Dwayne Russell's top 10 blockbuster AFL teams

SEN's Dwayne Russell has listed his top 10 blockbuster teams heading into the new season.

With the AFL fixture for the 2027 season under a month away, Dwayne Russell ranked each AFL team based on their likelihood to land prime time football.

Dwayne's rankings were based on watchability, crowd involvement and storyline, with first place taking the crown as the biggest blockbuster club in the AFL.

He also noted three clubs just outside the top 10 that have the opportunity to prove themselves in the upcoming season.

See Dwayne's list below:

Honourable Mentions

“St Kilda, North Melbourne and Gold Coast... they need to earn it,” Russell told SEN Afternoons.

“The Gold Coast, they never fill their venue. They might be a chance with more blockbusters and the floating fissure time back third of the year, but they've got to earn it back.

“I think North Melbourne have got to earn it. They've got to fill their venue more and earn it.

“And I think St Kilda have got to earn it. They don't fill their stadium either, but they are going to be very watchable.”

10. Melbourne

“I've got Melbourne at 10, because Melbourne don't fill the MCG as often to make it feel like a blockbuster as they should.

“This is one of the things about sport. When you watch the cricket in Durban and you see no one there, you don't feel like it's as big a Test match.

“I'm a bit like that with Melbourne, with their sort of 60,000 crowds, 50,000 crowds of the MCG.

“If they can get a bigger crowd, I think that'd be huge for them.”

9. Adelaide

“Adelaide Crows at nine. They always fill the Adelaide Oval, the Crows, but have they got the team to mix it with the big teams this year?

“No Tex Walker... I reckon they might drop off a bit.”

8. Carlton

“I've got Carlton at eight. People might think that's a bit too low, but look, Carlton games are going to be big again this year.

“If they win, they'll be big, they'll be great watches, and if they lose, they'll be big.

“So, I've got Carlton there as well. Obviously, I just got a few ahead of them.”

7. Western Bulldogs

“I've got the Bulldogs at seven. Now that they've added Zak Butters, they're a genuine Premiership contender.

“If Sam Darcy has a big year it's got to be hard to take your eyes off the Dogs all year.

“Blockbuster if it’s at Docklands but off Broadway if they're hidden in Ballarat so they can't have their Ballarat home games as blockbusters.

“There's going to be a few hidden and they don't fill the MCG yet, but they are getting to a blockbuster status I reckon Bulldogs.

“They're the team with the bullet that are coming hard for more blockbuster games, and I reckon with the floating fixture of the last third of the year, I wouldn't be surprised if the Bulldogs get prime time, prime time, prime time every week.”

6. Fremantle

5. Geelong

“I've got Geelong at five. Geelong's already a prime time regular. They've added Toby Greene, added Rowan Marshall.

“They've got Bailey Smith and Patrick Dangerfield, two of the more divisive players in the comp.

“They're almost the most divisive team in the AFL now, challenging Collingwood and Hawthorn for that.

“They're attacking and they're watchable and they could easily win the flag so I've got Geelong at five.”

4. Sydney

“I've got Sydney at 4. Every SCG game's big. Adding Charlie Curnow just made them even bigger last year, but the whole team's exciting to watch when you think of Errol Gulden, Isaac Heeney, Chad Warner, big stars everywhere.

“The Swans are going to be a big watch team again this year. We know that.

“I've got the Swans at four because everybody's going to have their eyes on them again this year, but we had our eyes on them last year.”

3. Hawthorn

“I've got Hawthorn at three. They're the Premiership favourites now.

“I think there's some pressure on Hawthorn to perform, win the flag this year, and they’ve added Ben King and Zach Merrett.

“They were prime time last year. They always fill the MCG as well. They've got The Wizard (Nick Watson), one of the most exciting players, if not the most exciting player in the game.

“And I think there's a love-hate relationship with Hawthorn out there, which is great for TV ratings as well.”

2. Collingwood

“I've got Collingwood two. The primetime go-to, Collingwood, they fill every stadium they play in around Australia.

“They fill the MCG. Big TV audiences tune in. Most tune in hoping that they'll lose.

“They've got Lachie Neale teaming up with Nick Daicos now. So, they're going to be the primetime kings again, Collingwood.

“I've got them at two, even though their ladder position was a lot lower than that.”

1. Brisbane

“I don't think you can go past the Brisbane Lions as the number one.

“They've won the last three flags. They're hunting a fourth in a row. They're a huge story, the Brisbane Lions. They've got stars on every line, and the Gabba is always full for every Brisbane home game.

“Every Brisbane game feels big and they are the biggest team in the comp right now by weight of what they've been able to do for the last three years.”