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Hawthorn co-captain Jai Newcombe.

Risk versus reward: Rating the best and worst long-term deals across the AFL

We dive into the risks clubs take when they sign players to long-term deals, and how often the risk actually pays off.

  • Peter Ryan and Marc McGowan

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WA football main image West Coast Eagles, Fremantle dockers.

Did the stars align? For the first time since May, WA footy fans got to witness this spectacle

If a week’s a long-time in football, 308 days is an eternity. Just ask West Coast Eagles fans.

  • Paddy Sweeney
Izak Rankine.

AFL round two teams and expert tips: Crows, Bulldogs named for Rankine’s return

All the teams as they’re announced for round two of the AFL season – plus the experts give their all-important tips.

Luke Jackson was a standout for the Dockers.

The Western Watercooler: Dockers dial up the pressure (but can they hold it?), and why we should check Eagles fans’ TVs

Welcome to the Western Watercooler, where we digest the talking points from the weekend’s games – and the highlights, frustrations and silver linings WA footy fans can cling to as the season progresses.

  • Paddy Sweeney
Reuben Ginbey has been declared fit to play against the Gold Coast on Sunday.

Mystery injury hits Hewett as Eagles count the cost

The Eagles could unleash all three of their first-round draftees from November against the Suns with No.1 pick Willem Duursma, No.4 Cooper Duff-Tytler, and No.19 Josh Lindsay all available.

  • Justin Chadwick
James Worpel (Geelong), Charlie Curnow (Sydney) and Christian Petracca (Gold Coast) all find themselves at new clubs in 2026.

The teams they are a changin’: Which recruits will make the cut at your club?

Whether it be recruits, rookies, or both, every club has fresh talent to inject. Some, such as Carlton and St Kilda, could have a quarter of their line-up for opening round making their club debut.

  • Andrew Wu
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No two AFL seasons are the same, every campaign can be likened to a game of snakes and ladders, where some teams rise and others fall.

Snakes and Ladders: The verdict on which teams will rise and fall in 2026

Putting the marketing hyperbole of AFL clubs aside, it’s clear some teams have tangibly changed for better since last season, and others for worse.

  • Michael Gleeson
Newcomer Latrelle Pickett (main) promises to be a firestarter for Melbourne this season. Hawthorn’s Will Day, Richmond’s Sam Lalor and St Kilda recruit Tom De Koning will also be watched closely.

The Hawks are in win now mode, but can they really take the next step with this midfield?

Who got battered, and who got better? Our guide to the 2026 AFL off-season has all the information you need on who’s in form, who’s hurt and who’s trying something new as opening round approaches.

  • Peter Ryan
Four years before he tragically took his own life, AFL star Troy Selwood made a selfless decision to donate his brain to concussion research.

Troy Selwood’s final wish was to donate his brain for concussion research

The former AFL star wrote in his will that he wanted to help those studying the long-term effects of head knocks.

  • Melissa Cunningham
Tyler Brockman.

West Coast Eagles player Tyler Brockman charged with grievous bodily harm

Police say the 23-year-old midfielder was outside a house in Drummond Cove in the early hours of December 28 when a fight broke out on the street.

  • Paddy Sweeney and Hannah Murphy