Tightest opening weekend of AFL finals sets up all Victorian semis
A weekend of enthralling finals drew record television ratings across the country and has whetted the appetite for an extraordinary finish to a unique and expensive AFL season.
A weekend of enthralling finals drew record television ratings across the country and has whetted the appetite for an extraordinary finish to a unique and expensive AFL season.
Collingwood’s stunning one-point victory over West Coast brought to an end the tightest first weekend of finals since the competition moved to a top eight in 1990.
The Magpies, who had spent the past week in quarantine in Perth, will return to Queensland to tackle Geelong at the Gabba on Saturday night in a sudden-death semi-final.
Richmond will “host” St Kilda on the Gold Coast on Friday in a bid to keep their premiership defence alive.
The semi-finals are certain to draw another massive television audience, particularly in Victoria, given the state of origin of the four clubs.
The Seven West Network reported a 24 per cent rise in viewership compared to the opening week of the 2019 finals, with more than 5.2 million viewers tuning into the four matches.
Fox Footy reported a 41 per cent increase from last year in regards to the viewership for Thursday night’s finals and, based on overall results in 2020, are expecting a significant jump for the other three finals.
In a normal season, the semi-finals would have drawn about 170,000 to the MCG given the presence of Richmond, Collingwood and Geelong, along with the return to the finals of St Kilda for the first time since 2011.
Instead, they will draw approximately 35,000 in total to the two Queensland venues on Friday and Saturday nights.
In a season of financial turmoil for the competition, this represents a shortfall in ticket revenue for the AFL of between $5m-$10m based on the lowest price for a ticket of $35.
It is believed food and beverage sales at the MCG for blockbuster matches generate up to $2m. In addition, corporate lounges and signage also draw significant revenue.
But as AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan said when launching the finals last Monday, any crowd at all is a far better scenario than what league officials envisaged in March.
The opening week of the finals drew 88,375 fans across the three states, taking the yearly attendance beyond 800,000.
In a season where the standard and style of football has drawn criticism, the AFL was delighted by the competitiveness and quality of the opening week of the finals.
The overall difference between triumph and despair in the four matches was just 35 points, with all four matches in the balance until time-on in the last quarter at the very least.
Minor premiers Port Adelaide defeated Geelong by 16 points to book a spot in a preliminary final on Thursday.
A night later Brisbane midfielder Hugh McCluggage kicked a late sealer against Richmond with just three minutes remaining to defeat the late-surging Tigers by 15 points.
On Saturday the Saints claimed their first finals victory since 2010 when edging the fast-finishing Bulldogs by three points at the Gabba.
The epic elimination final between the Magpies and Eagles was still alive until Taylor Adams’ smother in the centre in the last passage of the match.
Brownlow Medal contender and former Port Adelaide captain Travis Boak was among those captivated by the action that followed the Power’s strong victory over Geelong.
His succinct assessment on social media is almost certainly shared by fans across the nation; “Wow! How good is finals footy.”
Wow!! How good is finals footy.
— Travis Boak (@travisboak10) October 3, 2020
Port Adelaide and Brisbane have earned the luxury of a fortnight to prepare for their preliminary finals.
All four clubs in action this week have big selection dilemmas to consider.
St Kilda has confirmed veteran ruckman Paddy Ryder, who was arguably best afield against the Bulldogs when playing in his first ever finals win, will miss the rest of the season with a hamstring tendon injury.
Saints football manager Simon Lethlean said it was a huge challenge for the club to overcome.
“All teams face injuries to key players and we now have to find a way without Paddy,” he said. “Part of the motivation for our group now is to make sure we don’t let him down and instead step up.”
It is not certain whether key defender Jake Carlisle, who is considering leaving the hub to be with his partner Mel, who is in the latter stages of her pregnancy, will be available.
Richmond will monitor the fitness of star forward Tom Lynch, who was given an extra week to recover from a hamstring injury and missed the loss to the Lions.
Geelong captain Joel Selwood underwent surgery on a finger on Friday but the Cats are hoping he will play. Former Saint Jack Steven will not play again this year.
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HOW good is footy?! #AFLFinals https://t.co/gio2ZFaxXo
— Fox Footy (@FOXFOOTY) October 4, 2020
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