As we enter preliminary finals week, we've put together a list of some interesting finals facts, with a prelim final focus.

  • Alastair Clarkson is going for his 15th finals win as a coach, with only 12 men to have coached more finals wins in VFL/AFL history.
    • Most finals wins as coach:
    • McHale, Malthouse - 27
    • Hafey - 24
    • Sheedy - 23
    • Jeans - 22
    • Reynolds - 21
    • Parkin, Matthews - 19
    • Hughes - 18
    • Barassi - 17
    • Smith - 16
    • Blight - 15
    • Clarkson - 14
  • Shaun Burgoyne is set to play his 30th final to sit third in VFL/AFL history, behind only Tuck (39) and Coventry (31)
  • Stephen and Brad Hill become only the second set of brothers after Brad Sholl and Craig Sholl to play finals against each other in two separate years.
  • North Melbourne will play their 10th preliminary final in 22 years
  • But the Roos have only won three of their last 11 preliminary finals
  • After beating Sydney on Saturday night, North Melbourne has become the first team since the introduction of the top eight system to knock top four sides out in straight sets in two consecutive years
  • The win over the Swans also saw the Roos become the first team in history to reach a preliminary final from eighth spot
  • In the first 13 years of the top eight finals system, only two teams were knocked out in straight sets. Three teams have now been knocked out in straight sets in the past two years
  • Hawthorn's 8.4 (52) in the opening quarter against Adelaide was the club's best first quarter in a final since the 1989 Grand Final against Geelong
  • The Hawks will play their fifth consecutive preliminary final for the first time in their history
  • This year's preliminary finalists' most experienced finals players from different teams: Zac Dawson, Shaun Buygoyne, Sharrod Wellingham, Nick Dal Santo equal with Brent Harvey.
  • After the loss last week, Richmond became just the second team in history to lose three consecutive elimination finals