What chance do we give West Coast to still make the Top 8?
Presuming Essendon put in an absolute upset shocker at home against Fremantle?
Even if Essendon win, it’ll depend on if the Bulldogs won and more importantly by how much (% will go down to the wire there).
Slim. Essendon will win and make the 8. That is the 8. As a Port fan I don’t want to play Essendon in the first week of finals.
First week of finals confirmed:
Thursday night, Friday night, Saturday afternoon & Saturday night.
Should allow for 7-day breaks for all teams for the remainder of finals if the AFL schedules it correctly this year.
Also of note, Seven’s only Saturday afternoon production of the year (outside the GF).
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Talking Footy predicted (if all goes to plan this round):
•Thursday night: ADE vs GEEL
•Friday night: GWS vs RICH
•Saturday afternoon: PORT vs ESS
•Saturday night: SYD vs MELB
I think that’d work in Seven’s favour (no doubt the AFL heavily give them the choice), with Friday nights always rating higher, it’ll just attract extra viewers. Whereas ADE vs GEE will be huge without needing a Friday night ‘bump’.
If those predicted fixtures occurred it would be Richmond’s first Friday night game of the year. Even Carlton got one.
There will be more games in Adelaide than at Melbourne. I think Port will finish 6th. Looks likely they will rest some players who have niggles so Sydney should have a bigger win than Port.
The Age reckons this year’s preliminary final on a Saturday will again be played in twilight even if the competing teams are from the same state.
I know why…
Because it was the highest-rating non-GF game in a decade (outside of GEEL vs. COLL in 2007)!
I have loved the Saturday twilight preliminary finals in 2016, 2014, 2012. It works well for a family audience and is a good compromise over a day or night match.
Hopefully my mob (Richmond) can at least make it to a prelim this year, if not win the whole thing!
Hopefully they can win their first final since 2001!
Farewell to legends Luke Hodge, Bob Murphy & Matthew Boyd 
Really what tonight’s match was all about.
A disapppinting end to the Bulldogs’ year (especially for Bob), but they won’t be thinking about that tonight.
All chaired off, we probably won’t see that again.
Don’t forget Josh Gibson! Fantastic night, will never forget the chair off.
I was at the game tonight, the atmosphere was amazing! Each time Hodge kicked the ball there was a huge roar.
After the final siren sounded most fans stayed to see Hodge, Murphy and Boyd chaired off the ground. I will never forget this night.
I last went to Etihad some weeks ago, for that anticipated Essendon v Bulldogs game early on a Sunday.
I usually go to the MCG, being an MCC member.
Sadly, not going to be many finals in Melbourne 
Because the victorian teams are rubbish this year 
Posted in Seven AFL Coverage by accident but Western Bulldogs must be the biggest disappointments of 2017. I wonder how they won the GF last year. Clearly not on talent but on will.
Everyone seems to forget they finished 7th place last year and I actually tipped at the start of the year they wouldn’t make the finals.
It’s just they had the perfect last 4 weeks in season 2016 (they lost to Fremantle the game before the finals began).
Hawks 2009 would probably be bigger.
Edit: Just going to move this here from the 7 AFL thread.
Yes I agree. That is my point. The finals system suited them and I don’t think they had the talent in their team. I think they had the momentum and the confidence and the will last year rather than the talent. You look at last years AFL teams in the finals and I think every team, on a talent alone, had a better team on paper. They had the skills, ball movement and pure will the other teams didn’t.
Last year was ODD in world sport… Leicester City won the EPL, Cronulla Sharks won NRL, Chicago Cubs won World Series Baseball, Cleveland Cavaliers won the NBA, Western Bulldogs won the AFL.
All teams who have had long droughts of 50 years or more, in some cases, their first titles.
Call it God’s work.
I would rather not.