system corrected for the anomaly that, in the first week, the team who finished 4th would have a more difficult opponent than the team who finished 5th, and was hence more likely to be eliminated, despite finishing higher. This was achieved by adding flexibility to the second round draw, so that the two elimination final winners were re-ranked to determine which played the winner of the qualifying final and which played the loser. However, both McIntyre final six systems had another weakness: the loser of the qualifying final (which is the most difficult game of the first round), ended up facing elimination in the first semi-final, while the higher-ranked elimination final winner (who has had the easiest game of the first round) has a double chance in the second semi-final. McIntyre final eight system The McIntyre final eight bears little in common with the other McIntyre systems. At no stage does it follow the Page–McIntyre structure, and at no stage after the first week does any team retain a double chance. The system allows for 26 of the 28 combinations of the eight finalists to feature in the grand final (the two combinations not possible are 1st v 7th and 2nd v 8th). It gives 18.75% to 1st and 2nd, 15.625% to 3rd, 12.5% to 4th and 5th, 9.375% to 6th and 6.25% to 7th and 8th. See also NRL finals system AFL finals series Top five play-offs Top six play-offs McIntyre final eight system AFL final eight system, adopted by the AFL to address perceived problems in the McIntyre final eight Super League play-offs, which once used a similar system with its own unique twist NBA Play-In Tournament, which used a similar system since 2021 References External links Grand Finals at the MCG Contains a brief summary of the finals systems used in the VFL/AFL Rugby league terminology Australian rules football terminology Tournament systems History of Australian rules football