Thursday blockbuster to start AFL finals
Port Adelaide will get the first chance to progress to a preliminary final with a Thursday night Adelaide Oval showdown against Geelong set to open a blockbuster four days of games next week.
Minor premiers Sydney will have their local derby against GWS on Saturday afternoon, while the Brisbane Lions will host the lucky losers Carlton in a Saturday night match at the Gabba to round out the opening weekend.
That leaves surprise packets Hawthorn and the Western Bulldogs to have Friday night all to themselves, with the MCG clash the only final in Melbourne across the opening weekend.
After taking down Fremantle on Sunday to lock in a home final, Port coach Ken Hinkley said his team had become reliable after an indifferent opening half of the season and were primed to push for a premiership.
“What I’m proud of is we earned it,” he said.
“If you look at the draw, on how we had to play and where we had to play, and what we’ve done, we’ve really earned that right.
“I think we’re a game clear in second too, so we didn’t just stumble there.
“We found our way there. We’ve been a pretty honest footy club for a long time.
“We’ve played some really good football all year, not just the last seven or eight weeks, which have been really strong football.”
Having made the finals despite a heartbreaking final round loss to St Kilda, Carlton coach Michael Voss was bullish about his team’s chances, with the likely return of key forwards Charlie Curnow and Harry McKay.
“I spent a little bit of time on the magnet board, not just looking at what we have, but also what finals might look like,” Voss said after Sunday’s loss to the Saints.
“We’ll be going hard, we’ll get ourselves prepared and we’ll pick ourselves up and we’ll go again and a new season begins.
“And we’ve seen many a time where teams have been able to sneak their way in through different avenues and been able to do something. We won’t change off that.”
Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge is confident his men, who sealed their spot with a Sunday win over GWS, were finding the right mix needed to be successful in finals.
“I feel like we’ve struck a good balance of exploration and stability, and then that has challenged some of the more notable teams in the competition,” he said.
“To everyone’s credit, they’ve stayed the course, but I don’t think it ever went off track, it’s just that the wins and the losses didn’t reflect what we thought we were capable of.”
AFL finals week 1
Thursday, 7.40pm Adelaide Oval
Second qualifying final (2nd v 3rd): Port Adelaide v Geelong
Friday, 7.40pm, MCG
Second elimination final (6th v 7th): Western Bulldogs v Hawthorn
Saturday, 3.20pm, SCG
First qualifying final (1st vs 4th): Sydney Swans v GWS Giants
Saturday, 7.30pm, Gabba
First elimination final (5th vs 8th): Brisbane Lions v Carlton
