The AFL's first-ever 10-team Finals series has taken shape, and while every finalist remains in the hunt for the Premiership, the roads to get to the last Saturday in September are far from equal.
Only three sides have ever won the Premiership after finishing the home and away season outside of the top four. Brisbane from fifth in 2024, Western Bulldogs from seventh in 2016 and Adelaide from fifth in 1998, meaning for the teams facing off in the Wildcard, a history-defining effort will have to be made.
For some clubs, September begins with a double chance and a week off, while for others, one game can decide their fate.
As the inaugural Wildcard round kicks off, here is how every contender's Premiership path shapes up, and which clubs have the clearest route to the Grand Final.
Fremantle
Path Rating: 10/10
If the Dockers are going to win their first-ever Premiership, they could hardly have asked for a better starting point.
Fremantle finished the home and away season as Minor Premiers, losing only four games, and have set themselves up for a Thursday night Qualifying Final at Optus Stadium against the Hawks.
A win and the Dockers will get another week off and the opportunity to host a home Preliminary Final for the first time since losing to Hawthorn back in 2015.
Lose, and a second chance presents itself in a Semi Final against the winner of the first Elimination Final between Geelong and the lower-ranked Wildcard winner.
This double chance is enormous, especially for the side who have established themselves as the competition's benchmark. A last-round 37-point loss to Carlton has put some doubts in the back of people's minds, furthered by the fact that key defender Brennan Cox was ruled out of the first Final with a calf strain.
But with the first Qualifying Final at home and two opportunities to reach the Prelims, not that they should need two, Fremantle has the clearest Premiership path of the lot.
