Opinion The pre-finals bye

[BigVic]

Since 2016, only 2017, 2022 and 2023 has saw both qualifying winners from the first week of the finals advanced to the grand final after a week off

2016: GWS, Geelong (both teams lost prelims)
2017: Adelaide, Richmond (played in Grand final)
2018: Richmond, West Coast Eagles (West Coast advanced to Grand Final, won)
2019: Richmond, Collingwood (Richmond advanced to Grand Final, won)
2020: Brisbane Lions, Port Adelaide (both teams lost prelims)
2021: No pre-finals bye, bye was week before Grand Final
2022: Geelong Cats, Sydney Swans (both advanced to Grand Final
2023: Collingwood, Brisbane Lions (both advanced to Grand Final)
2024: Sydney Swans, Geelong Cats

Geelong played 1 game in 29 days between the QF and yesterday's PF with their QF on the Thursday.

 

[LicoriceAllsorts]

Since 2016, only 2017, 2022 and 2023 has saw both qualifying winners from the first week of the finals advanced to the grand final after a week off

2016: GWS, Geelong (both lost prelims)
2017: Adelaide, Richmond (played in Grand final)
2018: Richmond, West Coast Eagles (West Coast advanced to Grand Final, won)
2019: Richmond, Collingwood (Richmond advanced to Grand Final, won)
2020: Richmond, Port Adelaide
2021: No pre-finals bye, bye was week before Grand Final
2022: Geelong Cats, Sydney Swans (both advanced to Grand Final
2023: Collingwood, Brisbane Lions (both advanced to Grand Final)
2024: Sydney Swans, Geelong Cats

Geelong played 1 game in 29 days between the QF and yesterday's PF with their QF on the Thursday.

What’s going on in 2020?

 

[Shane Heard]

The bye is a good thing.

It’s a good thing for amateur and junior footy finals.

It’s a good thing for the AFL league players to rest up. Because the h&a season is a long and brutal journey of hard knocks and hard running.

 

[RAPPA]

Since 2016, only 2017, 2022 and 2023 has saw both qualifying winners from the first week of the finals advanced to the grand final after a week off

2016: GWS, Geelong (both teams lost prelims)
2017: Adelaide, Richmond (played in Grand final)
2018: Richmond, West Coast Eagles (West Coast advanced to Grand Final, won)
2019: Richmond, Collingwood (Richmond advanced to Grand Final, won)
2020: Brisbane Lions, Port Adelaide (both teams lost prelims)
2021: No pre-finals bye, bye was week before Grand Final
2022: Geelong Cats, Sydney Swans (both advanced to Grand Final
2023: Collingwood, Brisbane Lions (both advanced to Grand Final)
2024: Sydney Swans, Geelong Cats

Geelong played 1 game in 29 days between the QF and yesterday's PF with their QF on the Thursday.

Geelong had a bye in Round 24 and the QF as well.

 

[BigVic]

Also prevents mass resting players in the final rounds of the season as what we saw with Freo in 2015