2012 AFL finals series

2012 premiership season

Date| 7–29 September 2012
Teams| 8
Premiers| Sydney (5th premiership)
Runners-up| Hawthorn (16th grand final)
Minor premiers| Hawthorn (8th minor premiership)
Attendance
Matches played| 9
Total attendance| 539,948 (59,994 per match)
Highest| 99,683 (Grand Final, Hawthorn vs. Sydney)

<- 2011

2013 ->

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[edit]

Main article: AFL final eight 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[edit]

2012 AFL ladder  Pos | Team

* v
* t
* e

| Pld | W | L | D | PF | PA | PP | Pts |

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1  | Hawthorn | 22  | 17  | 5  | 0  | 2679  | 1733  | 154.6  | 68  | Finals series
2  | Adelaide | 22  | 17  | 5  | 0  | 2428  | 1833  | 132.5  | 68
3  | Sydney (P) | 22  | 16  | 6  | 0  | 2290  | 1629  | 140.6  | 64
4  | Collingwood | 22  | 16  | 6  | 0  | 2123  | 1823  | 116.5  | 64
5  | West Coast | 22  | 15  | 7  | 0  | 2244  | 1807  | 124.2  | 60
6  | Geelong | 22  | 15  | 7  | 0  | 2209  | 1886  | 117.1  | 60
7  | Fremantle | 22  | 14  | 8  | 0  | 1956  | 1691  | 115.7  | 56
8  | North Melbourne | 22  | 14  | 8  | 0  | 2359  | 2097  | 112.5  | 56
9  | St Kilda | 22  | 12  | 10  | 0  | 2347  | 1903  | 123.3  | 48  |
10  | Carlton | 22  | 11  | 11  | 0  | 2079  | 1925  | 108.0  | 44
11  | Essendon | 22  | 11  | 11  | 0  | 2091  | 2090  | 100.0  | 44
12  | Richmond | 22  | 10  | 11  | 1  | 2169  | 1943  | 111.6  | 42
13  | Brisbane Lions | 22  | 10  | 12  | 0  | 1904  | 2092  | 91.0  | 40
14  | Port Adelaide | 22  | 5  | 16  | 1  | 1691  | 2144  | 78.9  | 22
15  | Western Bulldogs | 22  | 5  | 17  | 0  | 1542  | 2301  | 67.0  | 20
16  | Melbourne | 22  | 4  | 18  | 0  | 1580  | 2341  | 67.5  | 16
17  | Gold Coast | 22  | 3  | 19  | 0  | 1509  | 2481  | 60.8  | 12
18  | Greater Western Sydney | 22  | 2  | 20  | 0  | 1270  | 2751  | 46.2  | 8

Source:[citation needed]
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) percentage; 3) number of points for.
(P) Premiers

## Summary of results[edit]

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

## Week one (qualifying & elimination finals)[edit]

### First qualifying final (Hawthorn vs. Collingwood)[edit]

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| 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

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 vs. Sydney)[edit]

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| 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

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 vs. Fremantle)[edit]

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| 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

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 vs. North Melbourne)[edit]

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| 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

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)[edit]

### First semi-final (Collingwood vs. West Coast)[edit]

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| 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

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 vs. Fremantle)[edit]

|  |  |  |  |

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| 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

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)[edit]

### Second preliminary final (Sydney vs. Collingwood)[edit]

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| 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

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
|  |
|  |

* Jude Bolton (Sydney) played his 300th game.
* Sydney defeated Collingwood for the first time since round 13, 2005, breaking an eleven-game losing streak.[2]

### First preliminary final (Hawthorn vs. Adelaide)[edit]

|  |  |  |  |

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| 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

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)[edit]

Main article: 2012 AFL Grand Final

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| 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

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
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[edit]

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

* In Week 1, West Coast was forced to play on either the Friday night or Sunday due to Patersons Stadium being unavailable on the Saturday due to a rugby union international between the Wallabies and the Springboks.[3]
* In week 2, the late match starting time between Adelaide and Fremantle of 8:15 pm ACST contributed to the lowest crowd for an Adelaide final. 31,742 fans attended the match at AAMI Stadium, almost 20,000 short of capacity.[4] The AFL dismissed suggestions that ticket prices were to blame, but said the unusual starting time and possibly the pessimistic expectations of local supporters following their defeat to Sydney the previous week may have led to the poor turnout.[5]
* In week 3, a potential fixturing clash between the AFL and NRL at ANZ Stadium in Sydney led to the AFL scheduling the second preliminary on the Friday night.[6] The SCG would usually be used for finals in the event of a fixture clash at ANZ Stadium, but it was unavailable due to a redevelopment. Normally, it is AFL policy to schedule the highest ranked qualifying winner on the Friday night to give that team the longest time to prepare for the grand final the following week.
* There was a disagreement about starting time of the first preliminary final. Hawthorn pushed for a day game to minimise the time difference between its game and the second preliminary final the night before; the AFL and broadcasters preferred a night time-slot to maximise television audiences.[7] The AFL ultimately scheduled a twilight 5:15 pm AEST game as a compromise between the two drivers.[8]

## Notes and references[edit]

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. Archived from the original on 28 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. Archived from the original on 16 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[edit]

* AFL official website
* RealFooty by The Age (Melbourne) Online Archived 25 July 2008 at the Wayback Machine
* SportsAustralia (news and views)

* v
* t
* e

VFL/AFL finals series

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* v
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2012 AFL season

Events|

* NAB Cup
* Premiership season
* Finals series
* Grand Final

Awards|

* AFL Players Association awards
* All-Australian team
* Brownlow Medal
* Coleman Medal
* Goal of the Year
* Leigh Matthews Trophy
* Mark of the Year
* Michael Tuck Medal
* Norm Smith Medal
* Rising Star

Club overviews|

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* Brisbane Lions
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* Greater Western Sydney
* Hawthorn
* Melbourne
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Player changes|

* Trades
* National draft
* Pre-season draft
* Rookie draft
* Debuts
* Retirements and delistings

*[Pos]: Position
*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template
*[Pld]: Played
*[W]: Won
*[L]: Lost
*[D]: Drawn
*[PF]: Points for
*[PA]: Points against
*[PP]: Point percentage
*[Pts]: Points