AFL Introduces Wild Card Round

[Dan26]

Currently it's an 18 team comp though?

Soon to be 19.

The AFL introduced the final-8 in the 15-team league in 1994 in preparation for Fremantle's entry the next year.

The riff-raff sooked about it. Claimed the game was being ruined. They're fools.

 

[jwikked]

I just hate current time visually.

I love that slight orange glow across the field late in the fourth quarter. Perfect way to end the season

 

[MooreTreloar]

I’m all for Wild Card round in the finals. Well until Collingwood finish 7th or 8th and lose to 10th or 9th. Then I’ll hate it and want it abolished.

 

[MelbourneGWS]

It’s ridiculous and greedy push for more $ by the AFL. Teams that play consistently well and win in the home and away season are rewarded by making the finals. It makes H&A games important. Now teams that do not even win 10 games in a season can make the playoffs, and depending on a good late form (and luck) can win the premiership. It seems unfair to teams that have played well throughout the season.

Do teams that have qualified start resting players early? What happens when Geelong plays a Victorian MCG team that finishes 10th - does that playoff take place in the MCG?

 

[Jirik13]

I love that slight orange glow across the field late in the fourth quarter. Perfect way to end the season

That's when the game should start, haha.

 

[Dan26]

Except Tassie haven't joined yet???? Bring in the "wildcard" when tassie joins, but they haven't joined yet??

You cannot convince me that a team finishing in the bottom half of the ladder deserves to make finals and potentially have a shot to win the flag.

The AFL introduced the final-8 in the 15 team comp in 1994 to "ready" the fans with that system in anticipation of Freos entry the following season. The AFL are doing the same thing here. Makes sense.

 

[Gavin Excell]

Half of 19 (9.5) is either 9 or 10. Clearly 10 makes more sense. There is a final-9 I've created but the 10 is better,

Sorry I just think it's a truly awful decision

 

[Toump Ass]

Good news for Bombers fans... might win a game in September.

 

[carloss]

I wonder if anyone at the AFL has the guts to put their name to this stupid idea.

 

[Dan26]

They didn’t deserve to play finals though, because of where they finished on the ladder lol

That's because the rules are that it was a final-8. If you finished 9th in a final-8 you don't deserve to make it.

If the rules are that it's a final-10, then if you make it, you deserve it because all 18 teams are playing under the same rules.

It's like saying that if you finish 7th in a final-6 you deserve to miss. Hawthorn and Gold Coast would have deserved to miss the finals in 2025 if the rules were that we had a final-6.

 

[Kappa]

If there was a wildcard round it should've been 8v9

Including 10th is wayyyy too much in an 18 team comp

 

[SC_Power]

Please, noone turn up, noone watch it. Thats the only way this ends

Only punishes your team, not the AFL really.

What you need to have is watch the games, get money to your club, and boycott the sponsors.

Watch how quick you get change then.

 

[Dan26]

Sorry I just think it's a truly awful decision

Well you're entitled to you opinion, but your wording is unnecessarily alarmist.

All they've done idis make the proportion of teams in the finals in the "soon to be" 19 team league as close as possible to the 50% that made the finals between 1995-2010. Hardly a big stretch.

 

[jwikked]

Good news for Bombers fans... might win a game in September.

The only good thing that can come from this is a 7th placed Bombers getting removed from the finals by a 10th placed team.

 

[Coasters7]

NBA fans hate it too but at least there’s 30 teams.

A top 10 in an 18 team comp is ridiculous, especially when you factor in that there’s a maximum of 6 genuine contenders on any given year already.

 

[happy_eagle]

Good news for Bombers fans... might win a game in September.

If they were to win a wildcard game and then get knocked out of an elimination final, is the streak still alive?

 

[Johnny_Dogg4]

Except that the Last disposal out of bounds is a great rule, you’ll see after a couple of years.

ive seen it at different levels. i really dislike that rule. but its not much different to how the game is officiated these past few years

 

[Toump Ass]

If they were to win a wildcard game and then get knocked out of an elimination final, is the streak still alive?

I mean it's a wildcard in name only innit.

 

[Demon13304]

Soon to be 19.

The AFL introduced the final-8 in the 15-team league in 1994 in preparation for Fremantle's entry the next year.

The riff-raff sooked about it. Claimed the game was being ruined. They're fools.

I think 8/15 is bad too. Also Tassie are still several years away.
A lot of us here are just saying more than half the teams making finals is bad.
You can call us socks, buts it's a fair criticism.

FYI the 7 rules changes they did before this one I actually liked. I just don't like the idea that a team that finishes with a 11-12 record can be a shot for the flag

 

[GC2015]

So this means the pre-finals bye is gone? If so, very happy to see that and although some people are complaining now, you're all going to tune in for those wildcard games in late August/early September and we'll see more sell outs + big TV audiences.

This is also great news for Tasmania as it increases their chances of playing in a post-season match earlier than they would've under the old top 8 system. GWS did a lot right and even they arguably had to wait too long (5 years) to play finals.

 

[SC_Power]

If you wanted a true wildcard, then have qualification for finals be every team outside the 8 with a positive W/L record, or an even W/L and positive % record.

So in 2025, final 10
2024, final 10
2023, 9
2022, 9
2021, 8
2020, 9
2019, 10
2018, 12
2017, 9
2016, 9
2015, 10

 

[Dan26]

Why do you think half the competition needs to be involved in the finals series? When has a team that finished 9th ever deserved to play finals?

Which team who finished 9th or 10th should have been given a chance to make the Grand Final?

It’s never happened. 8 is the idea structure. You have 4 teams with a legit chance, 2 with a slight chance and 2 with almost no chance.

We don’t need to change that.

This move is being made in preparation for Tassy joining as the 19th side.

9th or 10th making it in a 19-team league is essentially no different to 7th or 8th making it when it was 16 teams.

The AFL has moved on. It is NOT a 16-team league anymore. As the number of teams change, so must the structure of the league. Makes perfect sense.

The riff-raff oppose everything. It's a natural human reaction to oppose change. My advice is to embrace it and ignore the riff-raff mate.

 

[Acinath]

It’s not a game for the fans anymore, all about $$$

 

[Stax on the mill]

Idiotic decision. Bloody Eddie’s been pushing this moronic idea for years. Money grab, pure and simple.

I know the Bulldogs won from 7th in 2016, but they at least had the benefit of a week off pre finals. Whoever wins these wildcard matches are going to be lambs to the slaughter, sacrificed on the altar of AFL greed, pure and simple.

 

[Dan26]

I think 8/15 is bad too. Also Tassie are still several years away.
A lot of us here are just saying more than half the teams making finals is bad.
You can call us socks, buts it's a fair criticism.

FYI the 7 rules changes they did before this one I actually liked. I just don't like the idea that a team that finishes with a 11-12 record can be a shot for the flag

Look, if a team can win 5 consecutive finals, they deserve the premiership. No one would have ever done it harder. Teams have made the finals with more losses than wins before.

When they did the 8/15 in 1994, it was for one year.

This will be for two years before it is 10/19.

It makes perfect sense. You simply can't add three teams and not change the finals structure.