2025 Carlton Football Club season
Australian rules football club season
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The 2025 Carlton Football Club season was the Carlton Football Club's 162nd season of competition.
(Training and administrative: Ikon Park)
| 2025 season | |
|---|---|
| President | Robert Priestley |
| Coach | Michael Voss |
| Captain | Patrick Cripps |
| Home ground | Melbourne Cricket Ground, Marvel Stadium (Training and administrative: Ikon Park) |
| AFL season | 11th (9–14) |
| AFL Women's season | 4th (8–6 H&A, 2–1 finals) |
| Leading goalkicker | Charlie Curnow (32) |
| Average home attendance | 48,521[1] |
| Club membership | 100,743 |
It was the club's men's team's 129th season as a member of the Australian Football League, and the fourth under senior coach Michael Voss; and, in a decline from the prior three seasons, Carlton finished the season 11th with a win-loss record of 9–14, more than five games short of a finals berth.
The club's women's team is contesting its tenth season in the AFL Women's. The team finished 5th in the home-and-away season with an 8–6 record to qualify for finals for the first time since 2020, and finished 4th overall after being defeated in the preliminary finals.
The club also fielded its men's reserves team in the Victorian Football League and its state level women's team in the VFL Women's, failing to reach finals in either competition.
Club summary
The 2025 AFL season will be the 129th season of the VFL/AFL competition since its inception in 1897; and, having competed in every season, it will also be the 129th season contested by the Carlton Football Club. The club will field its women's team in the tenth season of the AFL Women's competition, its men's reserves team in its eighth Victorian Football League season, and its VFL women's team in its seventh VFL Women's season.
Carlton's primary home ground will be the Melbourne Cricket Ground and secondary home ground will be Marvel Stadium, with the team playing six home games at the former and five at the latter.[2] This was a reversal of the distribution from prior years, coming after its six-games-per-year deal at Marvel Stadium expired at the end of 2024[3] and as the result of successful lobbying to the AFL for an extra game at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.[4] Traditional home ground Ikon Park continued to serve as the training and administrative base, and as the home ground for AFL Women's and the men's reserves matches.
Car manufacturer Hyundai, which had been a major sponsor of the club continuously since 2008,[5] and Great Southern Bank, which became a major sponsor during the 2021 season, continued as the club's major sponsors through the 2025 season. The club launched Imaging Associates Carlton, a medical imaging joint venture with Imaging Associates. The club's membership tally was 100,743, a reduction from the record it had set in 2024, the third-highest tally in the league behind Collingwood and West Coast.[6] The club reported a statutory loss of $1.16 million for the season.[7]
Senior personnel
Luke Sayers was initially set to continue in his fourth year as president, but he stepped down on 22 January. Sayers departure came two weeks after a lewd image was posted on Sayers' X account, tagging a female board member of one of the club's sponsors; Sayers claimed, and an AFL investigations subsequently confirmed, that his account had been hacked and that Sayers had not posted the image himself, but he nonetheless elected to step down after those investigations were complete. Robert Priestley and Patty Kinnersly stepped in as interim co-presidents,[8] before Priestley was appointed president on 7 February. At the time of appointment, Priestley was chairman of J. P. Morgan Australia and New Zealand.[9]
Brian Cook served his fourth and final year as CEO, and Collingwood general manager of football Graham Wright was appointed deputy CEO under a succession plan which saw him take over from Cook on 15 August.[10]
Michael Voss continued in his fourth year as senior coach of the club. Patrick Cripps continued in his fourth year as sole club captain and seventh year overall (having served as co-captain with Sam Docherty for three years). The broader leadership group was also unchanged from 2024, with Charlie Curnow, Sam Walsh and Jacob Weitering continuing in the roles.[11]
Squad for 2025
The following is Carlton's squad for the 2025 season.
| Senior List[12] | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Player | Age | AFL Debut | Recruited from | Career (to end 2024) | 2024 Player Statistics | |||||||||
| Gms | Gls | Gms | Gls | B | D | K | HB | M | T | HO | |||||
| 1 | Jack Silvagni | 27 | 2016 | Oakleigh (U18) | 115 | 87 | 13 | 2 | 4 | 179 | 139 | 40 | 76 | 30 | – |
| 2 | Lachie Cowan | 20 | 2023 | Devonport, Tasmania (U18) | 24 | 1 | 14 | 1 | 0 | 203 | 144 | 59 | 68 | 35 | 0 |
| 3 | Jesse Motlop | 21 | 2022 | South Fremantle | 40 | 42 | 23 | 17 | 18 | 245 | 155 | 90 | 49 | 84 | 0 |
| 4 | Oliver Hollands | 20 | 2023 | Murray (U18) | 42 | 7 | 23 | 4 | 2 | 439 | 260 | 179 | 115 | 75 | 0 |
| 5 | Adam Cerra | 25 | 2018 | Eastern (U18), Fremantle | 129 | 34 | 19 | 5 | 3 | 468 | 259 | 209 | 81 | 89 | 0 |
| 6 | Zac Williams | 30 | 2013 | GWS Academy, GWS | 155 | 47 | 19 | 22 | 10 | 281 | 180 | 101 | 55 | 35 | 0 |
| 7 | Jagga Smith | 18 | – | Oakleigh (U18) | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 8 | Lachie Fogarty | 25 | 2018 | Western (U18), Geelong | 70 | 25 | 20 | 11 | 11 | 237 | 113 | 124 | 53 | 76 | 0 |
| 9 | Patrick Cripps (c) | 29 | 2014 | East Fremantle | 207 | 113 | 23 | 14 | 17 | 556 | 220 | 336 | 50 | 132 | 12 |
| 10 | Harry McKay | 27 | 2017 | Gippsland (U18) | 128 | 252 | 12 | 22 | 10 | 172 | 111 | 61 | 75 | 31 | 30 |
| 11 | Mitch McGovern | 30 | 2016 | Claremont, Adelaide | 128 | 109 | 17 | 11 | 3 | 244 | 191 | 53 | 76 | 26 | 0 |
| 12 | Tom de Koning | 25 | 2018 | Dandenong (U18) | 78 | 30 | 22 | 6 | 10 | 381 | 194 | 187 | 72 | 51 | 512 |
| 13 | Blake Acres | 29 | 2014 | West Perth, St Kilda, Fremantle | 168 | 60 | 19 | 5 | 9 | 355 | 210 | 145 | 87 | 54 | 0 |
| 14 | Orazio Fantasia | 29 | 2014 | Norwood, Essendon, Port Adelaide | 114 | 150 | 6 | 7 | 4 | 68 | 41 | 27 | 18 | 13 | 0 |
| 15 | Sam Docherty | 31 | 2013 | Gippsland (U18), Brisbane Lions | 169 | 26 | 15 | 5 | 4 | 304 | 198 | 106 | 87 | 41 | 0 |
| 16 | Ben Camporeale | 18 | – | Glenelg | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 17 | Brodie Kemp | 23 | 2021 | Bendigo (U18) | 44 | 7 | 5 | 7 | 4 | 43 | 28 | 15 | 15 | 11 | 0 |
| 18 | Sam Walsh (vc) | 24 | 2019 | Geelong (U18) | 119 | 42 | 14 | 5 | 5 | 368 | 152 | 216 | 50 | 64 | 0 |
| 19 | Corey Durdin | 22 | 2021 | Central District | 48 | 34 | 16 | 14 | 8 | 128 | 81 | 47 | 39 | 29 | 0 |
| 20 | Elijah Hollands | 22 | 2022 | Murray (U18), Gold Coast | 36 | 25 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 85 | 51 | 34 | 19 | 14 | 0 |
| 21 | Lucas Camporeale | 18 | 2025 | Glenelg | – | – | 3 | 0 | 0 | 34 | 18 | 16 | 7 | 6 | 0 |
| 22 | Harry O'Farrell | 18 | 2025 | Calder (U18) | – | – | 6 | 1 | 1 | 61 | 43 | 18 | 29 | 9 | 0 |
| 23 | Jacob Weitering (vc) | 27 | 2016 | Dandenong (U18) | 181 | 11 | 23 | – | – | 316 | 247 | 69 | 162 | 22 | 1 |
| 24 | Nic Newman | 31 | 2017 | Frankston, Sydney | 134 | 18 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 25 | Jaxon Binns | 20 | 2024 | Dandenong (U18) | 3 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 84 | 64 | 20 | 18 | 6 | 0 |
| 26 | Nick Haynes | 32 | 2012 | Dandenong (U18) | 211 | 13 | 23 | – | 1 | 392 | 282 | 110 | 180 | 33 | 0 |
| 27 | Marc Pittonet | 28 | 2016 | Oakleigh (U18), Hawthorn | 73 | 10 | 7 | 2 | – | 84 | 32 | 52 | 12 | 24 | 168 |
| 29 | George Hewett | 29 | 2016 | North Adelaide, Sydney | 179 | 46 | 23 | 7 | 5 | 647 | 254 | 393 | 70 | 131 | 0 |
| 30 | Charlie Curnow | 27 | 2016 | Geelong (U18) | 131 | 281 | 18 | 32 | 27 | 212 | 177 | 35 | 107 | 21 | 0 |
| 31 | Harry Lemmey | 20 | — | West Adelaide | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 33 | Lewis Young | 26 | 2017 | Sturt, Western Bulldogs | 67 | 3 | 13 | 6 | 2 | 129 | 76 | 53 | 49 | 22 | 35 |
| 35 | Billy Wilson | 19 | 2025 | Dandenong (U18) | – | – | 4 | 0 | 0 | 48 | 29 | 19 | 13 | 8 | 0 |
| 42 | Adam Saad | 30 | 2015 | Calder (U18), Coburg, Gold Coast, Essendon | 195 | 11 | 21 | 1 | 1 | 378 | 264 | 114 | 61 | 53 | 0 |
| 43 | Ashton Moir | 19 | 2024 | Glenelg | 2 | 2 | 9 | 10 | 6 | 75 | 47 | 28 | 26 | 10 | 0 |
| 46 | Matthew Cottrell | 24 | 2020 | Dandenong (U18) | 68 | 34 | 6 | 2 | 5 | 99 | 70 | 29 | 23 | 11 | 0 |
| Rookie List[12] | |||||||||||||||
| No. | Player | Age | AFL Debut | Recruited from | Career (to end 2024) | 2024 Player Statistics | |||||||||
| Gms | Gls | Gms | Gls | B | D | K | HB | M | T | HO | |||||
| 28 | Harry Charleson | 18 | – | GWV | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 32 | Matt Carroll | 19 | 2025 | Sandringham (U18) | – | – | 17 | 1 | 2 | 205 | 155 | 50 | 65 | 25 | 0 |
| 34 | Rob Monahan | 20 | — | Kerry | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 36 | Cooper Lord | 19 | 2024 | Sandringham (U18), North Melbourne reserves | 2 | 0 | 21 | 5 | 0 | 294 | 157 | 137 | 57 | 82 | 0 |
| 37 | Jordan Boyd | 26 | 2022 | Western (U18), Footscray reserves | 35 | 1 | 3 | – | – | 26 | 19 | 7 | 6 | 2 | 0 |
| 38 | Will White | 20 | 2025 | GWV (U18), Carlton reserves | – | – | 14 | 10 | 11 | 120 | 81 | 39 | 31 | 27 | 0 |
| 39 | Alex Cincotta | 28 | 2023 | Newtown & Chilwell, Carlton reserves | 35 | 11 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 39 | 16 | 23 | 7 | 20 | 0 |
| 41 | Matt Duffy | 20 | – | Longford GAA | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 44 | Francis Evans | 23 | 2021 | Calder (U18), Geelong, Port Adelaide | 33 | 22 | 10 | 13 | 6 | 114 | 72 | 42 | 31 | 31 | 0 |
| 45 | Flynn Young | 22 | 2025 | Geelong (U18), Werribee | – | – | 8 | 5 | 2 | 84 | 55 | 29 | 22 | 13 | 0 |
| Senior coaching panel[13] | |||||||||||||||
| Coach | Coaching position | Carlton coaching debut | Former clubs as coach | ||||||||||||
| Michael Voss | Senior coach | 2022 | Brisbane Lions (s), Port Adelaide (a) | ||||||||||||
| Luke Power | Head of development, reserves coach | 2020 | GWS (a), AFL Academy Manager | ||||||||||||
| Tim Clarke | Assistant coach (Midfield) | 2016 | Richmond (a), Coburg (s), Richmond reserves (s), Gold Coast (a) | ||||||||||||
| Aaron Hamill | Assistant coach (backline) | 2022 | St Kilda (a), Sandringham (s) | ||||||||||||
| Ashley Hansen | Assistant coach (senior) | 2022 | Western Bulldogs (a), Footscray reserves (s) | ||||||||||||
| Matthew Kreuzer | Assistant coach (ruck) | 2022 | |||||||||||||
| Jordan Russell | Assistant coach (forward line) | 2022 | Western Bulldogs (d), North Melbourne (a) | ||||||||||||
| Tom Lonergan | Development and talent manager | 2023 | Calder Cannons (d), Geelong Falcons (d) | ||||||||||||
| Brad Ebert | Development coach | 2023 | Port Adelaide (m) | ||||||||||||
| Torin Baker | Carlton College of Sport and Academy and development coach | 2021 | Western Jets (s), Hawthorn (d) | ||||||||||||
| Aaron Greaves | Coaching and performance manager | 2022 | Melbourne (d, a), Port Adelaide (a, d), North Melbourne (d), AFL umpires (s) | ||||||||||||
- For players: (c) denotes captain, (vc) denotes vice-captain.
- For coaches: (s) denotes senior coach, (cs) denotes caretaker senior coach, (a) denotes assistant coach, (d) denotes development coach, (m) denotes managerial or administrative role in a football or coaching department
Playing list changes
The following summarises all player changes which occurred after the 2024 season. Unless otherwise noted, draft picks refer to selections in the 2024 national draft.
Carlton took an active role in trading for draft picks during the trade period, trading up in the first round to secure midfielder Jagga Smith, and trading down to ensure it could meet father-son rule bids on Ben and Lucas Camporeale, twin sons of 1990s player Scott.
In
| Player | Former Club | League | via |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nick Haynes | Greater Western Sydney | AFL | Signed as an unrestricted free agent[14] |
| Jagga Smith | Oakleigh Chargers | Talent League | National draft, first round (No. 3 overall). |
| Harry O'Farrell | Calder Cannons | Talent League | National draft, second round (No. 40 overall). |
| Ben Camporeale | Glenelg | SANFL | National draft, father-son rule selection after matching the bid of Geelong in the third round (picked at No. 43 overall). |
| Lucas Camporeale | Glenelg | SANFL | National draft, father-son rule selection after matching the bid of Sydney in the third round (picked at No. 54 overall). |
| Harry Charleson | Greater Western Victoria | Talent League | Rookie draft, first round (No. 9 overall) |
| Matt Duffy | Longford | GAA | Category B rookie selection[15][16] |
| Francis Evans | Port Adelaide | AFL | Joined the club as a reserves player, before being signed in the pre-season supplemental signing period[17] |
| Will White | Carlton reserves | VFL | Joined the squad as a train-on player, then was signed during the extension to the pre-season supplemental signing period to occupy the list space vacated by Jagga Smith's long-term injury[18] |
| Flynn Young | Werribee | VFL | Midseason draft, first round (No. 4 overall).[19] |
Out
| Player | New Club | League | via |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jack Martin | Geelong | AFL | Delisted prior to the trade period, then signed by Geelong as a delisted free agent[20] |
| David Cuningham | Footscray reserves[21] | VFL | Delisted prior to the trade period.[22] |
| Caleb Marchbank | Retired | Delisted prior to the trade period.[22] | |
| Alex Mirkov | Old Ivanhoe[23] | VAFA | Delisted from the rookie list prior to the trade period.[22] |
| Domanic Akuei | Essendon reserves[24] | VFL | Delisted from the rookie list prior to the trade period.[22] |
| Matthew Owies | West Coast | AFL | AFL trade period, in a three-way trade which saw Carlton receive a first round draft pick and two fourth round draft picks (provisionally No. 3, 63 and 66) from West Coast, give a lower first round draft pick and a fifth round draft pick (provisionally No. 12 and 73) to West Coast, and give a lower first round draft pick (provisionally No. 14) to Richmond.[25] |
| Matt Kennedy | Western Bulldogs | AFL | AFL trade period, in a four-way trade, which saw Carlton trade Kennedy to Western Bulldogs and receive a second round draft pick (provisionally No. 38) from Geelong.[26] |
| Jack Carroll | St Kilda | AFL | Delisted after the trade period, then signed as a delisted free agent[20] |
| Sam Durdin | Box Hill Hawks[27] | VFL | Delisted from the rookie list after the trade period[28] |
List management
| Player | Change |
|---|---|
| Draft picks | Received a fourth round draft pick (provisionally No. 73) and a second round draft pick in the 2025 national draft from Brisbane Lions, in exchange for a second round draft pick and a fourth round draft pick (provisionally No. 34 and 66).[29] |
| Draft picks | Received a first round draft pick (provisionally No. 14) from Hawthorn, in exchange for a first round draft pick and a second round draft pick in the 2025 national draft.[30] |
| Matt Carroll | Initially delisted from the rookie list after the trade period,[28] before joining the squad as a train-on player, then being re-signed as a rookie during the pre-season supplemental selection period.[31] |
| Liam McMahon Denver Grainger-Barras Ethan Phillips | Joined the squad as train-on players, but were ultimately not signed during the supplemental selection period[32] |
Season summary
Pre-season
Carlton played two practice matches, the first deemed unofficial match simulation and the second deemed an official practice match, as part of its lead-up to the premiership season.
| Date and local time | Opponent | Scores (Carlton's scores indicated in bold) | Venue | ||
| Home | Away | Result | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday, 22 February (11:00 am) | St Kilda | 8.10 (58) | 10.9 (69) | Lost by 11 points[33] | Ikon Park (H) |
| Friday, 28 February (5:20 pm) | Greater Western Sydney | 9.12 (66) | 18.16 (124) | Won by 58 points[34] | Manuka Oval (A) |
Home-and-away season
After being the league's best performing club between mid-2023 and mid-2024, before falling away with a 2–8 end to the 2024 season, external expectations of Carlton's prospects were mixed entering 2025: bookmakers had Carlton at equal fourth favourite for the premiership,[35] while many pundits predicted Carlton would miss the finals.[36][37]
The season began poorly against 2024 wooden spooners Richmond, Carlton losing by 13 points after having squandered a 41-point second quarter lead;[38] such was the negative reaction that the club swiftly postponed membership drive activities which had been planned on the SEN 1116 radio network for the following day.[39] Three more losses followed, and Carlton was 16th on the ladder with a 0–4 start to the year. The next two months were more successful, and after winning six of the next nine games, Carlton was sitting tenth with a 6–7 record and competitive percentage. Up to this point, Carlton had been consistently much stronger in the first halves of matches and prone to second-half fadeouts: they had led at half time in eleven of thirteen matches, with a first half percentage of 139.2; but won only three second halves with a percentage of only 80.6.[40] Through this time, the club was recognised and lauded for its defensive performance and structure, which to this point saw it among the top three clubs in the league for fewest points conceded, lowest chain-to-scoring percentage against, and highest rebound-to-inside-50 percentage; but was criticised for the quality of its inside-50 kicks, with the club ranking a distant last in the league in that metric.[41]
Rounds 15 and 16 were pivotal, as they saw back-to-back disappointing losses against weaker opponents which all but ended any realistic chance of playing finals: in round 15 against 16th-placed North Melbourne, Carlton lost by 11 points, after having trailed by as much as 46 points;[42] and in round 16 against 12th-placed Port Adelaide, Carlton lost by 50 points, after managing only one goal in the first half.[43] The club's late season results went on to be much poorer than the early half of the season, Carlton ultimately winning only three of its final ten matches, and declining significantly in the ball movement and defensive metrics it had excelled in during the first half of the year.[44]
The club's final record was 9–14, for an eleventh-place finish. Results were relatively consistent with ladder position: Carlton's record against the top ten was 1–11, the sole win coming in round 7 against Geelong;[45] and its record against the bottom seven was 8–3.
| Rd | Date and local time | Opponent | Scores (Carlton's scores indicated in bold) | Venue | Attendance | Ladder | ||
| Home | Away | Result | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Op | Bye | – | ||||||
| 1 | Thursday, 13 March (7:30 pm) | Richmond | 13.4 (82) | 9.15 (69) | Lost by 13 points[38] | Melbourne Cricket Ground (A) | 80,009 | 13th |
| 2 | Thursday, 20 March (7:30 pm) | Hawthorn | 8.12 (60) | 12.8 (80) | Lost by 20 points[46] | Melbourne Cricket Ground (H) | 62,735 | 14th |
| 3 | Friday, 28 March (7:40 pm) | Western Bulldogs | 11.9 (75) | 12.11 (83) | Lost by 8 points[47] | Marvel Stadium (H) | 44,894 | 16th |
| 4 | Thursday, 3 April (7:30 pm) | Collingwood | 8.15 (63) | 6.10 (46) | Lost by 17 points[48] | Melbourne Cricket Ground (A) | 82,058 | 16th |
| 5 | Saturday, 12 April (12:50 pm) | West Coast | 17.19 (121) | 6.14 (50) | Won by 71 points[49] | Adelaide Oval (N) | 41,252 | 14th |
| 6 | Friday, 18 April (3:20 pm) | North Melbourne | 11.5 (71) | 24.9 (153) | Won by 82 points[50] | Marvel Stadium (A) | 46,373 | 13th |
| 7 | Sunday, 27 April (3:20 pm) | Geelong | 14.10 (94) | 12.4 (76) | Won by 18 points[45] | Melbourne Cricket Ground (H) | 67,658 | 11th |
| 8 | Saturday, 3 May (3:45 pm) | Adelaide | 16.14 (110) | 7.8 (50) | Lost by 60 points[51] | Adelaide Oval (A) | 46,057 | 13th |
| 9 | Friday, 9 May (7:30 pm) | St Kilda | 9.8 (62) | 11.11 (77) | Won by 15 points[52] | Melbourne Cricket Ground (A) | 65,680 | 10th |
| 10 | Friday, 16 May (7:30 pm) | Sydney | 11.12 (78) | 9.8 (62) | Lost by 16 points[53] | Sydney Cricket Ground (A) | 39,082 | 11th |
| 11 | Saturday, 24 May (12:35 pm) | GWS | 12.10 (82) | 17.8 (110) | Lost by 28 points[54] | Marvel Stadium (H) | 36,468 | 12th |
| 12 | Bye | 13th | ||||||
| 13 | Sunday, 8 June (7:20 pm) | Essendon | 11.12 (78) | 11.4 (70) | Won by 8 points[55] | Melbourne Cricket Ground (H) | 74,280 | 11th |
| 14 | Sunday, 15 June (4:10 pm) | West Coast | 7.10 (52) | 12.14 (86) | Won by 34 points[56] | Optus Stadium (A) | 43,803 | 10th |
| 15 | Saturday, 21 June (1:20 pm) | North Melbourne | 10.13 (73) | 13.6 (84) | Lost by 11 points[42] | Melbourne Cricket Ground (H) | 56,236 | 10th |
| 16 | Thursday, 26 June (7:00 pm) | Port Adelaide | 16.14 (110) | 8.12 (60) | Lost by 50 points[43] | Adelaide Oval (A) | 30,381 | 11th |
| 17 | Friday, 4 July (7:20 pm) | Collingwood | 8.11 (59) | 17.13 (115) | Lost by 56 points[57] | Melbourne Cricket Ground (H) | 75,827 | 12th |
| 18 | Thursday, 10 July (7:30 pm) | Brisbane Lions | 9.12 (66) | 15.13 (103) | Lost by 37 points[58] | Marvel Stadium (H) | 32,898 | 12th |
| 19 | Saturday, 19 July (7:35 pm) | Melbourne | 12.6 (78) | 10.10 (70) | Won by 8 points[59] | Melbourne Cricket Ground (H) | 40,869 | 12th |
| 20 | Thursday, 24 July (7:30 pm) | Hawthorn | 13.7 (85) | 9.7 (61) | Lost by 24 points[60] | Melbourne Cricket Ground (A) | 51,271 | 12th |
| 21 | Sunday, 3 August (3:10 pm) | Fremantle | 15.4 (94) | 10.7 (67) | Lost by 27 points[61] | Optus Stadium (A) | 39,358 | 13th |
| 22 | Saturday, 9 August (7:35 pm) | Gold Coast | 11.8 (74) | 13.15 (93) | Lost by 19 points[62] | Marvel Stadium (H) | 24,120 | 14th |
| 23 | Saturday, 16 August (1:20 pm) | Port Adelaide | 18.10 (118) | 9.10 (64) | Won by 54 points[63] | Marvel Stadium (H) | 25,020 | 12th |
| 24 | Thursday, 21 August (7:30 pm) | Essendon | 8.8 (56) | 13.12 (90) | Won by 34 points[64] | Melbourne Cricket Ground (A) | 41,050 | 11th |
Individual awards and records
John Nicholls Medal
The Carlton Football Club Best and Fairest awards night took place on 5 October 2025.[65]
- John Nicholls Medal
The winner of the John Nicholls Medal was George Hewett, who polled 160 votes to win the award for the first time in his career; in his fourth season with the club since crossing from Sydney, Hewett had previously managed two top five finishes before his first John Nicholls Medal win. Jacob Weitering finished second for his fourth top two finish in six years with 143 votes; Adam Cerra finished third, his best finish for the award to date; and Nick Haynes finished fourth in his first season with the club.[65]
| Pos. |
Player |
Votes |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | George Hewett | 160 |
| 2nd | Jacob Weitering | 143 |
| 3rd | Adam Cerra | 129 |
| 4th | Nick Haynes | 126 |
| 5th | Patrick Cripps | 125 |
| 6th | Tom de Koning | 117 |
| 7th | Ollie Hollands | 99 |
| 8th | Sam Walsh | 93 |
| 9th | Adam Saad | 86 |
| 9th | Jack Silvagni | 86 |
| 9th | Zac Williams | 86 |
- Other awards
The following other awards were presented on John Nicholls Medal night:-[65]
- Best Young Player – Cooper Lord
- Best Clubman – Marc Pittonet
- Spirit of Carlton Award – Cooper Lord
- Bill Lanyon Inner Blue Ruthless Award – George Hewett
- Carltonians William A. Cook Award – George Hewett
- Coaches' Award – George Hewett
- Players' Award – George Hewett
- Interstate Coterie Award – George Hewett
Leading goalkickers
Charlie Curnow was the club's leading goalkicker for the fourth consecutive time and fifth time overall, kicking 32 goals. Unlike the previous three years, when he had twice won and once finished second for the Coleman Medal, Curnow was not competitive among the league's top goalkickers in 2025. Tied for second place were: midfielder-forward Zac Williams with the highest goalkicking return of his career to date; and key forward Harry McKay, despite missing almost half of the season.[66]
| Player | Goals | Behinds |
|---|---|---|
| Charlie Curnow | 32 | 27 |
| Zac Williams | 22 | 10 |
| Harry McKay | 22 | 10 |
| Jesse Motlop | 17 | 18 |
| Patrick Cripps | 14 | 17 |
Other awards
- Representative honours
The following Carlton players were selected for representative teams during the 2025 season.
- In the Indigenous All-Stars match for the All-Stars: Zac Williams and Jesse Motlop.[67]
- Statistical leaders
- George Hewett led the league in handballs (393) for the home-and-away and complete seasons.[68][69]
AFL Women's
From the 2024 squad during the 2024–25 AFL Women's player movement period, Carlton lost experienced players Jess Dal Poss and Celine Moody to retirement, with Dal Pos remaining with the club as the forwards assistant coach;[70][71] and delisted Marianna Anthony and Tahlia Read;[72] while Kerryn Peterson, captain of the team for the previous six seasons, was out of the squad for the 2025 season on pregnancy leave.[73] Carlton added former Gold Coast captain Tara Bohanna to the squad during the trade period,[74] drafted Poppy Scholz, Loulou Field and Sophie McKay (daughter of Andrew McKay under the father-daughter rule and sister to Abbie) in the draft, and added Irish recruit Maria Cannon and former VFL Women's team captain Eliza Wood as supplemental signings.[71][73]
Mathew Buck continued in his third season as the team's coach, and Abbie McKay replaced Kerryn Petersen as captain. Mimi Hill became vice captain, with the rest of the leadership group comprising Harriet Cordner and Tara Bohanna in her first season with the club.[75]
The club's AFL Women's 2025 squad is given below.
| Senior list | Coaching staff | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
Head coach
Assistant coaches
Updated: | |||||||
Season summary
Home and away season
| Rd | Date and local time | Opponent | Scores (Carlton's scores indicated in bold) | Venue | Attendance | Ladder | ||
| Home | Away | Result | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Thursday, 14 August (7:15 pm) | Collingwood | 6.9 (45) | 3.3 (21) | Won by 24 points[76] | Ikon Park (H) | 8,042 | 5th |
| 2 | Saturday 23 August (7:15 pm) | Hawthorn | 3.12 (30) | 2.10 (22) | Lost by 8 points[77] | Kinetic Stadium (A) | 2,214 | 7th |
| 3 | Sunday, 31 August (5:05 pm) | Brisbane | 6.8 (44) | 9.4 (58) | Won by 14 points[78] | Brighton Homes Arena (A) | 2,805 | 7th |
| 4 | Saturday, 6 September (3:05 pm) | Western Bulldogs | 7.7 (49) | 4.9 (33) | Won by 14 points[79] | Ikon Park (H) | 2,826 | 5th |
| 5 | Saturday, 13 September (2:35 pm) | Gold Coast | 10.11 (71) | 4.1 (25) | Won by 46 points[80] | Ikon Park (H) | 2,016 | 3rd |
| 6 | Saturday, 20 September (1:05 pm) | Kangaroos | 12.7 (79) | 4.2 (26) | Lost by 53 points[81] | Arden Street Oval (A) | 2,633 | 6th |
| 7 | Friday, 26 September (5:05 pm) | Fremantle | 5.2 (32) | 3.5 (23) | Won by 9 points[82] | Ikon Park (H) | 2,165 | 5th |
| 8 | Sunday, 5 October (3:05 pm) | Geelong | 5.7 (37) | 7.13 (55) | Won by 18 points[83] | GMHBA Stadium (A) | 2,907 | 4th |
| 9 | Sunday, 12 October (1:05 pm) | Sydney | 11.10 (76) | 5.7 (37) | Lost by 39 points[84] | Henson Park (A) | 5,043 | 6th |
| 10 | Saturday, 18 October (7:15 pm) | St Kilda | 5.6 (36) | 7.7 (49) | Lost by 13 points[85] | Ikon Park (H) | 2,480 | 8th |
| 11 | Sunday, 26 October (3:05 pm) | GWS | 12.9 (81) | 5.5 (35) | Won by 46 points[86] | Ikon Park (H) | 1,336 | 5th |
| 12 | Friday, 31 October (6:15 pm) | West Coast | 3.4 (22) | 6.6 (42) | Won by 20 points[87] | Sullivan Logistics Stadium (A) | 2,365 | 5th |
Finals
The elimination final saw Carlton its first finals match since the curtailed 2020 season, against West Coast playing its first ever finals match; in heavy rain, Carlton held a slim lead at half time before kicking 6.2 (38) to 0.1 (1) in the third quarter, ultimately winning by 41 points.[88] In the semi-final against Hawthorn, Carlton scored 4.7 (31) to no score in a dominant first quarter and was never seriously challenged from there, winning by 46 points.[89] The preliminary final against Brisbane was a close contest through the first half, Carlton 3.0 (18) trailing Brisbane 3.5 (23) at half time, before Brisbane kicked 6.1 (37) to 1.0 (6) in the third quarter and went on to win by 35 points.[90]
| Rd | Date and local time | Opponent | Scores (Carlton's scores indicated in bold) | Venue | Attendance | ||
| Home | Away | Result | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elimination final | Saturday, 8 November (3:05 pm) | West Coast | 9.6 (60) | 2.7 (19) | Won by 41 points[91] | Ikon Park (H) | 3,420 |
| Semi-final | Saturday, 15 November (7:15 pm) | Hawthorn | 4.9 (33) | 11.13 (79) | Won by 46 points[89] | Ikon Park (A) | 5,645 |
| Preliminary final | Saturday, 22 November (6:35 pm) | Brisbane | 10.7 (67) | 5.2 (32) | Lost by 35 points[92] | Brighton Homes Arena (A) | 6,511 |
Notable events
- Round 11's match against Greater Western Sydney was suspended during the third quarter under lightning protocols; it was played to its full length after resumption.[86]
Awards
- League awards
- Two Carlton players were named in the 2025 AFL Women's All-Australian team: Harriet Cordner and Dayna Finn.[93] One other player, Erone Fitzpatrick, was also nominated in the original 42-woman squad.[94]
- Two Carlton players were nominated for the 2025 AFL Women's Rising Star: Sophie McKay in round 4,[95] and Poppy Scholz in round 6.[96] As of 15 November, the final placings are yet to be announced.
Reserves
Men's
Carlton's men's reserves team will contest its eighth VFL season; and its 88th overall season of reserves and state level competition dating back to 1919.
Club head of development Luke Power continued as reserves coach for his third season in the role. VFL-listed players newly signed to the team included: former AFL-listed senior players Denver Grainger-Barras (Hawthorn), Cooper Hamilton (GWS), Ethan Phillips (Hawthorn) and Cooper Vickery (Sydney); and Liam Farrar, Taj Logan, Zac Harding, Nash King, Stirling Phipps-Parsons, Jack Polkinghorne and Oliver Warburton. Retained from 2024 were Ollie Badr, Patrick Dozzi, Kristian Ferronato, Dane Harvey, Will Hayes, Darcy Hogg, Michael Lewis, Liam McMahon, Aiden Mills, Luke Nelson, Oliver Poole, Logan Prout, Heath Ramshaw, Flynn Riley and Archie Stevens. Liam McMahon and Heath Ramshaw were appointed co-captains following the departures of 2024 captains Lachie Young and Lachie Swaney;[97] and Ramshaw became the sole captain when McMahon departed for the Essendon senior team in the AFL mid-season draft.[98]
Carlton's reserves finished 13th out of 21 clubs in the 2025 VFL season, with a record of 8–10 to miss the finals by two wins and percentage.[99] Ethan Phillips won the team's best and fairest award.[65]
Women's
The club will field a team in the VFL Women's competition for the seventh time. Aasta O'Connor, who had been at the club as an AFL Women's assistant coach since 2022, took over from Glenn Strachan as VFL Women's senior coach; Strachan stepped back into an onfield performance and strategy role for the team.[100] Octavia di Donato continued in her second season as captain and first as sole captain, with 2024 co-captain Eliza Wood joining the club's AFL Women's list.[101]
Carlton finished tenth out of twelve clubs in the 2025 VFL Women's season to miss the finals, with a record of 4–10.[102] 19-year-old Amy Trindade won the team's best and fairest award.[103]