2011 AFL finals series

The 2011 Australian Football League finals series determined the winner of the 2011 AFL season. The series was scheduled to occur over four weekends in September 2011, culminating with the 115th AFL/VFL Grand Final at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on 1 October 2011. Traditionally held on the final Saturday in September, the Grand Final date was pushed to October to accommodate two extra rounds in the home and away season.

The finals system

Main article: AFL finals system

The system is a final eight system. This system is different from the McIntyre Final Eight System, which was previously used by the AFL, and was used by the National Rugby League in 2011.

The top four teams in the eight receive what is popularly known as the "double chance" when they play in week-one qualifying finals. This means that even 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, in that only the winners survive and move on to the next week. Home-state advantage goes to the team with the higher seed in the first two weeks, to the qualifying final winners in the third week. Games in Victoria are played at the MCG, regardless of the team's usual home ground, if a crowd larger than the seating capacity of Etihad Stadium (53,359) is expected.

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.^[1]

Qualification

AFL Ladder 2011

2011 AFL Ladder

Team

Pts

Collingwood

2592

1546

167.66

Geelong (P)

2548

1619

157.38

Hawthorn

2355

1634

144.12

West Coast

2235

1715

130.32

Carlton

2225

1700

130.88

St Kilda

1891

1677

112.76

Sydney

1897

1735

109.34

Essendon

2217

100.00

North Melbourne

2106

2082

101.15

Western Bulldogs

2060

2155

95.59

Fremantle

1791

2155

83.11

Richmond

2069

2396

86.35

Melbourne

1974

2315

85.27

Adelaide

1742

2193

79.43

Brisbane Lions

1814

2240

80.98

Port Adelaide

1718

2663

64.51

Gold Coast

1534

2726

56.27

Key: P = Played, W = Won, L = Lost, D = Drawn, PF = Points for, PA = Points against

Summary of results

Qualifying / Elimination finals

Semi-finals

Preliminary finals

Grand final

QF1: Sep 10, MCG

Collingwood

12.10 (82)

West Coast

9.8 (62)

SF1: Sep 17, Patersons Stadium

West Coast

15.11 (101)

EF1: Sep 11, MCG

Carlton

15.8 (98)

PF1: Sep 23, MCG

Carlton

21.23 (149)

Collingwood

10.8 (68)

Essendon

13.9 (87)

Hawthorn

9.11 (65)

GF: Oct 1, MCG

Collingwood

12.9 (81)

EF2: Sep 10, Etihad Stadium

PF2: Sep 24, MCG

Geelong

18.11 (119)

St Kilda

8.9 (57)

Geelong

17.15 (117)

Sydney

12.10 (82)

SF2: Sep 16, MCG

West Coast

10.9 (69)

Hawthorn

19.8 (122)

QF2: Sep 9, MCG

Sydney

13.8 (86)

Geelong

14.14 (98)

Hawthorn

9.13 (67)

Week one (qualifying & elimination finals)

For the first time since the current AFL finals system was introduced in 2000, all four finals were played in Melbourne in the first week of the finals.

First qualifying final (Collingwood v West Coast)


	First qualifying final
Saturday, September 10	Collingwood	def.	West Coast	MCG (Crowd: 67,379)	Report
	1.1 (7) 7.5 (47) 10.7 (67) 12.10 (82)	Q1 Q2 Q3 Final	2.3 (15) 5.4 (34) 6.5 (41) 9.8 (62)	Television broadcast: Network Ten

Second qualifying final (Geelong v Hawthorn)


	Second qualifying final
Friday, September 9	Geelong	def.	Hawthorn	MCG (Crowd: 73,400)	Report
	2.0 (12) 7.2 (44) 12.6 (78) 14.14 (98)	Q1 Q2 Q3 Final	3.5 (23) 4.8 (32) 7.12 (54) 9.13 (67)	Television broadcast: Seven Network

First elimination final (Carlton v Essendon)


	First elimination final
Sunday, September 11	Carlton	def.	Essendon	MCG (Crowd: 90,161)	Report
	4.5 (29) 10.12 (72) 17.17 (119) 21.23 (149)	Q1 Q2 Q3 Final	3.4 (22) 4.7 (31) 8.9 (57) 13.9 (87)	Television broadcast: Seven Network






Carlton won its first final since the 2001 First Elimination Final.^[2] The attendance of 90,161 was a new record for the highest ever for an elimination final.^[2] This record stood until 2013.^[3]

Second elimination final (St Kilda v Sydney)


	Second elimination final
Saturday, September 10	St Kilda	def. by	Sydney	Etihad Stadium (Crowd: 39,205)	Report
	1.3 (9) 3.4 (22) 7.7 (49) 8.9 (57)	Q1 Q2 Q3 Final	2.4 (16) 7.6 (48) 8.9 (57) 12.10 (82)	Television broadcast: Network Ten






St Kilda lost its first Saturday night match at Etihad Stadium since Round 9, 2003.

Week two (semi-finals)

First semi-final (West Coast v Carlton)


	First semi-final
Saturday, September 17	West Coast	def.	Carlton	Patersons Stadium (Crowd: 42,803)	Report
	1.3 (9) 9.3 (57) 11.8 (74) 15.11 (101)	Q1 Q2 Q3 Final	4.1 (25) 7.4 (46) 10.5 (65) 15.8 (98)	Television broadcast: Network Ten






This was Carlton's third narrow loss in an interstate final in three years. West Coast won its first final since the 2006 grand final.

Second semi-final (Hawthorn v Sydney)


	Second semi-final
Friday, September 16	Hawthorn	def.	Sydney	MCG (Crowd: 55,198)	Report
	3.5 (23) 10.5 (65) 12.6 (78) 19.8 (122)	Q1 Q2 Q3 Final	0.1 (1) 4.1 (25) 9.6 (60) 13.8 (86)	Television broadcast: Seven Network

Week three (preliminary finals)

First preliminary final (Collingwood v Hawthorn)


	First preliminary final
Friday, September 23, 7:45 pm AEST	Collingwood	def.	Hawthorn	MCG (Crowd: 87,112)	Report
	2.3 (15) 3.5 (23) 5.6 (36) 10.8 (68)	Q1 Q2 Q3 Final	2.4 (16) 4.7 (31) 7.11 (53) 9.11 (65)	Television broadcast: Seven Network

Second preliminary final (Geelong v West Coast)


	Second preliminary final
Saturday, September 24, 2:20 pm AEST	Geelong	def.	West Coast	MCG (Crowd: 59,455)	Report
	5.7 (37) 8.11 (59) 15.14 (104) 17.15 (117)	Q1 Q2 Q3 Final	2.3 (15) 5.4 (34) 7.6 (48) 10.9 (69)	Television broadcast: Network Ten






West Coast was the first non-Victorian team to make the top four since 2007

Week four (Grand Final)

Main article: 2011 AFL Grand Final


	Grand Final
Saturday, 1 October 2:30pm	Collingwood	def. by	Geelong	MCG (Crowd: 99,537)	Report
	4.2 (26) 9.3 (57) 12.6 (78) 12.9 (81)	Q1 Q2 Q3 Final	4.3 (27) 8.6 (54) 13.7 (85) 18.11 (119)	Umpires: C Donlon, B Rosebury, S Ryan Norm Smith Medal: Jimmy Bartel (Geelong) Television broadcast: Network Ten National anthem: Vanessa Amorosi

T Cloke, A Krakouer 3 S Sidebottom 2 L Ball, L Brown, B Johnson, S Wellingham 1		Goals	S Johnson 4 J Bartel, T Hawkins, T Varcoe 3 J Selwood 2 M Duncan, C Ling, M Stokes 1
S Pendlebury, D Thomas, S Sidebottom, C Tarrant, L Ball, L Brown, T Cloke		Best	J Bartel, J Selwood, T Hawkins, C Ling, S Johnson, P Chapman, B Ottens, T Varcoe
Nil		Injuries	J Podsiadly (shoulder)
Nil		Reports	Nil

Notes and references

↑ AFL Finals System Explained (AFL.com.au)
1 2 Horan, Michael (11 Sep 2011). "Dominant Carlton comfortable winners over Essendon by 62 points". Herald Sun. Retrieved 11 Sep 2011.
↑ Nick Bowen (8 September 2013). "Blues ensure Tigers' September return ends in heartbreak". Australian Football League. Retrieved 8 September 2013.

External links

VFL/AFL finals series

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2011 AFL season

Events	NAB Cup Premiership season Finals series Grand Final International Rules Series

Awards	AFLPA Awards All-Australian team Brownlow Medal Coleman Medal Goal of the Year Leigh Matthews Trophy Mark of the Year Michael Tuck Medal Norm Smith Medal Rising Star

Club overviews	Adelaide Brisbane Lions Carlton Collingwood Essendon Fremantle Geelong Gold Coast Hawthorn Melbourne North Melbourne Port Adelaide Richmond St Kilda Sydney Western Bulldogs West Coast

Player changes	Trades National Draft Pre-season Draft Rookie Draft Debuts Retirements, sackings and delistings

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