Once again...

[ROK Lobster]

... the first two weeks of the finals confirm the top 4. I know why we have it ($$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$) but a top 8 from 16 teams is a silly system.

[ep2006]

Soon it will be a top eight in an eighteen team comp. Which will be more fair.

Seeing Essendon make the finals this year has been pretty disappointing to say the least.

[SimonH]

Even if they didn't make money out of the final 8 (and there's no doubt they do!), you can't discount the significance of plain ol' hope for fans.

Sydney was out of the race for the finals only after R21 this year. In a top 4 situation, we would have been out of the realistic running after about R12.

That's an awful lot of dead rubbers to play. I could only support a cutback of the number of teams in the finals, if relegation was introduced down the other end. Which for a host of reasons, ain't going to happen.

[ShockOfHair]

Soon it will be a top eight in an eighteen team comp. Which will be more fair.

Seeing Essendon make the finals this year has been pretty disappointing to say the least.

But you'll admit they exited in fine style.

[Lucky Knickers]

By this weekend I suspect we might be saying 3-8 make up the numbers and the top two teams were sorted Round 22.
If 3-4 cause an upset they were lucky.

[ROK Lobster]

That's an awful lot of dead rubbers to play.

That's a good point.

[Robbo]

Top 8 is good. If the top 4 sides are really the top 4 sides then they should be able to prove it.

"Once again".....you mean the 2nd year in a row.

[ShockOfHair]

Apart from the Essendon blowout, all of the finals games have been worth watching. A couple of great comebacks. Can't complain that we, and the league, aren't getting our $$$ worth.

[johnno]

Once we go to 18 teams, dont be surprised if it becomes a top 9 or even a top 10 finals system.

[laughingnome]

Once we go to 18 teams, dont be surprised if it becomes a top 9 or even a top 10 finals system.

I very much doubt that. The best finals systems work as a function of 4, and the ammended McIntyre Final 8 System is incredibly fair and even handed. Having 44% of teams make the finals means that teams with a decent shot at the flag make the grade, providing a better spectacle and more money then a garbled final 8 or 9. How could you possibly do a final 9 that was simple enough to understand?

[johnno]

I very much doubt that. The best finals systems work as a function of 4, and the ammended McIntyre Final 8 System is incredibly fair and even handed. Having 44% of teams make the finals means that teams with a decent shot at the flag make the grade, providing a better spectacle and more money then a garbled final 8 or 9. How could you possibly do a final 9 that was simple enough to understand?

The same way they used to have a final 5....top team gets the first week off and the rest play-off. There would just be extra games because of the extra teams. I'm not saying I agree with it, all I'm saying is once they have the 18 teams, I wouldn't be surprised if the AFL introduced either one of these finals systems purely for the extra revenue.