Playoff

A playoff in sports (North American professional sports in particular) is a game or series of games played after the regular season is over with the goal of determining a league champion. The championship of a league may be determined by as few as a single playoff between two teams, or by an elimination tournament involving several teams.

Playoffs in Australian Rules Football and Australian rugby league

Playoffs are used in both the Australian Football League and the National Rugby League, where they are known as finals or semis - although unlike North American leagues, participating teams only come from within a single division, and also consist of single matches rather than series.

Related Topics:
Australian Football League - National Rugby League

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In both leagues, the top eight teams at the end of the regular season qualify for the finals. Although the systems used in both leagues are slightly different, both involve two teams being eliminated in each round until only two teams remain (the participants in the Grand Final), and both are structured so that higher-ranked teams are given a more advantageous draw.

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The system used by the AFL works as follows:

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Week One

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• First-ranked team vs fourth-ranked team (1st Qualifying Final)
• Second-ranked team vs third-ranked team (2nd Qualifying Final)
• Fifth-ranked team vs eighth-ranked team (1st Elimination Final)
• Sixth-ranked team vs seventh-ranked team (2nd Elimination Final)

The winners of the qualifying finals advance directly to week three, while the losers of the elimination finals are eliminated. The remaining four teams continue on to week two.

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Week Two

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• Loser of 2nd qualifying final vs winner of 2nd elimination final (1st Semi-Final)
• Loser of 1st qualifying final vs winner of 1st elimination final (2nd Semi-Final)

The two winners advance to week three while the losers are eliminated.

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Week Three

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• Winner of 1st qualifying final vs winner of 1st semi-final (1st Preliminary Final)
• Winner of 2nd qualifying final vs winner of 2nd semi-final (2nd Preliminary Final)

The two winners advance to the Grand Final, held in week four at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

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The McIntyre Final Eight System, used by the NRL but previously used by the AFL, works as follows:

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Week One

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• First-ranked team vs eighth-ranked team (4th Qualifying Final)
• Second-ranked team vs seventh-ranked team (3rd Qualifying Final)
• Third-ranked team vs sixth-ranked team (2nd Qualifying Final)
• Fourth-ranked team vs fifth-ranked team (1st Qualifying Final)

After this round, the four winners are ranked in order of their positions at the end of the regular season, as are the four losers. The two highest ranked winners advance directly to week three, while the two lowest ranked losers are eliminated. The remaining four teams continue on to week two.

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Week Two

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• Third highest-ranked winner vs highest-ranked loser (1st Semi Final)
• Fourth highest-ranked winner vs second highest-ranked loser (2nd Semi Final)

The two winners advance to week three while the losers are eliminated.

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Week Three

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• Highest-ranked winner from Week One vs winner of 1st semi-final (1st Preliminary Final)
• Second highest-ranked winner from Week One vs winner of 2nd semi-final (2nd Preliminary Final)

The two winners advance to the Grand Final, held in week four at Telstra Stadium in Sydney.

Related Topics:
Telstra Stadium - Sydney

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