The PERFECT Dress Rehearsal For Buddy"s Premiership Pick? | AFL Round 24 Preview
The Buddy & Shane ShowShow Notes
It's the LAST round of the 2026 home-and-away season and Buddy & Shane bring it home strong! They fly through all nine games — Saints upsetting the Suns, a massive Brisbane vs Collingwood MCG blockbuster, and the big Carlton rest debate ahead of finals. Shane reveals a wild three-way tie scenario for 4th between Brisbane, Adelaide and Hawthorn, while the boys clash over whether stars like Bontempelli, Grundy and Cripps should be rested. Sydney's Isaac Heeney gets huge wraps as "the form player of the competition," and Buddy drops his boldest Big Call yet — backing North Melbourne to knock off Sydney. Plus: salsa night at The Establishment, and a Better Beer giveaway for the best call in the comments!
00:00 – Intro: Round 24, the last round of the 2026 season
00:40 – Saint Kilda v Gold Coast (Marvel Stadium, Friday night)
01:10 – Collingwood v Brisbane (MCG) — top four implications
02:00 – Carlton v Fremantle (Marvel Stadium) — the "rest your stars" debate
04:33 – Melbourne v Western Bulldogs (MCG) — does Bontempelli return?
05:43 – Geelong v Richmond (GMHBA Stadium)
06:10 – Adelaide v GWS (Adelaide Oval) — Tex Walker send-off talk
07:03 – Port Adelaide v Essendon (Marvel Stadium) — new coach speculation
08:02 – Sydney v North Melbourne (SCG) — Isaac Heeney's incredible form
10:19 – West Coast v Hawthorn (Optus Stadium) — the three-way tie for 4th scenario
13:10 – Bud's Big Call: North Melbourne to beat Sydney
15:08 – Wrap-up and Better Beer giveaway
Don't miss an episode! Subscribe to The Buddy & Shane Show on Spotify & Apple Podcasts.
Got a big call of your own? Drop us a voice memo at memo.fm/buddyandshane and you might hear it on the show!
Enjoyed this episode? Like, comment, and share it with a mate who needs to hear it.
Follow us on TikTok & Instagram: @thebuddyandshaneshow
This episode is proudly supported by Better Beer — grab yours at betterbeer.com.au
#AFL #TheBuddyAndShaneShow #Round24 #AFLFinals #FootyPodcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
More from The Buddy & Shane Show
That's a wrap on 2026! In the final show of the season, Buddy and Shane relive an all-time classic grand final as Brisbane complete a historic three-peat, storming home from the brink against a brave Fremantle. They dissect Will Ashcroft's last-quarter surge, Josh Treacy's costly miss and the Pearce injury, debate a contentious Norm Smith Medal, and dig into Lachie Neale's move to Collingwood and Chris Fagan's future. Then it's Buddy's Big Call for 2027, trade-period whispers, North Melbourne's coaching hunt, and a heartfelt goodbye, with the boys unsure whether they'll be back for a trade or Christmas special.
Grand final week has arrived! Fresh off Brownlow night (huge congrats to Nick Daicos), Buddy and Shane dive straight into Fremantle vs Brisbane. Can the Dockers turn their minor premiership into a fairytale first flag, or does Brisbane's finals experience carry them to a historic three-peat? The boys break down the key head-to-head battles — Luke Jackson's ruck dominance, Brisbane's dangerous small forwards, and whether Fremantle's bottom six can lift on the big stage. There's a Norm Smith tip (it's Ashcroft, obviously), full score predictions, a Kylie Minogue half-time preview, and Buddy's Big Call. One thing's for sure: Melbourne's about to host an absolute cracker.
Grand final week is here! Fremantle and Brisbane have booked their tickets after two gut-wrenching preliminary finals, and the boys break down every twist. Hawthorn's season ends in heartbreak against Brisbane on a contentious late free kick, while "the Wizard" produces a stunning six-goal haul in a losing effort. Then Fremantle claw back a 28-point deficit to break Sydney's hearts and reach their first grand final since 2013. Plus: a season review for the Swans and Hawks, Toby Greene's move to Geelong, and Buddy and Shane's full Brownlow Medal predictions ahead of tonight's count — with Nick Daicos the overwhelming favourite. It's set up to be an unforgettable decider between two of the year's best sides.
Prelim finals week is here. Friday night at the SCG, Sydney host Fremantle in a rematch of that stunning Round 8 hundred-point turnaround, with the Grundy vs. Luke Jackson ruck battle looming large — Bud backs the Swans, Shane's leaning Dockers. Saturday at the MCG, underdogs Hawthorn face premiership favourites Brisbane, and both hosts cautiously tip a Hawks upset. Bud's Big Call goes all-in on a Hawthorn forward to be the difference, and the boys start plotting a joint pub crawl special if the Hawks and Sydney both somehow reach the Grand Final.
Huge Semi Finals weekend! Brisbane obliterated Adelaide by 53 points, riding an explosive first quarter all the way into a Preliminary Final. Buddy and Shane break down Zak Bailey's heroics, Adelaide's glaring need for an X-factor midfielder, and pay tribute to retiring Crows great Taylor Walker. Then it's over to a classic — Fremantle survive a Geelong scare to book their first prelim since 2015, with Luke Jackson the driving force. Plus: the Better Beer Big Moment lands on Zak Butters' blockbuster move to the Bulldogs, Errol Gulden claims Kia Player of the Month, and the boys lock in their bold (and contradictory) predictions for the Grand Final.