We’re set for a spectacular opening weekend, with plenty at stake for all sides.
Known as the season within a season, everything that happened in the regular season doesn’t matter now.
Here’s every club’s burning question ahead of finals week one and Fox Footy’s match-by-match commentators in our ultimate weekly preview: the blower!
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AFL FINALS WEEK ONE (all times AEST)
BRISBANE LIONS v RICHMOND
Second elimination final
Thursday 1 September, 7.20pm AEST at the Gabba
How to watch on Fox Footy: Channel 504 from 6.20pm, presented by Sarah Jones with Jason Dunstall, David King, Leigh Montagna, Alastair Lynch and Jon Ralph
Lions’ burning question: How does Zorko respond to the sledding controversy when his team needs him more than ever?
Zorko started for the Lions for all the wrong reasons a fortnight ago for a nasty sledge on Harrison Petty that left the Demons youngster in tears. It came in a quiet game from the Lions skipper that reflected the entire team as Brisbane were crushed by Melbourne by 58 points and cost Chris Fagan’s side a top-four spot. But the Lions will be looking to put that aside when they face the Tigers and look to make amends for their disappointing 1-5 finals record under Fagan and will of course need their captain to lead from the front. However, Premier League-winning Eagle Will Schofield noted that if he were to face Zorko this week, he would try to get under his skin given how poorly Brisbane played against Melbourne with the veteran out your game
“I would probably try to provoke him. You want to keep him above the belt, but (but) you want to use everything to your advantage,” Schofield told Fox Footy’s. AFL tonight. “Dayne Zorko is a good player, he is the captain of this team. I think you have to try to provoke him and take him off his game, because obviously he didn’t have a good game last week and he was outside of what he usually does. If you can put it back in that state, I wouldn’t leave it off the table.
Should the Tigers try to provoke Zorko? | 00:47
The Tigers’ burning question: How much lift does Dusty give?
Although not yet officially confirmed, Dustin Martin is expected to return against the Lions for his first game since round 16 due to a serious hamstring injury. We haven’t seen much of Martin this year, playing in just eight games due to a combination of personal reasons and his setback. But he is likely to return to the September stage he has made his own in recent years, including winning three Norm Smith medals with the biggest of them all. He has also shone brightly at the Gabba, scoring 10.0 from three ends at the venue, per Fantasy Freako, which includes his remarkable performance in the 2020 decider. So Martin’s return is timely as the Tigers and Lions add another chapter to their final rivalry in recent years.
Speaking on Fox Footy’s AFL 360, Tigers coach Damien Hardwick suggested Martin “would have a different role” if he made the final team. “He will mainly play forward. We know he has played that role before and he is quite capable,” he said. “Against Brisbane he had some very good games like this. What we do know is that players like Dustin put themselves where they need to be. I’ve said it often as a coach, the best players have a great understanding of where to stand at the best of times.”
Dustin Martin joins team in Brisbane | 00:42
MELBOURNE v SYDNEY SWANS
Second classification final
Friday 2 September, 19:50 AEST at the MCG
How to watch on Fox Footy: Channel 504 from 7pm, presented by Garry Lyon with Nick Riewoldt, Jonathan Brown, Nathan Buckley, Kath Loughnan, Cameron Mooney and Jon Ralph
Demons’ burning question: Will the final bring out the best in Dees?
Melbourne’s ball movement has been an area of concern in recent times, including being ranked 16th in the competition over the past six weeks. It’s the only obvious knock on the Dees ahead of their bid for back-to-back flags, while they also rank 16th for average pressure applied (177) and, even more alarmingly, are 17th for forward half pressure (168) . It means Simon Goodwin’s side have struggled offensively at times, although Melbourne sent a scary reminder of how damaging that can be in their 58-point loss to Brisbane in the last fortnight.
Saints great Nick Riewoldt noted that the Dees have “struggled to move the ball”, but stressed that the more chaotic and contested end mark could make that less of a factor. “I still think when they go back to the way they play, maybe all our worries come the final when the pressure is on would have been lost, because they’ve never relied on perfect football,” he told Fox. footy’s on the couch “Even when you go back to last year’s grand final, of the plays that Fritsch had at the end, none of it was that pretty – it was just stepping up and hacking it forward and the weight of the numbers”.
Should teams be given a bye in the pre-finals? | 03:48
The Swans’ burning question: Are they the sleeping giant of the flag race?
Sydney’s recent form is as good as any side, and it would make for nervous reading for the other finalists. The Swans have found their best form in the lead-up to the finals, going 5-0 in their last five weeks, and are armed with stars across the field with a good mix of youth and experience who look hungry for success . Crucially, his prime ministerial profile ranks first among the top eight sides (made up of authorizations [1st]post-settlement contest [4th]ball movement (1st) ball movement defense [2nd]). So while most would have Geelong and Melbourne ahead of Sydney in the flag race, is John Longmire’s side being disrespected? Don’t rule out swans causing an upset here.
“His game is designed for the finals,” said three-time Premier League winner Lion Jonathan Brown on the couch “They have been able to fix things in their contest in the last six or eight weeks and their pressing game is excellent. In the last six weeks, they have been second in contested possession differential and turnover differential points. If they can bring that elite pressure like they do every week, they’ll be in the game.”
GEELONG CATS v COLLINGWOOD
First classification final
Saturday 3 September, 16:35 AEST at the MCG
How to watch on Fox Footy: Channel 504 from 3.30pm, presented by Garry Lyon with Nathan Buckley, Jonathan Brown, Nick Riewoldt, Dermott Brereton, Nick Dal Santo and Jon Ralph
The Cats’ burning question: Can they atone for late-season woes?
Watch now Geelong fans. The Cats have won just one of their last seven qualifying finals since 2013 and are just 1-8 in the first week of finals since 2012 (including a loss to Collingwood in 2019). So while there is certainly a different feel to the Cattery this year after finishing two games clear at the top of the ladder, and their more aggressive game plan should keep them in a bigger place in the postseason, their late-season woes remain something of a stain on the club. Throw in this Geelong ‘hosting’ Collingwood at the MCG and there are enough pressure points on the Cats to suggest it won’t be an easy win for Chris Scott’s rampant bunch.
“You look at their finals record and their opening quarters, they’ve kicked a total of four goals from their last five opening quarters combined in the first week, that’s a poor record,” Brisbane big Jonathan Brown said. on the couch “In all these finals, they’ve also scored less than 10 goals, so that’s not going to do it, especially in the modern game. I think this year is different … but that hangs over their heads.”
Why cakes can spoil the cat’s party | 05:16
The Magpies’ burning question: Can the fairytale continue?
Collingwood’s 2022 season has been truly remarkable in Craig McRae’s first charge – going from 17th to fourth, including an 11-game winning streak and an unprecedented amount of shutouts – and as he has long suggested the great Dees Garry Lyon, has been like something out of a movie script. Of course, though, all the narrow wins have meant the Pies’ percentage of 104.3 is the lowest for a top four since Melbourne in 1998 and the third lowest in the AFL era. A debate has been created about how genuine Collingwood is as a flag threat, not that any of its fellow finalists underestimate the club. But could the close game streak have helped toughen them up for September? Perhaps the biggest conundrum of the finalists, the Pies have another great chance to test themselves against the best against the flag-favourite Cats.
“It will be a great test. We always say that the finals are coming, the percentage is a great level. So Geelong has been around 160 per cent the last six weeks, Collingwood around 105 per cent,” highlighted Jonathan Brown. on the couch “It will be interesting to see if that comes into play or if Collingwood continue this charmed run.”
FREMANTLE v WESTERN BULLDOGS
First elimination final
Saturday 3 September, 20:10 AEST at Optus Stadium
How to watch on Fox Footy: Channel 504 from 19:30 with Jason Dunstall, Brad Johnson, Jordan Lewis, Matthew Pavlich and Jon Ralph followed by Better on the ground with Mark Howard, Jonathan Brown, Nathan Buckley, Nick Riewoldt and Kath Loughnan
The Dockers’ burning question: Is their style built for finals?
Fremantle rank 15th in the competition in ball movement, with many questioning whether the club’s slower, more methodical approach is suitable for the finals. It has caused the Dockers’ problems in the forward half, where they also lack reliable hurling personnel outside of Rory Lobb, who is close to returning from injury to give them a boost in that area of the field. Although Nat Fyfe, who is…