THE FINALS in 2024 delivered some unforgettable games that left one team particularly heartbroken as we continue to count down AFL.com.au's 50 biggest stories of 2024, while two senior coaches at opposite ends of the ladder faced enormous pressure.
The year was launched in a different way that had implications later on, while one of the players of the season rode the highs and lows in a thrilling individual campaign.
In a six-part series, AFL.com.au is counting down the biggest stories and most memorable on-field moments from 2024, continuing with 20-11.
PART ONE 50-41 Biggest stories of 2024
PART TWO 40-31 Biggest stories of 2024
PART THREE 30-21 Biggest stories of 2024
20. Talented Roo sacked
Tarryn Thomas was found guilty by the AFL in February of inappropriate behaviour towards a woman, with the League suspending him for 18 matches and North Melbourne subsequently sacking the midfielder. Thomas was guilty of repeatedly breaching the AFL's conduct unbecoming rules and pleaded guilty to breaching a court order involving repeated calls to a victim. The 24-year-old avoided a criminal conviction and was handed a 12-month good behaviour bond, but the AFL required him to "undertake a comprehensive education and behavioural change program and then over time consistently demonstrate a change of behaviour" before any application to play again would be considered. Thomas, who was pick No.8 in the 2018 draft, met with St Kilda during the season, but the Saints later clarified they would not pursue the former Roo after a fan backlash.
19. Opening Round thriller helps new concept succeed
Launching the season with four games in Queensland and New South Wales was a radical shift from how things have been done as the League introduced Opening Round as part of its continued push to build marquee matches and events across the season. With Collingwood, Carlton, Melbourne and Richmond travelling north, it was the Blues' thriller against Brisbane that delivered a memorable start to the season, with Michael Voss's team coming from 46 points behind to win by one point after Harry McKay slotted the matchwinner. Opening Round came with shortcomings as 10 teams and fanbases waited an extra week before the season started for them. It also saw byes distributed in an uneven manner that came with perceived advantages. The AFL ironed out that issue for 2025, ensuring all teams have had their first bye before round five as Opening Round returns with Geelong, Hawthorn, Essendon and Collingwood venturing north.
18. Coach defiant amid fan frustration
Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley's tenure appeared to hang by a thread through the middle stages of the season, and particularly as fans booed the coach off Adelaide Oval following a 79-point loss to Brisbane in round 15. They were rare scenes after a horror performance that saw the Lions boot 12 unanswered goals. The Power rallied to finish second and built form around a high-pressure game, but expectations on Hinkley turned to reaching a Grand Final for the first time in the coach's tenure. An 84-point loss to Geelong in a home qualifying final dented those chances and led to a week of massive scrutiny, with Hinkley's job reported to be in jeopardy if the Power couldn't beat Hawthorn in a semi-final. A defiant three-point win was a moment to savour for the coach, but Sydney had Port's measure in the preliminary final, extending Hinkley's record without a Grand Final appearance and leaving a section of fans unsatisfied.
17. Eagles move on from Simmo era
No coach has faced more pressure over the past three seasons than Adam Simpson as the Eagles finished 17th, 18th, and 16th, with the coach and his club deciding in early July this year that the time was right to part ways after 11 seasons. Simpson led the Eagles to six consecutive finals campaigns from 2015-2020, including the 2015 Grand Final and 2018 premiership, farewelling fans at Optus Stadium in round 18 with a 50.6 per cent winning rate from his 242 games coached. Ultimately, the timing and handling of the pandemic and an unprecedented run with injuries thereafter led to a losing run the coach could not survive. Former Richmond and Melbourne assistant Andrew McQualter emerged as the successful candidate to replace Simpson, becoming just the seventh AFL coach in the Eagles' 38-year history.
16. Brilliant Heeney's highs and lows
The long-promised move to the midfield for Isaac Heeney finally happened in 2024 and the result was a remarkable run of form that saw the goalkicking onballer dominate the first half of the season. A favourite to win the Brownlow Medal at round 17, he was suspended for striking St Kilda's Jimmy Webster high with a swinging arm as the Swans star prepared to lead up at the ball. After an unsuccessful appeal, Heeney was ineligible for the Brownlow Medal and released a video to fans underlining his desire to "make sure this year is a special one". When the finals arrived, he did everything required to get the Swans to a Grand Final, producing an epic qualifying final performance against Greater Western Sydney that included a high-flying mark, 30 disposals, and three goals, including a thrilling long-range bomb late to tie the scores. It didn't end how he or the Swans wanted, but it was an individual season to savour from the 28-year-old.
15. Perfect season for Roos
The numbers tell the story for North Melbourne's AFLW team in 2025: 10 wins, one draw, zero losses and a massive 315.4 per cent before launching into a dominant finals series and a breakthrough premiership for Darren Crocker's team. Outstanding defensively, the Kangaroos conceded 19.2 points a game, including just nine points to Brisbane in the Grand Final, and were the highest scoring team in the League. Midfield star and All-Australian captain Jasmine Garner won the Best on Ground medal in the Grand Final after amassing a record 35 disposals and 13 tackles. Veteran Roo Emma Kearney also became a dual premiership player after overcoming fitness doubts going into the game. It was a disappointing decider for the Lions, who were "pressured into submission", according to coach Craig Starcevich, and unable to defend their 2023 flag.
14. Penalties escalated to stamp out homophobic slurs
North Melbourne coach Alastair Clarkson was fined $20,000 during the pre-season for a homophobic slur directed at St Kilda defender Jimmy Webster, but his suspended two-match ban did not have to be served. The message did not get through to some players, with Jeremy Finlayson banned for three matches in April for a homophobic slur at an Essendon player that was picked up by umpire microphones and reported by Bombers players. A month later, Gold Coast defender Wil Powell was banned for five weeks, with the AFL opting for a harsher penalty in the hope it would deter similar conduct. It didn't completely stamp it out, with first-year St Kilda forward Lance Collard banned for six weeks in July after using homophobic slurs in a VFL game against Williamstown. "The AFL is very clear that homophobia has no place in our game, nor in society. We want everyone to feel safe playing in our game," the League said after Collard's ban, hopeful it would be the last case.
13. Swans fail on biggest stage
The story of the beaten grand finalist is always a big one, but in 2024 it came with an extra edge after the Swans failed again to perform anywhere near their best on the big stage. The 60-point defeat against Brisbane was the Swans' fourth consecutive loss from four Grand Final appearances since 2012, with thrashings in 2014, 2022 and 2024. Devastated after finishing atop the ladder and feeling primed for this year's decider, Sydney players struggled to make sense of the result. They weren't at the required level at the contest or with their pressure and failed to lift when the Lions gathered momentum. The build-up of poor Grand Final performances led to off-field change and a sense that little will matter for the Swans in 2025 unless they reach the decider again and redeem themselves.
12. Houston bump creates massive Port problem
The most significant Match Review case of the year involved Dan Houston's bump on Adelaide star Izak Rankine in the round 23 Showdown given the implications for the player and his team, as well as the fiery in-game circumstances. Houston laid out Rankine with a shirt-front that saw the skilful forward/midfielder helped off the ground on a medical cart. Tempers flared on-field in the already combustible Showdown environment, and the coaches shared a frosty exchange post-game. Houston, meanwhile, was referred directly to the Tribunal and suspended for five matches, ending his season and, ultimately, his time with Port Adelaide as he sought an eventual trade to Collingwood. The implications for the Power were a massive September hole at half-back, where Houston had been so critical to their ball movement and scoring power.
11. Giants on wrong end of famous finals wins
No team had more right than Greater Western Sydney to watch this year's Grand Final wondering about what could have been. In back-to-back finals, the Giants were in match-winning positions against eventual grand finalists Sydney and Brisbane, leading the Swans by 28 points in the third quarter and the Lions by 44 points. The loss to Sydney came despite the Giants leading at every change, and by 21 points at three-quarter time, with Sydney kicking seven of the last nine goals and Joel Amartey slotting the matchwinner. The following week, GWS was 31 points clear of the Lions early in the final term before conceding six unanswered goals in the second biggest finals comeback of all time. The hero for Brisbane was star forward Joe Daniher, who booted two goals in the final four minutes to send the Giants out in straight sets.
