The AFL finals haven’t changed in 25 years, until now. What is the wildcard round?
- Written by: Weekend Times
This weekend, the AFL will unveil a first: a “wildcard round”.
This round involves two matches to kick off the finals series, in the first change to the league’s finals format
On Friday, the Western Bulldogs will host Collingwood in the first wildcard final, with Melbourne then taking on Carlton on Saturday night.
But why was this brought in, how will it work, and how have the league’s finals series evolved over time?
How the wildcard round works
In recent years the top eight teams have had a week off between the regular season and the start of the finals.
However, this year only the top six teams get a week off. The teams ranked seven to ten will play in the wildcard round: seventh will play tenth and eighth will play ninth.
The two winners will continue on to the next finals game, with the two losers eliminated.
The wildcard concept, sometimes called a “play-in tournament”, has been a fixture of popular sports leagues such as the United States’ Major League Baseball and National Basketball Association for many years.
It was introduced to Australia’s National Basketball League and Victorian Football League in 2023.
Read more: Why freezing entry-level AFL final ticket prices is smart economics
Initial reactions were mostly negative
When the AFL announced the changed finals format in November last year, it highlighted several key benefits for clubs, players and fans.
These included greater reward for finishing in the top six, more teams making finals, and all top-eight teams hosting a home final.
The league also believed there would be more games of “consequence” towards the end of the season, while supporters would embrace an extra week of finals.
However, the announcement was met with negative responses from players, coaches, commentators and fans.
Critics described it as more unwanted Americanisation of Australian sport, and argued it may take attention away from the AFLW, which kicked off two weekends ago.
Many also believe the concept rewards mediocrity, as teams only have to finish in the top ten (out of 18 teams) to be in contention for the premiership.
It was also labelled a cash grab by Geelong coach Chris Scott.
As the season progressed, more supported it
In recent weeks, as the wildcard round has got closer, fans and commentators began to express some more excitement about the concept, especially fans of teams that finished ninth and tenth (Collingwood and Carlton).
Having more teams from the lower part of the ladder still able to sneak into the finals when they previously would have been eliminated added to the interest.
There were concerns though that teams that were safely in the top ten, but could not make the top six, would rest large numbers of their best players in the week before the wildcard round to ensure they didn’t get injured.
This had the potential to reduce the quality of games in the final round of the regular season.
However, this did not occur, possibly due to the AFL sending clubs a memo warning them not to.
Not the first change to the finals format
The addition of a wildcard round is not the first change to the AFL finals.
Since the first AFL/VFL season in 1897, the finals have evolved from four teams (1901–71), to five (1972–90), six (1991–93), eight (1994–2025) and now ten teams.
The four-, six- and eight-team finals series have also had several different formats.
From 1897 to 1900 a round-robin series took place after the regular season. This series usually included all teams, so even the wooden spoon winner could still win the premiership.
This format was changed after Melbourne won the 1900 premiership after finishing the regular season in sixth (out of eight teams).
The competition settled on a top-four finals structure in 1901, albeit with several strange variations over the following decades.
From 1901 to 1930, the minor premier was guaranteed to play in the grand final. If did not win it, they could challenge the winner to a second grand final.
This “right of challenge” format led to suspicion of minor premiers deliberately losing finals so they could earn more money from playing an extra final.
From 1931 to 1971, the Page-McIntyre system was implemented. This top-four system gave a double chance to the top two teams, but removed the controversial challenge rule for the minor premiers.
Since 1972, the number of finalists has grown from five to ten, as the number of teams in the competition has increased.
These different formats have all aimed to reward teams for a strong regular season, without giving the top teams an unfair advantage in the finals.
Many previous finals formats have initially received similar criticism about being a cash grab and rewarding mediocrity.
It might be here to stay
More finalists this year does mean more clubs and more fans being engaged for longer.
However, the closeness of the fight for the top ten and the quality of games in the wildcard round could be the most important factor for ensuring acceptance of this most recent finals change.
The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
