AFL Rd 19 2024 Post Game Prognostications Carlton vs North Melbourne

[LP]

lp

It's as simple as.  The 1st team will play home vs the 4th team.  The 2nd team will play home vs the 3rd team.

The same is true of 5th vs 8th and 6th vs 7th.

That's what we expect, we get that the Home State advantage goes to higher finishing teams.

But the AFL has always stated it always reserves the right to schedule finals where it sees fit, there are no guarantees, and if we end up with five interstate teams in the Top 8, I suspect you'll see an exception this year given the right circumstances.

I can't recall the full spread of ticket pricing for finals last year, I wonder what the average might be, I suspect an average in the $100+ range for finals given the lower cost tickets are limited in total. I know for the GF the basic 2023 ticket was $185.

The Gabba holds 42K, SCG 48K, but the MCG is 100K, and likely a sell out for either Carlton or CheatsFC. The AFL would be shooting itself in the foot if it shipped Carlton and / or CheatsFC interstate.

I'm betting the AFL likes the money, and you'll get some spin on why a team doesn't get a home final. I don't think that assertion is outlandish or a surprise to anyone. AFL is a business, we've seen before when the sport gets in the way of business the sport loses.