The 2023 AFL season was the 127th season of the Australian Football League (AFL), the highest level senior men's Australian rules football competition in Australia, which was known as the Victorian Football League until 1989. The season featured 18 clubs and ran from 16 March to 30 September, comprising a 23-match home-and-away season for the first time in league history, followed by a finals series featuring the top eight clubs.
won its 16th premiership, defeating the by four points in the 2023 AFL Grand Final.
Background
The fixture was extended to 23 matches per club, the longest in history, to accommodate the introduction of Gather Round, a special round featuring all 18 clubs playing in the same city and its surrounds; this was modelled on the National Rugby League (NRL)'s Magic Round, which had scheduled annually since 2019. South Australia won the bid for the event, beating a bid from New South Wales, and Norwood Oval and Summit Sports Park in Mount Barker each hosted their first AFL matches.
The following rule changes were made for the 2023 season:
The number of field umpires in control of each match was increased from three to four. The medical substitute position, which had been introduced in 2021, was replaced with a tactical substitute; prior rules had allowed for a player to be substituted only for medical reasons, but this stipulation was removed, allowing for the substitute to be used for any reason.
Coach appointments
Club leadership
Caretaker coaches are italicised.
Pre-season
All starting times are local time. Source: afl.com.au
Season events
Increased focus on dangerous tackles
The season saw the AFL focus more heavily on dangerous tackles and head contact amidst an increased focus worldwide on the effects of concussion in sport and a class action lodged against the league in March, headed by a group of former players seeking compensation for damage sustained from concussion-related injuries during their VFL/AFL careers. Several players received suspensions during the season for tackles of a slinging motion which would not have previously been scrutinised by the AFL's match review officer, with many of these players trying unsuccessfully to appeal their suspensions at the AFL Tribunal. coach Ross Lyon suggested during the season that other tackling-related rule interpretations may need to change as a result of the increased focus and suspensions, while coach John Longmire said that the crackdown "[asked] a hell of a lot from our players [...] it's no surprise that it's not right all the time".
In April, players such as Dylan Shiel, Andrew McGrath and Darcy Moore called for greater clarification around rules for dangerous tackles, leading the AFL to send memos to all clubs emphasising the elements constituting a dangerous tackle and the factoring of potential to cause injury in grading of suspensions; coach Luke Beveridge admitted that he chose not to show his team the memo to avoid "[telling] the players to go out and avoid accidents".
Hawthorn historical racism allegations
In May, the AFL's investigation into historical racism allegations against the Hawthorn Football Club saw new coach Alastair Clarkson, who was coach of Hawthorn during the period being investigated, take an indefinite leave from coaching during the week leading up to what would have been his 400th game as an AFL coach to focus on his physical and emotional wellbeing, with assistant coach Brett Ratten filling in during his absence; Clarkson eventually returned as coach in round 21, coaching his 400th game in the process. Hawthorn chief executive officer Justin Reeves also resigned from his role in May, citing mental health reasons. A few days later, the AFL announced that the eight-month investigation had concluded without any findings being made or any charges brought against Clarkson and former Hawthorn officials Chris Fagan ( coach at the time of the investigation) and Jason Burt, but implied that it could still take action against Hawthorn for its handling of the report that formed the basis of the investigation.
In June, following the conclusion of the AFL's investigation, six of the complainants, including former Hawthorn player Cyril Rioli and his wife, publicly identified themselves in an open letter confirming that they planned to take their case to the Australian Human Rights Commission.