Brilliant tweak that made Gather Round even greater… and proved where it must stay

When Gather Round’s in town, the South Australian skies seem a little clearer, and the pubs certainly even fuller.

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For the third year straight, Adelaide — and by extension the Barossa Valley — was transformed into a football hub genuinely like no other.

Across a four-day period, the state became the AFL’s capital for the league’s most faithful and outgoing fans. Ask any footy-following local, and they’ll tell you that the first and second edition of the round is incredibly hard to top. But this weekend, Adelaide outdid itself for the third year straight.

The South Australian government, led by Peter Malinauskas, has prided this weekend on being more than just a fixture quirk. In 2025, it cemented itself as a cornerstone of the AFL calendar, the state wrapping its arms around fans, players and stakeholders with the kind of embrace you never want to leave.

In my mind, the message is ultra-clear. This event doesn’t just work in South Australia — it belongs here.

Locals have known it for years, and interstate visitors will no doubt be thinking the same in hopes of returning once again.

But what do the players think?

Fresh off a Thursday night shoot-out victory against the hosting Crows, emerging star defender Sam De Koning revealed his Cats side had ridden the wave all week.

“We’re just so lucky,” De Koning told foxfooty.com.au with a wide smile, wide-eyed at the moment.

“Scotty (Chris Scott) really honed in and said: ‘We’re so lucky to be playing these games’, and how special it is to be playing against Adelaide in Gather Round on the first night… it’s pretty wild.

“We love big games and embracing it. It’s one of the best wins I’ve been a part of for sure.”

Gather Round offers not just a spectacle, but genuine substance. Every match feels like a final of sorts, regardless of the location. Saturday evening’s blockbuster between Brisbane and the Western Bulldogs proved exactly that, with the 9,242 people who packed out Norwood Oval on The Parade leaving as if they’ve just seen a match in September.

Even for veteran players experiencing it for the first time, like Carlton’s Sam Docherty, the magic was instant; not a feeling easy for a 174-game player to feel this deep into his career.

“This is actually my first Gather Round,” Docherty said with a wry smile to foxfooty.com.au post-game.

“The first one (in 2023) I did my meniscus, and the second one my ACL, so it’s been a new experience for me… but it’s been great to see so many footy fans get over here. It’s a great initiative.”

That sentiment was echoed from locker room to locker room across the competition all weekend long. For Collingwood midfielder Lachie Sullivan, the weekend was a chance to be part of something bigger than just four points.

“I’m very grateful to get the opportunity to play in such an awesome round,” he told this masthead after their 31-point win over Sydney.

“I just wanted to embrace it, not overthink it, and just try and play my role.”

For some players, the idea of Gather Round is an especially refreshing one. Given the constant media scrutiny and heightened publicity the athletes and clubs are subject to, the event has brought a smile to the faces of so many players. It’s impossible to not buy into the loyal fans who have travelled interstate to watch you, or conversely, the normally-interstate South Australian fans who quite possibly get their only chance of the year to see their team play.

Will Setterfield summed it up simply, with the Bombers 39-point win over the Demons his first AFL match of the season.

“It’s obviously a massive weekend. The crowd was great, and it’s hard not to buy into it; it’s the festival of footy,” the midfielder said to foxfooty.com.au.

After two successful years of four matches in the Adelaide Hills’ Mount Barker, the AFL gave the green light to bring the sport up north to the world-class wine region of the Barossa Valley. And they did so with flying colours.

Barossa Park played host to North Melbourne vs. Gold Coast, and Richmond vs. Fremantle. By no means the most high-profile matches of the four-day event, but you wouldn’t know that if you were an oblivious observer.

The recently-created venue had well over 19,000 people come through the gates, amid weather that could not have been better if the elements tried.

The state’s two AFL sides — Adelaide and Port Adelaide — front-ended and back-ended the round, in a genius fixturing move by the AFL. Fans on Thursday night were treated to a 219-point special, before the most marketed match of the round on Sunday night closed out proceedings.

Last year’s semi-final re-match between Port Adelaide and Hawthorn lived up to all expectations on-field, but in a way few predicted. For the sixth time in seven meetings, the Power trumped the Hawks in the weekend’s biggest upset.

It would be remiss to not also make note of the 47,649 people that turned up at the Adelaide Oval for a neutral clash between Collingwood and Sydney, as well as the 41,252 people who watched two unbeaten teams in Carlton and West Coast go at it on Saturday afternoon.

It isn’t a point of contention, there is absolutely no other state that would pack out such a large crowd for two matches with no affiliation in the state that is hosting.

As this year’s Gather Round came to a close on Sunday night, Port Adelaide’s Ollie Wines had the final say on what was nothing short of an epic weekend.

“It’s been terrific — all my family and friends from Victoria have come over for the weekend and seen multiple games,” Wines told foxfooty.com.au.

“The concept behind it is outstanding, and the SA government do a brilliant job. Going to different country venues each year and to finish it off here at Adelaide Oval with Sunday night footy is brilliant.”

Wines hit the nail on the head. Behind every great idea, is great execution — and South Australia has made this their own masterpiece. A Malinauskas-led masterclass from transport, to ticketing, to the integration of interstate tourists has made this event one beyond the point of no return.

Evidently, Gather Round works in South Australia, and has the capacity to be replicated elsewhere. And truthfully, it probably should be — but that doesn’t mean it should be taken away from South Australia.

Let a variation be trialled in another state, during another week of the year. It is simply too good of a spectacle and event to be stripped entirely, and would simply be punishing South Australia for having the initiative to host it in the first place.

The state is yet to officially extend its contract with the AFL on Gather Round’s hosting beyond 2026, but as per Nine’s Tom Morris, it looks likely to extend beyond next year, pending logistical quirks including the impending establishment of Tasmania into the competition.

The numbers back it up. South Australia has hit its third home run in as many years, and the players all speak glowingly of the event.

So make no mistake, Gather Round in its purest form belongs in South Australia. And may it stay there forever.