The worst finals series ever

The 2008 AFL Finals series came to a close today, and before talking about the hyped match between the Hawks and Cats I want to talk about the disappointment that the finals series was in general. Finals are supposed to be the best matches of the season. Ferocious, intense, desperate. What we want to see more than anything though (unless your a fan of the team playing) is a close match. There's nothing more thrilling than a close game in September.

Under the new finals system there are 9 finals to be played. 2 elimination, 2 qualifying, 2 semi-finals, 2 prelims and the Grand Final. Obviously not all of these matches are going to be close, but there's a realistic hope that 3 or 4 of these matches would have the result in doubt heading into the last ten minutes. This year, not one final was in doubt with ten minutes to play. Not one. On the scoreboard the closest match was in fact the Grand Final - the final margin was 26 points. In reality the closest match was the Collingwood Adelaide clash, but the Pies kicked clear midway through the final term to secure the 31 point win.

Generally each year in the finals we get a handful of close games, and one or two genuine classic matches. Last year there were three finals decided by less than a kick plus another one that went to extra time. Hawthorn-Adelaide (Buddy with the matchwinner), Collingwood-West Coast (extra time, and perhaps the most excruciating final minute of fourth quarter in the history of football), Geelong-Collingwood (a nailbiter for the ages in front of 98, 000 people at the 'G). All these were classic matches. 2006 - two finals decided by a point, and another two decided by less than three goals. Both Sydney-West Coast matches were instant classics. 2005 - five games decided by 16 points or less, again both Sydney-West Coast matches were classics, and then of course there's the Nick Davis match against Geelong. 2004 saw four finals decided by ten points or less, and the Port Adelaide-St. Kilda preliminary final was one of the best finals of the past decade.

Every year we get a number of September matches that we'll remember long after we've seen them. That's the thrill of finals footy. This year we got none.