The Australian Football League's 2010 finals series determined the top eight final positions of the 2010 AFL season. The series was scheduled to occur over four weekends in September 2010, culminating with the 114th AFL/VFL Grand Final at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on 25 September 2010. However, after Collingwood and St Kilda drew in the Grand Final, the series was extended to five weeks, ending on 2 October, with the first Grand Final replay since 1977. Collingwood won the replay by 56 points to become the 2010 premiers.
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The finals system
The system is a final eight system. This system is different from the McIntyre Final Eight System, which was previously used by the AFL, and is currently used by the National Rugby League.
The top four teams in the eight receive what is popularly known as the "double chance" when they play in week-one qualifying finals. This means that even 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, in that only the winners survive and move on to the next week. Home-state advantage goes to the team with the higher seed in the first two weeks, to the qualifying final winners in the third week. Games in Victoria are played at the MCG, regardless of the team's usual home ground, if a crowd larger than the seating capacity of Etihad Stadium (53,359) is expected.
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 at the MCG in Melbourne.
Qualification
Collingwood won the minor premiership, followed by 2009 Grand finalists Geelong and St Kilda, while giving Western Bulldogs a second chance spot in the top four. Sydney and Fremantle, the only non-Victorian clubs in the finals series, finished equal on points, but Sydney earned a game against Carlton on percentage. Hawthorn finished 7th despite a poor start to the season.
Grand final and replay (Collingwood v St Kilda)
Note: this article covers both the drawn grand final and the grand final replay