The Australian Football League (AFL) is the premier professional Australian rules football league in the world, and one of Australia’s most lucrative and well-attended sports leagues of any kind. Although officially founded in 1990, the AFL is in fact a descendant of the Victorian Football League (VFL), which dates back to 1877. As a competition with so much history, the AFL is therefore home to many equally historic rivalries, with the same teams having played against each other for over 100 years in some cases.
Victorian Rivalries
Australian rules football is Victorian in origin, and the Australian state has left an indelible mark on the code; we have Victoria to thank for the sport’s first formalised set of regulations – the “Melbourne rules” – and the majority of the AFL’s 18 teams still call the state home. It will come as no surprise, then, that Victoria is where many of the league’s biggest and baddest derby matches take place. Among those rivalries are the derby matches played by the AFL’s “Big Four”: Carlton, Collingwood, Essendon, and Richmond, as well as other select rivalries.
Carlton v Collingwood
The Carlton-Collingwood rivalry is the AFL’s oldest rivalry, with the teams having first met in 1892, and over 260 matches later the rivalry still lives on. The clubs are both based in close proximity to each other, within Melbourne’s inner suburbs, but the clubs’ fanbases are widely considered to draw from different socio-economic classes: Carlton has historically been seen as a middle-class, white-collar team, whilst Collingwood fans have a working-class, blue-collar reputation. The clubs are scheduled to meet next during round 20 of the 2023 AFL season:
Carlton v Essendon
Both Carlton and Essendon have won 16 AFL premierships, the joint-most of any club in the competition. Matches between the 2 record holders are often highly anticipated as a result, particularly when the clubs meet in the AFL finals, with further premiership glory at stake. On 6 occasions, the clubs have clashed in the grand final, with 3 wins apiece. The clubs now contest the annual Madden Cup, named after a pair of brothers, Justin and Simon, who played for the 2 clubs between 1974 and 1996.
Collingwood v Melbourne
Like the aforementioned Carlton-Collingwood rivalry, this Victorian rivalry also sees a traditionally middle-class fanbase going up against working-class Collingwood. This rivalry is also highly historic, as Melbourne is the world’s oldest professional football team of any code. Derby matches between the sides then became more intense in the mid-20th century, as both clubs enjoyed great success in the 1950’s and 1960’s. The Collingwood-Melbourne rivalry is today played out most famously during the King’s Birthday Match, which formally became an annual fixture in 2001.
Collingwood v Richmond
Collingwood and Richmond are based in adjacent inner-city suburbs of Melbourne, played against each other in 5 grand finals between 1919 and 1929, and are both among the AFL’s most decorated sides. It is no surprise, then, that the clubs have developed a famous rivalry, with competing player recruitment efforts, high-profile on-pitch fights, and dramatic finals games all defining a rivalry which regularly attracts attendances of over 80,000 people.
Essendon v Hawthorn
The Essendon-Hawthorn rivalry is one of the most infamous in AFL history, with finals meetings often defined by rough match tactics, “sniping” (cheap, sometimes cowardly bumps and hits), and full melees. One of the most memorable instalments of this Victorian rivalry was the 2004 “Line in the Sand Match”, a round 11 fixture which descended into a bitter and full-blooded brawl. Other notable games include the 1983, 1984, and 1985 grand finals, and a meeting in the final round of the 2009 season, which also saw a fight break out.
Geelong Cats v Hawthorn
A more modern rivalry than many other Victorian feuds, the Geelong-Hawthorn rivalry is perhaps best known for the “Kennett Curse”, a supposed jinx which then-Hawthorn president Jeff Kennett brought about, which saw his side fail to beat Geelong on 11 consecutive occasions, between 2009 and 2013. Other notable Geelong-Hawthorn clashes include a violent meeting in round 12 of the 1985 season, and the vengeful 1989 grand final clash, which the Hawks won. Today, the Geelong-Hawthorn match is a staple of Easter Monday, with the annual fixture played at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in front of tens of thousands of spectators.
Other Rivalries
Of course, the AFL isn’t just a Victorian affair, and there are plenty of feuds elsewhere in Australia.
Adelaide Crows v Port Adelaide
Since Power joined the Crows in the AFL in 1997, these cross-city rivals have contested the “Showdown” derby, with South Australian bragging rights at stake every time the sides meet. At time of writing, Port Adelaide edge the all-time record with 1 more win than their rivals, but the teams are scheduled to meet again soon, during round 20 of the 2023 AFL season:
Brisbane Lions v Gold Coast Suns
Dubbed the “QClash”, this all-Queenslander affair sees the state’s sole AFL representatives go head-to-head. Whilst the Lions boasted greater AFL pedigree upon the Sun’s entry into the league in 2011, it was the Gold Coast side which won the first meeting, 18.16 (124) to 17.14 (116). Recent fixtures have since gone Brisbane’s way, however, with the current record standing at 18 wins for the Lions, and 6 for the Suns. The clubs will next meet during round 20 of the 2023 AFL season:
GWS Giants v Sydney Swans
Referred to as the “Battle of the Bridge”, this New South Wales derby is one of the AFL’s newest, having been played since only 2012, when the Giants were admitted to the league. At present, the rivalry record stands at 10 wins for the Giants, and 15 for the Swans, though Greater Western Sydney has a chance to close the gap during round 21 of the 2023 AFL season:
To stay up to date with the latest schedule and ticketing information for this season and beyond, visit the Australian Football League (AFL) page.