Opinion 2025 Finals series - Is it the reward for patience?

[Art Vandelay_]

Given the AFL has served us up 3 months of shit fixtures, blowouts and unwatchable matches, particularly in primetime slots as 9 teams inexplicably were all varying shades of shit this season. Is this shaping as a finals series that makes up for it?

9 good sides that will squeeze into 8 spots by Sunday and once the finals fixtures begin to take shape we'll have 8 sides all capable of beating each other. Does this loom as a tight and exciting month of finals that promises to put a great end point on what has been a rather two tiered and in many ways boring 2025 H&A season?

 

[kreuze_missile]

Collingwood getting knocked out in the 1st week will be the only interesting thing to happen.

Crows non-competitive straight sets exit.

Geelong will barely fire a shot.

Suns are guaranteed to wet the bed.

Not many genuine contenders.

 

[banzai]

Given the AFL has served us up 3 months of shit fixtures, blowouts and unwatchable matches, particularly in primetime slots as 9 teams inexplicably were all varying shades of shit this season. Is this shaping as a finals series that makes up for it?

9 good sides that will squeeze into 8 spots by Sunday and once the finals fixtures begin to take shape we'll have 8 sides all capable of beating each other. Does this loom as a tight and exciting month of finals that promises to put a great end point on what has been a rather two tiered and in many ways boring 2025 H&A season?

You hope it plays out that way, surely GC aint winning a final though and they will probably finish 4th, so that's 2 bad games already. But there have been a lot of one sided games between contenders this year as well, so hopefully most are close competetive games.

 

[banzai]

Collingwood getting knocked out in the 1st week will be the only interesting thing to happen.

Crows non-competitive straight sets exit.

Geelong will barely fire a shot.

Suns are guaranteed to wet the bed.

Not many genuine contenders.

Brisbane's best is clearly better than anyone else's. But they wouldnt want anymore injuries and they are pretty inconsistent. If they beat Hawthorn with no more injuries, they should be clear fav for the flag. But if they lose on Sunday, the 4 teams you mention as being useless are going to be the top 4.

 

[BigVic]

It will end up with a Geelong premiership won't it

 

[CatToTheFuture]

You hope it plays out that way, surely GC aint winning a final though and they will probably finish 4th, so that's 2 bad games already. But there have been a lot of one sided games between contenders this year as well, so hopefully most are close competetive games.

I dunno, I wouldn't underestimate gold coast

 

[CatToTheFuture]

It will end up with a Geelong premiership won't it

My condolences

But seriously, if ever there were a year 8th could win it all its this one

 

[Freomaniac]

Hate to sound negative towards my club.

Imagine knowing that your club is poo.

You know you are gonna lose this weekend.

Dockers will be 9th with 15 wins and 8 defeats

 

[Quivorir]

Imagine knowing that your club is poo.

I'm trying my hardest but really struggling...

 

[Billy ray]

Hate to sound negative towards my club.

Imagine knowing that your club is poo.

You know you are gonna lose this weekend.

Dockers will be 9th with 15 wins and 8 defeats

ha - you will have 3 days of pain before the SUNS shit the bed on Wednesday and you make it

 

[Seeds]

Collingwood getting knocked out in the 1st week will be the only interesting thing to happen.

Crows non-competitive straight sets exit.

Geelong will barely fire a shot.

Suns are guaranteed to wet the bed.

Not many genuine contenders.

So the tops teams are too good forcing too many blowouts against bottom sides and resulting in 16 wins required just to make top 8.

But at the same time there arent many contenders

Dont ever change big footy.

 

[Seeds]

Given the AFL has served us up 3 months of shit fixtures, blowouts and unwatchable matches, particularly in primetime slots as 9 teams inexplicably were all varying shades of shit this season. Is this shaping as a finals series that makes up for it?

9 good sides that will squeeze into 8 spots by Sunday and once the finals fixtures begin to take shape we'll have 8 sides all capable of beating each other. Does this loom as a tight and exciting month of finals that promises to put a great end point on what has been a rather two tiered and in many ways boring 2025 H&A season?

Patience? This season has been awesome. Better then most.

 

[The Casey Cat]

Hate to sound negative towards my club.

Imagine knowing that your club is poo.

You know you are gonna lose this weekend.

Dockers will be 9th with 15 wins and 8 defeats

Time for a better coach like I said in your gameday thread v Blues. Longmuir done ok but he's now wasting the least. Should be top of the ladder this year the way it's panned out or close to it.

 

[The Casey Cat]

So the tops teams are too good forcing too many blowouts against bottom sides and resulting in 16 wins required just to make top 8.

But at the same time there arent many contenders

Dont ever change big footy.

K_M being a salty, clueless d!ckhead as usual.

 

[Orange crush]

Patience? This season has been awesome. Better then most.

As part from byes which I hate and too many shit Thursday night match ups, I wholeheartedly agree

 

[Freomaniac]

Time for a better coach like I said in your gameday thread v Blues. Longmuir done ok but he's now wasting the least. Should be top of the ladder this year the way it's panned out or close to it.

I said this the other cats fans like Art Vandelay_ and The 747 , I am keen for Ken Hinkley if he is keen for the dockers coaching job

 

[Sttew]

Not many genuine contenders.

To think I had Carlton in my 8 pre season

 

[PerthBoy86]

Depends if Geelong wins the premiership.

 

[PerthBoy86]

Like last season, Lions are fixtured an MCG game in the last month of footy, and last year they ended up with an MCG prelim too leading into the granny. Two MCG games while Sydney didn't have a game there since April. I mentioned in the lead up to last years grand final that this could be an issue.

Geelong will play their finals at MCG so that could negate their lack of games recently there this season, unless they play the Lions/Collingwood/Hawthorn in the first week!

Adelaide, and Fremantle may struggle with any MCG games, given Adelaide haven't played there since Jun 1 and could get direct passage via Adelaide Oval (like Swans did at SCG last year), and Freo's only game there recently was a loss against an injury riddled Essendon.

Freo beat the Pies at the MCG a few weeks ago.

 

[Blackhawk42]

Geelong are winning.
And Baz is winning the Brownlow.

Ie. This will end up being the most insufferable season in AFL history.

Already looking forward to the 2026 pre-season threads.

 

[Sttew]

Geelong are winning.
And Baz is winning the Brownlow.

Ie. This will end up being the most insufferable season in AFL history.

Already looking forward to the 2026 pre-season threads.

2024 with "hokball' was tough to endure. And if I had to choose between Bailey Smith and Jack Ginnivan as to who is the most insufferable, my money is on Ginnivan.

 

[BigVic]

Geelong are winning.
And Baz is winning the Brownlow.

Ie. This will end up being the most insufferable season in AFL history.

Already looking forward to the 2026 pre-season threads.

Thank god for the EPL, European Football, Horse Racing from UK/Ireland/Germany/France Tennis and Rugby to keep me entertained during the Finals series

Baz winning a Brownlow and flag before Bont. Bring on trade period

 

[BigVic]

Could be a 2007 and 2022-style non-event with a Geelong blowout GF win

 

[PhatBoy]

Could be a 2007 and 2022-style non-event with a Geelong blowout GF win

God you’re a sad man. Give it up mate and act your age

 

[Mr MysteryGuest]

Collingwood getting knocked out in the 1st week will be the only interesting thing to happen.

Crows non-competitive straight sets exit.

Geelong will barely fire a shot.

Suns are guaranteed to wet the bed.

Not many genuine contenders.

This is a bit contradictory with the 1st week matchups