The 2025 Extra Time AFL Finals Form Guide

After a long 2025 AFL season, the Finals are upon us, and so is the annual Extra Time AFL Finals Form Guide.

Each member of the Extra Time crew has been assigned a finalist and given their reasons why their team is not only a contender but will win it all (and almost everyone took it seriously).

Here is the Official Extra Time AFL Finals Preview.

Adelaide

Minor Premiers, double chance, two home finals — is that enough for the Crows to clinch the Flag.

Two home finals — a clear path to the AFL Grand Final. Yes, premierships are ultimately won at the MCG, but with Adelaide’s fortress in Adelaide Oval, there’s no easier way to stamp a ticket to the big dance.

Losing Izak Rankine hurts, but it’s not the end of the world. The Crows have stars who can step up and cover the gap. Led by captain Jordan Dawson, with midfield weapons like Rory Laird and Jake Soligo, and the brilliance of Taylor Walker still delivering up forward, Adelaide has the balance of experience and youthful drive.

Josh Rachele and Luke Pedlar add spark, while Riley Thilthorpe’s growth as a key forward option gives them a dangerous edge inside 50.

They’ve become the it team of 2025, carrying the minor premiership in a season where the flag truly feels up for grabs.

Securing two home finals is an enormous advantage — one that history shows can set a side up perfectly for a tilt at the cup.

Yes, Adelaide’s losses have largely come against fellow finals contenders — Gold Coast in Round 4, Geelong in Round 5, Fremantle in Round 7, Collingwood in Round 10, and Hawthorn in Round 14.

But here’s the difference: the Crows have won their last eight matches.

They’ve built momentum, ironed out early inconsistencies, and now look like the most complete version of themselves.

Adelaide fans know better than to get ahead of themselves.

2017 still haunts — the disappointment of that lost Grand Final lingers — but 2025 has the feel of redemption.

This year could be the one that finally puts that nightmare to rest.

Come September, anyone facing Adelaide at Adelaide Oval will need to deliver their absolute best just to survive.

With Dawson’s leadership, Walker’s goals, Rachele’s x-factor and a midfield that runs deep, the Crows have the depth, the belief, and the form line.

That’s why they’re a genuine shot to bring the premiership back across the border and be the pride of South Australia once more.

– Mark Woods

Geelong

Geelong has the necessary firepower behind 2025 Coleman Medallist Jeremy Cameron to win the Premiership.

With Geelong’s relatively easy fixture this season, in particular their run to the finals, some have suggested this makes them an unknown quantity. Despite finishing clear in second, they haven’t been tested by a top-eight side since round 18, when they lost to the Giants in relatively convincing fashion.

But that game aside, the Cats have been incredibly efficient this year, particularly late. When it comes to teams they should beat, they have done so in brutal fashion.   

That indicates a side with a competition-best capacity to sprint through the finish line in games. And their percentage would support that. That ability to play at a high level across four quarters is vital in the rigours of a finals campaign.

A more surgical analysis of their squad shows that despite lacking some depth in areas, particularly in the midfield, they have star power everywhere. You need to go back to 2009 to find a player (Brendon Fevola) who has kicked more goals in a season than Jeremy Cameron did this year. Tom Stewart is in career best form down back, and with Bailey Smith, Max Holmes and Gryan Miers racking up possessions in the midfield, and the brute force and versatility of Dangerfield, can they really be stopped? And they’re healthy. They’ll grind out a win against Brisbane to qualify for a Prelim, and they’ll surge to a Premiership from there. 

– Davin Sgargetta

Brisbane

Reigning Premiers, and with stars across the park. Will the Lions go back-to-back.

The Reigning premiers once again have punched their ticket to the 2025 Finals series, finishing top four for the fifth time in Chris Fagan’s tenure. 

Brisbane’s defensive strength in 2025 is one of the main reasons they’re flag favourites.

It all starts with the general, and their All Australian full back Harris Andrews, who forms the backbone of the Lions defensive structure.

Andrews is one of the league’s best interceptors and is a significant lockdown defender in conjunction. His leadership and communication bond this Lions back six together.

Furthermore, the team defends as a unit, not just the backline. There are defensive minded players everywhere: Jarrod Berry and Josh Dunkley for example, who help limit opposition clean inside 50s. 

Not many teams have had success transitioning the football precisely inside Brisbane’s defensive 50. 

While they have not been as efficient going forward themselves as they would have liked, the X-Factor is there to make massive headwinds in September. 

There are so many different players that can hurt you on any particular day: Lachie Neale, WIll Ashcroft, Hugh McCluggage, Zac Bailey, Cam Rayner, just to name a few. 

This team is more than capable of blitzing through September and holding that cup on the last day, just like last year.

– Jasper Cormack

Collingwood

The Pie have been up and down in 2025, but the Magpie Army are unwavering in their commitment adding another variable, particularly at the G.

Forget tactics. Forget form. Forget basic dental hygiene. The flag is already in the hands of the mighty Pies. How do I know? Because every Collingwood fan with a minor criminal record and at least three missing teeth has already declared it. And if there’s one thing we’ve learned over the years, it’s that Collingwood optimism is louder than reality.

Their real edge? A fan base convinced that screaming “BALL!” loud enough will hypnotise the umpires into blowing the whistle. They’ve been perfecting that technique for decades. In all seriousness though, the kind of loyalty Pies fans show to Centrelink is the sort of resilience that Collingwood will draw on to snag the 2026 flag.

The Magpies’ game plan for 2026 was simple. Win enough games to make the finals, then rely on a 17-minute motivational speech from someone who’s been banned from every pub in Victoria. Forget their less than admirable form of recent weeks, the finals is basically a new season. Apparently September erases the trauma of August.

So, brace yourselves. The Collingwood Army will rise once more, toothless grins gleaming, servo sunnies shining, ready to celebrate like it’s 1990. Because if there’s one thing Collingwood fans love more than winning, it’s telling you they “would’ve won in 2018 if it wasn’t for the umps.”

Premiership assured. Science can’t explain it.

– Simone Wearne

GWS

The only Sydney team remaining in the competition could well make the trip to the MCG on the last Saturday in September.

The Greater Western Sydney Giants remain genuine premiership contenders despite narrowly missing the double chance on percentage, finishing with an impressive 16–7 record in fifth place. They enter finals in red-hot form, winning nine of their last ten matches, including a testing final-round clash against St Kilda. Importantly, they have proven they can beat the best, claiming victories over Geelong twice and three of the four sides above them on the ladder.

While a few injury concerns linger, the list is in strong shape. Down back, Lachie Whitfield, Sam Taylor and Lachie Ash provide composure and intercept ability. In the midfield, Tom Green, Finn Callaghan and Josh Kelly offer a mix of grit, youth and polish. Up forward, the focus remains on reigning Coleman medallist Jesse Hogan, who has been hampered by a foot injury and faces a race against time to feature against Hawthorn. Regardless, the Giants still possess potent options in All-Australian captain Toby Greene, Jake Stringer and promising youngster Aaron Cadman.

An underrated weapon is Toby Bedford, whose disciplined tagging roles have regularly stifled opposition stars. He looms likely to run with Jai Newcombe this Saturday at Engie Stadium, where the Hawks have lost their past eight games at the venue.

With form, depth, and proven wins against top opposition, the Giants have built a strong platform to challenge for the flag.

– Josh Tonini

Fremantle

Their run into the finals has been as good as anyone's. Can the Dockers claim their first Premiership?

Despite finishing in sixth, Fremantle’s Flagmantle dream remains well and truly alive. Justin Longmuir’s side are looking to deliver a drought-breaking triumph the docks of Perth haven’t seen since Australia II in 1983. And they’re well placed to repeat the America’s Cup heroics, having won 12 of their last 14 matches, with a fit-and-firing list timed perfectly for a run to that last Saturday in September.

The Dockers’ defensive spine of Alex Pearce, Brennan Cox and Luke Ryan has quietly become one of the most reliable in the league; their intercept game meshes perfectly with their team’s defensive mindset.

Up forward is where Fremantle well and truly towers over their opponents. Their talls of Jye Amiss, Josh Treacy and Pat Voss are tough to stop in the air, but even if you do, the mosquito fleet of Michael Frederick, Sam Switkowski and Cooper Simpson are waiting to swoop in at ground level.

It doesn’t end there: Hayden Young’s polish and the explosive Shai Bolton mean opponents are more than likely to receive ‘The Old Heave-Ho’. The club want to 'bring something special back to Freo', and there’s nothing more special than a first AFL Premiership.

– Ethan Wright

Hawthorn

No one has ever won the Flag from eighth position, but there isn't a team in this that wants to play the Hawks.

There is an alternate timeline where Hawthorn has a very different September. One more win this season would have meant the Hawks are preparing to take on the Geelong Cats in a qualifying final.

Instead, Hawthorn must play GWS in an elimination final. The final will be at Engie Stadium, a venue the Hawks have never won at. Ever!

The Hawks record at the venue is 0-8 — six losses to GWS plus defeats to Melbourne and Collingwood in 2020. However, the Hawks did beat the Giants in Round 3 this year down in Launceston. 

Of the teams in the eight, Hawthorn are sixth for points scored and third for points against. The defence has looked stronger as the year has gone on and is always important for any team’s September chances. If results work in their favour they could play the rest of finals within the familiar surroundings of the MCG.

They only boast a 3-7 record this year among fellow finalists. But Sam Mitchell’s team has recent finals experience, having won an elimination final last year against the Bulldogs. Will Day not being there is a big factor working against that midfield.

With the chance of an easier finals run, the Hawks arguably have a better chance of the flag than Fremantle and Gold Coast. No team has won it all from 8^th, but with the pre-finals bye having helped teams from 5^th and 7^th win the flag, it is not completely out of the question. 

– Lorenzo Di-Mauro Hayes

Gold Coast

Their first trip to the Finals for this young club. Their coach knows this time of year well and has the tools to lift his side to greatness.

The Suns can easily be Premiers at the end of this season, led by their three-time premiership coach, Damien Hardwick. His experience and knowledge of what it takes to succeed in finals gives Gold Coast a crucial edge. Hardwick understands the ins and outs of finals preparation, which strengthens the Suns’ case in 2025. 

Gold Coast rank in the top six for both points scored and points conceded throughout the season, one of only three teams in this year’s finals to achieve that balance. This proves they not only have the list to stand up when it matters, but also the firepower to break down the best defences. 

Led by All-Australian midfielders Noah Anderson and Matt Rowell, the Suns boast one of the toughest and most dominant on-ball duos in the competition, particularly in clearance work and contested situations. Their form stacks up against the league’s best too, having beaten three of the top four sides during the home-and-away season, showing they can win tight contests. 

Although the Suns have never made finals before, that history now serves as motivation. This group is determined to prove they are not just making up the numbers in 2025, they are a genuine Premiership threat. 

– Cooper Powell