2023 AFL Premiers Collingwood Magpies

IT CAME down to the last minute. We wanted the best and we got the best.

In one of the hottest Grand Final days ever recorded, with the two best teams of the season, in one of the best seasons in recent times, we got perhaps the best ever premiership decider.

And now it's official: Collingwood is the best team of 2023, with the Magpies edging out Brisbane by four points on Saturday in a Grand Final epic at the MCG.

In a game full of remarkable highlights, brutal toughness, brilliant goals, spectacular individualism and hard-nosed team ethos, it was Craig McRae's men who claimed this year's premiership, winning 12.18 (90) to 13.8 (86).

Collingwood's triumph breaks a 13-year drought without a premiership and sees them claim their 16th VFL/AFL flag, joining rivals Essendon and Carlton with a competition-leading 16 premierships.