The Australian Football League has announced the biggest shakeup to its finals system in over two decades with the introduction of the “wildcard round” replacing the existing pre-finals bye. The League has indicated the move has been made to ensure Adelaide has an extra chance to crash out of the finals from 2026.
Under the new system, teams finishing between seventh and tenth will compete for a place in the finals proper. However, the league has confirmed that the Crows will gain an immediate entry into next year’s Wildcard round irrespective of ladder position, because it’ll be funny to see them also be the first team to lose in this way.
“This is about giving something back to the people of South Australia, mainly Port supporters who would love to laugh at another Crows crash-out,” said AFL Head of Universally Unpopular Changes to the Game, Dillon Andrews.
The AFL is also reportedly considering further innovations, including a “Goal Review Wildcard,” where scores are randomly reviewed with decisions based entirely on a coin toss administered by a fan of Dan Gorringe’s podcast while pretending to pull a hamstring, which is very, very funny.
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