The AFL Begins Its March Toward The 2024 Grand Final

The Australian Football League—The AFL, Or, Australian Rules Football—Kicks Off Its Eight-Team Playoffs For 2024 On September 5th.

The Regular Season has Ended, With Eight teams Atop The Ladder and Qualifying For The AFL Finals.  There Are Some Things To Know As The Run To The Grand Final Starts.

The regular season rounds have concluded for the AFL, and the post season—known as the finals--starts this week.  Here are five things to watch as the tournament that will culminate with the grand final begins.

The Tournament Design Is A Bit Familiar, But Has Some Twists

The AFL advances the top eight teams to the playoffs, which are collectively referred to as the finals.  The breakdown is referred to as elimination finals and qualifying finals in round one, semi-finals in round two, preliminary finals in round three, and grand final in round four.

First round games are divided into two groups.  In the elimination finals, the bottom four teams (seeded 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th) play in games where the losing teams are done for the year.  Winning teams advance to the semi-finals in round two.

The top four teams (seeded 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th) face off in the qualifying final games of round one, with the top two seeds hosting the matches.  The benefit of playing in this group is that none of these four teams will see their seasons end with a loss.  Winning teams are awarded a bye week for round two and advance to the preliminary finals in round three.  Losing teams play in round two against the winners of the elimination finals group.

Beginning with round two, all games remaining are lose-and-go-home, with only the winning teams advancing.  The winner of the grand final is the season’s champion, also known as the premiership team.

This season, the Sydney Swans, Port Adelaide Power, Geelong Cats, Greater Western Sydney Giants, Brisbane Lions, Western Bulldogs, Hawthorn Hawks and Carlton Blues will be facing off in the attempt to win the grand final.

The Defending Champions, The Collingwood Magpies, Failed To Qualify

The Collingwood Magpies are often described as the New York Yankees of the AFL.  They are traditionally one of the strongest teams from year-to-year, and are one of the winningest organizations in league history.

In 2024, a combination of events swirled together, not the least of which was the dreaded long-season-hangover that plagues teams in many sports.  After winning the title in 2023, Collingwood lost multiple games to start this year, and went without a win until round three of the regular season.  Never really able to put together multiple dominating wins, a late season stretch between rounds sixteen and nineteen resulted in four straight losses.

Management in recent years has, somewhat uncharacteristically given the club’s long history and successes, made questionable decisions regarding the roster.  After last season, they shuffled their lineup slightly, but waited in dealing with potential retirements and never fully restocked or designed their roster.  Debates have begun about the team in every area, from players to management, and even extend into marketing.  Reports are now shifting to the 2025 campaign, where nine players over the age of thirty from the roster are expected to return on an aging lineup.  While the organization praises the leadership and experience of the older players, fans and spectators are wondering about the club seemingly not developing younger talent to step in.

The Sydney Swans Were Dominating The League, But May Have Peaked Too Early

The Sydney Swans roared from the start of the 2024 season, losing only one game and winning the rest through round fifteen.  The dominance appeared to be almost historic, as they established the best percentage in the league during the run.  (Percentage is a statistic that compares points for and points against.  It is often used as simple way of gauging overall team strength as well as a tie-breaker.)  Then, reality set in.

Injuries and complacency witnessed five losses in six games between rounds sixteen and twenty-one.  Observers noted that the players also seemed at times to be shifting toward individual accolades instead of a united team performance.  While their position at the top of the standings was never challenged and they enter the playoffs as the top seed, the Swans finished the year without the consistent run of brilliance that shined so positively for many weeks.

Sydney enters the postseason with the roster effectively intact and healthy for the first time in many months.  The gap between clubs narrowed, though Sydney still finished the regular season with the best percentage, and the Swans remain the best bet for a title of the remaining eight.  They led the league in points per game and in the average total of different players kicking goals per game, and had seven players score twenty-five goals or more for the year.

Greater Western Sydney could prove to be the right opponent at the right time for Sydney.  The Giants and the Swans are building a tremendous rivalry.  Despite two victories over round one opponent GWS, both of those contests were played during the run of great play from Sydney early on.  GWS has also won all three previous playoff meetings between the clubs.  The focus and intensity resulting from this matchup should serve the Swans well during the opening round.  Make no mistake though, they are not being viewed as unstoppable by opposing clubs. 

Carlton Is Hoping For a Lift By The Return Of Sam Docherty, Just 26-Weeks After ACL Surgery

Sam Docherty is making an amazing return to the field for the Carlton Blues.  Injured in the opening round, Docherty will have been absent for only twenty-six weeks of action when he plays against the Brisbane Lions.  (In a bit of coincidence, he tore his anterior cruciate ligament roughly one-hundred-eighty days ago against Brisbane, the team that also drafted him back in 2011.)

Docherty has been a noteworthy player over his career.  He is frequently involved in handling the ball during play and year-after-year is considered on the edge of elite status for defenders in the league.  His arrival for the elimination finals of round one could provide a tremendous lift for the Blues.

A sidenote and uplifting portion of the Docherty story involves two bouts with testicular cancer.  Diagnosed initially after the 2020 season, Docherty stepped down as co-captain of the club during treatments.  Just after the announcement of his 2024 playoff return, Docherty and his wife announced they are expecting their second child.

Can Ken Hinkley Finally Deliver A Title For Port Adelaide

The Power named Hinkley head coach on October of 2012.  Since that time, he has earned the respect from many as the most successful coach of the club in AFL play.

This claim is filled with controversy.  Port Adelaide has never played in a grand final under Hinkley’s watch.  In addition, they missed out on playing in the finals completely in 2015, 2016 and 2022.

Geelong will face Port Adelaide in the opening round, and the two clubs are evenly matched.  A quick exit may place Hinkley under fire as he enters the final season of his current contract in 2025.

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