As finals time gets closer, there’s excitement in the air for supporters of those sides who have made the finals. And if your team is still in the running (Not you North fans & Eagles fans this year sorry) have you had a think about how you’re going to get AFL finals tickets this year? Why wait until the week of the game when you can get organised now with The Golden Ticket.
Over the years there have been some great Elimination Finals played. Here are three of the best:
2009 Brisbane Lions v Carlton
Who could forget big Kreuz winning the ruck contest, then seconds later scoring a goal on the run from 50 meters?
Trading goals in the first half, Carlton blasted the Lions in the third, six goals to two. The smart money going into the final term was all on the Blues with a 4 goal lead.
But the Lions had other ideas, and returned the Blues favour with interest, piling on 6 goals 5 to Carlton’s 1 goal 4.
Final score: Lions at home 16.15 111 to the visitors 15.14 104.
With names like Fev, Betts, Judd, Kreuzer, Gibbs, Murphy, Voss, Brown, Bradshaw, and Johnstone, the crowd saw a big match fought to the end between champions of the era.
2004 Melbourne v Essendon
An Essendon fan favourite, the Dons entered the match from 8th place against the 5th placed Melbourne, who had been on the slide since they hit the top of the ladder 4 games before.
Melbourne’s skipper was on the sidelines with a calf injury.
The battle swung wildly, with the teams trading strings of half a dozen goals in the first half, the Bombers getting the last run, to finish the half five goals up.
Third quarter, the Demons came out blazing, turning the game around from 31 points down to 8 points up.
Fourth quarter and the Bombers came back, scoring 4 goals to the Demons 2, winning 15.14 104 to 15.9 99.
Yze, Watson, Hird, Lloyd, classic players meeting on the field for a classic match.
2013 Richmond v Carlton
Calrton, originally finishing the season 9th on the ladder, were in 8th place after Essendon’s PED use saw them removed from the finals series.
In the first, the Blues’ Warnock stumbled around with a hook shot, and scored the first goal. I’ll buy that. Conca stops mid stride, clutching his ham string and is taken off.
Cotchin’s beautiful snap in traffic from the pocket scores and the crowd goes wild.
Second quarter. With the Tigers a goal up Jack Riewoldt flops to the ground after charging at Simpson, and the Blues cop a 50m penalty to the boos of the crowd.
An undisciplined action off the ball from the Blues and it’s a second 50m. The Tigers score 7 goals to 4, the last being Dusty kicking a major and doing the now infamous wrists crossed sign, dedicating the goal to his friends in prison.
Half time and Richmond are 4 goals ahead with all the momentum. Tigers fans literally get on their phones and book flights to Sydney for the next game of the finals.
The third term belongs to the Blues who score 6 goals to 2 for the Tigers. Tigers fans start to regret buying those plane tickets.
Apart from Robbo forgetting the rules and fisting the ball through the sticks from the ruck… the fourth quarter is all Carlton’s way, as they send through 6 goals to Richmond’s 2 and it’s over.
To howls of laughter, Richmond have been bundled out of the finals by 9th-placed Carlton.
So if you are excited about getting to the first week of the finals then make sure you check out all AFL Qualifying Final tickets and dining packages and AFL Elimination Final tickets and dining packages.
