2023 AFL finals series
The 2023 Australian Football League finals series was the 127th annual edition of the VFL/AFL finals series, the Australian rules football playoff tournament staged to determine the winner of the 2023 AFL premiership season. The series was played over four weeks in September, and culminated in the 2023 AFL Grand Final, which saw Collingwood win its record-tying 16th premiership by 4 points over the Brisbane Lions. The top eight teams from the 2023 AFL Premiership season qualify for the finals series. AFL finals series have been played under the current format since 2000. Qualification 

In Round 23 of the 2023 AFL season, 's win over  confirmed , ,  and  as the top 4, while  sealed a finals appearance with a win over . The ' shock loss to last-placed  confirmed finals for  and , while in Round 24  defeated Carlton to seal the last finals spot at the Bulldogs' expense. Ladder

Season notes
 won the minor premiership for the first time since 2011. After winning the premiership the previous season,  missed finals for the first time since 2015.
 reached the finals for the first time since 2013. Venues

Matches 

The system used for the 2023 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, and 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. Finals series

Week one – Qualifying and Elimination Finals

First Qualifying Final (Collingwood vs Melbourne)
The first qualifying final saw first-placed  face fourth-placed , the twenty-third final between the two sides and the first since the 1989 elimination final. Scorecard

First Elimination Final (Carlton vs Sydney)
The first elimination final saw fifth-placed  face eighth-placed , the twelfth final between the two sides and the first since the 2013 first semi final. Scorecard

Second Elimination Final (St Kilda vs Greater Western Sydney)
The second elimination final saw sixth placed  take on seventh placed . This was the first meeting between the two sides in a finals series match. Scorecard

Second Qualifying Final (Brisbane vs Port Adelaide)
The second qualifying final saw the second-placing  face third-placing , the fourth final between the two sides and the first since the 2004 AFL Grand Final. and  also previously met in the 2001 qualifying final and the 2002 preliminary final. Scorecard

Week two – Semi-Finals

First Semi-Final (Melbourne vs Carlton)

The first semi-final saw  host . This was the ninth final contested between the two teams and the first since 2000, when  defeated  in a qualifying final. They had previously played in five semi-finals (1915, 1936, 1941, 1959 and 1962), a preliminary final in 1988 and a qualifying final in 1994. Scorecard

Second Semi-Final (Port Adelaide vs Greater Western Sydney)

This was the first meeting between  and  in a finals series match. Scorecard

Week three – Preliminary Finals

First Preliminary Final (Collingwood vs Greater Western Sydney)

This was the third meeting in the Finals between  and  after the 2018 semi-final (won by Collingwood) and the 2019 preliminary final (won by Greater Western Sydney). Scorecard

Second Preliminary Final (Brisbane vs Carlton)

This was the fourth time  and  meet in the finals; they have previously contested one qualifying final in 1999 (won by the Lions) and two semi-finals in 2000 and 2009 (respectively won by the Blues and the Lions). Scorecard

Week four – Grand Final

This was the third time that Brisbane and Collingwood faced off in the Grand Final, after the 2002 and 2003 Grand Finals, both won by Brisbane. Collingwood won the Grand Final by 4 points and equalled the record of 16 premierships with  and . References

External links

AFL finals series official website

Finals Series, 2023