If there is a theme to this year’s Movers and Shapers list, it is the new order taking shape at AFL House as Andrew Dillon settles into his first year as chief executive.
The winds of change haven’t just blown through the AFL ... there is a freshness to this year’s list as well.
Some longstanding familiar names are gone and some fresh faces have joined us. See you later, Gill. Bye-bye, Buddy. And welcome to you, Nick Daicos.
See 50-41 HERE.
See 40-31 HERE.
See 30-21 HERE.
See 20-11 below:
20. KANE CORNES
Pundit
Last year: 23
Has platforms everywhere – print, digital, TV and radio – and seemingly has an opinion on everything. But he is not the hot-take machine he appears. He makes the calls, does the research and watches plenty of footy. Is not usually swayed but did offer a rare mea culpa after Hawthorn’s better-than-expected performance in 2023.
19. MICHAEL NEILL
Fox Footy general manager
Last year: -
As always, pretty much everything in footy comes to us live and much of it is exclusive on Fox Footy. But the shift to streaming is enormous and Kayo’s numbers are rising dramatically each year. It is also the calm before the storm at Fox Footy as they prepare to produce and call every AFL game except the Grand Final from 2025.
18. STUART FOX
MCC chief executive officer
Last year: 18
It helps when Collingwood and Carlton keep winning, but the MCG ticked every box as a footy venue last year and the 3,319,002 fans who filed through the turnstiles for the 53 matches was the most in VFL/AFL history. It has truly regained its lustre after the Covid years, but there seems to be some dithering over plans to replace or refurbish the Shane Warne Stand.
17. ANTHONY HUDSON
3AW & Fox Footy broadcaster
Last year: 21
The best caller in the business on TV last year and most years on radio, according to listeners and his peers in the Australian Football Media Association. Was poached by 3AW to spearhead its Friday night coverage last year, but it might just be for 12 more months as Fox Footy prepares for its own Friday night broadcasts in 2025.
16. GRANT O’BRIEN
Tasmanian AFL team chairman
Last year: -
Rose from shelf stocker at Woolworths to chief executive in his business career and is now charged with bringing Tasmania’s AFL team to life. Has already impressed the industry with his work to date, but the clock is ticking to get the proposed Battery Point stadium built in time for the planned 2028 start date.
15. CAROLINE WILSON
Columnist, commentator, broadcaster
Last year: 25
Has been retired as chief football writer at The Age since 2017, but her weekly column for that masthead is mandatory reading while her words on TV, radio and podcasts always matter. Was honoured at last year’s Walkley Awards for her outstanding contribution to journalism, the first football writer to be so.
14. MICHAEL MAKDISSI
AFL chief medical officer
Last year: -
Concussion is front and centre of the AFL’s medical agenda and it will be Makdissi who will steer the game through this very complicated issue, in particular the call from Victorian State Coroner John Cain, who recommended the AFL reduce contact training sessions to lower the risk of concussion in the wake of the inquest into the death of former Richmond player Shane Tuck.
13. GERARD WHATELEY
SEN broadcaster, AFL360 host
Last year: 15
The leading AFL broadcaster and agenda-setter through his various platforms and a perennial winner of a stack of media awards. Has the ear and the trust of every decision-maker in the game and in return they form a queue outside the SEN and Fox Footy studios for their turn to be probed on the issues of the day.
12. LACHIE NEALE
Brisbane Lions player
Last year: -
Now a dual Brownlow medallist so he enters the conversation around the greatest players of the century. A dynamite onballer who brings teammates into the game through effort and sheer weight of possessions, he will keep the Lions in flag contention for as long as he is at the top of his game.
11. CRAIG McRAE
Collingwood coach
Last year: 41
The Magpies? Likeable? Yes. Yes, they are. And that is largely due to their coach, who has transformed them into the most watchable team in the competition (and the best) by playing with verve, dare and spirit. He loves his players and they adore him in return – and Collingwood will be a destination club for years to come. His epic Grand Final morning tale involving the birth of his daughter and his missing shoes will take some beating.
