The 10 best preliminary finals of the AFL era

Given they’re often the best games of the year, we’ve highlighted some of the greatest prelims of the AFL era👇

STAFF WRITER | September 10, 2021 - 5:24pm

Welcome to the best weekend in footy!

Sure, everyone wants to be in the 'big dance', but it's often the preliminary finals that seem better than the main event. It's not hard to see why, as the desperation to get to that last Saturday in September can be felt around the country.

Each season's pair of prelim's seem to appeal a larger portion of real fans and are contrasted by the far more corporate feel of Grand Final Day.

As this penultimate weekend so often produces contests that live long in the memory, we have decided to look at some that still live in the memories of fans everywhere.

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5. Collingwood vs. Hawthorn (2011)

Both sides were good all season, with the Hawks on the cusp of their three-peat era. The Pies were the reigning premier and looking to continue their momentum. Still, with the Hawks leading by 17 points at three-quarter time, that looked fanciful.

However, the last quarter proved one for the ages, with the Pies swinging momentum back in their favour until Buddy Franklin kicked dribbled through an incredible late goal.

Cue a Luke Ball snap in the dying stages to send the Woodsmen through to the Grand Final, and the Pies fans at the 'G' into raptures that literally rocked the foundations.