2012 AFL finals series

The 2012 Australian Football League finals series determined the winner of the 2012 AFL season. The series was scheduled to occur over four weekends in September 2012, culminating with the 116th AFL/VFL Grand Final at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on 29 September 2012.

The finals system

Main article: AFL finals system

The system is a final eight system. This system is currently used by the National Rugby League, and is different from the McIntyre Final Eight System, which was previously used by both the AFL and the NRL.

The top four teams in the eight receive what is popularly known as the "double chance" when they play in week-one qualifying finals. This means that even if a top-four team loses in the first week, it still remains in the finals, playing a semi-final the next week against the winner of an elimination final. The bottom four of the eight play knock-out games, in that only the winners survive and move on to the next week. Home-state advantage goes to the team with the higher seed in the first two weeks, to the qualifying final winners in the third week. Games in Victoria are played at the MCG, regardless of the team's usual home ground, if a crowd larger than the seating capacity of Etihad Stadium (53,359) is expected.

In the second week, the winners of the qualifying finals receive a bye to the third week. The losers of the qualifying final plays the elimination finals winners in a semi-final. In the third week, the winners of the semi-finals from week two play the winners of the qualifying finals in the first week. The winners of those matches move on to the Grand Final at the MCG in Melbourne.[1]

Qualification

Summary of results

  Qualifying / Elimination finals Semi-finals Preliminary finals Grand final
                                   
  QF1: Sep 7, MCG  
1  Hawthorn 20.15 (135)  
4  Collingwood 15.7 (97)     SF1: Sep 15, MCG  
     Collingwood 10.13 (73)    
EF1: Sep 9, Patersons Stadium      West Coast 9.6 (60)       PF1: Sep 22, MCG
5  West Coast 24.18 (162)        Hawthorn 13.19 (97)  
8  North Melbourne 9.12 (66)          Adelaide 14.8 (92)     GF: Sep 29, MCG
         Hawthorn 11.15 (81)
  EF2: Sep 8, MCG       PF2: Sep 21, ANZ Stadium      Sydney 14.7 (91)
6  Geelong 11.14 (80)          Sydney 13.18 (96)  
7  Fremantle 14.12 (96)     SF2: Sep 14, AAMI Stadium        Collingwood 10.10 (70)  
     Adelaide 12.9 (81)    
QF2: Sep 8, AAMI Stadium      Fremantle 11.5 (71)    
2  Adelaide 5.12 (42)  
3  Sydney 11.5 (71)  

Week one (qualifying & elimination finals)

First qualifying final (Hawthorn v Collingwood)

First qualifying final
Friday, 7 September (7:50 pm) Hawthorn def. Collingwood MCG (Crowd: 84,625) Report
4.6 (30)
9.10 (64)
15.13 (103)
20.15 (135)
Q1
Q2
Q3
Final
2.3 (15)
7.4 (46)
12.7 (79)
15.7 (97)
Television broadcast: Seven Network,
Fox Footy (Simulcast)
4: Franklin
2: Breust, Gunston, Hale, Hodge, Rioli, Savage
1: Ellis, Puopolo, Roughead, Smith
Goals 6: Cloke
4: Krakouer
2: Wellingham
1: Dawes, Shaw, Sinclair
Mitchell, Sewell, Franklin Best Cloke, Pendlebury, Beams
Whitecross (knee) Injuries

Second qualifying final (Adelaide v Sydney)

Second qualifying final
Saturday, 8 September (2:45 pm) Adelaide def. by Sydney AAMI Stadium (Crowd: 44,849) Report
1.3 (9)
2.7 (19)
3.10 (28)
5.12 (42)
Q1
Q2
Q3
Final
2.2 (14)
7.2 (44)
8.4 (52)
11.5 (71)
Television broadcast: Seven Network,
Fox Footy (Simulcast)
1: Callinan, Johncock, Sloane, van Berlo, Walker Goals 3: Goodes
2: Jetta, Morton
1: Kennedy, McGlynn, Parker, Reid
Thompson, Sloane, Doughty Best O'Keefe, Kennedy, Goodes
Talia (arm) Injuries
  • Sydney improved to 2-0 in September Finals in Adelaide. In both games they never trailed.

Second elimination final (Geelong v Fremantle)

Second elimination final
Saturday, 8 September (7:45 pm) Geelong def. by Fremantle MCG (Crowd: 44,460) Report
0.1 (1)
3.5 (23)
6.9 (45)
11.14 (80)
Q1
Q2
Q3
Final
5.7 (37)
8.9 (57)
12.11 (83)
14.12 (96)
Television broadcast: Seven Network,
Fox Footy (Simulcast)
2: Mackie, J. Hunt
1: Selwood, Duncan, Christensen, Stokes, Taylor, Vardy, Motlop
Goals 6: Pavlich
3: Ballantyne
2: Walters
1: Crowley, de Boer, Pearce
Selwood, Bartel, Mackie Best Pavlich, Mundy. Ballantyne
  • Fremantle won their first finals game outside of Western Australia.

First elimination final (West Coast v North Melbourne)

First elimination final
Sunday, 9 September (1:15 pm) West Coast def. North Melbourne Patersons Stadium (Crowd: 41,790) Report
7.4 (46)
11.8 (74)
15.11 (101)
24.18 (162)
Q1
Q2
Q3
Final
0.3 (3)
2.8 (20)
8.10 (58)
9.12 (66)
Television broadcast: Seven Network,
Fox Footy (Simulcast)
4: Embley, Darling, Kennedy
3: Lynch
1: Kerr, Masten, Shuey, Hurn, Cox, Naitanui, Hill, McGinnity, Mackenzie
Goals 3: Campbell, Harvey
1: Cunnington, Hansen, Petrie
Embley, Cox, Kerr Best Swallow, Ziebell, Harvey
Waters (foot) Injuries
Reports Harvey (striking)

Week two (semi-finals)

First semi-final (Collingwood v West Coast)

First semi-final
Saturday, 15 September (7:45 pm) Collingwood def. West Coast MCG (Crowd: 65,483) Report
3.4 (22)
4.5 (29)
8.10 (58)
10.13 (73)
Q1
Q2
Q3
Final
5.1 (31)
6.4 (40)
7.6 (48)
9.6 (60)
Television broadcast: Seven Network,
Fox Footy (Simulcast)
3:Thomas
2: Swan
1: Pendlebury, Goldsack, Blair, Jolly, O'Brien
Goals 2: Hill, Darling
1: Kerr, Cox, McGinnity, Naitanui, Kennedy
Pendlebury, Swan, Thomas Best Kerr, Gaff, Shuey

Second semi-final (Adelaide v Fremantle)

Second semi-final
Friday, 14 September (8:15 pm) Adelaide def. Fremantle AAMI Stadium (Crowd: 31,742) Report
1.3 (9)
4.7 (31)
8.9 (57)
12.9 (81)
Q1
Q2
Q3
Final
4.1 (25)
7.2 (44)
8.4 (52)
11.5 (71)
Television broadcast: Seven Network,
Fox Footy (Simulcast)
5: Walker
3: Porplyzia
1: Vince, Dangerfield, Wright, Tippett
Goals 3: Mayne, Walters
1: Fyfe, Ibbotson, Ballantyne, Pavlich, Suban
Walker, Porplyzia, Reilly Best Mundy, Mayne, Johnson
Petrenko (shoulder) Injuries

Week three (preliminary finals)

Second preliminary final (Sydney v Collingwood)

Second preliminary final
Friday, 21 September (7:50 pm) Sydney def. Collingwood ANZ Stadium (Crowd: 57,156) Report
5.5 (35)
7.9 (51)
9.14 (68)
13.18 (96)
Q1
Q2
Q3
Final
2.3 (15)
3.6 (24)
5.8 (38)
10.10 (70)
Umpires: Matt Stevic, Simon Meredith, Brett Rosebury
Television broadcast: Seven Network,
Fox Footy (Simulcast)
3: Jetta
2: Kennedy, Bolton, Roberts-Thomson
1: O'Keefe, Goodes, Bird, Mumford
Goals 3: Cloke
1: Beams, Swan, Johnson, Fasolo, Tarrant, Dawes, Goldsack
Kennedy, O'Keefe, Goodes Best Pendlebury, Beams, O'Brien

First preliminary final (Hawthorn v Adelaide)

First preliminary final
Saturday, 22 September (5:15 pm) Hawthorn def. Adelaide MCG (Crowd: 69,146) Report
2.6 (18)
5.10 (40)
11.14 (80)
13.19 (97)
Q1
Q2
Q3
Final
4.1 (25)
7.3 (45)
10.4 (64)
14.8 (92)
Umpires: Chris Donlon, Mathew Nicholls, Shane McInerney
Television broadcast: Seven Network,
Fox Footy (Simulcast)
3: Franklin
2: Rioli, Breust, Gunston
1: Young, Shiels, Burgoyne, Suckling
Goals 4: Tippett, Walker
1: Porplyzia, Sloane, van Berlo, Henderson, Smith, Johncock
Mitchell, Rioli, Sewell Best Porplyzia, Dangerfield, Tippett

Week four (Grand Final)

Main article: 2012 AFL Grand Final
Grand Final
Saturday, 29 September (2:30 pm) Hawthorn def. by Sydney MCG (Crowd: 99,683) Report
4.5 (29)
4.6 (30)
9.10 (64)
11.15 (81)
Q1
Q2
Q3
Final
1.4 (10)
7.4 (46)
10.5 (65)
14.7 (91)
Umpires: Rosebury, Stevic, Meredith
Norm Smith Medal: Ryan O'Keefe (Sydney)
Television broadcast: Seven Network,
Fox Footy (Replay)
National Anthem: Marina Prior
Franklin 3, Breust 2, Gunston 2,
Hale 2, Ellis, Smith
Goals Jack 2, Kennedy 2, Malceski 2,
McVeigh 2, Morton 2, Goodes,
Hannebery, Reid, Roberts-Thomson
Franklin, Sewell, Burgoyne,
Mitchell, Breust, Hale
Best Hannebery, O'Keefe, Kennedy,
McVeigh, Jetta, Goodes
Ellis (calf), Hodge (head) Injuries Goodes (knee), Johnson (wrist)
Nil Reports Nil

Scheduling Issues

There was a number of scheduling issues during the 2012 AFL finals series:

Notes and references

  1. AFL Finals System Explained (AFL.com.au)
  2. Cowley, Michael (21 September 2012). "Swans do it by numbers". SMH. Retrieved 28 September 2012.
  3. "AFL in finals fix". AFL BigPond Network. 27 August 2012. Retrieved 16 September 2012.
  4. "Ticket prices not to blame for poor crowd: AFL". Sydney Morning Herald. 15 September 2012. Retrieved 16 September 2012.
  5. "Ticket prices not the problem: AFL". AFL BigPond Network. 15 September 2012. Retrieved 16 September 2012.
  6. "Sydney locks in a home preliminary final at ANZ Stadium". Herald Sun. 8 September 2012. Retrieved 16 September 2012.
  7. "Hawthorn urges AFL to do the right thing on preliminary final and give it a daytime contest". Herald Sun. 10 September 2012. Retrieved 16 September 2012.
  8. Ralph, Jon (11 September 2012). "AFL announces Hawthorn will play twilight preliminary final". Herald Sun. Retrieved 21 January 2013.

External links