THE FESTIVE season is upon us and clubs have been furiously writing to Santa about what they'd like most in 2025.
While a premiership cup is high on the agenda for most teams, others would simply love nothing more than a healthy list heading into next season.
Will your club's Christmas wish come true?
If Riley Thilthorpe gets through a full pre-season unscathed, watch out. The big forward almost got there last year but suffered a knee injury in the final pre-season game that required surgery, wiping out more than half his season. The 22-year-old didn't waste his time on the sidelines, hitting the gym and returning a bigger, stronger version of himself in round 19 and booting 15 goals in seven games to show what the Crows had been missing. Heading into his fifth AFL season, Thilthorpe is primed to make the Adelaide forward 50 his own in 2025, but he needs to enter round one in the shape of his life to have the best chance of success. - Michael Rogers
Brisbane's ACL curse didn't stop it surging to a flag last season, but some luck on the injury front would be more than welcome in 2025. Keidean Coleman, Tom Doedee and Lincoln McCarthy would have all been key players this year if they had not gone down with injury, while the loss of the versatile Darcy Gardiner was also significant during the season. Just how these players squeeze back into a premiership side when they're back to full fitness will be a good problem to have for Chris Fagan. – Martin Smith
There could surely be no greater gift for the Blues than the signature of ruckman Tom De Koning. In 2023, De Koning signed a two-year deal, taking him through until the end of 2025 and to free agency. After knocking back interest from Geelong, Sydney and St Kilda then, the 25-year-old is now in even greater demand. De Koning is likely to get lifetime offers from rival clubs and it will be difficult for Carlton to match them in terms of money given its salary cap. But if Santa can do something for the Blues, the gun's signature is surely top of the list. – Dejan Kalinic
Santa might struggle to find a big enough sack but Collingwood fans would dearly love a 50-goal season out of one of their key forwards. Next year marks 12 seasons since a Magpie has booted at least a half-century of goals, dating back to Travis Cloke's 68 majors in 2013. Brody Mihocek has come closest since, kicking 44 goals in the club's premiership-winning year in 2023. He and Dan McStay loom as the most obvious candidates to break the drought, if they can stay fit. - Brandon Cohen
Injuries to key players have been an ongoing issue for the Bombers, so perhaps this Christmas they will wish for nothing more than a full season from midfielder Darcy Parish in 2025. Across the past three seasons, the ball-magnet has been sidelined frequently, limited to 12 games last year, 18 in 2023 and 16 in 2022. In his last full season in 2021, Parish averaged 30.5 disposals, 3.9 tackles and 7.5 clearances, finished equal fifth in the Brownlow Medal and earned All-Australian honours. The Bombers would love that version of their No.5 pick from 2015 in 2025. – Dejan Kalinic
A noticeably slimmed down Sean Darcy is putting in a big summer on the track and the Dockers will be hoping he can stay fit and on the park in 2025. Darcy has endured a frustrating run of injuries over the past two seasons, managing only 12 games in 2024 after 15 matches in 2023. But after undergoing an arthroscope on his troublesome knee in August, it's hoped the Doig medallist can finally put his injury issues behind him. When fit, Darcy and Luke Jackson form probably the most formidable ruck duo in the competition, and the Dockers certainly need their No.1 big man fit and firing if they are to return to September action in 2025. - Alison O'Connor
Jack Martin has been one of the AFL's 'nearly' players for more than a decade, and he and the Cats will be hoping that his often-fragile body will hold up to help him deliver fully on his talent. Martin will be 30 when the season starts and has managed to play 20 or more game in just two of his 11 seasons, way back in 2016-17. His five-year stint at Carlton reaped just 54 games, prompting the Blues to let him go at the end of 2024. The Cats have a good track record of getting the best out of their recruits and if Martin can stay fit, he'll be a dangerous foil for fellow goalsneak Tyson Stengle. - Michael Rogers
Christmas came early at Gold Coast when premiership Tiger Daniel Rioli landed during October's Trade Period, joining the club on a five-year deal. But the shine soon wore off as the Suns' new toy suffered an MCL injury at training in November, bringing a halt to Rioli's first pre-season up north. The Suns will be wishing for a speedy recovery for their prized recruit, with their pre-season hitouts starting on February 20 ahead of an Opening Round meeting with the Bombers. Rioli, who headed north to reunite with long-time mentor Damien Hardwick, is set to add some class and pace to the Suns' back half as they chase that elusive finals appearance, but an interrupted pre-season could hurt. - Alison O'Connor
The 'old' Jake Stringer would be ideal. And by 'old', we mean the version that dominated the forward 50 for the Western Bulldogs, booting 98 goals across two seasons in 2015. Even the Stringer model that produced 41 goals and a career-high 76 tackles for Essendon in 2021 would be great. What Adam Kingsley and the Giants don't need is version of Jake that has struggled at times for full fitness, but the 30-year-old has shown in recent years that he's always a potent attacking force. If Stringer is anywhere near his best, he'll ease the load on star pair Toby Greene and Jesse Hogan, and make the Giants even more dangerous. - Michael Rogers
If we equate Hokball to children eagerly unwrapping their presents on Christmas morning, then Ken Hinkley is doing a fine job of playing Scrooge. The Port Adelaide coach masterminded two epic victories over the Hawks in 2024, starting with a club record-equalling comeback in the wet to win by one point after trailing by as much as 41 in the third term of their round 10 clash. Then came a classic semi-final where the Power held on for a three-point thriller after James Sicily hit the post in the dying seconds. What followed immediately after the match is well-known, with Hinkley fined $20,000 for taunting Jack Ginnivan after the Hawk's cheeky social media post and then exchanging terse words with opposition players as they chaired Luke Breust off after his 300th match. Suffice to say, beating the Power when they meet in their highly anticipated clash in Gather Round will be very, very high on Sam Mitchell's wishlist for 2025. - Brandon Cohen
Top of the Demons' Christmas wishlist will be a drama-free season, particularly when it comes to superstar duo Clayton Oliver and Christian Petracca. Oliver's off-field issues have been well-documented, while Petracca's future was an unwanted talking point for much of the second half of the season after he suffered life-threatening injuries in the King's Birthday match. The four-time All-Australian expressed his frustration with the Demons' standards and the management of his injury, so much so that he wanted out of the club, while talk of an Oliver trade was rife for a second consecutive trade period. No doubt that trade chatter will persist through next season, but the Demons will be hoping for nothing more than off-field peace and harmony to ensure their gun duo stay put for the long haul. - Alison O'Connor
The much sought-after signature of Luke Davies-Uniacke would make it a very happy Christmas for the Kangaroos. LDU will head into 2025 as one of the hottest free agents, with several clubs - including St Kilda - chasing him hard. The 25-year-old could command up to $1.5 million a season. He has emerged as one of the competition's best midfielders since being taken with pick No.4 in 2017, averaging 27.7 disposals and 6.3 clearances for the season, which culminated in his maiden club best and fairest award. Another poor season on the field from the Roos could convince LDU his future lies elsewhere, so banking some wins early will be important on a number of fronts. - Brandon Cohen
Port Adelaide made no secret of its disappointment at losing Dan Houston to Collingwood, and filling the hole left by the two-time All-Australian will be a top priority heading into 2025. With no obvious replacement arriving through the Trade Period, the Power will have to look within, with Josh Sinn the obvious candidate after a solid finals campaign, while Kane Farrell will also be back in 2025. The 21-year-old Sinn impressed in the pre-Christmas training block, but it would be unfair to expect him to replicate Houston's output alone, so he will need the support of Port's entire backline group. – Martin Smith
Santa needs to deliver Richmond fans patience, and plenty of it, this Christmas. With a host of its premiership stars out the door and a bounty of youth coming in, the club is in for some significant short-term pain in this new era sans Shai Bolton, Dustin Martin, Daniel Rioli and Liam Baker, among others. But it isn't all bad news, with six first-round draftees landing at Punt Road in November's draft – including No.1 pick Sam Lalor. So just have a little patience, Tiger fans, because with that level of talent, the next dynasty could be here before you know it. - Alison O'Connor
Max King, St Kilda's great white hope, has struggled to get onto the park in recent seasons, so a full year of the talented forward will be at the top of the Saints' wishlist. King has been dogged by injury in recent years, playing just 23 games over the past two seasons thanks to knee and shoulder issues. Freshly signed to a mammoth deal tying him to the club until the end of 2032, King is clearly a huge part of the Saints' future plans, and they need him fit if they're to have any hope of success in 2025. - Sophie Welsh
Sydney's ultimate Christmas gift won't arrive until deep into 2025 – if at all – but it will be well and truly worth the wait if Santa delivers Chad Warner's signature on a fresh new contract. Warner's future will be the biggest trade story of the year, with the uncontracted Western Australian already being courted by both Perth clubs and the Swans also desperate to keep him. And if Santa can't quite deliver what Sydney wants and Warner decides to return home, a secondary gift – several first-round draft picks in a trade – won't be unappreciated either. – Martin Smith
Harley Reid aside, the Eagles have struggled to get the most out of their young talent in recent seasons. The injury issues that have plagued the team's experienced core haven't helped, and those fitness problems have, in too many cases, extended to the kids as well. One of the brightest sparks in West Coast's young brigade is Elijah Hewett, who shone in 14 games in his debut season but failed to play at senior level in 2024 due to a foot injury. Taken at No.14 in the 2022 Telstra AFL Draft, Hewett's combination of pace, skill and goal sense will be a welcome addition to the Eagles' forward half under new coach Andrew McQualter, so they'll be hoping his return from injury lasts the whole season. - Michael Rogers
Marcus Bontempelli is out of contract at the end of 2025, so the Bulldogs would love nothing more than to have their superstar captain locked in and re-signed for the rest of his career. The 29-year-old midfielder's last deal was a four-year contract in 2021, with the interesting angle around Bontempelli being how long he signs for. Given he is still at the peak of his powers, and has also shown he could finish his career as a forward (he has kicked 30-plus goals in two seasons), the Dogs need Bontempelli signed for the long-term again. – Dejan Kalinic
