Key events
Q2. 15 mins remaining: Sydney 5.3.33 v Hawthorn 5.4.34
James Sicily is found in the middle of the park and booms a ball into the forward 50, Hardwick can’t take the grab but sticks with it , ensuring that the Hawks are able to keep the ball locked in and earn a ball-up.
It comes to naught, however, as the Swans break forward quickly. Tom Papley can’t take the grab on a ball boomed deep into the 50 but Joel Amartey is hurled to the ground by Josh Battle as he looks to get the crumbs and wins a free kick, one he converts.
Q2. 17 mins remaining: Sydney 4.3.27 v Hawthorn 5.4.34
Will Day drives the ball into the forward 50 and while Ben Paton smothers Finn Maginness’ initial attempt, the Hawks are able to keep the ball in attack and eventually work the ball to Maginness. His set shot, however, collects the post.
Q2. 20 mins remaining: Sydney 4.3.27 v Hawthorn 5.3.33
Brodie Grundy wins the ball from the opening bounce of the second and drives the Swans into attack but the Hawks repulse the initial foray. The Swans take the ball back and spread the play out as they look to build back up using the full extent of the ground. Joel Amartey can’t wrangle the ball on the boundary and we’ll have a throw-in right on the 50-metre line in the Swans attack.
Quarter-time: Sydney 4.3.27 v Hawthorn 5.3.33
Well, if every quarter of the 2025 AFLM season is as entertaining as that one we’re in for an absolute treat this year.
Across an open, attacking opening, the Swans grabbed the first two of the game amidst a clinical opening but the Hawks forced their way back into it and finished the quarter with the momentum. Will Day has been really impressive for the Hawks, while Tom Papley has been big for the hosts.
Both sides have been mostly clean, too with Hawthorn having a disposal efficiency of 86% and Sydney 81%.
Q1. 3 mins remaining: Sydney 4.3.27 v Hawthorn 5.3.33
Angus Sheldrick delivers the ball into the Swans’ forward 50 but the Hawks are able to scramble back, intercept and get the ball clear.
Q1. 3 mins remaining: Sydney 4.3.27 v Hawthorn 5.3.33
Looking to try to snuff out the visitor’s momentum, the visitors get the ball forward once more but Tom Papley can’t grab his second of the game, forced instead to settle for a minor score.
Q1. 5 mins remaining: Sydney 4.2.26 v Hawthorn 5.3.33
James Sicily intercepts as the Swans look to move the ball forward and it tees the Hawks up to spread out and work the ball forward once again. The ball eventually spills at the top of the goalmouth, allowing Will Day to bustle Angus Sheldrick away before soccering it through.
Q1. 5 mins remaining: Sydney 4.2.26 v Hawthorn 4.3.27
A ball-up at the top of the Hawks’ forward 50 sees James Worpel held and awarded a free kick. His effort, though, is dragged across the face of goal for a point.
Q1. 6 mins remaining: Sydney 4.2.26 v Hawthorn 4.2.26
The Swans take the ball out of the centre and are able to find Tom McCartin on a tight angle just inside the 50. He goes back to tee up a shot but can’t get his effort on target.
Q1. 7 mins remaining: Sydney 4.1.25 v Hawthorn 4.2.26
We’ve got an absolute barn-burner of an opening quarter here. James Worpel takes a grab at the top of the 50 before handballing off to Dylan Moore, who cuts inside and converts for his second of the game as the Hawks re-take the lead.
Q1. 7 mins remaining: Sydney 4.1.25 v Hawthorn 3.2.20
Chad Warner bursts into space and while Tom Papley can’t be clear with his delivery to the top of the 50, the Swans collect the ball and Oliver Florent bounces a long-range effort through the sticks. A subsequent review, however, determines that Jack Scrimshaw got a finger on it and the goal is ruled a behind.
Q1. 8 mins remaining: Sydney 4.0.24 v Hawthorn 3.2.20
We’re going goal for goal at the SCG! The hosts drive the ball into the forward 50 and while Tom McCartin is unable to take the grab, he does knock the ball down the advantage of Tom Papley, who scampers out the back and converts a goal that stands after review.
Q1. 9 mins remaining: Sydney 3.0.18 v Hawthorn 3.2.20
For the first time, the Hawks are able to repel the Swans after they get the ball into the forward 50. Behind play, Mabior Chol is in discussions with the Hawthorn medical staff after awkwardly landing on his hip.
Q1. 11 mins remaining: Sydney 3.0.18 v Hawthorn 3.2.20
Another centre bounce clearance leads to another goal and another lead change. The Hawks take the ball out of the middle and boom the ball forward, where Ben Paton is pinged for holding on Jai Newcombe, with the 23-year-old subsequently booting the Hawks third.
Q1. 11 mins remaining: Sydney 3.0.18 v Hawthorn 2.2.14
The Swans are back in front, with their three inside 50s all resulting in goals. They win a free kick at halfback and rapidly transition to attack, where Tom Papley finds Taylor Adams. One 50 metre penalty against James Sicily, he converts a simple set shot.
Q1. 13 mins remaining: Sydney 2.0.12 v Hawthorn 2.2.14
The Hawks force a throw-in deep in the Swans half and while they’re forced to recycle possession around the 50, they’re clean in possession until Massimo D’Ambrosio is able to drill a left-footed pass to the lead of Lloyd Meek, who takes the grab and goes back and converts.
The Hawks take the lead and currently lead the inside 50s count 7 to 2.
Q1. 15 mins remaining: Sydney 2.0.12 v Hawthorn 1.2.8
The Hawks immediately answer back with a goal of their own – a real back and forth start at the SCG. They win the ball straight from the centre bounce and send the ball forward, where Dylan Moore shows great strength to hold off his defender and take a grab to set up a simple set shot.
Q1. 16 mins remaining: Sydney 2.0.12 v Hawthorn 0.2.2
The Swans get another goal quickly. They win the ball following the re-start and drive the ball in for Joel Amartey, who cops one in the back from Tom Barrass and earns a free kick he converts.
Q1. 17 mins remaining: Sydney 1.0.6 v Hawthorn 0.2.2
Chad Warner gets the first major of the 2025 season. The Swans get the ball into the forward 50 and force a ball-up, where they force the Hawks to cough the ball straight to Warner, who snaps the ball through to put his side ahead.
Q1. 18 mins remaining: Sydney 0.0.0 v Hawthorn 0.2.2
A free kick is speared into the Hawks’ forward 50 for Dylan Moore. He goes back for a set shot but drags it across the face of goal.
Q1. 19 mins remaining: Sydney 0.0.0 v Hawthorn 0.1.1
The Hawks get the first centre clearance of 2025, with an advantage for Karl Amon seeing him advance into the forward 50 and hit the post.
The ball is bounced, the 2025 season has begun!
The players are making their way to their positions across the SCG. The first bounce of the 2025 season is moments away!
The Hawks will be donning one of their three heritage guernseys they’ve got on tap for the season tonight, a brown number with a slightly lighter brown V across the chest, in addition to a 100-year commemorative logo.
The Swans are keeping it simple, wearing their home guernseys and red shorts.
160 days after their grand final shellacking, the Swans have made their way out onto the surface of the SCG, looking to set a new narrative heading into 2025.
The Swans will be without skipper Callum Mills, Errol Gulden, Hayden McLean, Logan McDonald and Harry Cunningham for tonight’s game, with Isaac Heeney to captain the side in Mills’ absence. Brodie Grundy and Tom Papley have both passed fitness tests and will feature, Tom Hanily is set to make his debut and Ben Paton will play his first game for his new club.
Veteran forward Jack Gunston has been left out by the Hawks, with Luke Breust, Changkuoth Jiath, Mitch Lewis and Calsher Dear amongst their other absences. Josh Battle and Tom Barrass, meanwhile, have been named to make their debuts in brown and gold.
Tom Hanily will serve as the sub for the Swans, while Sam Frost will fill that role for the Disco Hawks.
The Hawks are the first side to burst through a banner in 2025, emerging onto the SCG surface amid a smattering boos from the Swans faithful.
Tragedy, high farce, handovers, white nationalists, dick pics and cyclones – all in all, a standard off-season in the AFL.
Not only is Jonathan Horn’s From the Pocket worth a read this week – and a subscription to make sure you get it in your inbox every week – he also might have invented a brand new sentence.
Brisbane won last year’s premiership, perfectly complementing the AFL’s national growth strategy. The northern clubs have been given a leg up by hosting opening round matches – despite Tropical Cyclone Alfred’s interruption this year – and hundreds of millions of dollars have been invested into programs in non-traditional markets. Yet as the most recent two expansion sides enter their adolescence in 2025, it’s starting to sound like Dillon wants them to earn their keep.
Ahead of the season’s opening bounce, Jack Snape has taken a look at the AFL’s four Northern sides and the AFL’s hope for the Suns and Greater Western Sydney.
Hawks boss Sam Mitchell also joined the Fox Footy coverage ahead of the bounce and was asked by Buckley about his feelings now that round one was finally here after his side built up so much momentum towards the end of 2024.
There’s a level of excitement about how we’ve got about it, what we’ve done. We’ve done a heap of work and we hope that we’ve improved — we know that we have to. Every team, every season, tries to get better. We finished sixth last year, that’s not what this club aims for. So, we’re looking to take further steps up the ladder. Sydney were well, well in front of us last year, and let’s see if we can put it on show tonight.
Who will be playing finals footy come the end of the campaign? Here’s Jonathan Horn’s picks, featuring tonight’s two belligerents.
Speaking on Fox Footy’s coverage, Swans coach Dean Cox was asked by Jason Dunstall about putting his own mark on a side that has been so successful, for so long, and John Longmire.
I was always going to have some teething problems once we tried to implement some new things. Certainly with the way we defend and on top of that, the way that we wanted to address our contest method. They were probably the two things that I wanted to touch on. And the players have bought in so far. But tonight, there’ll still be some teething problems, but we’ve just got to get it right eventually as the year progresses.
Cox was also asked by Nathan Buckley about how he was feeling ahead of his first game in the main chair.
“One thing I want to try and do is remain calm and let the players do what they’ve been practicing the whole time. I’ve challenged them about being able to adapt and problem solve all the way through preseason. So, I’ve got to make sure that I do the same. And when the decisions have to be made, I’ll make them and try and get them to change the way we play.
Late to the party and wondering who’s a contender and who’s a pretender? Who’s legit and who’s gonna quit? Then don’t worry, because Jonathan Horn has you covered with his in-depth predicted ladder for the 2025 season.
First, the ten sides that Horn expects to find themselves on the outside looking in when September rolls around. Although, as a Bulldogs man, can’t say I’m too enamoured with his predictions here.
Wet and wild conditions had been expected for tonight’s game but, for now, they’ve failed to materialise. The SCG is bathed in a glorious setting sun as the first bounce approaches, with conditions looking perfect for footy.
Tonight wasn’t supposed to serve as the opening game of the season, of course. That honour was supposed to go to reigning premiers Brisbane and Geelong up at the Gabba yesterday evening, only for that game to be postponed as Tropical Cyclone Alfred closed in on the Queensland and northern NSW coast. If you are caught up in the storm, please stay safe.
Saturday’s meeting between the Gold Coast and Essendon has also been postponed due to Alfred, with the Lions and Cats now set to meet in round three and the Suns and Bombers making up their fixture alongside their previously scheduled fixtures in round 24.
In the NRL, the Dolphins fixture with South Sydney has been relocated from Lang Park to Western Sydney stadium, with the Dolphins’ Kodi Nikorima, Mark Nicholls, and Kenny Bromwich opting to remain in Brisbane to prepare for the cyclone.
In the A-Leagues, Brisbane Roar’s A-League Women meeting with Melbourne City – where City were seeking to set a new record for the longest unbeaten run in league history – has been postponed, while the Roar’s A-League Men outfit were forced to fly out early for their meeting with Adelaide United.
Preamble
Joey Lynch
Howdy all and welcome to the Guardian’s live coverage of the 2025 AFLM’s season opener between Sydney and Hawthorn at the SCG. It’s not the curtain raiser we were expecting at this time last week but it still shapes as a blockbuster contest between last year’s vanquished grand finalists and a side that finished 2024 on the rise. My name’s Joey Lynch and I’m looking forward to taking you through all the action.
Tonight marks the beginning of a new era for the Swans, Dean Cox given the daunting task of succeeding John Longmire after he stunned the AFL world by stepping down last November, reaching the end of his tether after 14 highly successful years at the helm of the club. The last time the Swans were in this position they handled things rather well, transitioning from one premiership coach to another as Longmire succeeded Paul Roos and went on to reach five grand finals, winning one. We now await to see if they’ll be able to pull off a similar handover with Cox.
On top of this, there’s also the matter of Sydney seeking to put behind them the last, disastrous grand final of Longmire’s tenure – a dominant home and away season counting for little as they suffered a 10-goal drubbing at the hands of Brisbane in last year’s decider. It’s been 160 days since that thrashing and now, the redemption tour begins.
Looking to spoil this, however, are the Hollywood Hawks. Starting last season with five straight losses, Hawthorn caught fire and won 11 of their last 13 matches to book a spot in the finals, a berth which subsequently saw them record a first finals win since 2015 when they beat the Western Bulldogs. They won plenty of fans with their entertaining brand of footy during this run and while they might have copped a reality brick to the face when they faced off with Port Adelaide in a semi-final last season, they’ve been widely tipped to kick on in 2025. Of course, with expectation comes pressure, and Sam Mitchell’s unit will face an early acid test against the Swans tonight.
The first bounce will be at 7.40pm AEDT and we’ll look to bring you up to speed on everything you need to know before then.