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2014 AFL finals series
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2014 AFL finals series
The 2014 Australian Football League finals series is the 118th annual edition of the VFL/AFL final series, the Australian rules football tournament staged to determine the winner of the 2014 AFL Premiership Season. The series ran over four weekends in September 2014, and culminated with the 2014 AFL Grand Final at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on 27 September 2014.
The top eight teams from the season qualified for the finals series. AFL final series have been played under the current format since 2000. Hawthorn won the premiership after defeating Sydney in the Grand Final. Port Adelaide and North Melbourne both reached the preliminary finals after finishing outside the top four, and top-four finishers Fremantle and Geelong were eliminated at the semi-finals stage. Richmond and Essendon lost their respective elimination finals.
Reigning premiers Hawthorn appeared in their fifth straight finals appearance, finishing second on the ladder. In the previous year's final series, Hawthorn defeated Fremantle in the Grand Final to claim their 11th premiership. Sydney also qualified for their fifth straight finals appearance after becoming minor premiers of the 2014 season. Geelong qualified third, appearing in their eighth straight finals series. Fremantle finished fourth, appearing in their third straight finals, after defeating Port Adelaide in the final round of the season. Port Adelaide were fifth on the ladder after being on top midway through the season. North Melbourne qualified as sixth for their first finals since 2012. Essendon finished seventh for their first finals appearance since 2011. Richmond qualified eighth for their second straight appearance at the finals; the club won its last nine matches of the season, recovering from a win–loss record of 3–10 to reach the finals, a feat never achieved before.
At the end of the second-last round of the 2014 season, the top seven teams had secured their qualification into the finals series; only eighth place was undecided. Richmond held eighth place by percentage from Collingwood with 44 premiership points; West Coast (tenth) and Adelaide (eleventh) had 40 points, but a superior percentage to either Richmond or Collingwood. Richmond could secure its finals place with a win, and the other teams need to win and see all clubs above them lose to qualify. Despite wins by West Coast over Gold Coast and Adelaide over St Kilda, Richmond recorded an upset win over minor premiers Sydney, securing their spot within the final eight.
The matches of the 2014 AFL finals series were contested at four venues. The Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), the home ground of Hawthorn, hosted five of the series' nine matches, including the Grand Final. ANZ Stadium hosted both the first qualifying final and the first preliminary final of the series, which were both hosted by Sydney, who are contracted to play at ANZ for their finals games instead of their usual home ground, the Sydney Cricket Ground, until 2016. Adelaide Oval hosted the first elimination final between Port Adelaide and Richmond, its first VFL/AFL finals match. Patersons Stadium held one match during the finals series, playing host to Fremantle's semi final game against Port Adelaide.
The system used for the 2014 AFL finals series is a final eight system. The top four teams in the eight receive 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 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 – only the winners survive and move on to the next week. Home-state advantage goes to the team with the higher ladder position in the first two weeks, to the qualifying final winners in the third week.
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.
The opening match of the 2014 finals series featured reigning premiers and second-placed Hawthorn and third-placed Geelong. Though both teams finished level on premiership points (68 apiece), Hawthorn had a far superior percentage, 140.8%, to Geelong's 113.8%. Hawthorn was heavily favoured to account for their modern-day rivals.
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2014 AFL finals series
The 2014 Australian Football League finals series is the 118th annual edition of the VFL/AFL final series, the Australian rules football tournament staged to determine the winner of the 2014 AFL Premiership Season. The series ran over four weekends in September 2014, and culminated with the 2014 AFL Grand Final at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on 27 September 2014.
The top eight teams from the season qualified for the finals series. AFL final series have been played under the current format since 2000. Hawthorn won the premiership after defeating Sydney in the Grand Final. Port Adelaide and North Melbourne both reached the preliminary finals after finishing outside the top four, and top-four finishers Fremantle and Geelong were eliminated at the semi-finals stage. Richmond and Essendon lost their respective elimination finals.
Reigning premiers Hawthorn appeared in their fifth straight finals appearance, finishing second on the ladder. In the previous year's final series, Hawthorn defeated Fremantle in the Grand Final to claim their 11th premiership. Sydney also qualified for their fifth straight finals appearance after becoming minor premiers of the 2014 season. Geelong qualified third, appearing in their eighth straight finals series. Fremantle finished fourth, appearing in their third straight finals, after defeating Port Adelaide in the final round of the season. Port Adelaide were fifth on the ladder after being on top midway through the season. North Melbourne qualified as sixth for their first finals since 2012. Essendon finished seventh for their first finals appearance since 2011. Richmond qualified eighth for their second straight appearance at the finals; the club won its last nine matches of the season, recovering from a win–loss record of 3–10 to reach the finals, a feat never achieved before.
At the end of the second-last round of the 2014 season, the top seven teams had secured their qualification into the finals series; only eighth place was undecided. Richmond held eighth place by percentage from Collingwood with 44 premiership points; West Coast (tenth) and Adelaide (eleventh) had 40 points, but a superior percentage to either Richmond or Collingwood. Richmond could secure its finals place with a win, and the other teams need to win and see all clubs above them lose to qualify. Despite wins by West Coast over Gold Coast and Adelaide over St Kilda, Richmond recorded an upset win over minor premiers Sydney, securing their spot within the final eight.
The matches of the 2014 AFL finals series were contested at four venues. The Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), the home ground of Hawthorn, hosted five of the series' nine matches, including the Grand Final. ANZ Stadium hosted both the first qualifying final and the first preliminary final of the series, which were both hosted by Sydney, who are contracted to play at ANZ for their finals games instead of their usual home ground, the Sydney Cricket Ground, until 2016. Adelaide Oval hosted the first elimination final between Port Adelaide and Richmond, its first VFL/AFL finals match. Patersons Stadium held one match during the finals series, playing host to Fremantle's semi final game against Port Adelaide.
The system used for the 2014 AFL finals series is a final eight system. The top four teams in the eight receive 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 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 – only the winners survive and move on to the next week. Home-state advantage goes to the team with the higher ladder position in the first two weeks, to the qualifying final winners in the third week.
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.
The opening match of the 2014 finals series featured reigning premiers and second-placed Hawthorn and third-placed Geelong. Though both teams finished level on premiership points (68 apiece), Hawthorn had a far superior percentage, 140.8%, to Geelong's 113.8%. Hawthorn was heavily favoured to account for their modern-day rivals.