The AFL season begins on Saturday with two matches that together capture something essential about sport: one team stripped of its best players before the first bounce, another carrying the weight of a premiership flag and the private sorrows of its captain. In Sydney, the Giants face Hawthorn undermanned and tested before the contest has even begun, while in Brisbane, the Lions raise last year's flag and ask whether greatness can be sustained across a third consecutive year. These opening rounds rarely decide seasons, but they have a way of revealing character — of teams and of the people ins
AFL season opens with injury-depleted Giants facing Hawks, Lions defend premiership
A team trying to prove it can compete without its stars
Mark
Why does an injury list matter so much in round one? Isn't it just one game?
Mimi
Because it sets expectations. When GWS takes the field without Green and Kelly, everyone—including the players—knows they're not the team they were supposed to be. That changes how you play, how confident you are.
Mark
And Hawthorn, even though they're favored—they're also hurt?
Mimi
Yes, but differently. They're still expected to win. When you're the favorite and you're missing pieces, that's a different pressure than when you're already written off.
Mark
What about Brisbane? They won the premiership. Shouldn't that be straightforward?
Mimi
It should be, but Neale stepping back from the co-captaincy—that's not just administrative. It signals something has shifted. The team has to absorb that and keep moving forward.
Mark
Do players play differently when their captain is dealing with personal crisis?
Mimi
Absolutely. There's distraction, there's empathy, there's the question of whether the leadership structure still holds. It's not something you can ignore.
Mark
So both matches are really about teams trying to navigate disruption?
Mimi
Exactly. One is disrupted by injury, one by circumstance. Both are trying to prove they can still be who they were supposed to be.
The Pulse
- GWS head into the season without four key players — Tom Green, Josh Kelly, Sam Taylor, and Aaron Cadman — lost to preseason injury before a ball has been kicked in anger.
- Hawthorn arrive as clear favourites, last year's preliminary finalists, though they too are missing players and carry their own quiet vulnerabilities into the contest.
- In Brisbane, the premiership flag unfurling is a moment of ceremony and pride, but the season's emotional centre of gravity sits with co-captain Lachie Neale, who has stepped back from the captaincy following the breakdown of his marriage.
- Neale will play, and he will be watched — not unkindly, but with the heightened attention that follows when a public figure's private life becomes part of the story a team must carry.
- The Lions are chasing a third consecutive premiership, a feat that has grown increasingly rare in the modern game, and Saturday night begins the long test of whether last year's triumph was a peak or a foundation.
The AFL season begins on Saturday with two matches that together capture something essential about sport: one team stripped of its best players before the first bounce, another carrying the weight of a premiership flag and the private sorrows of its captain. In Sydney, the Giants face Hawthorn undermanned and tested before the contest has even begun, while in Brisbane, the Lions raise last year's flag and ask whether greatness can be sustained across a third consecutive year. These opening rounds rarely decide seasons, but they have a way of revealing character — of teams and of the people inside them.
The AFL season opens Saturday with two matches pulling in different directions. In Sydney, the Giants take on Hawthorn carrying wounds from a brutal preseason — Tom Green, Josh Kelly, Sam Taylor, and Aaron Cadman are all missing, stripping the side of its midfield and defensive spine before a game has been played. Hawthorn, last year's preliminary finalists, arrive as favourites despite their own injury absences, and the match carries the particular tension of a team trying to prove it can compete without the players who define it.
The second match holds a different kind of weight. Brisbane host the Western Bulldogs at the Gabba on Saturday night, and before the first bounce, the Lions will raise the flag they earned by defeating Geelong in last year's grand final. It is a ritual that belongs only to the team that won — a moment of recognition before the defence begins.
But the story around Brisbane this season is more layered than celebration. Co-captain Lachie Neale has stepped back from the role in recent weeks following the breakdown of his marriage. He will play, and he will be watched — not with malice, but with the close attention that follows when a leader's personal life becomes public and a team must carry that alongside the business of winning. The question hanging over the Lions is whether they can sustain what they built, whether a third consecutive premiership is possible in an era when that kind of dominance has become genuinely rare.
Together, these two matches frame the season's opening: one club trying to survive without its best players, another trying to repeat while navigating the human complications that come with success and scrutiny.
The AFL season opens Saturday with two matches that tell very different stories. In Sydney, the Giants will take the field against Hawthorn stripped of their depth—a preseason that has been brutal with injury has already claimed Tom Green, Josh Kelly, Sam Taylor, and Aaron Cadman. These are not role players. These are the names that carry a team's midfield and defense. Hawthorn, last year's preliminary finalists, arrive as favorites, though they too have been touched by the injury bug, missing Will Day and Cam McKenzie from their own lineup. It is the kind of opening round that can set a tone for an entire season: a team trying to prove it can compete without its stars, playing against a side that believes it should be contending for the flag.
The second match carries different weight. Brisbane will host the Western Bulldogs at the Gabba under lights on Saturday night, and before the first bounce, the Lions will perform the ceremony that marks their status as defending premiers. They will raise the flag they earned last year when they defeated Geelong in the grand final. It is a moment of recognition, a ritual that belongs only to the team that won. But the narrative around Brisbane this season is more complicated than simple celebration.
Lachie Neale, the Lions' co-captain, has stepped back from that role in recent weeks following the breakdown of his marriage. He will play, and he will be watched—not with malice, but with the particular attention that comes when a leader's personal life has become public and a team must navigate that reality while also trying to win games. The question hanging over Brisbane is whether they can sustain what they built last year, whether they can push toward a third consecutive premiership in an era when that kind of dominance has become rare in Australian football.
These two matches frame the season's opening: one team trying to survive without its best players, another trying to repeat while managing the human complications that come with success and scrutiny. Both will tell us something about what the next five months might hold.
Notable Quotes
The Giants have had a nightmare preseason with injuries— Match preview context
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