fbpx
Wikipedia

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.

2014 premiership season
Date5–27 September 2014
Teams8
PremiersHawthorn (12th premiership)
Runners-upSydney (16th grand final)
Minor premiersSydney (8th minor premiership)
Matches played9
Attendance570,568 (63,396 per match)
Highest attendance99,454 (Grand Final, Sydney vs. Hawthorn)
← 2013
2015 →

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.

Qualification

 
 
Hawthorn (left) qualified to defend their premiership title and Geelong (right) qualified for their eighth AFL finals series in a row.

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.[1]

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.[2] 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.[3]

Venues

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.[4] Adelaide Oval hosted the first elimination final between Port Adelaude and Richmond, its first VFL/AFL finals match.[5][6] Patersons Stadium held one match during the finals series, playing host to Fremantle's semi final game against Port Adelaide.[7]

Melbourne Sydney
Melbourne Cricket Ground ANZ Stadium
Capacity: 100,024 Capacity: 82,500
   
Adelaide Perth
Adelaide Oval Patersons Stadium
Capacity: 53,583 Capacity: 43,500
   

Matches

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.[8]

Qualifying and elimination finalsSemi-finalsPreliminary finalsGrand final
6 Sep, ANZ Stadium
1Sydney13.15 (93)
4Fremantle10.9 (69)
Fremantle11.17 (83)
7 Sep, Adelaide OvalPort Adelaide15.15 (105)19 Sep, ANZ Stadium
5Port Adelaide20.12 (132)Sydney19.22 (136)
8Richmond11.9 (75)North Melbourne9.11 (65)27 Sep, MCG
Sydney11.8 (74)
6 Sep, MCG20 Sep, MCGHawthorn21.11 (137)
6North Melbourne14.9 (93)Hawthorn15.7 (97)
7Essendon12.9 (81)12 Sep, MCGPort Adelaide13.16 (94)
Geelong13.14 (92)
5 Sep, MCGNorth Melbourne14.14 (98)
2Hawthorn15.14 (104)
3Geelong10.8 (68)

Week one (qualifying and elimination finals)

Second qualifying final (Hawthorn vs. Geelong)

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.[9]

Geelong scored the first two goals of the game, before the Hawks controlled general possession and momentum for much of the remaining first half. A late recovery in the second quarter saw Geelong overcome a 14-point deficit, resulting in scores being tied at 41-41 at half time. Hawthorn outran the Cats in the third quarter, with midfielder Sam Mitchell and half-back sweeper Luke Hodge winning the contested ball and setting up the four goals Hawthorn kicked in that quarter. Geelong remained in touch, kicking two goals to close the deficit to 14 points at three-quarter-time. The Hawks ran away with a comfortable win in the last term, with goals to Roughead, Gunston and Lewis seeing Hawthorn progress to a home preliminary final and a 36-point win. Despite beating Geelong in the disposal count 387-331, Hawthorn had 22 more tackles than their opponents.[10][11]

Scorecard
Second qualifying final
Friday, 5 September (7.50 pm) Hawthorn def. Geelong MCG (crowd: 74,753)
3.4 (22)
6.5 (41)
10.8 (68)
 15.14 (104)
Q1
Q2
Q3
 Final
2.1 (13)
6.5 (41)
8.6 (54)
 10.8 (68)
Umpires: Mathew Nicholls, Ray Chamberlain, Troy Pannell
Television broadcast: Seven Network,
Fox Footy (simulcast)
3: Gunston, Lewis
2: Puopolo, Roughead
1: Smith, Hale, Hodge, Breust, Langford
Goals 3: Selwood
2: Bartel
1: Murdoch, Walker, Hawkins, Blicavs, Johnson
Mitchell, Gunston, Hill, Smith, Lake, Birchall, Burgoyne, Puopolo Best Selwood, Bartel, Stokes, Varcoe, Horlin-Smith, Guthrie

First qualifying final (Sydney vs. Fremantle)

en The first qualifying final was fixtured for minor premiers the Sydney Swans. The match was only the second occasion that Fremantle and Sydney competed at ANZ Stadium, the previous meeting at the venue coming in the 2006 Preliminary Final.[12]

The Swans welcomed back a host of premiership players from injury/rest prior to the match, with marquee players Josh Kennedy and Lance Franklin the most obvious of inclusions.[13] Fremantle was forced to omit key defender Michael Johnson due to a back injury. Sydney maintained a slight advantage on the scoreboard for much of the afternoon, though the match was dominated by large patches of no major scores, the longest of which coming for over 20 minutes in the second quarter.

The Swans won the tackle count, disposal count, inside 50's and clearances in the third quarter, and kicked four goals to one to achieve a 22-point lead at the final break. Fremantle fought back in the final quarter, and Pavlich's fourth goal brought the deficit to less than ten points, but two goals from Sydney forward Lance Franklin from difficult angles and distances saw the Swans steady to record a 24-point win. Ben McGlynn finished the match with three goals for Sydney.[14]

External video
  Lance Franklin's two final quarter goals in the first qualifying final v. Fremantle

Aside from Franklin's efforts in the final quarter, the Swans were served ably by the midfield efficiency of Luke Parker (32 disposals) and Dan Hannebery (27 disposals), narrowly shading Fremantle's Nat Fyfe and Michael Barlow. Most of the key statistical indicators by the end of the game were relatively even.[15]

Scorecard
First qualifying final
Saturday, 6 September (2:45 pm) Sydney def. Fremantle ANZ Stadium (crowd: 35,998)
3.4 (22)
5.8 (38)
9.10 (64)
 13.15 (93)
Q1
Q2
Q3
 Final
3.1 (19)
5.3 (33)
6.6 (42)
 10.9 (69)
Umpires: Brett Rosebury, Simon Meredith, Justin Schmitt
Television broadcast: Seven Network,
Fox Footy (simulcast)
3: Franklin, McGlynn
1: Jack, Jetta, Goodes, Hannebery, Parker, Pyke, Tippett
Goals 4: Pavlich
2: Mzungu
1: Walters, Mundy, Sutcliffe
McGlynn, McVeigh, Hannebery, Parker, Jetta, Kennedy Best Pavlich, Barlow, Fyfe, Mzungu, Neale, Sandilands, Silvagni
Malceski (hamstring) Injuries

Second elimination final (North Melbourne vs. Essendon)

The second elimination final was contested between North Melbourne and Essendon. The match took place on the night of 6 September 2014, at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

A ferocious contest for much of the night, North Melbourne trailed by 27 points at half-time before fighting back to bring the margin to 9 points at three-quarter time. In the final few minutes of the final quarter, North Melbourne trailed by one point, before goals the otherwise quiet key forward Drew Petrie and small forward Lindsay Thomas gave the team an eleven-point lead. From there, North Melbourne staved off repeated Essendon forward 50 entries in the last two minutes, to record a 12-point victory. North Melbourne's Ben Brown, in just his tenth AFL game, kicked four goals. The win was North Melbourne's first in a finals series since 2007, when the Kangaroos reached a preliminary final; it extended Essendon's losing streak in finals to thirteen years. The attendance of 78,559 was the highest at a North Melbourne game since the 1999 AFL Grand Final.[16][17][18][19][20][21][22]

Scorecard
Second elimination final
Saturday, 6 September (7.15 pm) North Melbourne def. Essendon MCG (crowd: 78,559)
2.3 (15)
2.4 (16)
9.5 (59)
 14.9 (93)
Q1
Q2
Q3
 Final
2.4 (16)
6.7 (43)
10.8 (68)
 12.9 (81)
Umpires: Findlay, Donlon, Margetts
Television broadcast: Seven Network,
Fox Footy (simulcast)
4: Brown
3: Thomas
2: Petrie
1: Cunnington, Gibson, Dal Santo, Greenwood, Ziebell
Goals 4: Daniher
2: Chapman, Colyer
1: Bellchambers, Ryder, Goddard, Howlett
Wells, Brown, Greenwood, Gibson, Cunnington, Thompson Best Heppell, Chapman, Watson, Daniher, Colyer, Hurley
Greenwood (rough conduct) Reports

First elimination final (Port Adelaide vs. Richmond)

 
The newly renovated Adelaide Oval played host to the high-scoring final between Port Adelaide and Richmond. Port Adelaide comfortably won by a margin of 57 points.

The first elimination final of the 2014 AFL finals series was contested between Port Adelaide and Richmond. The match marked the first time an AFL finals match was held at Adelaide Oval. Both teams alternate guernseys for the match: Port Adelaide their traditional black and white 'prison bar guernsey', and Richmond their clash strip featuring extra yellow.

Port Adelaide started the match with seven unanswered goals by Justin Westhoff, Jay Schulz, Travis Boak, Matthew White, Jared Polec, Wines and Jake Neade, within the first eighteen minutes of the game. The score was 43–0 before Reece Conca scored the Tigers' only goal of the first quarter in the 21st minute. Port Adelaide was never threatened from there, and led by 69 points at half-time, and by a game-high 81 points early in the third quarter. Richmond won the final quarter, and the final margin was 57 points.[23][24] The loss was Richmond's second in an elimination final in two years.

Scorecard
First elimination final
Sunday, 7 September (2:50pm) Port Adelaide def. Richmond Adelaide Oval (crowd: 50,618)
8.1 (49)
14.5 (89)
19.8 (122)
 20.12 (132)
Q1
Q2
Q3
 Final
1.1 (7)
3.2 (20)
6.5 (41)
 11.9 (75)
Umpires: Farmer, Stevic, Mitchell
Television broadcast: Seven Network,
Fox Footy (simulcast)
3: Neade
2: Ebert, Monfries, Polec, Schulz, Westhoff, Wines, Wingard
1: Boak, Gray, White
Goals 3: Jack Riewoldt
2: Gordon
1: Conca, Deledio, Edwards, Griffiths, Grigg, Maric
Boak, Westhoff, Neade, Carlile, Gray, Wingard Best Miles, Deledio, Maric, Cotchin
White (jaw) Injuries Foley (nose)

Week two (semi-finals)

Second semi-final (Geelong vs. North Melbourne)

The opening match of the semi finals stage of the finals series featured Geelong and North Melbourne. Geelong omitted Steve Johnson due to a chronic foot injury in the week. The Cats were regarded as slight favourites to progress to a seventh preliminary final in eight seasons.[25]

Lindsay Thomas and Drew Petrie kicking four goals between them in the opening quarter as the Kangaroos' efficiency forward of centre caused concerns for the Cats. In the second quarter, Geelong failed to restrict North Melbourne's uncontested possession game-style, and key position forward Tom Hawkins was well held by his direct opponent.[who?] The Cats finished the second quarter goalless, and Nick Dal Santo led a dominant North Melbourne midfield to a 24-point lead at half time.[26] Goals were traded for much of the third and fourth quarters, with Geelong's Joel Selwood and Josh Caddy the best of the Geelong midfield. The two teams entered the final break in an identical position to half time: a 24-point North Melbourne lead, and two early goals to Jack Ziebell stretched North Melbourne's lead to a game high 32 points at the 14 minute mark of the final quarter.

Geelong then adopted a quick game style and successfully isolated key forward Tom Hawkins forward of centre, and Hawkins kicked three goals in five minutes to narrow the margin to twelve points. With three minutes remaining, Jimmy Bartel snapped a goal from the forward pocket to reduce the margin to six points. From there, Geelong repeatedly attacked with long balls deep into their forward 50; the last such effort with 30 seconds remaining was interrupted by a game saving mark from North Melbourne ruckman Todd Goldstein, and North Melbourne held on to win by six points.[27]

North Melbourne's Drew Petrie finished with four goals, and Todd Goldstein who dominated the ruck contests for much of the game and gave his midfielders first use on successive occasions. North Melbourne's running-handball style of play was successfully employed for much of the night, with Kangaroos beating the Cats in uncontested possessions 230–152, a number that was significantly higher than the evenly matched amount of contested possessions.[28]

North Melbourne's six point win saw Geelong eliminated from the finals series, becoming the first team to bow out of a finals series in straight sets since West Coast in 2007.[29]

Scorecard
Second semi-final
Friday, 12 September (7:50pm) Geelong def. by North Melbourne MCG (crowd: 65,963)
5.1 (31)
5.6 (36)
8.9 (57)
 13.14 (92)
Q1
Q2
Q3
 Final
7.1 (43)
9.6 (60)
12.9 (81)
 14.14 (98)
Umpires: Nicholls, Meredith, Pannell
Television broadcast: Seven Network,
Fox Footy (simulcast)
5: Hawkins
3: Walker
1: Duncan, Caddy, Blicavs, Enright, Bartel
Goals 4: Petrie
3: Thomas
2: Ziebell
1: Turner, Goldstein, Harvey, Black, Dal Santo
Caddy, Hawkins, Selwood, Lonergan Best Dal Santo, Gibson, Goldstein, Petrie, Cunnington, McDonald
Rivers (calf) Injuries Macmillan (hamstring)

First semi-final (Fremantle vs. Port Adelaide)

Scorecard
First semi-final
Saturday, 13 September (5:45pm) Fremantle def. by Port Adelaide Patersons Stadium (crowd: 42,338)
3.5 (23)
6.11 (47)
8.13 (61)
 11.17 (83)
Q1
Q2
Q3
 Final
2.2 (14)
3.5 (23)
9.9 (63)
 15.15 (105)
Umpires: Matt Stevic, Dean Margetts, Justin Schmitt
Television broadcast: Seven Network,
Fox Footy (simulcast)
3: Walters
2: Barlow, Crozier, Fyfe
1: Sandilands
Goals 4: Gray, Wingard
3: Wines,
1: Monfries, Polec, Schulz, White
Fyfe, Neale, Walters, Mayne, Mundy, Sandilands Best Gray, Wines, Wingard, Hartlett, Carlile, Westhoff
Dawson (striking) Reports

Week three (preliminary finals)

First preliminary final (Sydney vs. North Melbourne)

First preliminary final
Friday, 19 September (7:50pm) Sydney def. North Melbourne ANZ Stadium (crowd: 48,029)
4.5 (29)
9.10 (64)
13.17 (95)
 19.22 (136)
Q1
Q2
Q3
 Final
1.2 (8)
4.4 (28)
6.7 (43)
 9.11 (65)
Umpires: Nicholls, Meredith, Pannell
Television broadcast: Seven Network,
Fox Footy (simulcast)
5: Franklin
4: Tippett
3: Parker, Goodes,
1: Jetta, Jack, McGlynn, Bird
Goals 3: Petrie
2: Brown
1: Goldstein, Greenwood, Harvey, Atley
Franklin, Parker, Kennedy, Rohan, Tippett, Cunningham, Jack, McGlynn Best Cunnington, Brown, Greenwood, Dal Santo
Reid (right knee) Injuries Thompson (corked hip)

Second preliminary final (Hawthorn vs. Port Adelaide)

Second preliminary final
Saturday, 20 September (4:45pm) Hawthorn def. Port Adelaide MCG (crowd: 74,856)
2.3 (15)
8.4 (52)
13.6 (84)
 15.7 (97)
Q1
Q2
Q3
 Final
3.9 (27)
5.11 (41)
8.13 (61)
 13.16 (94)
Umpires: Rosebury, Stevic, Schmitt
Television broadcast: Seven Network,
Fox Footy (simulcast)
6: Roughead
2: Gunston, Smith,
1: Hale, Langford, Suckling, Duryea, Hodge
Goals 4: Monfries
3: Gray
1: Neade, Wingard, Westhoff, Boak, Schulz, Polec
Roughead, Hodge, Mitchell, Langford, Smith, Hill, Stratton Best Boak, Ebert, Gray, Hombsch, Jonas, Monfries
Lewis (corked thigh) Injuries Hombsch (concussion)

Week four (Grand Final)

Grand Final
Saturday, 27 September (2:30 pm) Sydney def. by Hawthorn MCG (crowd: 99,454)
2.3 (15)
5.3 (33)
8.5 (53)
 11.8 (74)
Q1
Q2
Q3
 Final
5.5 (35)
11.9 (75)
16.11 (107)
 21.11 (137)
Umpires: Meredith, Nicholls, Sevic
Norm Smith Medal: Luke Hodge
Television broadcast: Seven Network
National anthem: Olivia Newton-John
4: Franklin
2: Goodes, Jack
1: Kennedy, Tippett
Goals 5: Roughead
3: Breust, Langford
2: Burgoyne, Gunston, Hodge
1: Hale, Hill, Puopolo, Suckling
Franklin, Malceski, Kennedy, Shaw, Goodes Best Hodge, Lewis, Mitchell, Roughead, Hill, Lake, Langford, Burgoyne
Jetta (concussion) Injuries


References

  1. ^ Connolly, Rohan (31 August 2014). "Richmond's climb up the ladder one for the record books". The Age. Retrieved 13 September 2014.
  2. ^ Staff writers (25 August 2014). "Six AFL finals-deciding matches in round 23". The Age. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 8 September 2014.
  3. ^ Wu, Andrew (30 August 2014). "Richmond Tigers beat Sydney Swans to reach back-to-back AFL finals". The Age. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 8 September 2014.
  4. ^ Conn, Malcolm (2 September 2014). "Kieren Jack says Sydney Swans home town advantage in finals more important than venue". The Daily Telegraph. News Corp Australia. Retrieved 8 September 2014.
  5. ^ Rucci, Michelangelo (1 September 2014). "Big rush for tickets to first Adelaide Oval AFL final between Port Adelaide and Richmond". Herald Sun. News Corp Australia. Retrieved 8 September 2014.
  6. ^ Nine News staff (1 September 2014). "Fans scramble for tickets ahead of first Adelaide Oval AFL final". Nine News. Ninemsn (Microsoft Corporation, Nine Entertainment Co.). Retrieved 8 September 2014.
  7. ^ Schmook, Nathan (7 September 2014). "Prices cut for Cats, Roos: Full ticketing information for finals week two". Australian Football League. Telstra Media. Retrieved 8 September 2014.
  8. ^ Hutchinson, Col; Rodgers, Stephen (1 August 2010). "The final 8 system explained". Australian Football League. Telstra Media. Retrieved 8 September 2014.
  9. ^ Hogan, Jesse (24 August 2014). "Second half stumbles hindering Cats' AFL premiership bid". The Age. Retrieved 13 September 2014.
  10. ^ McNicol, Adam (5 September 2014). . AFL.com.au. Archived from the original on 2 September 2014. Retrieved 13 September 2014.
  11. ^ AAP (5 September 2014). "Hawthorn beats Geelong by 36 points to reach AFL preliminary finals". ABC Grandstand. Retrieved 13 September 2014.
  12. ^ AAP (3 September 2014). "Dodgy ANZ Stadium surface does not worry Fremantle and coach Ross Lyon". The Age. Retrieved 13 September 2014.
  13. ^ AAP (4 September 2014). "AFL teams week 1". The Age. Retrieved 13 September 2014.
  14. ^ Dampeney, James (6 September 2014). . AFL.com.au. Archived from the original on 2 September 2014. Retrieved 13 September 2014.
  15. ^ Knox, Malcolm (6 September 2014). "Sydney Swans hound persistent Freo out of final". The Age. Retrieved 13 September 2014.
  16. ^ Australian Associated Press (6 September 2014). "North Melbourne stun Essendon with stirring comeback in elimination final". Guardian Australia. Guardian Media Group. Retrieved 6 September 2014.
  17. ^ Green, Warwick (6 September 2014). "North Melbourne defeats Essendon by 12 points in elimination final at the MCG". Herald Sun. News Corp Australia. Retrieved 6 September 2014.
  18. ^ ABC Grandstand staff (6 September 2014). "North Melbourne beats Essendon by 12 points at the MCG to earn semi-final matchup against Geelong". ABC Grandstand. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 6 September 2014.
  19. ^ Cherny, Daniel (6 September 2014). "AFL elimination final: North Melbourne v Essendon". The Age. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 6 September 2014.
  20. ^ Jones, Shane (6 September 2014). "[VIDEO] North Melbourne Kangaroos vs Essendon Bombers: AFL finals highlights, scores, blog". The Roar. Retrieved 6 September 2014.
  21. ^ Twomey, Callum (6 September 2014). . Australian Football League. Telstra Media. Archived from the original on 2 September 2014. Retrieved 7 September 2014.
  22. ^ McFarlane, Glenn (6 September 2014). "Brad Scott elated with North Melbourne's win over Essendon in elimination final at MCG". Herald Sun. News Corp Australia. Retrieved 7 September 2014.
  23. ^ Thring, Harry (7 September 2014). . Australian Football League. Telstra Media. Archived from the original on 2 September 2014. Retrieved 8 September 2014.
  24. ^ Jackson, Russell (7 September 2014). "Port Adelaide v Richmond: AFL finals – as it happened". Guardian Australia. Guardian Media Group. Retrieved 8 September 2014.
  25. ^ ABC Grandstand (11 September 2014). "Steve Johnson ruled out of Cats side for semi final against North Melbourne". AAP. Retrieved 13 September 2014.
  26. ^ Bowen, Nick (12 September 2014). . AFL.com.au. Archived from the original on 12 September 2014. Retrieved 13 September 2014.
  27. ^ Gleeson, Michael (12 September 2014). "Kangaroos pip Cats by six points to enter preliminary final". The Age. Retrieved 13 September 2014.
  28. ^ "GEE v NM: Finals Week 2: Match Stats". The Age. 13 September 2014. Retrieved 13 September 2014.
  29. ^ Bowen, Nick (13 September 2014). "Straight-sets exit will drive Cats, says disappointed Chris Scott". AFL.com.au. Retrieved 14 September 2014.

External links

  • AFL finals series official website

2014, finals, series, 2014, australian, football, league, finals, series, 118th, annual, edition, final, series, australian, rules, football, tournament, staged, determine, winner, 2014, premiership, season, series, over, four, weekends, september, 2014, culmi. 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 2014 premiership seasonDate5 27 September 2014Teams8PremiersHawthorn 12th premiership Runners upSydney 16th grand final Minor premiersSydney 8th minor premiership Matches played9Attendance570 568 63 396 per match Highest attendance99 454 Grand Final Sydney vs Hawthorn 20132015 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 Contents 1 Qualification 2 Venues 3 Matches 3 1 Week one qualifying and elimination finals 3 1 1 Second qualifying final Hawthorn vs Geelong 3 1 2 First qualifying final Sydney vs Fremantle 3 1 3 Second elimination final North Melbourne vs Essendon 3 1 4 First elimination final Port Adelaide vs Richmond 3 2 Week two semi finals 3 2 1 Second semi final Geelong vs North Melbourne 3 2 2 First semi final Fremantle vs Port Adelaide 3 3 Week three preliminary finals 3 3 1 First preliminary final Sydney vs North Melbourne 3 3 2 Second preliminary final Hawthorn vs Port Adelaide 3 4 Week four Grand Final 4 References 5 External linksQualification Edit Hawthorn left qualified to defend their premiership title and Geelong right qualified for their eighth AFL finals series in a row See also 2014 AFL season 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 1 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 2 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 3 2014 AFL season ladder top 10 Team W D L PF PA Pts1 Sydney 17 0 5 2126 1488 142 9 682 Hawthorn 17 0 5 2458 1746 140 8 683 Geelong 17 0 5 2033 1787 113 8 684 Fremantle 16 0 6 2029 1556 130 4 645 Port Adelaide 14 0 8 2180 1678 129 9 566 North Melbourne 14 0 8 2026 1731 117 567 Essendon 12 1 9 1828 1719 106 3 508 Richmond 12 0 10 1887 1784 105 8 489 West Coast 11 0 11 2045 1750 116 9 4410 Adelaide 11 0 11 2175 1907 114 1 44Venues EditThe 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 4 Adelaide Oval hosted the first elimination final between Port Adelaude and Richmond its first VFL AFL finals match 5 6 Patersons Stadium held one match during the finals series playing host to Fremantle s semi final game against Port Adelaide 7 Melbourne Sydney Perth Adelaide Melbourne SydneyMelbourne Cricket Ground ANZ StadiumCapacity 100 024 Capacity 82 500 Adelaide PerthAdelaide Oval Patersons StadiumCapacity 53 583 Capacity 43 500 Matches EditSee also AFL final eight system 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 8 Qualifying and elimination finalsSemi finalsPreliminary finalsGrand final6 Sep ANZ Stadium1Sydney13 15 93 4Fremantle10 9 69 Fremantle11 17 83 7 Sep Adelaide OvalPort Adelaide15 15 105 19 Sep ANZ Stadium5Port Adelaide20 12 132 Sydney19 22 136 8Richmond11 9 75 North Melbourne9 11 65 27 Sep MCGSydney11 8 74 6 Sep MCG20 Sep MCGHawthorn21 11 137 6North Melbourne14 9 93 Hawthorn15 7 97 7Essendon12 9 81 12 Sep MCGPort Adelaide13 16 94 Geelong13 14 92 5 Sep MCGNorth Melbourne14 14 98 2Hawthorn15 14 104 3Geelong10 8 68 Week one qualifying and elimination finals Edit Second qualifying final Hawthorn vs Geelong Edit 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 9 Geelong scored the first two goals of the game before the Hawks controlled general possession and momentum for much of the remaining first half A late recovery in the second quarter saw Geelong overcome a 14 point deficit resulting in scores being tied at 41 41 at half time Hawthorn outran the Cats in the third quarter with midfielder Sam Mitchell and half back sweeper Luke Hodge winning the contested ball and setting up the four goals Hawthorn kicked in that quarter Geelong remained in touch kicking two goals to close the deficit to 14 points at three quarter time The Hawks ran away with a comfortable win in the last term with goals to Roughead Gunston and Lewis seeing Hawthorn progress to a home preliminary final and a 36 point win Despite beating Geelong in the disposal count 387 331 Hawthorn had 22 more tackles than their opponents 10 11 ScorecardSecond qualifying finalFriday 5 September 7 50 pm Hawthorn def Geelong MCG crowd 74 753 Report3 4 22 6 5 41 10 8 68 15 14 104 Q1Q2Q3 Final 2 1 13 6 5 41 8 6 54 10 8 68 Umpires Mathew Nicholls Ray Chamberlain Troy Pannell Television broadcast Seven Network Fox Footy simulcast 3 Gunston Lewis 2 Puopolo Roughead 1 Smith Hale Hodge Breust Langford Goals 3 Selwood 2 Bartel 1 Murdoch Walker Hawkins Blicavs JohnsonMitchell Gunston Hill Smith Lake Birchall Burgoyne Puopolo Best Selwood Bartel Stokes Varcoe Horlin Smith GuthrieFirst qualifying final Sydney vs Fremantle Edit en The first qualifying final was fixtured for minor premiers the Sydney Swans The match was only the second occasion that Fremantle and Sydney competed at ANZ Stadium the previous meeting at the venue coming in the 2006 Preliminary Final 12 The Swans welcomed back a host of premiership players from injury rest prior to the match with marquee players Josh Kennedy and Lance Franklin the most obvious of inclusions 13 Fremantle was forced to omit key defender Michael Johnson due to a back injury Sydney maintained a slight advantage on the scoreboard for much of the afternoon though the match was dominated by large patches of no major scores the longest of which coming for over 20 minutes in the second quarter The Swans won the tackle count disposal count inside 50 s and clearances in the third quarter and kicked four goals to one to achieve a 22 point lead at the final break Fremantle fought back in the final quarter and Pavlich s fourth goal brought the deficit to less than ten points but two goals from Sydney forward Lance Franklin from difficult angles and distances saw the Swans steady to record a 24 point win Ben McGlynn finished the match with three goals for Sydney 14 External video Lance Franklin s two final quarter goals in the first qualifying final v FremantleAside from Franklin s efforts in the final quarter the Swans were served ably by the midfield efficiency of Luke Parker 32 disposals and Dan Hannebery 27 disposals narrowly shading Fremantle s Nat Fyfe and Michael Barlow Most of the key statistical indicators by the end of the game were relatively even 15 ScorecardFirst qualifying finalSaturday 6 September 2 45 pm Sydney def Fremantle ANZ Stadium crowd 35 998 3 4 22 5 8 38 9 10 64 13 15 93 Q1Q2Q3 Final 3 1 19 5 3 33 6 6 42 10 9 69 Umpires Brett Rosebury Simon Meredith Justin Schmitt Television broadcast Seven Network Fox Footy simulcast 3 Franklin McGlynn1 Jack Jetta Goodes Hannebery Parker Pyke Tippett Goals 4 Pavlich2 Mzungu1 Walters Mundy SutcliffeMcGlynn McVeigh Hannebery Parker Jetta Kennedy Best Pavlich Barlow Fyfe Mzungu Neale Sandilands SilvagniMalceski hamstring InjuriesSecond elimination final North Melbourne vs Essendon Edit The second elimination final was contested between North Melbourne and Essendon The match took place on the night of 6 September 2014 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground A ferocious contest for much of the night North Melbourne trailed by 27 points at half time before fighting back to bring the margin to 9 points at three quarter time In the final few minutes of the final quarter North Melbourne trailed by one point before goals the otherwise quiet key forward Drew Petrie and small forward Lindsay Thomas gave the team an eleven point lead From there North Melbourne staved off repeated Essendon forward 50 entries in the last two minutes to record a 12 point victory North Melbourne s Ben Brown in just his tenth AFL game kicked four goals The win was North Melbourne s first in a finals series since 2007 when the Kangaroos reached a preliminary final it extended Essendon s losing streak in finals to thirteen years The attendance of 78 559 was the highest at a North Melbourne game since the 1999 AFL Grand Final 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 ScorecardSecond elimination finalSaturday 6 September 7 15 pm North Melbourne def Essendon MCG crowd 78 559 Report2 3 15 2 4 16 9 5 59 14 9 93 Q1Q2Q3 Final 2 4 16 6 7 43 10 8 68 12 9 81 Umpires Findlay Donlon Margetts Television broadcast Seven Network Fox Footy simulcast 4 Brown3 Thomas2 Petrie1 Cunnington Gibson Dal Santo Greenwood Ziebell Goals 4 Daniher2 Chapman Colyer1 Bellchambers Ryder Goddard HowlettWells Brown Greenwood Gibson Cunnington Thompson Best Heppell Chapman Watson Daniher Colyer HurleyGreenwood rough conduct ReportsFirst elimination final Port Adelaide vs Richmond Edit The newly renovated Adelaide Oval played host to the high scoring final between Port Adelaide and Richmond Port Adelaide comfortably won by a margin of 57 points The first elimination final of the 2014 AFL finals series was contested between Port Adelaide and Richmond The match marked the first time an AFL finals match was held at Adelaide Oval Both teams alternate guernseys for the match Port Adelaide their traditional black and white prison bar guernsey and Richmond their clash strip featuring extra yellow Port Adelaide started the match with seven unanswered goals by Justin Westhoff Jay Schulz Travis Boak Matthew White Jared Polec Wines and Jake Neade within the first eighteen minutes of the game The score was 43 0 before Reece Conca scored the Tigers only goal of the first quarter in the 21st minute Port Adelaide was never threatened from there and led by 69 points at half time and by a game high 81 points early in the third quarter Richmond won the final quarter and the final margin was 57 points 23 24 The loss was Richmond s second in an elimination final in two years ScorecardFirst elimination finalSunday 7 September 2 50pm Port Adelaide def Richmond Adelaide Oval crowd 50 618 Report8 1 49 14 5 89 19 8 122 20 12 132 Q1Q2Q3 Final 1 1 7 3 2 20 6 5 41 11 9 75 Umpires Farmer Stevic Mitchell Television broadcast Seven Network Fox Footy simulcast 3 Neade2 Ebert Monfries Polec Schulz Westhoff Wines Wingard1 Boak Gray White Goals 3 Jack Riewoldt2 Gordon1 Conca Deledio Edwards Griffiths Grigg MaricBoak Westhoff Neade Carlile Gray Wingard Best Miles Deledio Maric CotchinWhite jaw Injuries Foley nose Week two semi finals Edit Second semi final Geelong vs North Melbourne Edit The opening match of the semi finals stage of the finals series featured Geelong and North Melbourne Geelong omitted Steve Johnson due to a chronic foot injury in the week The Cats were regarded as slight favourites to progress to a seventh preliminary final in eight seasons 25 Lindsay Thomas and Drew Petrie kicking four goals between them in the opening quarter as the Kangaroos efficiency forward of centre caused concerns for the Cats In the second quarter Geelong failed to restrict North Melbourne s uncontested possession game style and key position forward Tom Hawkins was well held by his direct opponent who The Cats finished the second quarter goalless and Nick Dal Santo led a dominant North Melbourne midfield to a 24 point lead at half time 26 Goals were traded for much of the third and fourth quarters with Geelong s Joel Selwood and Josh Caddy the best of the Geelong midfield The two teams entered the final break in an identical position to half time a 24 point North Melbourne lead and two early goals to Jack Ziebell stretched North Melbourne s lead to a game high 32 points at the 14 minute mark of the final quarter Geelong then adopted a quick game style and successfully isolated key forward Tom Hawkins forward of centre and Hawkins kicked three goals in five minutes to narrow the margin to twelve points With three minutes remaining Jimmy Bartel snapped a goal from the forward pocket to reduce the margin to six points From there Geelong repeatedly attacked with long balls deep into their forward 50 the last such effort with 30 seconds remaining was interrupted by a game saving mark from North Melbourne ruckman Todd Goldstein and North Melbourne held on to win by six points 27 North Melbourne s Drew Petrie finished with four goals and Todd Goldstein who dominated the ruck contests for much of the game and gave his midfielders first use on successive occasions North Melbourne s running handball style of play was successfully employed for much of the night with Kangaroos beating the Cats in uncontested possessions 230 152 a number that was significantly higher than the evenly matched amount of contested possessions 28 North Melbourne s six point win saw Geelong eliminated from the finals series becoming the first team to bow out of a finals series in straight sets since West Coast in 2007 29 ScorecardSecond semi finalFriday 12 September 7 50pm Geelong def by North Melbourne MCG crowd 65 963 Report5 1 31 5 6 36 8 9 57 13 14 92 Q1Q2Q3 Final 7 1 43 9 6 60 12 9 81 14 14 98 Umpires Nicholls Meredith Pannell Television broadcast Seven Network Fox Footy simulcast 5 Hawkins 3 Walker 1 Duncan Caddy Blicavs Enright Bartel Goals 4 Petrie 3 Thomas 2 Ziebell 1 Turner Goldstein Harvey Black Dal SantoCaddy Hawkins Selwood Lonergan Best Dal Santo Gibson Goldstein Petrie Cunnington McDonaldRivers calf Injuries Macmillan hamstring First semi final Fremantle vs Port Adelaide Edit ScorecardFirst semi finalSaturday 13 September 5 45pm Fremantle def by Port Adelaide Patersons Stadium crowd 42 338 Report3 5 23 6 11 47 8 13 61 11 17 83 Q1Q2Q3 Final 2 2 14 3 5 23 9 9 63 15 15 105 Umpires Matt Stevic Dean Margetts Justin Schmitt Television broadcast Seven Network Fox Footy simulcast 3 Walters2 Barlow Crozier Fyfe1 Sandilands Goals 4 Gray Wingard3 Wines 1 Monfries Polec Schulz WhiteFyfe Neale Walters Mayne Mundy Sandilands Best Gray Wines Wingard Hartlett Carlile WesthoffDawson striking ReportsWeek three preliminary finals Edit First preliminary final Sydney vs North Melbourne Edit First preliminary finalFriday 19 September 7 50pm Sydney def North Melbourne ANZ Stadium crowd 48 029 Report4 5 29 9 10 64 13 17 95 19 22 136 Q1Q2Q3 Final 1 2 8 4 4 28 6 7 43 9 11 65 Umpires Nicholls Meredith Pannell Television broadcast Seven Network Fox Footy simulcast 5 Franklin 4 Tippett 3 Parker Goodes 1 Jetta Jack McGlynn Bird Goals 3 Petrie 2 Brown 1 Goldstein Greenwood Harvey AtleyFranklin Parker Kennedy Rohan Tippett Cunningham Jack McGlynn Best Cunnington Brown Greenwood Dal SantoReid right knee Injuries Thompson corked hip Second preliminary final Hawthorn vs Port Adelaide Edit Second preliminary finalSaturday 20 September 4 45pm Hawthorn def Port Adelaide MCG crowd 74 856 Report2 3 15 8 4 52 13 6 84 15 7 97 Q1Q2Q3 Final 3 9 27 5 11 41 8 13 61 13 16 94 Umpires Rosebury Stevic Schmitt Television broadcast Seven Network Fox Footy simulcast 6 Roughead 2 Gunston Smith 1 Hale Langford Suckling Duryea Hodge Goals 4 Monfries 3 Gray 1 Neade Wingard Westhoff Boak Schulz PolecRoughead Hodge Mitchell Langford Smith Hill Stratton Best Boak Ebert Gray Hombsch Jonas MonfriesLewis corked thigh Injuries Hombsch concussion Week four Grand Final Edit Main article 2014 AFL Grand Final Grand FinalSaturday 27 September 2 30 pm Sydney def by Hawthorn MCG crowd 99 454 Report2 3 15 5 3 33 8 5 53 11 8 74 Q1Q2Q3 Final 5 5 35 11 9 75 16 11 107 21 11 137 Umpires Meredith Nicholls Sevic Norm Smith Medal Luke Hodge Television broadcast Seven Network National anthem Olivia Newton John4 Franklin2 Goodes Jack1 Kennedy Tippett Goals 5 Roughead3 Breust Langford2 Burgoyne Gunston Hodge1 Hale Hill Puopolo SucklingFranklin Malceski Kennedy Shaw Goodes Best Hodge Lewis Mitchell Roughead Hill Lake Langford BurgoyneJetta concussion InjuriesReferences Edit Connolly Rohan 31 August 2014 Richmond s climb up the ladder one for the record books The Age Retrieved 13 September 2014 Staff writers 25 August 2014 Six AFL finals deciding matches in round 23 The Age Fairfax Media Retrieved 8 September 2014 Wu Andrew 30 August 2014 Richmond Tigers beat Sydney Swans to reach back to back AFL finals The Age Fairfax Media Retrieved 8 September 2014 Conn Malcolm 2 September 2014 Kieren Jack says Sydney Swans home town advantage in finals more important than venue The Daily Telegraph News Corp Australia Retrieved 8 September 2014 Rucci Michelangelo 1 September 2014 Big rush for tickets to first Adelaide Oval AFL final between Port Adelaide and Richmond Herald Sun News Corp Australia Retrieved 8 September 2014 Nine News staff 1 September 2014 Fans scramble for tickets ahead of first Adelaide Oval AFL final Nine News Ninemsn Microsoft Corporation Nine Entertainment Co Retrieved 8 September 2014 Schmook Nathan 7 September 2014 Prices cut for Cats Roos Full ticketing information for finals week two Australian Football League Telstra Media Retrieved 8 September 2014 Hutchinson Col Rodgers Stephen 1 August 2010 The final 8 system explained Australian Football League Telstra Media Retrieved 8 September 2014 Hogan Jesse 24 August 2014 Second half stumbles hindering Cats AFL premiership bid The Age Retrieved 13 September 2014 McNicol Adam 5 September 2014 Hawks late surge sees off persistent Cats AFL com au Archived from the original on 2 September 2014 Retrieved 13 September 2014 AAP 5 September 2014 Hawthorn beats Geelong by 36 points to reach AFL preliminary finals ABC Grandstand Retrieved 13 September 2014 AAP 3 September 2014 Dodgy ANZ Stadium surface does not worry Fremantle and coach Ross Lyon The Age Retrieved 13 September 2014 AAP 4 September 2014 AFL teams week 1 The Age Retrieved 13 September 2014 Dampeney James 6 September 2014 Buddy burst helps Swans to dogged win over Freo in the wet AFL com au Archived from the original on 2 September 2014 Retrieved 13 September 2014 Knox Malcolm 6 September 2014 Sydney Swans hound persistent Freo out of final The Age Retrieved 13 September 2014 Australian Associated Press 6 September 2014 North Melbourne stun Essendon with stirring comeback in elimination final Guardian Australia Guardian Media Group Retrieved 6 September 2014 Green Warwick 6 September 2014 North Melbourne defeats Essendon by 12 points in elimination final at the MCG Herald Sun News Corp Australia Retrieved 6 September 2014 ABC Grandstand staff 6 September 2014 North Melbourne beats Essendon by 12 points at the MCG to earn semi final matchup against Geelong ABC Grandstand Australian Broadcasting Corporation Retrieved 6 September 2014 Cherny Daniel 6 September 2014 AFL elimination final North Melbourne v Essendon The Age Fairfax Media Retrieved 6 September 2014 Jones Shane 6 September 2014 VIDEO North Melbourne Kangaroos vs Essendon Bombers AFL finals highlights scores blog The Roar Retrieved 6 September 2014 Twomey Callum 6 September 2014 Comeback Roos prevail in epic win over Dons Australian Football League Telstra Media Archived from the original on 2 September 2014 Retrieved 7 September 2014 McFarlane Glenn 6 September 2014 Brad Scott elated with North Melbourne s win over Essendon in elimination final at MCG Herald Sun News Corp Australia Retrieved 7 September 2014 Thring Harry 7 September 2014 Awesome Power thump Tigers to book semi final date with Freo Australian Football League Telstra Media Archived from the original on 2 September 2014 Retrieved 8 September 2014 Jackson Russell 7 September 2014 Port Adelaide v Richmond AFL finals as it happened Guardian Australia Guardian Media Group Retrieved 8 September 2014 ABC Grandstand 11 September 2014 Steve Johnson ruled out of Cats side for semi final against North Melbourne AAP Retrieved 13 September 2014 Bowen Nick 12 September 2014 Roos hang on to oust brave Cats and claim first preliminary final appearance since 2007 AFL com au Archived from the original on 12 September 2014 Retrieved 13 September 2014 Gleeson Michael 12 September 2014 Kangaroos pip Cats by six points to enter preliminary final The Age Retrieved 13 September 2014 GEE v NM Finals Week 2 Match Stats The Age 13 September 2014 Retrieved 13 September 2014 Bowen Nick 13 September 2014 Straight sets exit will drive Cats says disappointed Chris Scott AFL com au Retrieved 14 September 2014 External links Edit Sports portal Australia portalAFL finals series official website Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title 2014 AFL finals series amp oldid 1118550992, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

article

, read, download, free, free download, mp3, video, mp4, 3gp, jpg, jpeg, gif, png, picture, music, song, movie, book, game, games.