# 2023 AFL finals series

The 2023 Australian Football League finals series was the 127th annual edition of the VFL/AFL finals series, the Australian rules football playoff tournament staged to determine the winner of the 2023 AFL premiership season. The series was played over four weeks in September, and culminated in the 2023 AFL Grand Final, which saw Collingwood win its record-tying 16th premiership by 4 points over the Brisbane Lions.
The top eight teams from the 2023 AFL Premiership season qualify for the finals series. AFL finals series have been played under the current format since 2000.

## Qualification

In Round 23 of the 2023 AFL season, Melbourne's win over Hawthorn confirmed Collingwood, Brisbane Lions, Port Adelaide and Melbourne as the top 4, while Carlton sealed a finals appearance with a win over Gold Coast. The Western Bulldogs' shock loss to last-placed West Coast confirmed finals for St Kilda and Sydney, while in Round 24 Greater Western Sydney defeated Carlton to seal the last finals spot at the Bulldogs' expense.

### Ladder

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | L | D | PF | PA | PP | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Collingwood (P) | 23 | 18 | 5 | 0 | 2142 | 1687 | 127.0 | 72 | Finals series |
| 2 | Brisbane Lions | 23 | 17 | 6 | 0 | 2180 | 1771 | 123.1 | 68 | Finals series |
| 3 | Port Adelaide | 23 | 17 | 6 | 0 | 2149 | 1906 | 112.7 | 68 | Finals series |
| 4 | Melbourne | 23 | 16 | 7 | 0 | 2079 | 1660 | 125.2 | 64 | Finals series |
| 5 | Carlton | 23 | 13 | 9 | 1 | 1922 | 1697 | 113.3 | 54 | Finals series |
| 6 | St Kilda | 23 | 13 | 10 | 0 | 1775 | 1647 | 107.8 | 52 | Finals series |
| 7 | Greater Western Sydney | 23 | 13 | 10 | 0 | 2018 | 1885 | 107.1 | 52 | Finals series |
| 8 | Sydney | 23 | 12 | 10 | 1 | 2050 | 1863 | 110.0 | 50 | Finals series |
| 9 | Western Bulldogs | 23 | 12 | 11 | 0 | 1919 | 1766 | 108.7 | 48 | |
| 10 | Adelaide | 23 | 11 | 12 | 0 | 2193 | 1877 | 116.8 | 44 | |
| 11 | Essendon | 23 | 11 | 12 | 0 | 1838 | 2050 | 89.7 | 44 | |
| 12 | Geelong | 23 | 10 | 12 | 1 | 2088 | 1855 | 112.6 | 42 | |
| 13 | Richmond | 23 | 10 | 12 | 1 | 1856 | 1983 | 93.6 | 42 | |
| 14 | Fremantle | 23 | 10 | 13 | 0 | 1835 | 1898 | 96.7 | 40 | |
| 15 | Gold Coast | 23 | 9 | 14 | 0 | 1839 | 2006 | 91.7 | 36 | |
| 16 | Hawthorn | 23 | 7 | 16 | 0 | 1686 | 2101 | 80.2 | 28 | |
| 17 | North Melbourne | 23 | 3 | 20 | 0 | 1657 | 2318 | 71.5 | 12 | |
| 18 | West Coast | 23 | 3 | 20 | 0 | 1418 | 2674 | 53.0 | 12 | |

### Season notes

* Collingwood won the minor premiership for the first time since 2011.
* After winning the premiership the previous season, Geelong missed finals for the first time since 2015.
* Carlton reached the finals for the first time since 2013.

## Venues

| Melbourne | BrisbaneAdelaideMelbourne | Brisbane |
| Melbourne Cricket Ground | BrisbaneAdelaideMelbourne | The Gabba |
| Capacity: 100,024 | BrisbaneAdelaideMelbourne | Capacity: 36,700 |
| Adelaide | BrisbaneAdelaideMelbourne |
| Adelaide Oval Capacity: 53,500 | BrisbaneAdelaideMelbourne |

## Matches

The system used for the 2023 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, and 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.
| Qualifying and elimination finals | Qualifying and elimination finals | Qualifying and elimination finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Preliminary finals | Preliminary finals | Preliminary finals | Grand final | Grand final | Grand final |
| First qualifying final: Sep 7, MCG | First qualifying final: Sep 7, MCG | First qualifying final: Sep 7, MCG | | | | | | | | | |
| 1 | Collingwood | 9.6 (60) | | | | | | | | | |
| 4 | Melbourne | 7.11 (53) | First semi-final: Sep 15, MCG | First semi-final: Sep 15, MCG | First semi-final: Sep 15, MCG | | | | |
| | | | Melbourne | Melbourne | 9.17 (71) | | | | |
| First elimination final: Sep 8, MCG | First elimination final: Sep 8, MCG | First elimination final: Sep 8, MCG | Carlton | Carlton | 11.7 (73) | First preliminary final: Sep 22, MCG | First preliminary final: Sep 22, MCG | First preliminary final: Sep 22, MCG | | | |
| 5 | Carlton | 11.8 (74) | | | | Collingwood | Collingwood | 8.10 (58) | |
| 8 | Sydney | 9.14 (68) | | | | Greater Western Sydney | Greater Western Sydney | 8.9 (57) | 2023 AFL Grand Final: Sep 30, MCG | 2023 AFL Grand Final: Sep 30, MCG | 2023 AFL Grand Final: Sep 30, MCG |
| | | | | | | | | | Collingwood | Collingwood | 12.18 (90) |
| Second elimination final: Sep 9, MCG | Second elimination final: Sep 9, MCG | Second elimination final: Sep 9, MCG | | | | Second preliminary final: Sep 23, Gabba | Second preliminary final: Sep 23, Gabba | Second preliminary final: Sep 23, Gabba | Brisbane Lions | Brisbane Lions | 13.8 (86) |
| 6 | St Kilda | 11.11 (77) | | | | Brisbane Lions | Brisbane Lions | 11.13 (79) | | |
| 7 | Greater Western Sydney | 15.11 (101) | Second semi-final: Sep 16, Adelaide Oval | Second semi-final: Sep 16, Adelaide Oval | Second semi-final: Sep 16, Adelaide Oval | Carlton | Carlton | 9.9 (63) | | |
| | | | Port Adelaide | Port Adelaide | 9.16 (70) | | | | | | |
| Second qualifying final: Sep 9, Gabba | Second qualifying final: Sep 9, Gabba | Second qualifying final: Sep 9, Gabba | Greater Western Sydney | Greater Western Sydney | 13.15 (93) | | | | | |
| 2 | Brisbane Lions | 19.9 (123) | | | | | | | | | |
| 3 | Port Adelaide | 11.9 (75) | | | | | | | | |

## Finals series
### Week one – Qualifying and Elimination Finals
#### First Qualifying Final (Collingwood vs Melbourne)

The first qualifying final saw first-placed Collingwood face fourth-placed Melbourne, the twenty-third final between the two sides and the first since the 1989 elimination final.

##### Scorecard

| | First Qualifying Final | First Qualifying Final | First Qualifying Final | | |
| Thursday, 7 September (7:20 pm) | Collingwood | def. | Melbourne | MCG (crowd: 92,636) | Report |
| | 4.2 (26) 5.3 (33) 9.4 (58) 9.6 (60) | Q1 Q2 Q3 Final | 1.0 (6) 2.4 (16) 4.9 (33) 7.11 (53) | Television broadcast: Seven Network, Fox Footy (simulcast) | Television broadcast: Seven Network, Fox Footy (simulcast) |

#### First Elimination Final (Carlton vs Sydney)

The first elimination final saw fifth-placed Carlton face eighth-placed Sydney, the twelfth final between the two sides and the first since the 2013 first semi final.

##### Scorecard

| | First Elimination Final | First Elimination Final | First Elimination Final | | |
| Friday, 8 September (7:50 pm) | Carlton | def. | Sydney | MCG (crowd: 92,026) | Report |
| | 3.2 (20) 7.5 (47) 10.6 (66) 11.8 (74) | Q1 Q2 Q3 Final | 1.5 (11) 2.6 (18) 7.9 (51) 9.14 (68) | Television broadcast: Seven Network, Fox Footy (simulcast) | Television broadcast: Seven Network, Fox Footy (simulcast) |

#### Second Elimination Final (St Kilda vs Greater Western Sydney)

The second elimination final saw sixth placed St Kilda take on seventh placed Greater Western Sydney. This was the first meeting between the two sides in a finals series match.

##### Scorecard

| | Second Elimination Final | Second Elimination Final | Second Elimination Final | | |
| Saturday, 9 September (3:20 pm) | St Kilda | def. by | Greater Western Sydney | MCG (crowd: 68,465) | Report |
| | 2.3 (15) 6.6 (42) 9.8 (62) 11.11 (77) | Q1 Q2 Q3 Final | 5.3 (33) 10.5 (65) 13.9 (87) 15.11 (101) | Television broadcast: Seven Network, Fox Footy (simulcast) | Television broadcast: Seven Network, Fox Footy (simulcast) |

#### Second Qualifying Final (Brisbane vs Port Adelaide)

The second qualifying final saw the second-placing Brisbane Lions face third-placing Port Adelaide, the fourth final between the two sides and the first since the 2004 AFL Grand Final. Brisbane Lions and Port Adelaide also previously met in the 2001 qualifying final and the 2002 preliminary final.

##### Scorecard

| | Second Qualifying Final | Second Qualifying Final | Second Qualifying Final | | |
| Saturday, 9 September (7:25 pm) | Brisbane Lions | def. | Port Adelaide | The Gabba (crowd: 36,020) | Report |
| | 3.3 (21) 8.4 (52) 16.5 (101) 19.9 (123) | Q1 Q2 Q3 Final | 1.4 (10) 5.6 (36) 9.9 (63) 11.9 (75) | Television broadcast: Seven Network, Fox Footy (simulcast) | Television broadcast: Seven Network, Fox Footy (simulcast) |

### Week two – Semi-Finals
#### First Semi-Final (Melbourne vs Carlton)

The first semi-final saw Melbourne host Carlton. This was the ninth final contested between the two teams and the first since 2000, when Melbourne defeated Carlton in a qualifying final. They had previously played in five semi-finals (1915, 1936, 1941, 1959 and 1962), a preliminary final in 1988 and a qualifying final in 1994.

##### Scorecard

| | First Semi-Final | First Semi-Final | First Semi-Final | | |
| Friday, 15 September (7:50 pm) | Melbourne | def. by | Carlton | MCG (crowd: 96,412) | Report |
| | 3.3 (21) 4.7 (31) 7.11 (53) 9.17 (71) | Q1 Q2 Q3 Final | 2.2 (14) 5.3 (33) 7.5 (47) 11.7 (73) | Television broadcast: Seven Network, Fox Footy (simulcast) | Television broadcast: Seven Network, Fox Footy (simulcast) |

#### Second Semi-Final (Port Adelaide vs Greater Western Sydney)

This was the first meeting between Port Adelaide and Greater Western Sydney in a finals series match.

##### Scorecard

| | Second Semi-Final | Second Semi-Final | Second Semi-Final | | |
| Saturday, 16 September (7:10 pm) | Port Adelaide | def. by | Greater Western Sydney | Adelaide Oval (crowd: 45,520) | Report |
| | 4.1 (25) 5.6 (31) 8.7 (55) 9.16 (70) | Q1 Q2 Q3 Final | 4.4 (28) 9.11 (65) 11.15 (81) 13.15 (93) | Television broadcast: Seven Network, Fox Footy (simulcast) | Television broadcast: Seven Network, Fox Footy (simulcast) |

### Week three – Preliminary Finals
#### First Preliminary Final (Collingwood vs Greater Western Sydney)

This was the third meeting in the Finals between Collingwood and Greater Western Sydney after the 2018 semi-final (won by Collingwood) and the 2019 preliminary final (won by Greater Western Sydney).

##### Scorecard

| | First Preliminary Final | First Preliminary Final | First Preliminary Final | | |
| Friday, 22 September (7:50 pm) | Collingwood | def. | Greater Western Sydney | MCG (crowd: 97,665) | Report |
| | 2.2 (14) 2.6 (18) 7.7 (49) 8.10 (58) | Q1 Q2 Q3 Final | 0.3 (3) 4.4 (28) 6.9 (45) 8.9 (57) | Television broadcast: Seven Network, Fox Footy (simulcast) | Television broadcast: Seven Network, Fox Footy (simulcast) |

#### Second Preliminary Final (Brisbane vs Carlton)

This was the fourth time Brisbane Lions and Carlton meet in the finals; they have previously contested one qualifying final in 1999 (won by the Lions) and two semi-finals in 2000 and 2009 (respectively won by the Blues and the Lions).

##### Scorecard

| | Second Preliminary Final | Second Preliminary Final | Second Preliminary Final | | |
| Saturday, 23 September (5:15 pm) | Brisbane Lions | def. | Carlton | The Gabba (crowd: 36,012) | Report |
| | 1.2 (8) 6.6 (42) 9.9 (63) 11.13 (79) | Q1 Q2 Q3 Final | 5.1 (31) 6.3 (39) 6.7 (43) 9.9 (63) | Television broadcast: Seven Network, Fox Footy (simulcast) | Television broadcast: Seven Network, Fox Footy (simulcast) |

### Week four – Grand Final

This was the third time that Brisbane and Collingwood faced off in the Grand Final, after the 2002 and 2003 Grand Finals, both won by Brisbane. Collingwood won the Grand Final by 4 points and equalled the record of 16 premierships with Carlton and Essendon.
| | Grand Final | Grand Final | Grand Final | | |
| Saturday, 30 September (2:30 pm) | Collingwood | def. | Brisbane Lions | Melbourne Cricket Ground (crowd: 100,024) | Report |
| | 4.4 (28) 9.9 (63) 10.15 (75) 12.18 (90) | Q1 Q2 Q3 Final | 3.0 (18) 9.3 (57) 11.5 (71) 13.8 (86) | Umpires: Stevic, Gavine, Meredith, Findlay Norm Smith Medal: Bobby Hill Television broadcast: Seven Network National anthem: Kate Miller-Heidke | Umpires: Stevic, Gavine, Meredith, Findlay Norm Smith Medal: Bobby Hill Television broadcast: Seven Network National anthem: Kate Miller-Heidke |
| Hill 4, Crisp 2, De Goey 2, N. Daicos, Mihocek, Pendlebury, Sidebottom | Hill 4, Crisp 2, De Goey 2, N. Daicos, Mihocek, Pendlebury, Sidebottom | Goals | Cameron 3, Daniher 3, Bailey 2, McCarthy 2, McCluggage 2, Robertson | Cameron 3, Daniher 3, Bailey 2, McCarthy 2, McCluggage 2, Robertson |
| Hill, N. Daicos, Crisp, Howe, Mitchell, Pendlebury | Hill, N. Daicos, Crisp, Howe, Mitchell, Pendlebury | Best | McCluggage, Daniher, Coleman, Andrews, Bailey, Cameron | McCluggage, Daniher, Coleman, Andrews, Bailey, Cameron |
| Murphy (concussion) | Murphy (concussion) | Injuries | | |
| Collingwood's 16th VFL/AFL premiership, tying Carlton and Essendon's joint record. ||||||