One of the world’s greatest spectacles – the Australian Football League – returns to action on March 6.
The AFL season lasts 23 games and concludes at the end of August. The top eight teams in the standings then move on to the playoffs, which last all of September.
2025 AFL Preview – Aussie Rules Best Bets
If you’re new to Australian Rules Football, welcome aboard – you’re going to love it. I always try to sell the sport by telling newcomers that it’s like “professional recess.”
Two teams consisting of 18 players chase, punt, punch, and leap for an oblong-shaped ball for two hours, trying to kick it through goalposts at either end of an oval-shaped field.
Somehow, it blends together soccer, football, and rugby with the chaos of hockey sprinkled on top.
And while the time difference can be a challenge, AFL is a great sport to watch and bet on for parents looking for a late-night or early-morning sweat while they’re chasing the kids around the joint.
Give it a shot.
The Favorite: Brisbane Lions (+550, FanDuel)
The Brisbane Lions were the proverbial “got hot at the right time” team in 2024. They finished runners up in 2023, got off to a slow start in 2024, but they turned things around right before it got too late and their heater carried into the playoffs, culminating with a rout of Sydney in the Grand Final (the AFL’s version of the Super Bowl).
Brisbane lost a couple of key players – notably Joe Daniher – from its premiership roster, but the core of this team can go toe to toe with anyone else in the competition.
History tells us that teams come out of the gates slowly after winning the flag, so you could take the same approach with Brisbane this year. Wait to see if they are sluggish out of the gates and then pounce if their odds lengthen.
Sleeper: Adelaide Crows (+2300)
Last year was supposed to be the “step-forward” campaign for the Adelaide Crows, but they just never got out of second gear. It was a shame, because this roster has more than enough talent to challenge for a playoff spot – and perhaps more.
Adelaide has a genuine star and Brownlow Medal (MVP) threat in Izak Rankine, and if he can stay healthy he should combine nicely with offseason addition Alex Neal-Bullen. Taylor “Tex” Walker has turned back the clock in recent seasons and should have one more solid campaign in his legs, too.
All of this should add up to a big season from the Crows, who have the talent of a team that should be in the single-digits but the disappointment from last year is keeping punters away.
The Longshot: Gold Coast Suns (+3200)
The Gold Coast Suns have famously never made it to the playoffs in their 13-year history and every March everyone asks “is this the year?”
I think it is.
This is the second season under Damien Hardwick, who coached Richmond to three flags at the turn of the decade, and that should mean he has the players he wants to play his system.
Gold Coast has a couple of genuine Brownlow threats in Matt Rowell and Noah Anderson, plus Mac Andrew looks like he could be the best defender in the competition sooner rather than later.
The Suns could be this year’s come-from-nowhere club. Two years ago we saw the GWS Giants make a massive leap and Hawthorn Hawks do the same in 2024.
I like Gold Coast as a longshot to win the flag, but it’s also worth considering backing them to finish atop the standings (+3000), too.
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