A bit off track here.. does anyone know why the AFL changed the 1994-1999 finals set up (Macintyre final 8) back in 2000?
It was that long ago I cant remember the reason..
1v8 and 2v7 and so on was much more fair on the higher ranked teams....
The old system had the 4th highest ranked Winner v the 2nd lowest ranked loser blah blah blah. It was less obvious who you would play with so many unknowns. who you played or wehther you went straight into the prelim (week off), got knocked out in the first week depended on who won or lost and if they are ranked higher or lower, it was a dogs breakfast. The current System can show the path to the Grand Final in a single graphic - refer to OP.
Also who deserves the home game a team who finished 2nd and lost to 7th or a team who finished 4th and beat 5th. The answer is Adelaide (refer to 1997 season). who you played depended on who won or lost and if they are ranked higher or lower, it was a dogs breakfast
We now know that these are a given;
1-4 - double chance in the first week
1-2 - two home games (unless you're Geelong)
3-6 - one home game