A team can win more matches than its rivals and still need to survive a sudden-death final before claiming the premiership. That mix of a long home-and-away season and a short finals series is the key to understanding how most Australian Rules football leagues are organised.
The season: home and away
In the AFL, clubs play a home-and-away season before the finals. Each team earns a place on the ladder based on its results, and the ladder determines which clubs qualify for the premiership finals and where they begin.
The AFL has 18 clubs. Because a season does not give every team enough rounds to play every opponent both home and away, the fixture is not a complete double round robin. Teams play a set schedule that includes repeat match-ups and a bye, when a club has no game that round. The AFL fixture also has to account for travel, venues and major events, so the number of home games and the difficulty of each team’s schedule can vary.
State, local and other national competitions use the same broad idea—regular-season matches followed by a way to determine a champion—but their number of teams, rounds and finals systems can differ. Always check the rules of the specific competition.
How the ladder works
A win is worth four premiership points on the AFL ladder, a draw earns each team two, and a loss earns none. Clubs are ranked by their total points. If teams finish level, percentage is generally used as a tiebreaker. It is calculated by dividing a team’s points scored by its points conceded, then multiplying by 100.
Here’s a simple example: a club that scores 900 points and concedes 750 has a percentage of 120.00. If it is level on ladder points with a team on 108.00, it ranks higher. Percentage can make late-game decisions matter: a side well ahead might keep attacking to improve its margin, while a team trailing may try to limit the damage.
A match score has two parts. A goal is worth six points and a behind is worth one. So a score of 12.8 means 12 goals and eight behinds, for a total of 80 points. The team with the higher total wins; if the totals are equal, the match is a draw unless the competition has a specific rule for deciding a result in that situation.
Who reaches the finals?
In the AFL, the eight highest-ranked clubs qualify for the finals. Finishing high is valuable, not just because it secures a place in September, but because it can bring a more forgiving route to the Grand Final.
The AFL uses the Page-McIntyre system, a four-week finals format:
- Week one: The top four play two qualifying finals. The winners go straight to the preliminary finals, while the losers get another chance in a semi-final. Teams ranked fifth to eighth play elimination finals; the losers are out.
- Week two: The qualifying-final losers meet the elimination-final winners in the semi-finals. The winners advance; the losers are eliminated.
- Week three: The two preliminary finals decide which clubs progress to the Grand Final.
- Week four: The preliminary-final winners meet in the Grand Final. The winner becomes premier.
This means a top-four club can lose its first final and still win the premiership. A club that finishes fifth to eighth has no such buffer: lose once and its season is over. For example, a side that finishes second gets a qualifying final and, if it loses, a semi-final as a second route forward. A side in seventh place must win every final it plays.
Why the ladder matters before finals
The ladder is more than a weekly ranking. It shapes finals qualification, seeding and, in some cases, home-ground advantage. A top-four finish gives a club a safety net in week one; finishing in the top eight is the minimum requirement to keep playing.
It also affects how teams manage a season. Coaches may weigh up whether to select a player returning from injury, rest someone carrying a heavy workload, or push for a higher ladder position. A club already assured of finals might still chase a top-four spot, while a team near eighth place may treat every remaining match as crucial.
For fans, the format creates two connected contests: the race to finish high on the ladder, and then the knockout-style pressure of finals. A team can dominate the home-and-away season but still need to deliver in a handful of high-stakes games to win the flag.
How other Australian Rules leagues can differ
Not every competition copies the AFL system. Some leagues have fewer clubs, shorter seasons or finals for a different number of teams. Their ladder points and tiebreak rules may also vary. Community competitions can be split into grades or divisions, and some use promotion and relegation between levels. The AFL, by contrast, is a fixed-membership competition: clubs do not move up or down based on where they finish.
Women’s, state and regional competitions have their own calendars and competition rules, too. The reliable way to follow any league is to check its fixture, ladder rules and finals structure rather than assume the AFL format applies everywhere.
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many teams make the AFL finals?
Eight teams qualify, based on their positions on the ladder at the end of the home-and-away season.
How many points does an AFL team get for a win?
A win earns four premiership points. A draw earns two points for each team, and a loss earns none.
What happens if teams finish level on ladder points?
Percentage is generally the first tiebreaker. It compares points scored with points conceded, expressed as a percentage. Competition rules determine how any further ties are handled.
Does the team that finishes first automatically win the premiership?
No. Finishing first means topping the ladder after the home-and-away season. The premiership goes to the club that wins the Grand Final.
Final Thoughts
Australian Rules leagues usually combine a regular season, a ladder and a finals series. In the AFL, wins build ladder points, percentage can separate tied teams, and the top eight enter a four-week finals campaign. Once you know how those pieces fit together, it is much easier to see why a strong finish matters—and why even the best team still has to win its way to the premiership.
Aiden Cross is a sports writer and editor at BeliveSports, covering a broad range of sports with a focus on clear, accurate, and practical information. His work covers rules, techniques, player roles, competitions, equipment, statistics, and the details that help readers better understand how different sports are played. Aiden takes a research-driven approach to sports writing, using reliable sources and established sporting information to provide context rather than simply repeating surface-level facts. His goal is to make complex topics accessible while maintaining the accuracy and depth expected by knowledgeable sports fans. At BeliveSports, Aiden contributes to the site’s editorial standards by focusing on accuracy, clarity, useful context, and reader-first explanations.
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