Why Fans and Critics Are Talking About the 2026 AFL Grand Final

Last updated: September 25, 2026 (UTC)

The 2026 Toyota AFL Grand Final is drawing heavy discussion on X as the day itself arrives. According to posts circulating on the platform, Brisbane’s Lachie Neale has had a one-match suspension overturned and is cleared to play, while a separate thread of conversation questions the economic cost of Victoria’s Grand Final public holiday. Alongside both, fans are sharing their excitement, their props and a few complaints.

What started the latest wave of posts

The most widely engaged post in the conversation comes from the league itself. In a post that has drawn more than 1,300 likes, @AFL says Neale’s one-match suspension for striking was overturned at the AFL Appeals Board and that he is free to play in the Grand Final. One user repeated the news to their followers, tagging broadcast accounts and writing that Neale “is free to play.”

That announcement landed just before the match, which helps explain why eligibility and team news dominated the timeline in the lead-up. The posts in this roundup don’t include much debate about the appeal decision itself. The reaction that is visible mostly shares the news on rather than arguing over it.

Grand Final day and the festivities around it

On the day itself, @AFL posted a simple celebration of “Toyota AFL Grand Final Day,” which has picked up hundreds of likes. Fans echoed the mood. One user posted “It’s Grand Final day” with a lion emoji. Another wrote that their team was playing in the Grand Final and asked “how is this real.”

A self-described neutral fan wished supporters of both clubs luck. The post frames the match as a contest between a side chasing “a 3-peat” and one chasing “a first-ever” flag. The same post says its author is almost as excited for the entertainment, referring to “Kylie.”

Club-specific touches also got attention. According to a post from @AFL, Fremantle has been given the green light to activate “Wharfie Time” once during the Grand Final, and the post uses an anchor emoji. One user shared what they called their Grand Final Parade prop, which carries the same anchor imagery.

Nostalgia showed up too. One user asked whether the North Melbourne Grand Final Breakfast is “still a thing.” They recalled watching it as a child, unless they had slept in after staying up for a Grand Final marathon.

The public holiday debate

A more critical strand of the conversation focuses on money rather than football. A post from @FinancialReview promotes an opinion piece by sports physiotherapist John Pompei. According to the post, modelling estimates the Grand Final public holiday costs Victoria’s economy up to $852 million a year. The post adds that with state debt said to be approaching $200 billion, the writer argues the day off “makes little economic sense.”

Melbourne radio station @3AW693 also joined in. It shared comments from Shane McInnes on the “grand final eve” public holiday and what the station describes as its impact on Melbourne businesses. The post links to his full comments but does not summarise his position in detail.

These posts have drawn far less engagement than the league’s own announcements. The Financial Review post has dozens of likes, while the Neale announcement has more than a thousand. Still, they are the clearest sign in this sample that the holiday itself is part of the conversation, not just the match.

Not everyone is feeling it

Not every post is celebratory. One of the most-liked anonymous posts in the sample, with several hundred likes, comes from a user who says they took the day off work to take their children to the Grand Final festivities. The user says they were annoyed by the appearance of someone they describe as “Mr Money Bags,” and ends the post with a blunt rejection of the sport. The post does not make clear who is meant, and this roundup is not identifying anyone.

Another user wrote that it “doesn’t feel like” there is a Grand Final tomorrow at all. That post has drawn more than a hundred likes, though it doesn’t explain why the author feels that way.

Grand finals beyond the AFL

The phrase “grand final” is also trending for reasons unrelated to Australian rules football. English rugby league club @WarringtonRLFC posted a full-time message declaring “We’re going to the Grand Final,” which has drawn more than 450 likes. It is a different competition, but it shares the same search term, and it adds to the sense of a crowded grand final weekend on the platform.

What remains unverified or open

• The economic figures. The estimate of up to $852 million a year and the reference to state debt approaching $200 billion come from an opinion piece as described in a Financial Review post. The posts here don’t independently verify them, and they reflect one writer’s argument rather than a settled figure.
• Business impact. The 3AW post points to comments about effects on Melbourne businesses. The details of those comments, and how widely they are shared, aren’t clear from the post alone.
• Complaints about the festivities. The frustrated post about a wealthy attendee reflects one user’s view. The posts provided don’t show how common that sentiment is.
• Other activations. Beyond Fremantle’s “Wharfie Time” and the parade, the posts in this sample don’t spell out what other special events are planned around the match.

Why it resonates

The Grand Final conversation mixes several things at once. There is late team news, in a suspension overturned just before the biggest game of the year. There is the day itself, with fans sharing props, memories and disbelief that their team made it. And there is a policy argument about whether a public holiday built around the event is worth what one opinion piece claims it costs. Those threads are running side by side on X, and the posts show a mix of celebration, nostalgia and scepticism.

Sources / posts referenced

• @AFL on X: “Lachie Neale's one-match suspension for striking has been overturned at the AFL Appeals Board and is…”
• @AFL on X: “IT'S TOYOTA AFL GRAND FINAL DAY 😍 #AFLGF”
• @AFL on X: “Fremantle has been given the green light to activate 'Wharfie Time' once in the 2026 Toyota AFL…”
• @FinancialReview on X: “Modelling estimates the AFL Grand Final public holiday costs Victoria’s economy up to $852 million a year.…”
• @3AW693 on X: “Shane McInnes shared his thoughts on the AFL 'grand final eve' public holiday and the impact it…”
• @WarringtonRLFC on X: “FT with @ResultingIT WE'RE GOING TO THE GRAND FINAL!!!!!!”