A premiership is the ultimate prize in football and on Saturday afternoon Fremantle and Brisbane will square off for the cup in the 2026 AFL Grand Final. It's a day where stories are written and legacies are enhanced, but for some, there's more to be gained than others.
Here are the 10 people with the most to gain this Grand Final day.
10. Ross Oakley
Former AFL chief Ross Oakley was the man responsible for granting the license that led to Fremantle joining the competition in 1995. It was a decision that came with mixed views. On one hand having an even number of teams put an end to the unpopular weekly bye. But on the other there was concern there would be no market for a second team in Western Australia. You can argue that the decision for the Dockers to be added has already been vindicated but an inaugural flag would leave little doubt.
9. Lachie Neale
He won't be playing on Grand Final day after being slapped with a one-game suspension for punching Jack Ginnivan in their epic preliminary final win, but in a weird way Brisbane superstar Lachie Neale has quite a bit to gain on Saturday afternoon. Of course, Neale will be rooting for a Lions win, but should they lose, particularly if it's close, the narrative in the fallout might well be that he's the difference between achieving or falling short of the threepeat. Doesn't that have to enhance his standing in the game? Having said that, it's true it could work against him where people say did Neale cost his side a threepeat?
8. Luke Jackson
Max Gawn might be widely viewed as the best ruck in the game, and it's hard to argue against it after his 28-vote Brownlow Medal haul earlier in the week, but if anyone is close to usurping him it's Luke Jackson. The Fremantle big man, still only 24 years of age, has been a colossus this season and a major factor behind his side's run to its second Grand Final in club history. If the Dockers win the cup, and Jackson continues his red-hot form, there will be many arguing he's moved into top spot of the league's ruck ranks. Also, don't forget Jackson is already a premiership winner with the Demons back in 2021, so he would become just the 33rd player to win a flag at multiple clubs.
7. Josh Dunkley
Josh Dunkley has played 11 season in the AFL. On Saturday he will play in his sixth Grand Final. That's a Grand Final every 37 games of his career! It's an outrageous feat for a player that continues to be one of the more underappreciated members of the modern day Brisbane dynasty. Dunkley's probably not quite a future Hall of Famer at this stage, but another flag -- which would take the career tally to four -- as well as his best and fairest award in a premiership year would have him banging the door down for entry, all before his 30th birthday, mind you. Win the Norm Smith Medal and it's probably impossible to ignore him.
6. Dom Ambrogio
If the Lions complete the historic threepeat, which club figure deserves the most praise? Chris Fagan? Lachie Neale? Dayne Zorko!? Perhaps it's Dom Ambrogio. Brisbane's list manager won't make many headlines but ask anyone internally at the Lions and they'll tell you that without him there is no modern day dynasty. Ambrogio joined the club in 2017 and has been responsible for adding the likes of Neale, Josh Dunkley, Charlie Cameron, as well as many others through the National Draft. More recently he's brought Oscar Allen and Sam Draper to the club. Another Lions flag will only further enhance his leagcy as a list genius.
5. Mason Cox
It seemed improbable that Mason Cox would win one premiership. Two flags would make for one incredible story! The Dockers threw Cox a lifeline in the form of a rookie contract after the big man was discarded by Collingwood at the end of last year. Given Fremantle's ruck stocks, the 35-year-old wasn't expected to play much of a role, and yet in six months he's managed to muscle his way into the team and relegate Sean Darcy to the reserves. If Fremantle is able to salute on Saturday, Cox would own a career resume that would be the envy of 99% of players: more than 150 games and two premiership medals. That's simply remarkable for a man that never picked up a Sherrin in the first 23 years of his life.
READ: 'It's pretty cool' - Cox reveals what a premiership would mean for Fremantle
4. Alex Pearce
Alex Pearce, Fremantle's first premiership captain. It's got a bloody nice ring to it! If the Dockers win on Saturday afternoon that's a title that can never be taken away from Pearce, who would also be catapulted onto Fremantle's Mount Rushmore, alongside Matthew Pavlich, Nat Fyfe, and David Mundy. Pearce might be one of the game's most impactful and admired defenders but he's not exactly a household name on the east coast of the country. That would also change in an instant should the Dockers triumph over Brisbane.
3. Justin Longmuir
As recently as 24 months ago there were many calling for the head of Justin Longmuir after another underwhelming Dockers season. But when things turn in footy, they turn quickly. Fremantle dominated this year's home-and-away season to secure the minor premiership and will now play for the club's first flag. Beat Brisbane and Longmuir etches his name into Fremantle folklore, not only as a premiership-winning coach, but the club's first and only. He'll likely be showered with even more praise than usual given next to nobody is tipping a Dockers upset. Who knows, maybe winning a premiership might offer him some long-term job security.
2. Chris Fagan
Jock McHale. Norm Smith. Jack Worrall. Leigh Matthews. Alastair Clarkson. This is the illustrious group 65-year-old Chris Fagan is hoping to join on Saturday afternoon should he become just the sixth coach in league history to lead a team to a threepeat. Fagan has built a dynasty at the Lions, reaching the Grand Final in four consecutive seasons and winning at least 15 games in every year since 2019. In that time, the Lions have played in 23 finals (soon to be 24). The Herald Sun has reported Saturday could be the final time we see Fagan in the Brisbane coaching box. Should that be the case there would be no better or more fitting send off than a third consecutive premiership.
1. Will Ashcroft
If Will Ashcroft was to win the Norm Smith Medal for a third time on Saturday afternoon, not only would he have cemented his place in the Australian Football Hall of Fame before his 23rd birthday (that's extraordinary!), he probably begins to be viewed as the greatest big game player in league history. Only Richmond icon Dustin Martin boasts three Norm Smith Medals, but nobody has ever won three of them in succession. At least not yet. Ashcroft has been Brisbane's best player in their wins over Adelaide and Hawthorn, and with midfield running partner Lachie Neale (as of now) missing through suspension, will start as the raging favourite for the award once again.