AFL final eight system
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, a system similar to the AFL Finals Series was used by the Australian Rugby League until 1996.
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 Cri]\cket 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 (ordinarily) in the second week.
Summary
How It Works
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.
Week Two
- 1st Semifinal: Loser of 1st QF hosts winner of 1st EF.
- 2nd Semifinal: Loser of 2nd QF hosts winner of 2nd EF.
From this point forward, losing teams' seasons end. There are no more "double chances".
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.
Week Four
- Grand Final: Winners of 2 PFs meet at the MCG.
Venues
While the standard schedule indicates "home teams" for each game, the AFL's contract with the Melbourne Cricket Ground requires 10 finals matches over a period of five years (2006-10 inclusive, etc.) in the first three weeks to be played at the MCG. This means an average of two per year over the first three weeks, allowing the AFL to 'bank' games and play less 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.
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.
First and Second
First and Second receive the double-chance, and will play their first two finals matches at home: the qualifying final, and then either a semi-final or a preliminary final.
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.
Fifth and Sixth
Fifth and Sixth receive one home final: their elimination final. All other finals are played away.
Seventh and Eighth
Seventh and Eighth receive no home finals.
It can be seen that this system rigidly allocates the number of the eight finals leading up to the Grand Final which are hosted by each team.
Background
The McIntyre system had several perceived disadvantages which the AFL addressed by modifying the Finals Series.
Interrelation of results: There were concerns that, especially in the first week, games had to be played in a certain order. As McIntyre-system second-week matchups were determined by ladder position instead of a fixed template, the AFL felt it had to schedule the first week in a specific order, to avoid the implication of a team possibly losing to secure a desired second-week opponent. With the new Finals System, teams' opponents are determined only by their own actions, and not by vagaries of seedings.
Perception of unfairness: Although this rarely happened, it was possible under the McIntyre system that the two clubs that finished 3rd and 4th could be eliminated in the first week if the first, second, third and fourth teams all lost. If this occurred, 5-8 having won in week one would continue on in the finals, meaning that 3rd and 4th being the lowest ranked losers would drop out. As this was seen as fundamentally unfair, the new Finals System was designed to ensure that the top four clubs always get the "double chance".
Punishment for success: If the top four teams all won their first-week games, the third seed was seen as being "punished" by having to play the fifth seed in the second week after playing the sixth seed in the first week. This was a by-product of the McIntyre system being set up to avoid duplicate matchups.
In addition, the AFL guarantees (within the constraints of the MCG contract) that each of the top six teams in the Finals Series get at least one home game, where only the top four were guaranteed home games in the McIntyre system.
Criticism
The one major criticism of the system is more a criticism of the AFL's former contract with the MCG. 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.
Another "criticism" is based upon the misconception that, while first through fourth all receive the double chance, third and fourth miss out on home finals. This is not true, however, because each of the top four will automatically host their second final.