AFL
Welcome to our League’s corner. Here we celebrate everything AFL and AFLW related, from the games to the collectibles. AFL holds a special place in the collectibles universe. Officially, May 17th 1859 was when the history of our Australian Football started. Around the same time, Melbourne (1858) and Geelong (1859) were founded. That makes them two of the oldest continuous sporting clubs in the world. The first game ever recorded took place in Melbourne: Scotch College vs Melbourne. Grammar (1858). Comparatively, the Women’s League had its first game played in February 2017.
Among Australia’s most fervent collectible hobbies, cards stand out as a dominant pursuit. While Pokémon firmly holds its position as the country’s top-selling card game, outpacing Magic: The Gathering, AFL Select is rapidly gaining ground, challenging the popularity of other prominent collections such as Dragon Ball and One Piece. As of October 2025, the most expensive AFL card remains the 2021 Select Supremacy 1000+ Goalkicker Quad Signature, while the rarest card is 1894 N302 Mayo’s Cut Plug Football Dunlop.
AFL is History
We’ve spent months exploring images from the early days of the AFL, revisiting where the game began. It’s been a great journey, but now it’s time to take the next step and dive into the history of every club. This month, we celebrate:
Rooted in Melbourne’s inner east, Hawthorn transformed across the twentieth century from the competition’s perennial cellar-dweller into arguably modern Australian football’s most ruthless powerhouse. The Hawks forged legendary dynasties across distinct eras—from the bruising dominance of the 1980s to the historic three-peat of the 2010s. Under senior coach Sam Mitchell, Hawthorn has reignited its trademark swagger with a daring, high-tempo brand of football, driven by the defensive command of James Sicily alongside dynamic prime movers like Jai Newcombe and Will Day, honouring a lineage immortalized by Leigh Matthews and Luke Hodge
Hawthorn’s AFLW outfit burst onto the scene in late 2022, rapidly bypassing the typical growing pains to stage one of the most electric ascents in the women’s competition. Embracing a bold, corridor-focused running style, the brown-and-gold women quickly transitioned into genuine contenders, securing breakthrough finals berths behind a potent blend of veteran class and fearless youth. Spearheaded by the relentless engine of competition best-and-fairest winner Emily Bates alongside rising midfield sensation Jasmine Fleming, the program has swiftly embedded Hawthorn’s celebrated winning culture into the national women’s landscape
AFL News
MEN’S LEAGUE
Across the men’s competition, off-season roster reshuffling continues to dominate headlines as clubs make decisive list alterations ahead of the upcoming national draft. Essendon announced a fresh wave of departures, confirming that former top-ten selection Nick O’Kearney and two other teammates have been delisted without offers for the 2027 campaign.
Meanwhile, West Coast has similarly accelerated its squad retooling by cutting three more players, parting ways with Clay Hall, Harry Schoenberg, and Jack Williams as the Eagles look toward incoming draft assets.
WOMEN’S LEAGUE
In AFLW developments, Greater Western Sydney midfielder Tilly Lucas-Rodd has celebrated a landmark milestone by reaching her 100th career AFLW match, reflecting on a trailblazing journey spanning multiple clubs and eras of the competition.
At the administrative level, St Kilda Chief Executive Officer Carl Dilena addressed heightened internal tension following a challenging period across the club’s football operations, outlining a structured review into the women’s program aimed at fostering better organizational alignment and strengthening a unified one-club culture.
The Footy Focus
Reilly O’Brien functions as the tireless engine room anchor for the Adelaide Crows, controlling stoppage territory through his sheer physical work rate in the ruck. Characterized by relentless endurance, strong intercept marking in defense, and combative ground-level tackling, he provides his midfield brigade with a reliable first-use advantage week in and week out.
Through 122 AFL matches, O’Brien has tallied over 4,100 hit outs, maintaining consistent career averages of 34.2 hit outs, 13.5 disposals, and 3.4 marks per game. His high-level output was recognized with the 2020 Malcolm Blight Medal as Adelaide’s club champion, alongside winning the 2024 Jim Stynes Community Leadership Award.
Outside of football, O’Brien channels substantial energy into youth mental health advocacy across South Australia. Working closely with the Open Parachute initiative, he regularly visits primary and secondary schools to deliver mental wellbeing workshops, equipping students with practical coping mechanisms, emotional literacy, and strategies to overcome daily adversity. Complementing his community outreach is an equally rigorous academic drive. He completed a Bachelor of Medical Science and a Master of Neuroscience.
In the AFLW Arena
ROUND 10: Lopsided margins and ruthless offensive displays dominated the round, sparked by Melbourne’s explosive 62-point demolition of Richmond (94 to 32) and North Melbourne’s commanding 52-point victory over Essendon (85 to 33). The offensive surges continued across the country as the Geelong Cats dismantled the West Coast Eagles 66 to 13 in Perth, while the Sydney Swans piled on the pressure to overpower Collingwood 80 to 29.
Even where scorelines remained somewhat tighter, decisive execution prevailed: the Western Bulldogs swept past Carlton with a comfortable 56 to 26 win, the Adelaide Crows held off a persistent Gold Coast Suns outfit 63 to 53, the Brisbane Lions controlled Port Adelaide 34 to 18, and Fremantle secured a sturdy 51 to 40 triumph over St Kilda. The weekend’s most dramatic contest played out in Western Sydney, where the GWS Giants snatched a heart-stopping one-point thriller against Hawthorn, prevailing 55 to 54.
Moment of the Week
ROUND 10 Picture: Getty Images
In the Arena
Moment of the Week
My imagination brought to life by code
AFL Hall of Fame
The Australian Football Hall of Fame was established in 1996 to coincide with the VFL/AFL centenary, serving as the ultimate recognition for those who have made significant contributions to the sport. The Hall enshrines players, coaches, umpires, administrators, and media figures based on their ability, integrity, and character, rather than just raw statistics. The highest echelon of this institution is “Legend” status, a title reserved for those who fundamentally changed the game for the better. As of 2026, this elite group has grown to 34 members, with Western Australian icon and four-time Sandover Medallist Bill Walker being the most recent great elevated to the status
In recent years, the Hall of Fame has evolved to formally mirror the growth of the women’s game. A historic milestone was reached in 2025 when Daisy Pearce and Erin Phillips became the first AFLW players ever inducted. This breakthrough was supported by a specific criteria change that allowed women to be eligible for induction just one year after their retirement, acknowledging the shorter history and unique structure of the professional women’s league compared to the five-year requirement for the men’s competition. Their inclusion, alongside trailblazer Debbie Lee, has solidified the Hall of Fame as a truly national and inclusive institution that celebrates the entire landscape of Australian Rules football
The League Gallery
That Funko never made: AFL mascots
AFL memorabilia can be so cute!
The Rules of the Game
Find Your Team
TCC’s Collection
Our journey doesn’t stop here. Explore the other corners of our digital library where we dive deep into the specific worlds of Pokémon, Funko, and more.