2009 AFL finals series

The Australian Football League's 2009 finals series determined the top eight final positions of the 2009 AFL season over four weekends in September 2009, culminating with the 113th AFL/VFL Grand Final at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on 26 September 2009. Geelong won the AFL premiership, for the second time in three years, following their twelve-point win over St Kilda in the grand final.

2009 AFL premiership season
Date	4–26 September 2009
Teams	8
Premiers	Geelong 8th premiership
Runners-up	St Kilda (6th grand final)
Minor premiers	St Kilda 3rd minor premiership
Attendance
Matches played	9
Total attendance	615,283 (68,365 per match)
Highest	99,251 (Grand Final, St Kilda vs. Geelong)
← 2008 2010 →

The finals system

Main article: AFL final eight system

The system is a final eight system. This system is different from the McIntyre final eight system, which was previously used by the AFL, and is currently used by the National Rugby League.

The top four teams in the eight receive what is popularly known as the "double chance" when they play in week-one qualifying finals. This means that even if a top-four team loses in the first week, it still remains in the finals, playing a semi-final the next week against the winner of an elimination final. The bottom four of the eight play knock-out games, in that only the winners survive and move on to the next week. Home-state advantage goes to the team with the higher seed in the first two weeks, to the qualifying final winners in the third week. Games in Victoria are played at the MCG, regardless of the team's usual home ground.

In the second week, the winners of the qualifying finals receive a bye to the third week. The losers of the qualifying final plays the elimination finals winners in a semi-final. In the third week, the winners of the semi-finals from week two play the winners of the qualifying finals in the first week. The winners of those matches move on to the Grand Final at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne.^[1]

Qualification

2009 AFL ladder

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	L	D	PF	PA	PP	Pts
1	St Kilda	22	20	2	0	2197	1411	155.7	80	Finals series
2	Geelong (P)	22	18	4	0	2312	1815	127.4	72
3	Western Bulldogs	22	15	7	0	2378	1940	122.6	60
4	Collingwood	22	15	7	0	2174	1778	122.3	60
5	Adelaide	22	14	8	0	2104	1789	117.6	56
6	Brisbane Lions	22	13	8	1	2017	1890	106.7	54
7	Carlton	22	13	9	0	2270	2055	110.5	52
8	Essendon	22	10	11	1	2080	2127	97.8	42
9	Hawthorn	22	9	13	0	1962	2120	92.5	36
10	Port Adelaide	22	9	13	0	1990	2244	88.7	36
11	West Coast	22	8	14	0	1893	2029	93.3	32
12	Sydney	22	8	14	0	1888	2027	93.1	32
13	North Melbourne	22	7	14	1	1680	2015	83.4	30
14	Fremantle	22	6	16	0	1747	2259	77.3	24
15	Richmond	22	5	16	1	1774	2388	74.3	22
16	Melbourne	22	4	18	0	1706	2285	74.7	16

Source: AFL ladder
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) percentage; 3) number of points for.
(P) Premiers

While both St Kilda and Geelong were undefeated until a round 14 match-up, and the Saints threat of an undefeated season only broken after 19 wins, both teams dropped matches late in the home-and-away season. Collingwood finished strongly, winning 12 of its last 14 matches.^[2]

Summary of results

	Qualifying and elimination finals					Semi-finals						Preliminary finals					Grand final
	6 Sep, MCG
	1	St Kilda	12.8 (80)
	4	Collingwood	7.10 (52)			12 Sep, MCG
						Collingwood		12.11 (83)
	4 Sep, AAMI Stadium					Adelaide		11.12 (78)				18 Sep, MCG
	5	Adelaide	26.10 (166)									St Kilda		9.6 (60)
	8	Essendon	10.10 (70)									W Bulldogs		7.11 (53)			26 Sep, MCG
																	St Kilda		9.14 (68)
	5 Sep, The Gabba											19 Sep, MCG					Geelong		12.8 (80)
	6	Brisbane	16.15 (111)									Geelong		17.18 (120)
	7	Carlton	15.14 (104)			11 Sep, MCG						Collingwood		6.11 (47)
						W Bulldogs		16.11 (107)
	5 Sep, MCG					Brisbane		8.8 (56)
	2	Geelong	14.12 (96)
	3	W Bulldogs	12.10 (82)

Week one

First qualifying final (St Kilda vs. Collingwood)

	First qualifying final
6 September, 2:40pm	St Kilda	def.	Collingwood	MCG (crowd: 84,213)
	1.2 (8) 6.4 (40) 9.7 (61) 12.8 (80)	Q1 Q2 Q3 Final	2.4 (16) 4.6 (30) 6.8 (44) 7.10 (52)	Umpires: Brett Rosebury, Ray Chamberlain, Shane McInerney
Riewoldt 5, Koschitzke 2, McQualter 2, Goddard, Schneider, Milne		Goals	Rocca 2, Thomas 2, Anthony, Davis, Medhurst
Riewoldt, McQualter, Fisher, Hayes, Goddard, Montagna, Jones, Gram		Best	Cloke, Thomas, Shaw, Maxwell, O'Brien, Swan
Nil		Injuries	Scott Pendlebury (suspected broken leg), Anthony Rocca (ankle)
Nil		Reports	Nil
Collingwood started impressively in the first quarter with six scoring shots to three, to lead 2.4 (16) to 1.2 (8). St Kilda dominated the second quarter, scoring 5.2 to 2.2 to lead by 10 points at halftime. St Kilda kicked six goals to three in the second half to win by 28 points. Nick Riewoldt was the leading goal-kicker for St Kilda 5 goals. Anthony Rocca kicked two goals for Collingwood, but rolled an ankle with less than three minutes remaining. St Kilda progressed directly to the Preliminary Final, where it faced the Western Bulldogs in the First Preliminary Final. Collingwood progressed to the Semi-Final, where it faced Adelaide.

Second qualifying final (Geelong vs. Western Bulldogs)

	Second qualifying final
5 September, 2:30pm	Geelong	def.	Western Bulldogs	MCG (crowd: 74,007)
	6.5 (41) 7.5 (47) 13.9 (87) 14.12 (96)	Q1 Q2 Q3 Final	2.1 (13) 4.3 (27) 8.4 (52) 12.10 (82)	Umpires: Michael Vozzo, Simon Meredith, Hayden Kennedy
Bartel 3, Chapman 2, Mooney 2, Stokes 2, Enright, Ling, Mackie, Ottens, Taylor		Goals	Akermanis 3, Higgins 2, Johnson 2, Gilbee, Griffen, Hill, Hudson, Welsh
Scarlett, Enright, Milburn, Ablett, Bartel, Mackie		Best	Gilbee, Lake, Cross, Higgins, Boyd, Akermanis
Max Rooke (thigh) replaced in selected side by Simon Hogan		Injuries	Nil
Nil		Reports	Nil
Geelong dominated the first quarter and led by 28 points at quarter time. After quarter time the match was more even, and by three-quarter time, Geelong had extended its lead to only 35 points. The Bulldogs had a strong fight-back in the final quarter, but missed many shots on goal, finishing with 4.6 to 1.3 for the quarter. Geelong progressed to a Preliminary Final, which would be against Collingwood, and the Bulldogs progressed to a Semi-Final against Brisbane.

First elimination final (Adelaide vs. Essendon)

	First elimination final
4 September, 7:45pm	Adelaide	def.	Essendon	AAMI Stadium (crowd: 50,393)
	4.3 (27) 12.4 (76) 18.9 (117) 26.10 (166)	Q1 Q2 Q3 Final	3.3 (21) 5.7 (37) 8.8 (56) 10.10 (70)	Umpires: Stephen McBurney, Matt Stevic, Shaun Ryan
Porplyzia 5, Tippett 4, Knights 3, Burton 3, Dangerfield 2, Douglas 2, Vince, Edwards, Maric, Hentschel, Thompson, Mackay, Sellar		Goals	McPhee 4, Skipworth 2, Monfries, Quinn, Stanton, Lovett
Vince, McLeod, Doughty, Porplyzia, Tippett, Goodwin, Maric, Stevens		Best	McPhee, Welsh, Stanton, Lovett-Murray, Dyson
James Sellar (knock to head)		Injuries	Nil
Nil[3]		Reports	Lovett-Murray (rough conduct), McVeigh (striking)[3]
Essendon was playing in its first final since 2004. The first quarter was close, but Adelaide dominated the game from that point forward: eight goals to two in the second quarter, six goals to three in the third quarter, and eight goals to two in the final quarter. The final margin was 96 points. Adelaide progressed to a Semi-final against Collingwood; Essendon was eliminated.

Second elimination final (Brisbane vs. Carlton)

	Second elimination final
5 September, 7:30pm	Brisbane Lions	def.	Carlton	The Gabba (crowd: 32,702)
	4.4 (28) 8.7 (55) 10.10 (70) 16.15 (111)	Q1 Q2 Q3 Final	5.4 (34) 8.6 (54) 14.10 (94) 15.14 (104)	Umpires: Scott McLaren, Stuart Wenn, Scott Jeffery
Bradshaw 5, Brown 4, Johnstone 2, Sherman 2, Redden, Hooper, Rich		Goals	Fevola 3, Stevens 2, Cloke 2, Betts, Carrazzo, Garlett, Houlihan, Judd, Kreuzer, Murphy, Russell
Black, Bradshaw, Brown, Clark, Sherman, McGrath		Best	Judd, Fevola, Murphy, Kreuzer, Stevens, Carrazzo
Josh Drummond (quad), Joel Macdonald (TBA)		Injuries	Aaron Joseph (ankle)
Nil		Reports	Nil
Carlton was playing in its first final since 2001. After a close first half, Carlton opened a lead in the third quarter. After kicking the first goal of the final quarter, Carlton led by 30 points; but, Brisbane staged a strong comeback, kicking the last six goals of the game, to overrun Carlton and record a seven point win. Brisbane progressed to a Semi-final against the Bulldogs; Carlton was eliminated.

Week two

First semi-final (Collingwood vs. Adelaide)

	First semi-final
12 September, 7:30pm	Collingwood	def.	Adelaide	MCG (crowd: 62,184)
	1.4 (10) 3.5 (23) 9.7 (61) 12.11 (83)	Q1 Q2 Q3 Final	6.3 (39) 7.7 (49) 7.9 (51) 11.12 (78)	Umpires: Brett Rosebury, Ray Chamberlain, Shane McInerney
Johnson 2, Dick 2, Lockyer, O'Brien, Wellingham, Swan, Cloke, Macaffer, Brown, Anthony		Goals	Tippett 4, Dangerfield 2, Thompson 2, Hentschel, Knights, Burton
Maxwell, Sidebottom, Shaw, Swan, Lockyer, Johnson, Wellingham, Macaffer		Best	Vince, Goodwin, Johncock, Edwards, Shirley, Tippett, Porplyzia
Nil		Injuries	Knights (left hamstring)
Nil		Reports	Nil.
Collingwood made five changes (four because of injuries) to the team that lost to St Kilda. Adelaide dominated the first quarter, kicking six goals to one, and partway into the second quarter, Adelaide's lead reached 32 points. However, the game became more defensive, and Collingwood won the second quarter two goals to one. In the third quarter, Collingwood dominated, kicking six goals to none, to lead by ten points. In the final quarter, Adelaide kicked the first three goals, before Collingwood's Brent Macaffer scored a goal and tied the game early in time-on. In the end, Collingwood's Jack Anthony kicked the game-winning goal from a controversial free kick with only fifteen seconds remaining.[4] Collingwood progressed to the Preliminary Final against Geelong.

Second semi-final (Western Bulldogs vs. Brisbane)

	Second semi-final
11 September, 7:45pm	Western Bulldogs	def.	Brisbane Lions	MCG (crowd: 47,030)
	4.2 (26) 6.6 (42) 11.8 (74) 16.11 (107)	Q1 Q2 Q3 Final	0.6 (6) 3.7 (25) 5.7 (37) 8.8 (56)	Umpires: Matt Stevic, Shaun Ryan, Simon Meredith
Hahn 4, Eagleton 3, Ward 2, Higgins 2, Cooney, Akermanis, Gilbee, Griffen, Minson		Goals	Brown 3, Bradshaw 3, McGrath, Redden
Boyd, Cooney, Eagleton, Cross, Hargrave, Giansiracusa, Akermanis		Best	Power, Brown, Merrett, Brennan, Clark, Hawksley
Ryan Griffen (corked calf)		Injuries	Nil
Nil		Reports	Nil
After building a seventeen-point lead in the first half, the Western Bulldogs scored five goals to two in the third quarter to set up an unbeatable lead. The Bulldogs eventually won by 51 points to progress to the Preliminary Final against St Kilda.

Week three

First preliminary final (St Kilda vs. Western Bulldogs)

	First preliminary final
18 September, 7:40pm	St Kilda	def.	Western Bulldogs	MCG (crowd: 78,245)
	0.2 (2) 3.6 (24) 7.6 (48) 9.6 (60)	Q1 Q2 Q3 Final	2.5 (17) 4.7 (31) 6.7 (43) 7.11 (53)	Umpires: Shane McInerney, Stephen McBurney, Ray Chamberlain
Riewoldt 4, Dal Santo, Fisher, Hayes, McQualter, Milne		Goals	Hahn 2, Johnson 2, Higgins, Giansiracusa, Picken
Riewoldt, Dal Santo, Hayes, Fisher, Jones, Goddard		Best	Griffen, Boyd, Johnson, Lake, Harbrow, Gilbee, Cooney
Nil		Injuries	Nil
Nil		Reports	Nil
This match was a low scoring, defensive struggle in cold, wet conditions. The Bulldogs kept St Kilda goalless in the first quarter, to lead by 15 points. Three goals to two in the second quarter saw St Kilda narrow the margin to seven points; then, with four goals to two in the third quarter, St Kilda took the lead by five points. The Bulldogs took back the lead with a goal early in the quarter, but with five scoring shots resulting in 1.4, did not build a lead; two late goals to St Kilda's captain Nick Riewoldt (who finished with four goals for the game) saw St Kilda regain and seal a seven point win. St Kilda progressed to the grand final for the first time since 1997.

Second preliminary final (Geelong vs. Collingwood)

	Second preliminary final
19 September, 7:30pm	Geelong	def.	Collingwood	MCG (crowd: 87,258)
	3.6 (24) 7.7 (49) 11.13 (79) 17.18 (120)	Q1 Q2 Q3 Final	2.2 (14) 5.8 (38) 6.9 (45) 6.11 (47)	Umpires: Shaun Ryan, Brett Rosebury, Scott McLaren
Chapman 5, Ablett 2, Byrnes 2, Hawkins 2, Varcoe 2, Corey, Johnson, Mooney, Ottens		Goals	Brown, Didak, Johnson, Lockyer, Macaffer, O'Brien
Ablett, Corey, Chapman, Ling, Scarlett, Bartel, Kelly, Varcoe		Best	O'Bree, Brown, Shaw, O'Brien
Nil		Injuries	Pendlebury (leg), replaced by Beams
Nil		Reports	Nil
For the second time in three years the Cats and Magpies would play off in the Preliminary Final. Collingwood started well, kicking 2.2 to nothing in the opening seven minutes; but Geelong then scored 3.6 to nothing for the rest of the quarter, and opened up a 24-point lead late in the second quarter. Two late goals to Collingwood narrowed the margin to 11 points at half time. Geelong then dominated the second half, kicking ten goals to one, ultimately winning by 73 points. Geelong progressed to its third consecutive grand final. Geelong would match that feat for the first time since 1951-1953 and the second time in the club's history.

Week four

Grand Final (St Kilda vs. Geelong)

Main article: 2009 AFL Grand Final

	Grand Final
26 September, 2:30pm	St Kilda	def. by	Geelong	MCG (crowd: 99,251)
	3.2 (20) 7.7 (49) 9.11 (65) 9.14 (68)	Q1 Q2 Q3 Final	3.0 (18) 7.1 (43) 9.4 (58) 12.8 (80)	Umpires: Stephen McBurney, Brett Rosebury, Shaun Ryan Norm Smith Medal: Paul Chapman (Geelong)
Schneider 2, Goddard, Hayes, Dempster, Jones, Koschitzke, Riewoldt, Montagna		Goals	Chapman 3, Mooney 2, Hawkins 2, Rooke 2, Selwood, Byrnes, Ablett
Gram, Hayes, Ball, Jones, Montagna, Baker, Goddard		Best	Chapman, Rooke, Milburn, Taylor, Selwood, Ablett, Corey, Bartel, Ling, Scarlett
Goddard (broken nose/collarbone), Riewoldt (Torn adductor muscle)		Injuries	Paul Chapman (hamstring), Harry Taylor (broken hand)
Nil		Reports	Nil

See also

• 2009 AFL season