Australia's favourite sporting pastime isn't backyard cricket or a day at the beach....it's arguing which footy code sits at the top of the tree.
Of course, the never-ending debate reared its head once again on the heels of the NRL Grand Final's ratings bonanza as Rugby League's showpiece came out on top of the TV ratings between the two codes.
MORE: Rugby league breaks records as fans flock to historic 2025 season
A record-breaking 4.46 million viewers tuned in nationwide on Sunday night, reaching as many as 6.4 million homes around the country — up 33 percent on 2024 — making it the most-watched Grand Final in Australian sports history.
The NRL pipped the AFL's showpiece the week prior, which attracted the eyeballs of 4.18 million Aussies, and while the AFL boasts crowd numbers the NRL could only dream of, it hasn't stopped fans of both codes arguing till their blue in the face.
The real question is, why do we even care? Is the whole code wars thing, even still a thing? Can people not like more than one sport? Or must one sport reign supreme?
Sporting News Australia's staff took the debate from the office to the roundtable, weighing in on the footy beef.
Tom Naghten (@tnatts93)
As a fan of both sports, it’s hard not to feel like any talk of a "code war" is coming from the rugby league side. More specifically, from Peter V’Landys.
But it’s easy to see why the ARLC boss would be crowing about what is, at the end of the day, an impressive result. Since both sports went national, it’s been Aussie rules, which has led in virtually every metric - ratings, attendance, membership, etc. And, importantly, broadcast rights figures.
Foxtel and Nine got a cut-price, COVID-assisted deal of around $1.7 billion back in 2021, which was dwarfed by the $4.5 billion Foxtel and Seven paid for the AFL's rights.
With negotiations for the next NRL broadcast deal ongoing, it’s no wonder the sport's heavyweights are yelling far and wide about getting one up on the AFL.
Additionally, as Racing NSW top dog for more than 20 years, V’Landys has seemingly developed a disdain for all things Victorian, so he won’t miss any chance to stick the boot into his southern rivals.
Personally, I couldn’t give a s**t, as long as there’s footy to watch and I don’t need a handful of different streaming services to do it.
Chris Danks (@DanksDiscussion)
Whilst I'm a classically-trained rugby league fan - get ‘em back the 10, he’s been doing it all day etc - I'm also a massive Aussie rules fan. The world hasn’t imploded when Cronulla and the Western Bulldogs play on the same day and I get to watch both.
If anything, it’s been a boon for my fashion sense with two clubs’ worth of kit to wear.*
The AFL averaged 38,214 fans per game in 2025. The NRL averaged 21,221.
According to Aus Stadiums, the AFL and NRL both filled 67% of their stadium capacity.
You’ll have seen in the intro above that the NRL had a win with their grand final TV audience.
Who cares? It doesn’t have to be a competition.
You can enjoy the NRL and AFL - just not rugby union.
(All jokes: the Shute Shield is amazing).
*Source needed.
Benyam Kidane (@BenyamKidane)
This whole thing is dumb. There's no award for 'biggest sport in the country' and I'm pretty sure there's enough room for two sports to exist in a country of 27 million people.
In fact, last time I checked there are several sports running throughout the Australian calendar.
Dare I say it, you can even be a fan of both footy codes to equal measure.
Both have their pros and cons. Aussie rules is a better game to watch in person — bigger stadiums, the aerial view of the game, and whatnot. While the Rugby League TV viewing experience is far superior to watching at the ground.
All these stats and numbers are nice, but if we want to talk about the product, the NRL served up nothing but wild comebacks and nail-biting finishes, while the AFL Finals were largely unwatchable blowouts.
So in the imaginary war this season, Rugby League is on top...for now.
Tobey Lewis (@tobeylewis_)
Of course the code wars are still a thing!
Deep down, whether we admit it or not, we’re always going to fight about which code is superior.
But it’s less about sport and more about identity: league fans think AFL players are just ballerinas wearing GPS trackers, while AFL fans think league players couldn’t think their way out of a paper bag.
It’s not about which game is better; either you're a singlet-person, or a jumper-person. It’s about whose dad yelled at the TV growing up. That’s the debate.
Kieran Francis (@kieran_francis)
Code wars only exists because uneducated individuals can't grasp what makes a sport interesting to others. It's ignorance and unintelligence. If these folk grow up, their sporting experience would be enhanced.