Live: Lions, Swans start round 16 with a bang at the Gabba

live AFL Round 16 live updates: Brisbane vs Sydney at the Gabba — blog, scores and stats The defending champions, Brisbane, face a tough task at home against the Swans, who get two key players back for the clash at the Gabba. The Lions are in eighth spot and will not want to lose and fall further behind the automatic finals places. But second-placed Sydney gets a personnel boost, with the return of star midfielder Errol Gulden and key defender Tom McCartin. Follow all the action in our live blog. Submit a comment or question Live updates New: Filters Choose what information you see below by using filters Thu 25 Jun 2026 at 7:12pm Who wins the midfield? We know that Errol Gulden is back in the Swans midfield, but we shouldn't forget another big Sydney star. Will the Lions put Josh Dunkley on Isaac Heeney? We won't have too long to wait to find out! Key Event Thu 25 Jun 2026 at 7:07pm Ex-AFL umpire to face trial over alleged Brownlow betting fraud Former AFL umpire Michael Pell will face trial over allegations that he leaked inside information about Brownlow Medal counts as part of a $300,000 betting scheme. Pell, 35, appeared at the Melbourne Magistrates' Court today alongside his brother Donovan Pell and friend, Mitch Lucas, over alleged betting fraud relating to the 2021 and 2022 Brownlow Medal betting counts. Magistrate Patrick Southey dismissed defence arguments that the charges should not apply due to loopholes in legislation. "In my view, the conduct alleged did affect the betting outcomes," Magistrate Southey said. Michael Pell made his AFL umpiring debut in 2021, before being promoted to the main umpires list in 2022. Police allege Mr Pell shared information with his brother and two friends about which AFL players received Brownlow votes during games he umpired, with the men winning about $300,000 on a series of bets. Each of the men have entered a not guilty plea and remain on bail. You can read more about this in our story below: Thu 25 Jun 2026 at 7:01pm Teams are in for Lions vs Swans *** NEEDS CONFIRMATION There are no late changes to either side, and you can look at the line-ups above. The Lions have one change from the team that beat Richmond a fortnight ago. Defender Ryan Lester is back from injury, and Shadeau Brain has been omitted. The Swans have omitted three players from the team that won a thriller against Port Adelaide at Adelaide Oval. Matt Roberts, Hayden McLean and Harry Kyle come out of the team — but the ins are significant. Sydney has missed star midfielder Errol Gulden since he hurt his shoulder three months ago against tonight's opponents Brisbane. Gulden returns, along with key defender Tom McCartin (concussion), while Peter Ladhams — who has been tearing it up in the VFL — also comes back into the side. Key Event Thu 25 Jun 2026 at 6:51pm Welcome to Thursday night football Hello, good evening and welcome to ABC's live online coverage of Round 16 of the AFL. It's the final bye round, thank goodness, so we only have seven games again this weekend. We start off with an absolute cracker, with the Brisbane Lions hosting Sydney at the Gabba. No doubt the Swans are keen to put another dent in Brisbane's plans for a third straight flag, but the home side will be looking to gear up their recent resurgence to put pressure on the top six. My name is Andrew McGarry, and I'm delighted to be bringing you the action for this one. Let's jump in!