Competition between the AFL and NRL has lasted for many years, but the rapid growth in the northern states has Australian Rules football closing in as the nation's favoured sport.
In a season that has created many tales that need to be seen to be believed, AFL fans are encapsulated by the two hours that grace the field and our screens from Thursday to Sunday.
And the 2024 AFL Finals Series proves to be no different.
Week one of September action witnessed only one game played at the MCG, with Sydney, Port Adelaide and Brisbane hosting finals in the first week.
Albeit crowd numbers at venues took a dip due to the reduced capacity at stadiums such as the SCG, Gabba and Adelaide Oval, fans who were unable to get to the ground didn't shy away from tuning into the contests.
The first four finals saw a total of 3,409,000 viewers switch on the tele to witness the Cats, Hawks, Swans, and Lions win, according toย MediaWeek.
The following week saw an improvement in viewership, with well over a million watching the epic battle between Hawthorn and Port Adelaide (1,082,000) on Friday night, while the thriller between the Giants and Lions (922,000) saw staggering numbers.
Heading toward the penultimate week of the AFL season, with a grand final spot on the line, football fans observed (1,183,000) the powerhouse that is Sydney dismantle the Power at the SCG to book themselves a spot in the decider.
Returning to the home of football, Geelong played host to Brisbane in front of 93,000 fans (and change) as well as the 1,322,000 watching remotely.
In direct contrast, the NRL season still has a fortnight to play out, having just completed the equivalent of a semi-final weekend.
In their first weekend of finals football, rugby's national competition saw 2,896,000 tune in to see the Panthers, Storm, Cowboys, and Sea Eagles win.
The following week displayed strong numbers (1,666,000) but much less than the rival competition.
The AFL is on track to break more viewership records heading into the last Saturday of September, despite it being a contest between two non-Victorian clubs for the first time since 2006.
The top eight featured four "interstate" clubs, occupying all but one spot inside the top five positions on the ladder.
In last year's decider between Collingwood and Brisbane,ย Channel 7 reported the network's coverage reached a national audience of 4.98 million Australians on television and a further 756,000 on 7Plus.
And with the game growing at obscene rates coupled with the Lions and Swans battling for premiership glory, it could be on track to surpass its own record.
