The matches of the 2018 AFL finals series were contested at three venues around the country. The newly built Perth Stadium hosted its first finals, hosting West Coast's qualifying and preliminary finals. The MCG hosted Richmond's qualifying and preliminary finals, both semi finals (hosted by Hawthorn and Collingwood), as well as Melbourne's elimination final. The SCG hosted its first Sydney derby final.
The system used for the 2018 AFL finals series is a final eight system. The top four teams in the eight receive the "double chance" when they play in week-one qualifying finals, such that 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 – only the winners survive and move on to the next week. Home-state advantage goes to the team with the higher ladder position in the first two weeks, to the qualifying final winners in the third week.
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 MCG in Melbourne.[1]
The first qualifying final saw minor premiers and defending premier Richmond defeat the fourth placed Hawthorn at the MCG in the third-ever Thursday night final and first in Victoria. Despite both clubs' presence in the competition for almost 100 years, this was the first meeting between Richmond and Hawthorn in a final.
The first elimination final was held between fifth placed Melbourne and eighth placed Geelong at the MCG. Melbourne returned to the finals for the first time in twelve years, securing two impressive wins over West Coast and Greater Western Sydney in the final two rounds of the home and away season to earn a home final for the first time since the corresponding first elimination final in 2006. Geelong, meanwhile, looked in danger of missing the eight late in the home and away season but recorded two victories by 133 and 102 points over Fremantle and Gold Coast, respectively, to secure their eleventh finals berth in twelve years.
De Goey, Sidebottom, Howe, Treloar, Maynard, Adams, Langdon, Phillips
Best
Whitfield, Coniglio, Lobb, Shiel, Williams, Davis
Nil
Injuries
Davis (shoulder)
Nil
Reports
Nil
Week three
First preliminary final (Richmond vs. Collingwood)
This was the seventeenth finals meeting between Richmond and Collingwood, and the first since the 1980 Grand Final. Richmond have won nine of those games, while Collingwood have won eight. This was the first time that Collingwood has defeated Richmond in a final since 1937. Richmond's loss was their first at the MCG since Round 13, 2017.
Melbourne became the first side since Richmond in the 1927 Grand Final to not score a goal in the first half of a final and the first ever in a preliminary final.[2]