2011 AFL finals series

The 2011 Australian Football League finals series determined the winner of the 2011 AFL season. The series was scheduled to occur over four weekends in September 2011, culminating with the 115th AFL/VFL Grand Final at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on 1 October 2011. Traditionally held on the final Saturday in September, the Grand Final date was pushed to October to accommodate two extra rounds in the home and away season.

The finals system

The system is a final eight system. This system is different from the McIntyre Final Eight System, which was previously used by the AFL, and was used by the National Rugby League in 2011.

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 10, MCG  
1  Collingwood 12.10 (82)  
4  West Coast 9.8 (62)     SF1: Sep 17, Patersons Stadium  
     West Coast 15.11 (101)    
EF1: Sep 11, MCG      Carlton 15.8 (98)       PF1: Sep 23, MCG
5  Carlton 21.23 (149)        Collingwood 10.8 (68)  
8  Essendon 13.9 (87)          Hawthorn 9.11 (65)     GF: Oct 1, MCG
         Collingwood 12.9 (81)
  EF2: Sep 10, Etihad Stadium       PF2: Sep 24, MCG      Geelong 18.11 (119)
6  St Kilda 8.9 (57)          Geelong 17.15 (117)  
7  Sydney 12.10 (82)     SF2: Sep 16, MCG        West Coast 10.9 (69)  
     Hawthorn 19.8 (122)    
QF2: Sep 9, MCG      Sydney 13.8 (86)    
2  Geelong 14.14 (98)  
3  Hawthorn 9.13 (67)  

Week one (qualifying & elimination finals)

For the first time since the current AFL finals system was introduced in 2000, all four finals were played in Melbourne in the first week of the finals.

First qualifying final (Collingwood v West Coast)

First qualifying final
Saturday, September 10 Collingwood def. West Coast MCG (Crowd: 67,379) Report
1.1 (7)
7.5 (47)
10.7 (67)
12.10 (82)		 Q1
Q2
Q3
Final		 2.3 (15)
5.4 (34)
6.5 (41)
9.8 (62)		 Television broadcast: Network Ten

Second qualifying final (Geelong v Hawthorn)

Second qualifying final
Friday, September 9 Geelong def. Hawthorn MCG (Crowd: 73,400) Report
2.0 (12)
7.2 (44)
12.6 (78)
14.14 (98)		 Q1
Q2
Q3
Final		 3.5 (23)
4.8 (32)
7.12 (54)
9.13 (67)		 Television broadcast: Seven Network

First elimination final (Carlton v Essendon)

First elimination final
Sunday, September 11 Carlton def. Essendon MCG (Crowd: 90,161) Report
4.5 (29)
10.12 (72)
17.17 (119)
21.23 (149)		 Q1
Q2
Q3
Final		 3.4 (22)
4.7 (31)
8.9 (57)
13.9 (87)		 Television broadcast: Seven Network
  • Carlton won its first final since the 2001 First Elimination Final.[2]
  • The attendance of 90,161 was a new record for the highest ever for an elimination final.[2] This record stood until 2013.[3]

Second elimination final (St Kilda v Sydney)

Second elimination final
Saturday, September 10 St Kilda def. by Sydney Etihad Stadium (Crowd: 39,205) Report
1.3 (9)
3.4 (22)
7.7 (49)
8.9 (57)		 Q1
Q2
Q3
Final		 2.4 (16)
7.6 (48)
8.9 (57)
12.10 (82)		 Television broadcast: Network Ten
  • St Kilda lost its first Saturday night match at Etihad Stadium since Round 9, 2003.

Week two (semi-finals)

First semi-final (West Coast v Carlton)

First semi-final
Saturday, September 17 West Coast def. Carlton Patersons Stadium (Crowd: 42,803) Report
1.3 (9)
9.3 (57)
11.8 (74)
15.11 (101)		 Q1
Q2
Q3
Final		 4.1 (25)
7.4 (46)
10.5 (65)
15.8 (98)		 Television broadcast: Network Ten
  • This was Carlton's third narrow loss in an interstate final in three years.
  • West Coast won its first final since the 2006 grand final.

Second semi-final (Hawthorn v Sydney)

Second semi-final
Friday, September 16 Hawthorn def. Sydney MCG (Crowd: 55,198) Report
3.5 (23)
10.5 (65)
12.6 (78)
19.8 (122)		 Q1
Q2
Q3
Final		 0.1 (1)
4.1 (25)
9.6 (60)
13.8 (86)		 Television broadcast: Seven Network

Week three (preliminary finals)

First preliminary final (Collingwood v Hawthorn)

First preliminary final
Friday, September 23, 7:45 pm AEST Collingwood def. Hawthorn MCG (Crowd: 87,112) Report
2.3 (15)
3.5 (23)
5.6 (36)
10.8 (68)		 Q1
Q2
Q3
Final		 2.4 (16)
4.7 (31)
7.11 (53)
9.11 (65)		 Television broadcast: Seven Network

Second preliminary final (Geelong v West Coast)

Second preliminary final
Saturday, September 24, 2:20 pm AEST Geelong def. West Coast MCG (Crowd: 59,455) Report
5.7 (37)
8.11 (59)
15.14 (104)
17.15 (117)		 Q1
Q2
Q3
Final		 2.3 (15)
5.4 (34)
7.6 (48)
10.9 (69)		 Television broadcast: Network Ten
  • West Coast was the first non-Victorian team to make the top four since 2007

Week four (Grand Final)

Main article: 2011 AFL Grand Final
Grand Final
Saturday, 1 October 2:30pm Collingwood def. by Geelong MCG (Crowd: 99,537) Report
4.2 (26)
9.3 (57)
12.6 (78)
12.9 (81)		 Q1
Q2
Q3
Final		 4.3 (27)
8.6 (54)
13.7 (85)
18.11 (119)		 Umpires: C Donlon, B Rosebury, S Ryan
Norm Smith Medal: Jimmy Bartel (Geelong)
Television broadcast: Network Ten
National anthem: Vanessa Amorosi
T Cloke, A Krakouer 3
S Sidebottom 2
L Ball, L Brown, B Johnson, S Wellingham 1		 Goals S Johnson 4
J Bartel, T Hawkins, T Varcoe 3
J Selwood 2
M Duncan, C Ling, M Stokes 1
S Pendlebury, D Thomas, S Sidebottom, C Tarrant, L Ball, L Brown, T Cloke Best J Bartel, J Selwood, T Hawkins, C Ling, S Johnson, P Chapman, B Ottens, T Varcoe
Nil Injuries J Podsiadly (shoulder)
Nil Reports Nil

Notes and references

  1. ↑ AFL Finals System Explained (AFL.com.au)
  2. 1 2 Horan, Michael (11 Sep 2011). "Dominant Carlton comfortable winners over Essendon by 62 points". Herald Sun. Retrieved 11 Sep 2011.
  3. ↑ Nick Bowen (8 September 2013). "Blues ensure Tigers' September return ends in heartbreak". Australian Football League. Retrieved 8 September 2013.

External links

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