AFL Grand Final - Numbering of Grand Finals

Numbering of Grand Finals

The AFL officially gives its Grand Finals the same ordinal number as the season: e.g. the 1996 Grand Final was regarded as the 100th Grand Final, due to it being the 100th season. This is anachronistic to some extent:

  • There was no Grand Final match in two seasons, 1897 and 1924; the finals systems in use in those seasons allowed the premiership to be awarded after a round-robin finals tournament, without the need for a deciding match.
  • Under the Argus finals systems in use from 1902 to 1930, the "Grand Final" was a term given to a challenge match between the minor premiers and whichever team won the knock-out section of the finals. In the eight seasons where the minor premiers also won the knock-out phase, that club was awarded the premiership without need for a true Grand Final; in these cases, the last knock-out match is retrospectively considered to be the Grand Final.
  • There have been three Grand Final Replays played after drawn Grand Finals, in 1948, 1977 and 2010.

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