark coming into the 2026 season. So how did every club go?
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Subscribe to the ESPN Australia Newsletter
Keep up to date with the latest news from across the sporting world. Be it at home or abroad, we've got it covered in our weekly newsletters.
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Listen to our AFL podcast - the ESPN Footy Podcast with Champion Data
Join ESPN's footy team for some of the best AFL analysis and insight on the ESPN Footy Podcast.
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ESPN's Brownlow Medal predictor and tracker - every vote for 2026
The Brownlow Medal is the highest individual honour in the AFL. In 2026, ESPN is giving you an advantage with our one-of-a-kind predictor.
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Remembering Neale Daniher: The football figure who became Australia's inspiration
There have been more decorated footballers. More successful coaches. But it's difficult to think of too many figures in Australian sport who have left a greater impression on people, or whose influence stretched so far beyond the game itself.
- Mark Brake/AFL Photos/Getty Images
'It's a scam': What the AFL and city of Adelaide won't tell you about Gather Round
Everyone loves to rave about Gather Round. But unless you're in the financial 1%, this weekend-long football festival just isn't meant for you.
- Photo by Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images
We're misty-optically: Paying tribute to Dennis Cometti, a footy commentary icon
It's inevitably the witticisms which first spring first to mind when think of Dennis Cometti, but, more broadly, he was Australian football's greatest ever caller and will be sorely missed, writes Rohan Connolly.
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Ranking every AFL after-the-siren winning goal since 2000
Since the turn of the millennium, there have been 33 after-the-siren goals kicked which have won the game. We've ranked them -- taking into account shot difficulty, context of the match, conditions, and more to determine which clutch kick rules them all.
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AFL player record holders, statistical leaders, and more
Who has played the most AFL games? Who has kicked the most AFL goals? Here are the league leaders in history for all the stats that matter.
