ANZAC round has become one of the most special weeks on the AFL calendar, many clubs design one off guernseys to honour the men and women who have served their country.
Many feature touching tributes to players who have lost their lives in battle, while others pay homage to relics of significance that defined Aussie diggers in the two world wars.
But fans have been left somewhat dismayed by this year’s efforts by all clubs.
The jerseys may come with special, commemorative designs, but they also still feature their sponsors.
And that has drawn the ire of supporters who were perhaps hoping to see the commemorative looks be centre stage.
Some have even suggested that the club sponsors would garner more attention had they removed themselves from the jerseys for this weekend’s round of fixtures.
Fans have been left frustrated at the presence of sponsorship logos on the 2026 iteration of the ANZAC guernseys
All nine matches across the weekend will hold special ANZAC observance ceremonies ahead of kick-off to go with the special looks.
Many fans have suggested that the sponsors could offer to remove the logos to help put the ANZAC shield in a more prominent position
Rhett Bartlett, son of Richmond legend Kevin Bartlett, took to X to express his frustration at the decision to keep the sponsors on the guernseys.
‘I say it every year, and I’ll keep repeating – but all Anzac Round guernseys should have ZERO sponsorship on them. Front and back,’ he posted.
‘For such a solemn observance. On front, move the Anzac logo to where the sponsor logo is.’
And he wasn’t the only one as a large number of fans were in agreement with Bartlett’s stance.
One fan added ‘AFL logo on one side – ANZAC appeal on the other and whatever kit provider, that should be it.’
While another wrote ‘Agree and the reverence aspect (last post, anthem etc.) should only be ANZAC eve and ANZAC Day game.’
That sentiment was echoed as another fan posted ‘Agree with you and I’ll go one further, you don’t need an ANZAC guernsey unless you’re playing on ANZAC Day.’
That wasn’t all as one fan even suggested that sponsors may in fact end up in a better position if they opted t remove themselves from the jerseys: ‘If a sponsor said they were removing it themselves for the week it would be better exposure for them than having it on there most weeks.’
All nine matches across the weekend will hold special ANZAC observance ceremonies ahead of kick-off to go with the special looks.
