2024 AFL Finals Preview - Who will take the flag?

The AFL Finals are upon us after one of the most hotly contested regular seasons in recent memory. It all came down to the last game of the final round before the top 8 were locked in and matchups were scheduled.

Sydney Swans, Port Adelaide Power, Geelong Cats and GWS Giants held on to their top 4 placings after the final round of play with the Cats and Giants switching places due to the Giants defeat at the hands of the Dogs. They will match up in the Qualifying finals with Port and Geelong to kick off proceedings on Thursday night.

The bottom half of the top 8 saw the Brisbane Lions, Western Bulldogs, Hawthorn Hawks and Carlton Blues all secure a spot in Finals for 2024. These 4 teams will square off in the Elimination Finals with the loser of each game heading home. 

Week 2 Finals Schedule

Week 4 Finals Schedule

Game	Matchup	Date	Time	Venue
Grand Final	Winner PF1 vs Winner PF2	Saturday September 28	2:30 PM AEST	MCG

Week 1 Preview

Keep a look out for our in depth match previews which will be published on the site closer to match day.

Port Adelaide vs Geelong

This matchup is one of the more even out of the 4 games being played in week 1 of Finals and in my opinion it will all come down to accuracy in front of goal. Port have had troubles splitting the sticks this season but have still managed to climb their way to 2nd spot and collect their wins. The Cats are an ageing team but have a number of experienced veterans who have been in this spot before.

Tip: Port

Hokball has taken over the AFL and their dream run is expected to continue. The Dogs put in a massive effort to get on top of GWS in the last round of the regular season but have been shaky under pressure all season long. Hawthorn have been electric in their ball movement being able to rip from one end of the ground to the other, blowing their opposition off the park.

Tip: Hawthorn

The Swans ended up clinching top spot despite a slump of form toward the pointy end of the season. Both of these teams actually had a bad run of 5-6 games through the season but recovered well to ensure top 4 seeding. It will be the battle of the midfields in this matchup and in my opinion Sydney have a slight advantage. The defensive ends of both teams will be tested continually in what is expected to be the game of the Week.

Tip: Sydney

The Lions were a shot at taking a top 4 spot with just a few weeks remaining in the regular season but missed out by just half a win. After a very rough start to the year they were able to turn things around in a major way storming up the ladder off the back of some big wins. The Blues were there or there abouts all season with one of the league's top scoring duos in Harry McKay and Charlie Curnow with both finishing top 10 in Coleman rankings. Thanks to a last game loss to the Dockers, Carlton snuck into the 8 but will not be around for long with the speed and precision of the Lions expected to be too overwhelming. 

Tip: Brisbane

AFL Week 1 Multi - Port, Hawthorn, Sydney & Brisbane: $6.37 via Neds