AFL finals system
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The current AFL finals system was devised by the Australian Football League in 2000 as its end-of-season championship playoff tournament. It is a revision of the McIntyre Final Eight System, used by the AFL from 1994 to 1999, designed to address several perceived issues with that system. Ironically, the Australian Rugby League has changed from a system similar to the current AFL Finals Series to the McIntyre System.
The 8 highest-ranked teams in the AFL regular season standings participate in a four-week tournament, with two teams eliminated in each of the first three weeks. The seventh team is eliminated at the Grand Final at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, the AFL's historic home arena.
The system is designed to give the top four teams an easier road to the Grand Final, as two of those teams receive a bye in the second week of the playoff, while the other two play at home in the second week.
Contents |
[edit] Summary
[edit] How it works
[edit] Week one
- 1st Qualifying Final: 1st seed hosts 4th seed
- 2nd Qualifying Final: 2nd seed hosts 3rd seed
- 1st Elimination Final: 5th seed hosts 8th seed
- 2nd Elimination Final: 6th seed hosts 7th seed
The 8 finalists are split into two groups for the opening week of the Finals Series. The top four teams play the two Qualifying Finals. The winners get a bye through to Week Three of the tournament, while the losers get home games in Week Two. The bottom four teams play the two Elimination Finals, where the winners advance to Week Two road games and the losers' seasons are over.
[edit] Week two
- 1st Semifinal: Loser of 1st QF hosts winner of 1st EF
- 2nd Semifinal: Loser of 2nd QF hosts winner of 2nd EF
Starting with this week, all matches are knockout rounds.
[edit] Week three
- 1st Preliminary Final: Winner of 1st QF hosts winner of 2nd SF
- 2nd Preliminary Final: Winner of 2nd QF hosts winner of 1st SF
[edit] Week four
- Grand Final: Winners of 2 PFs meet at the MCG
[edit] Venues
While the standard schedule indicates home teams for each game, the AFL's contract with the Melbourne Cricket Ground requires 10 finals matches to be played at the MCG in the first three weeks over a period of five years (2006-10). This means an average of two per year over the first three weeks, allowing the AFL to 'bank' games and play fewer in one year in exchange for more in future years. However, if non-Victorian teams continue to dominate the competition in each five year period, it is possible that the AFL will still have to schedule non-Victorian teams' home matches at the MCG.
Week One: Games are held at the home teams venue. If all four games would be held outside the State of Victoria, and the AFL needed to schedule a match at the MCG, it would be the 2nd Elimination Final that is moved to the MCG. If any of the four games would be hosted by a Victorian team, at least one of those is played at the MCG and all non-Victorian teams get their home games.
Week Two: The MCG isn't guaranteed a game this week. The home teams each host the match at their own venue. If both games would be held outside the State of Victoria, and the AFL needed to schedule a match at the MCG, it would be the 2nd Semi Final that is moved to the MCG. If any Victorian teams host a game, at least one will be played at the MCG.
Week Three: The MCG is no longer guaranteed a game in this week either. The home teams each host the match at their own venue. If both games would be held outside the State of Victoria, and the AFL needed to schedule a match at the MCG, it would be the 2nd Preliminary Final that is moved to the MCG. If any Victorian teams host a game, at least one will be played at the MCG.
Week Four: The Grand Final is played on the last Saturday of September every year at the MCG.
[edit] Advantages for ladder positions
Under this finals system, the final eight teams are broken up into four groups of two. Each group of two earns one extra benefit over the teams beneath it. These benefits are home finals, and the double-chance, whereby a first-week win is rewarded with a bye, but a first-week loss will not eliminate the team from the finals.
[edit] First and second
First and Second receive the double-chance, and will play their first two finals matches at home: their qualifying final, and then either a semi-final or a preliminary final.
[edit] Third and fourth
Third and Fourth also receive the double-chance, but receive only one finals match at home: either a semi-final or a preliminary final.
[edit] Fifth and sixth
Fifth and Sixth receive one home final: their elimination final.
[edit] Seventh and eighth
Seventh and Eighth receive no home finals.
[edit] Criticism
The biggest criticism of the current system stems from the AFL's former contract with the MCG, rather than the seedings of the system itself. Because the contract required games to be played at the MCG while teams have moved away from Victoria over the years, it had become a regular occurrence that a team outside the State of Victoria has to play a "home" game at the MCG. In some cases, the "home" interstate team plays a "road" Victoria team at the MCG, thus reversing the home-ground advantage. From 2006, a new agreement has been reached where no matches must be played at the MCG in each week, rather ten matches over a five year period need to be played over the first three weeks, at an average of two per year.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Grand Finals at the MCG Contains a brief summary of the finals systems used in the VFL/AFL
