Race for AFL Finals Heats Up

It is hard to remember an AFL season that has had such a nail-biting run to the finals as the current one. Often the top eight is all but set at this time of the year, but right now there’s still at least 12 sides in the running for September action.

As it stands, Collingwood, West Coast, Gold Coast and Richmond are outside the top eight, but with many crucial matches to be played in Round 21, that could all change come Monday morning. The teams they will be hoping to displace include North Melbourne, Adelaide and Essendon, while Port Adelaide, Fremantle, Geelong, Sydney and Hawthorn would appear certain for finals action.

Perhaps the most tantalising of the weekend’s matches is Essendon v West Coast at Etihad Stadium. The Bombers are coming off a narrow loss to Richmond, while West Coast kept its finals hopes alive with a dominant win over Collingwood at Patersons Stadium. Essendon has a significant home ground – and home crowd – advantage at Etihad Stadium and a win on Saturday afternoon would all but seal their place in the finals and end the Eagles’ hopes of scraping in.

Geelong’s race to secure a top two finish and home final would be greatly assisted by a victory over Carlton at Etihad Stadium on Friday night. While Carlton is out of the finals race, they have played with renewed vigour the past few weeks and pushed Geelong to a nail-biting five-point win in their previous meeting in Round 12 at Etihad Stadium. A victory over Carlton is a must for Geelong, particularly given the Cats have a tough match next week against Hawthorn.

North Melbourne can all but secure its position in the top eight with a victory over the Western Bulldogs at Etihad Stadium on Sunday. The Dogs were impressive against St Kilda last weekend, spoiling Lenny Hayes’ farewell game, and the Kangaroos have had an up and down year so there are no certainties in this match.

The shape of the top four could be altered this weekend also. Fremantle will host ladder leaders Hawthorn at Patersons Stadium in a Sunday twilight match. The Hawks, Cats and Swans are all on 60 points as it stands, but with Hawthorn and Geelong playing next weekend, wins in Round 21 are crucial to securing the home final. The Hawks will have to beat the Dockers without star forward Jarryd Roughead, who has been suspended for one week.

The Crows host Richmond in Adelaide. Only a win will do for the Tigers, who appeared to be well and truly out of the finals just weeks ago. This match could make a huge difference to the finals series given both sides are fighting for the same ladder positions.

And last but not least, the Gold Coast SUNS will take on Port Adelaide at Metricon Stadium in a bid to keep their hopes of a first-ever finals appearance alive. The match, which will be played on Saturday afternoon, is crucial for both teams. Port Adelaide, despite excellent early season form, is slipping and the SUNS are without captain Gary Ablett.

The various machinations of the final few rounds are driving supporters crazy! We suspect the ladder predictors are working overtime. But the good news for footy fans is that we can all expect plenty of amazing matches over the next few weeks. So sit back and enjoy the race for the 2014 AFL finals.

Click here to purchase tickets for the matches at Etihad Stadium.

Click here to purchase tickets for the Gold Coast SUNS v Port Adelaide at Metricon Stadium.