2021 AFL finals series

2021 premiership season
Date	27 August – 25 September 2021
Teams	8
Premiers	Melbourne (13th premiership)
Runners-up	Western Bulldogs (2nd runners-up)
Minor premiers	Melbourne (10th minor premiership)
Attendance
Matches played	9
Total attendance	272,746 (30,305 per match)
Highest	61,118 (Grand Final, Melbourne vs. Western Bulldogs
←  2020 2022  →

The 2021 Australian Football League finals series was the 125th annual edition of the VFL/AFL finals series.

The series was played over five weeks in August and September, culminating in the 2021 AFL Grand Final. The top eight teams from the 2021 AFL Premiership season qualified for the finals series. AFL finals series have been played under the current format since 2000.

Qualification

See also: 2021 AFL season

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	L	D	PF	PA	PP	Pts	Qualification
1	Melbourne (P)	22	17	4	1	1888	1443	130.8	70	Finals series
2	Port Adelaide	22	17	5	0	1884	1492	126.3	68
3	Geelong	22	16	6	0	1845	1456	126.7	64
4	Brisbane Lions	22	15	7	0	2131	1599	133.3	60
5	Western Bulldogs	22	15	7	0	1994	1501	132.8	60
6	Sydney	22	15	7	0	1986	1656	119.9	60
7	Greater Western Sydney	22	11	10	1	1768	1773	99.7	46
8	Essendon	22	11	11	0	1953	1790	109.1	44
9	West Coast	22	10	12	0	1752	1880	93.2	40
10	St Kilda	22	10	12	0	1644	1796	91.5	40
11	Fremantle	22	10	12	0	1578	1825	86.5	40
12	Richmond	22	9	12	1	1743	1780	97.9	38
13	Carlton	22	8	14	0	1746	1972	88.5	32
14	Hawthorn	22	7	13	2	1629	1912	85.2	32
15	Adelaide	22	7	15	0	1616	1971	82.0	28
16	Gold Coast	22	7	15	0	1430	1863	76.8	28
17	Collingwood	22	6	16	0	1557	1818	85.6	24
18	North Melbourne	22	4	17	1	1458	2075	70.3	18

Updated to match(es) played on 21 August 2021. Source: AFL
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) percentage; 3) number of points for.
(P) Premiers

Venues

Due to ongoing COVID-19 restrictions, many clubs played home finals outside their home states for the second consecutive season. The New South Wales venues were unavailable because of a small outbreak in Sydney which precluded interstate travel through the state, ^[1] and both Sydney clubs had been based outside the state for the last two months of the home-and-away season. The Victorian venues were available despite a smaller outbreak in the state, having hosted home-and-away matches behind closed doors right up to the end of the season, while 'sterile corridor' arrangements were in place to enable interstate travel. However, the league preferred to schedule finals which could be attended in a neutral state rather than behind closed doors in a home state, resulting in no matches being staged in Victoria, either. ^[2]

Many venues operated with a restricted spectator capacity. For the first week of finals, Adelaide Oval and University of Tasmania Stadium were only allowed up to 20,000 spectators and 10,000 spectators, respectively. ^[3] For the preliminary final, the allowed capacity of Adelaide Oval was slightly increased to 26,500—50% of the venue's regular total capacity. ^[4]

	Brisbane Adelaide Perth Launceston
Brisbane		Adelaide
The Gabba Capacity: 37,000		Adelaide Oval Capacity: 20,000 (reduced)
Launceston		Perth
University of Tasmania Stadium Capacity: 10,000 (reduced)		Optus Stadium Capacity: 60,000

Matches

See also: AFL final eight system

The system used for the 2021 AFL finals series was a final eight system. The top four teams in the eight received the "double chance" when they play in week-one qualifying finals, such that if a top-four team loses in the first week it still remained in the finals, playing a semi-final the next week against the winner of an elimination final. The bottom four of the eight played knockout games—only the winners survived and moved on to the next week. Home-state advantage ordinarily goes to the team with the higher ladder position in the first two weeks, to the qualifying final winners in the third week, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, some states were unable to host matches.

In the second week, the winners of the qualifying finals received a bye to the third week (as normal). The losers of the qualifying final played 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. ^[5]

The finals were originally due to commence over the weekend of 3–5 September, with a bye week in place between Round 23 and the finals commencing. This bye week was conventional since 2016 and even observed in the delayed 2020 season. However, in an announcement made on 16 August, the bye week was dropped and the first week of finals was brought forward to the weekend of 27–29 August as a contingency, to allow the league to use the bye week at short notice to respond to any unforeseen changes to border or societal restrictions associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, without impacting the scheduled Grand Final date of Saturday 25 September. The bye week was ultimately observed between the preliminary finals and the Grand Final.

	Qualifying and elimination finals					Semi-finals						Preliminary finals					Grand final
	28 Aug, Adelaide Oval
	1	Melbourne	13.15 (93)
	4	Brisbane Lions	9.6 (60)			4 Sep, The Gabba
						Brisbane Lions		11.12 (78)
	29 Aug, University of Tasmania Stadium					Western Bulldogs		11.13 (79)				10 Sep, Optus Stadium
	5	Western Bulldogs	13.7 (85)									Melbourne		19.11 (125)
	8	Essendon	4.12 (36)									Geelong		6.6 (42)			25 Sep, Optus Stadium
																	Melbourne		21.14 (140)
	28 Aug, University of Tasmania Stadium											11 Sep, Adelaide Oval					Western Bulldogs		10.6 (66)
	6	Sydney	10.13 (73)									Port Adelaide		6.9 (45)
	7	Greater Western Sydney	11.8 (74)			3 Sep, Optus Stadium						Western Bulldogs		17.14 (116)
						Geelong		15.13 (103)
	27 Aug, Adelaide Oval					Greater Western Sydney		10.8 (68)
	2	Port Adelaide	12.14 (86)
	3	Geelong	5.13 (43)

Week one (Qualifying and Elimination Finals)

Second Qualifying Final (Port Adelaide vs Geelong)

The second qualifying final saw second-placed Port Adelaide face third-placed Geelong. This marked the fifth finals meeting and the second consecutive qualifying final between the two sides.

Scorecard

	Second Qualifying Final
Friday, 27 August (7:20 pm)	Port Adelaide	def.	Geelong	Adelaide Oval (crowd: 19,712)	Report
	4.3 (27) 8.7 (55) 9.10 (64)	Q1 Q2 Q3	2.5 (17) 3.8 (26) 3.11 (29)	Field umpires: Deboy, Meredith, Mollison Television broadcast: Seven Network, Fox Footy (simulcast)
	12.14 (86)	Final	5.13 (43)
Fantasia 4 Motlop, Powell-Pepper 2 Butters, Gray, Ladhams, Marshall 1		Goals	Hawkins 2 Cameron, Selwood, Simpson 1
Boak, Aliir, Fantasia, Wines, Duursma, Byrne-Jones		Best	Duncan, Smith, Dangerfield, Henry, Parfitt
Fantasia (knee), Gray (ankle)		Injuries	O'Connor (hamstring)

Second Elimination Final (Sydney vs Greater Western Sydney)

The second elimination final saw sixth-placed Sydney face seventh-placed Greater Western Sydney. This clash marked the third Sydney Derby to take place during the finals and the first since 2018.

Scorecard

	Second Elimination Final
Saturday, 28 August (3:20 pm)	Sydney	def. by	Greater Western Sydney	University of Tasmania Stadium (crowd: 8,635)	Report
	3.2 (20) 5.4 (34) 8.6 (54)	Q1 Q2 Q3	3.2 (20) 9.3 (57) 11.7 (73)	Field umpires: Stevic, Nicholls, Findlay Television broadcast: Seven Network, Fox Footy (simulcast)
	10.13 (73)	Final	11.8 (74)
Heeney 4 Franklin 3 Papley 2 Bell 1		Goals	Greene 3 Sproule, Himmelberg, Hogan 2, Taranto, Lloyd 1
Heeney, Parker, Franklin, Dawson, Papley, Hewett, Hickey		Best	Greene, Taranto, Kelly, Perryman, Mumford, Hogan, Sproule, Taylor
McLean (leg)		Injuries	Cumming (ankle)
This match was the first VFL/AFL final to be held in Tasmania. Giants player Toby Greene was reported for making intentional contact with umpire Matt Stevic after bumping into him during an exchange at three-quarter time, and was subsequently suspended for six weeks. [6] [7]

First Qualifying Final (Melbourne vs Brisbane Lions)

The first qualifying final saw minor premiers Melbourne face the fourth-placed Brisbane Lions, following Melbourne's first minor premiership since 1964. This was the first finals meeting between the two sides.

Scorecard

	First Qualifying Final
Saturday, 28 August (7:00 pm)	Melbourne	def.	Brisbane Lions	Adelaide Oval (crowd: 13,784)	Report
	5.4 (34) 9.10 (64) 9.12 (66)	Q1 Q2 Q3	4.2 (26) 5.4 (34) 7.5 (47)	Field umpires: Donlon, Chamberlain, Fleer Television broadcast: Seven Network, Fox Footy (simulcast)
	13.15 (93)	Final	9.6 (60)
Fritsch 4 Pickett, Petracca 2, Brown, Sparrow, Oliver, Langdon, Spargo 1		Goals	Cameron 5 Bailey, Berry, McCluggage, McCarthy 1
Oliver, Petracca, Lever, Viney, Fritsch, Neal-Bullen, Gawn		Best	Neale, Cameron, Rich, McCluggage, Coleman, Bailey
Nil		Injuries	McStay (concussion)

First Elimination Final (Western Bulldogs vs Essendon)

The first elimination final saw the fifth-placed Western Bulldogs face eighth-placed Essendon in their fourth final, and their first since 1953.

Scorecard

	First Elimination Final
Sunday, 29 August (3:20 pm)	Western Bulldogs	def.	Essendon	University of Tasmania Stadium (crowd: 9,760)	Report
	2.1 (13) 5.4 (34) 8.5 (53)	Q1 Q2 Q3	1.4 (10) 4.7 (31) 4.10 (34)	Field umpires: Rosebury, Stephens, Williamson Television broadcast: Seven Network, Fox Footy (simulcast)
	13.7 (85)	Final	4.12 (36)
Weightman 4 Naughton 3 Schache, Hannan 2 Vandermeer, Smith 1		Goals	Stringer 2 Smith, Parish 1
Macrae, Liberatore, Weightman, Bontempelli, Naughton, Smith		Best	Parish, Draper, Merrett, Ridley, Heppell
Nil		Injuries	Nil

Week two (Semi-Finals)

Second Semi-Final (Geelong vs Greater Western Sydney)

The second semi-final saw the losers of the second qualifying final, Geelong host the winners of the second elimination final, Greater Western Sydney. This was the first finals meeting between the two teams.

Scorecard

	Second Semi-Final
Friday, 3 September (5:50 pm)	Geelong	def.	Greater Western Sydney	Optus Stadium (crowd: 44,091)
	2.5 (17) 5.8 (38) 10.9 (69)	Q1 Q2 Q3	0.3 (3) 3.5 (23) 5.7 (37)	Field umpires: Donlon, Chamberlain, Meredith Television broadcast: Seven Network, Fox Footy (simulcast)
	15.13 (103)	Final	10.8 (68)
Hawkins 5, Cameron, Rohan, Close, Menegola 2, Ratugolea, Smith 1		Goals	Stone, Himmelberg 2, Kelly, Lloyd, Hill, Mumford, Haynes, Ward 1
Hawkins, Tuohy, Menegola, C.Guthrie, Smith, Dangerfield, Cameron		Best	Whitfield, Haynes, Hopper, Kelly, Ward, Mumford
Parfitt (hamstring), Hawkins (corked leg)		Injuries	Sproule (shoulder)

First Semi-Final (Brisbane Lions vs Western Bulldogs)

The first semi-final saw the losers in the first qualifying final, the Brisbane Lions host the winners in the first elimination final, the Western Bulldogs. This was the fourth final played between the two teams and the first since 2009.

Scorecard

	First Semi-Final
Saturday, 4 September (7:20 pm)	Brisbane Lions	def. by	Western Bulldogs	The Gabba (crowd: 30,647)
	5.3 (33) 6.5 (41) 9.9 (63)	Q1 Q2 Q3	3.4 (22) 6.6 (42) 7.11 (53)	Field umpires: Stevic,Williamson, Findlay Television broadcast: Seven Network, Fox Footy (simulcast)
	11.12 (78)	Final	11.13 (79)
Cameron 3, Bailey 2, Daniher, Fullarton, Lester, McCarthy, McCluggage, Robinson 1		Goals	B.Smith 3 Liberatore 2 Hannan, Johannisen, Macrae, Naughton, Schache, Weightman 1
McCluggage, Zorko, Cameron, Robinson, Lyons, Coleman		Best	Macrae, Daniel, Bontempelli, B.Smith, Keath, Liberatore
Payne (head), Berry (concussion)		Injuries	Weightman (concussion), Bontempelli (knee)

Week three (Preliminary Finals)

First Preliminary Final (Melbourne vs Geelong)

The first preliminary final saw the winners of the first qualifying final, Melbourne host the winners of the second semi-final Geelong. This was the ninth finals meeting between Melbourne and Geelong, with matches occurring as far back as the very first VFL season, and Melbourne winning the most recent meeting in 2018. The sides' previous encounter came in round 23, with Max Gawn kicking a goal after the siren to secure the minor premiership.

Scorecard

	First Preliminary Final
Friday, 10 September (5:50 pm)	Melbourne	def.	Geelong	Optus Stadium (crowd: 58,599)	Report
	5.3 (33) 9.6 (60) 17.8 (110)	Q1 Q2 Q3	1.0 (6) 5.1 (31) 5.2 (32)	Field umpires: Donlon, Meredith, Mollison Television broadcast: Seven Network, Fox Footy (simulcast)
	19.11 (125)	Final	6.6 (42)
Gawn 5 Pickett 3 Spargo, Brown, Fritsch 2 Petracca, Harmes, Neal-Bullen, McDonald, Sparrow 1		Goals	Cameron 2 Hawkins, Stanley, Miers, Smith 1
Gawn, Petracca, Oliver, Viney, Salem, Pickett, Brown		Best	Dangerfield, Smith, Selwood
May (hamstring)		Injuries	Rohan (hamstring)

Second Preliminary Final (Port Adelaide vs Western Bulldogs)

The second preliminary final saw the winners of the second qualifying final, Port Adelaide host the winners of the first semi-final Western Bulldogs. This was the first finals meeting between these two teams.

Scorecard

	Second Preliminary Final
Saturday, 11 September (7:10 pm)	Port Adelaide	def. by	Western Bulldogs	Adelaide Oval (crowd: 26,400)	Report
	1.1 (7) 3.4 (22) 5.8 (38)	Q1 Q2 Q3	7.2 (44) 12.8 (80) 14.12 (96)	Field umpires: Rosebury, Stevic, Findlay Television broadcast: Seven Network, Fox Footy (simulcast)
	6.9 (45)	Final	17.14 (116)
Dixon 2 Bonner, Houston, Marshall, Wines 1		Goals	B.Smith 4 Hannan 3 Bontempelli, Naughton 2 Johannisen, Schache, R.Smith, Scott, Treloar, Vandermeer 1
Bonner, Wines, Houston, Lycett		Best	B.Smith, Macrae, Treloar, Bontempelli, Hunter, Liberatore, Naughton
Marshall (hamstring)		Injuries	Vandermeer (hamstring)

Week four (Grand Final)

Main article: 2021 AFL Grand Final

Due to an ongoing COVID-19 lockdown preventing the match from being played with a crowd at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, the match was played at Optus Stadium in Western Australia, making it the second consecutive grand final to be played outside the state of Victoria ^[8] and also the second consecutive night grand final for viewers on Australia's Eastern Seaboard. ^[9]

The grand final was played between the winners of the first preliminary final. Melbourne played host to the winners of the second preliminary final, the Western Bulldogs. This was the fifth final played between the two teams, with minor finals played in 1946, 1961 and 1994; this was the second grand final between the two teams after the Footscray (now known as the Western Bulldogs) won in 1954. Melbourne would go on to win by 74 points, their first VFL/AFL premiership in 57 years. ^[10]

Scoreboard

	Grand Final
Saturday, 25 September (5:15 pm)	Melbourne	def.	Western Bulldogs	Optus Stadium (crowd: 61,118)	Report
	4.5 (29) 5.9 (39) 12.11 (83)	Q1 Q2 Q3	1.2 (8) 7.5 (47) 9.5 (59)	Norm Smith Medal: Christian Petracca Field umpires: Rosebury, Stevic, Mollison Television broadcast: Seven Network
	21.14 (140)	Final	10.6 (66)
Fritsch 6 Brown 3 Petracca, Neal-Bullen, McDonald 2 Spargo, Brayshaw, Sparrow, Oliver, Langdon, Jackson 1		Goals	Bontempelli, Treloar 3 R Smith, Naughton, Hunter, Johannisen 1
Petracca, Fritsch, Oliver, Brayshaw, Salem, Gawn, Jackson		Best	Bontempelli, Daniel, B.Smith, Treloar, Macrae, Liberatore, Dale
Nil		Injuries	Nil

References

1. "Lockdown extended, curfew introduced as NSW records 644 COVID cases and four deaths". ABC News. 20 August 2021. Retrieved 23 August 2024.
2. "AFL rewards Tasmania with right to host maiden finals games". The New Daily. 22 August 2021. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
3. "Finals ticket freeze: AFL locks in prices for first two weeks". afl.com.au. Retrieved 22 August 2021.
4. "Adelaide Oval capacity pushed to 50% for Port Adelaide's Preliminary Final". The Global Herald. 4 September 2021. Retrieved 6 September 2021.
5. Hutchinson, Col; Rodgers, Stephen (1 August 2010). "The final 8 system explained". Australian Football League . Telstra Media. Archived from the original on 10 August 2014. Retrieved 8 September 2014.
6. Cherny, Daniel (31 August 2021). "Toby Greene verdict LIVE updates: AFL unhappy as GWS star banned for three matches". The Age. Retrieved 31 August 2021.
7. "'Not a good look for the game': Toby Greene banned for three games over umpire bump". ABC News. 31 August 2021. Retrieved 31 August 2021.
8. "AFL to confirm historic Perth Grand Final with finals bye to enable week of major events". Fox Sports . Fox Sports. 30 August 2021. Retrieved 30 August 2021.
9. "Traditional AFL grand final street parade ruled out as league confirms game time". ABC News. 7 September 2021.
10. "Unbelievable emotion after 57 years: Goodwin". melbournefc.com.au. Retrieved 28 September 2021.

External links

• Sports portal
• Australia portal

• AFL finals series official website