View source for 2005 AFL finals series

{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2020}}
{{Use Australian English|date=December 2017}}
{{Infobox Australian rules football season
| competition     = afl
| year            = 2005
| image           = 2005AFLFinalsSeries.png
| imagesize       = 320px
| caption         = 
| date = 2–24 September 2005
| teams           = 8
| premiers        = {{AFL Syd}}
| count           = 4
| minor premiers  = {{AFL Ade}}
| mpcount         = 1
| pre-season cup  = 
| pscount         = 
| matches         = 9
| attendance      = 480064
| highattend      = 91,828 <small>[[2005 AFL Grand Final|Grand Final]], {{AFL|WC}} vs. {{AFL Syd}}</small>)
| top goal scorer = 
| brownlow medal  = 
| prevseason      = [[2004 AFL finals series|2004]]
| nextseason      = [[2006 AFL finals series|2006]]
|runners-up={{AFL|WC}} <small>(4th grand final)</small>}}

The '''[[Australian Football League]]'s 2005 [[AFL finals series|finals series]]''' began on the weekend of 2 September 2005 and ended with the 109th [[AFL Grand Final]] at the [[Melbourne Cricket Ground]] on 24 September 2005. The [[Sydney Swans]] defeated [[West Coast Eagles|West Coast]], breaking their record 72-year drought between premierships. The top eight teams on the home and away rounds (regular season) ladder qualify for the Finals Series.

==Ladder==
{{:2005 AFL season|transcludesection=Ladder}}
Separated only by percentage [[Adelaide Football Club|Adelaide]] (minor premier) and [[West Coast Eagles|West Coast]] topped the ladder (W-L: 17–5), trailed by third placed [[Sydney Swans|Sydney]] (15–7). The matchups for the first round of finals were only set after all matches of the final home-and-away game had been completed.

==Summary of results==
{{8TeamBracket-PagePlayoff|RD2-RD3-cross=y
|team-width=150
|RD1-text1=3 Sep, [[AAMI Stadium]]
|RD1-team1={{AFL Ade}}
|RD1-score1=8.9 (57)
|RD1-team2='''{{AFL StK}}'''
|RD1-score2='''10.5 (65)'''
|RD1-text2=4 Sep, [[Telstra Dome]]
|RD1-team3={{AFL Kan}}
|RD1-score3=11.11 (77)
|RD1-team4='''{{AFL PA}}'''
|RD1-score4='''26.8 (164)'''
|RD1-text4=2 Sep, [[Subiaco Oval]]
|RD1-team7='''{{AFL WC}}'''
|RD1-score7='''10.9 (69)'''
|RD1-team8={{AFL Syd}}
|RD1-score8=10.5 (65)
|RD1-text3=3 Sep, [[Melbourne Cricket Ground|MCG]]
|RD1-team5='''{{AFL Gee}}'''
|RD1-score5='''18.8 (116)'''
|RD1-team6={{AFL Mel}}
|RD1-score6=9.7 (61)
|RD2-text1=10 Sep, [[AAMI Stadium]]
|RD2-team1='''{{AFL Ade}}'''
|RD2-score1='''18.15 (123)'''
|RD2-team2={{AFL PA}}
|RD2-score2=5.10 (40)
|RD2-text2=9 Sep, [[Sydney Cricket Ground|SCG]]
|RD2-team3='''{{AFL Syd}}'''
|RD2-score3='''7.14 (56)'''
|RD2-team4={{AFL Gee}}
|RD2-score4=7.11 (53)
|RD3-text1=16 Sep, [[Melbourne Cricket Ground|MCG]]
|RD3-team1={{AFL StK}}
|RD3-score1=9.11 (65)
|RD3-team2='''{{AFL Syd}}'''
|RD3-score2='''15.6 (96)'''
|RD3-text2=17 Sep, [[Subiaco Oval]]
|RD3-team3='''{{AFL WC}}'''
|RD3-score3='''14.9 (93)'''
|RD3-team4={{AFL Ade}}
|RD3-score4=11.11 (77)
|RD4-text1=24 Sep, [[Melbourne Cricket Ground|MCG]]
|RD4-team1='''{{AFL Syd}}'''
|RD4-score1='''8.10 (58)'''
|RD4-team2={{AFL WC}}
|RD4-score2=7.12 (54)

}}

==The finals system==
{{Main|AFL final eight system}}

The system is a [[AFL final eight system|final eight]] system. This system is different from the [[McIntyre final eight system]], which was previously used by the AFL, and was used by the [[National Rugby League]] until 2012.

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 if a top-four team loses in the first week, it still has a chance to redeem itself by getting a chance to play in a semi-final the next week against the winner of an elimination final. The bottom four of the eight are forced to play what are called elimination finals, in which only the winners survive and move on to week two to play the losers of the qualifying finals.

In the second week, the winners of the qualifying finals receive a bye to the third week, while the losers of those qualifying finals must play the winners of the elimination finals for a chance to play the qualifying finals winners. Home-ground advantage goes to the team with the higher seed.

In the third week, the winners of the semi-finals from week two play the winners of the qualifying finals in the first week, with the latter receiving home-ground advantage. The winners of those matches move on to the [[AFL Grand Final|Grand Final]] at the [[Melbourne Cricket Ground]] in [[Melbourne]], where the new premier will be crowned.

The favourites for the 2005 Grand Final were Adelaide, St Kilda, Sydney and West Coast.

[http://afl.com.au/?pg=final8explained&spg=default 8TeamBracket-PagePlayoff|RD2-RD3-cross=y|team-width=150 Explained (AFL.com.au)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070926221125/http://afl.com.au/?pg=final8explained&spg=default |date=26 September 2007 }}

==Week One==

===First Qualifying Final (1 vs 4)===

====Scorecard====
{| class="wikitable" style="margin:1em auto;"
|- bgcolor="#FF0033"
!  Team !! 1 !! 2 !! 3 !! 4 !! Total
|-
| (1) [[Adelaide Crows|Adelaide]] || 3.3 || 3.5 || 5.7 || 8.9 || 8.9 (57)
|-
| '''(4) [[St Kilda Saints|St Kilda]]''' || '''1.0''' || '''6.3''' || '''9.3''' || '''10.5''' || '''10.5 (65)'''
|-
| ''St Kilda won by 8'' || '''G.B''' || '''G.B''' || '''G.B''' || '''G.B''' || ''Final''
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="margin:1em auto;"
|- bgcolor="#FF0033"
! Team Stats !! [[Adelaide Crows|Ade]] !! [[St Kilda Saints|StK]]
|-
| '''Kicks''' || 186 || 214
|-
| '''Marks''' || 73 || 102
|-
| '''Handballs''' || 113 || 129
|-
| '''Tackles''' || 61 || 61
|-
| '''Hitouts''' || 47 || 22
|-
| '''Frees''' || 14 || 17
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="margin:1em auto;"
! Date
| Saturday, 3 September 2005 7PM [[Australian Central Standard Time|ACST]]
|-
! Goals ([[Adelaide Crows|Ade]])
| '''4:''' [[Ken McGregor (footballer)|K McGregor]]<br />'''1:''' [[Robert Shirley (footballer)|R Shirley]], [[Graham Johncock|G Johncock]], [[Scott Welsh|S Welsh]], [[Simon Goodwin|S Goodwin]]
|-
! Goals ([[St Kilda Saints|StK]])
| '''3:''' [[Robert Harvey (footballer)|R Harvey]]<br />'''2:''' [[Nick Riewoldt|N Riewoldt]], [[James Gwilt|J Gwilt]]<br />'''1:''' [[Luke Ball|L Ball]], [[Jason Blake (footballer)|J Blake]], [[Stephen Milne|S Milne]]
|-
! Best
| '''Ade:''' Rutten, Bassett, Goodwin, McGregor,<br />Edwards, McLeod, Johncock<br />'''StK:''' Harvey, Dal Santo, Hayes, Jones<br />Fisher, Ball, Peckett
|-
! Injuries
| None
|-
! Reports
| None
|-
! Venue
| [[AAMI Stadium]], [[Adelaide]], [[South Australia|SA]]
|-
! Attendance
| 48,768
|-
! Umpires
| [[Michael Vozzo]], [[Stephen McBurney]], [[Shaun Ryan]]
|}

===Second Qualifying Final (2 vs 3)===

====Scorecard====
{| class="wikitable" style="margin:1em auto;"
|- bgcolor="#FF0033"
! Team !! 1 !! 2 !! 3 !! 4 !! Total
|-
| '''(2) [[West Coast Eagles|West Coast]]''' || '''4.1''' || '''5.4''' || '''5.7''' || '''10.9''' || '''10.9 (69)'''
|-
| (3) [[Sydney Swans|Sydney]] || 3.1 || 5.2 || 8.3 || 10.5 || 10.5 (65)
|-
| ''West Coast won by 4'' || '''G.B''' || '''G.B''' || '''G.B''' || '''G.B''' || ''Final''
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="margin:1em auto;"
|- bgcolor="#FF0033"
! Team Stats !! [[West Coast Eagles|WCE]] !! [[Sydney Swans|Syd]]
|-
| '''Kicks''' || 181 || 180
|-
| '''Marks''' || 62 || 63
|-
| '''Handballs''' || 110 || 101
|-
| '''Tackles''' || 46 || 52
|-
| '''Hitouts''' || 45 || 42
|-
| '''Free Kicks''' || 21 || 14
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="margin:1em auto;"
! Date
| Friday, 2 September 2005 6:30PM [[Australian Western Standard Time|AWST]]
|-
! Goals ([[West Coast Eagles|WCE]])
| '''2:''' [[Michael S. Gardiner|M Gardiner]], [[Adam Hunter (AFL player)|A Hunter]], [[Ashley Sampi|A Sampi]]<br />'''1:''' [[Ashley Hansen|A Hansen]], [[Daniel Kerr|D Kerr]], [[Tyson Stenglein|T Stenglein]], [[Mark Seaby|M Seaby]]
|-
! Goals ([[Sydney Swans|Syd]])
| '''3''': [[Nick Davis (footballer)|N Davis]], [[Michael O'Loughlin|M O'Loughlin]]<br />'''2:''' [[Barry Hall|B Hall]]<br />'''1:''' [[Ryan O'Keefe|R O'Keefe]], [[Adam Schneider|A Schneider]]
|-
! Best
| '''WCE:''' Kerr, Judd, Cousins, Hunter,<br />Nicoski, Wirrpanda<br />'''Syd:''' Kirk, Davis, C Bolton, Buchanan,<br />Goodes, O'Loughlin, Kennelly, Williams
|-
! Injuries
| '''WCE:''' [[Phil Matera|P Matera]] (hip)<br />'''Syd:''' Williams (ankle)
|-
! Reports
| None
|-
! Venue
| [[Subiaco Oval]], [[Perth, Western Australia|Perth]], [[Western Australia|WA]]
|-
! Attendance
| 43,302
|-
! Umpires
| [[Scott McLaren]], [[Derek Woodcock]], [[Shane McInerney]]
|}
Sydney entered the game as the in form team of the competition.  West Coast topped the ladder most of the season, and were only denied the minor premiership on percentage.  The Eagles led the game most of the first half, but the Swans appeared to be marching onward to victory by taking control of the third quarter.  In a foreshadowing of things to come, West Coast responded by taking control of the fourth quarter.  Two controversial fourth quarter umpiring decisions against Sydney hurt their cause.  Even more damaging were two late marks in defence by Eagle [[Dean Cox (Australian footballer)|Dean Cox]] snubbing Swan attempts to kick a game winner.

=== First Elimination Final (5 vs 8) ===

====Scorecard====
{| class="wikitable" style="margin:1em auto;"
|- bgcolor="#FF0033"
! Team !! 1 !! 2 !! 3 !! 4 !! Total
|-
| (5) [[Kangaroos FC|Kangaroos]] || 6.6 || 7.7 || 10.9 || 11.11 || 11.11 (77)
|-
| '''(8) [[Port Adelaide Football Club|Port Adelaide]]''' || '''6.1''' || '''12.3''' || '''20.6''' || '''26.8''' || '''26.8 (164)'''
|-
| ''Port Adelaide won by 87'' || '''G.B''' || '''G.B''' || '''G.B''' || '''G.B''' || ''Final''
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="margin:1em auto;"
|- bgcolor="#FF0033"
! Team Stats !! [[Kangaroos FC|Kan]] !! [[Port Adelaide Football Club|PA]]
|-
| '''Kicks''' || 166 || 223
|-
| '''Marks''' || 69 || 126
|-
| '''Handballs''' || 87 || 128
|-
| '''Tackles''' || 46 || 31
|-
| '''Hitouts''' || 28 || 40
|-
| '''Frees''' || 16 || 15
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="margin:1em auto;"
! Date
| Sunday, 4 September 2005 2:30PM [[AEST]]
|-
! Goals ([[Kangaroos FC|Kan]])
| '''3:''' [[Corey Jones|C Jones]]<br />'''2:''' [[Nathan Thompson (Australian footballer)|N Thompson]], [[Saverio Rocca|S Rocca]]<br />'''1:''' [[Lance Picioane|L Picoane]], [[Brady Rawlings|B Rawlings]], [[Daniel Wells (footballer)|D Wells]], [[Leigh Harding|L Harding]]
|-
! Goals ([[Port Adelaide Football Club|PA]])
| '''4:''' [[Brendon Lade|B Lade]], [[Warren Tredrea|W Tredrea]], [[Josh Mahoney|J Mahoney]]<br />'''3:''' [[Michael Pettigrew|M Pettigrew]]<br />'''2:''' [[Adam Kingsley|A Kingsley]], [[Dean Brogan|D Brogan]]<br />'''1:''' [[Matthew Bishop (footballer)|M Bishop]], [[Chad Cornes|C Cornes]], [[Stuart Dew|S Dew]],<br />[[Brett Montgomery|B Montgomery]], [[Danyle Pearce|D Pearce]], [[Steven Salopek|S Salopek]],<br />[[Gavin Wanganeen|G Wanganeen]]
|-
! Best
| '''Kan:''' Sinclair, Jones, Wells, Harris<br />'''PA:''' Tredrea, Kingsley, Lade, Pettigrew,<br />Mahoney, Montgomery, C. Cornes
|-
! Injuries
| None
|-
! Reports
| None
|-
! Venue
| [[Telstra Dome]], [[Melbourne]], [[Victoria (Australia)|VIC]]
|-
! Attendance
| 25,195
|-
! Umpires
| [[Hayden Kennedy]], [[Brett Allen (umpire)|Brett Allen]], [[Scott Jeffery]]
|}

=== Second Elimination Final (6 vs 7) ===

====Scorecard====
{| class="wikitable" style="margin:1em auto;"
|- bgcolor="#FF0033"
! Team !! 1 !! 2 !! 3 !! 4 !! Total
|-
| '''(6) [[Geelong Football Club|Geelong]]''' || '''5.4''' || '''12.5''' || '''16.8''' || '''18.8''' || '''18.8 (116)'''
|-
| (7) [[Melbourne Demons|Melbourne]] || 2.3 || 6.4 || 6.6 || 9.7 || 9.7 (61)
|-
| ''Geelong won by 55'' || '''G.B''' || '''G.B''' || '''G.B''' || '''G.B''' || ''Final''
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="margin:1em auto;"
|- bgcolor="#FF0033"
! Team Stats !! [[Geelong Football Club|Geel]] !! [[Melbourne Demons|Melb]]
|-
| '''Kicks''' || 242  || 162
|-
| '''Marks''' || 136 || 79
|-
| '''Handballs''' || 111 || 106
|-
| '''Tackles''' || 41 || 54
|-
| '''Hitouts''' || 31 || 27
|-
| '''Frees''' || 19 || 21
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="margin:1em auto;"
! Date
| Saturday, 3 September 2005 2:30PM [[AEST]]
|-
! Goals ([[Geelong Football Club|Geel]])
| '''3:''' [[Gary Ablett, Jr.|G Ablett]], [[James Kelly (Australian footballer)|J Kelly]]<br />'''2:''' [[Cameron Ling|C Ling]], [[Andrew Mackie|A Mackie]], [[Cameron Mooney|C Mooney]], [[Henry Playfair|H Playfair]]<br />'''1:''' [[Nathan Ablett|N Ablett]], [[Steve Johnson (Australian footballer)|S Johnson]], [[Kent Kingsley|K Kingsley]], [[Kane Tenace|K Tenace]]
|-
! Goals ([[Melbourne Demons|Melb]])
| '''4:''' [[Russell Robertson|R Robertson]]<br />'''2:''' [[Paul Wheatley (footballer)|P Wheatley]]<br />'''1:''' [[Aaron Davey|A Davey]], [[Ben Holland|B Holland]], [[Adem Yze|A Yze]]
|-
! Best
| '''Geel''': Mooney, Milburn, Corey,<br />Bartel, Ling, Rooke, G. Ablett<br />'''Melb:''' Carroll, Brown, Moloney, Robertson
|-
! Injuries
| '''Geel:''' None<br />'''Melb:''' White (face), Rigoni (concussion), Johnstone (ankle),<br />Wheatley (adductor), McDonald (calf)
|-
! Reports
| '''Geel:''' Johnson for rough conduct against Holland
|-
! Venue
| [[Melbourne Cricket Ground]], [[Melbourne]], [[Victoria (Australia)|VIC]]
|-
! Attendance
| 65,018
|-
! Umpires
| [[Justin Schmitt]], [[Stuart Wenn]], [[Darren Goldspink]]
|}

==Week Two==

=== First Semi-final ===

==== Scorecard ====
{| class="wikitable" style="margin:1em auto;"
|- bgcolor="#FF0033"
! Team !! 1 !! 2 !! 3 !! 4 !! Total
|-
| '''(1) [[Adelaide Crows|Adelaide]]''' || '''3.4''' || '''4.7''' || '''12.9''' || '''18.15''' || '''18.15 (123)'''
|-
|  (8) [[Port Adelaide Football Club|Port Adelaide]] || 2.1 || 3.6 || 4.6 || 5.10 || 5.10 (40)
|-
| ''Adelaide won by 83'' || '''G.B''' || '''G.B''' || '''G.B''' || '''G.B''' || ''Final''
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="margin:1em auto;"
|- bgcolor="#FF0033"
! Team Stats !! [[Adelaide Crows|Ade]] !! [[Port Adelaide Football Club|PA]]
|-
| '''Kicks''' || 188 || 161
|-
| '''Marks''' || 105 || 80
|-
| '''Handballs''' || 118 || 117
|-
| '''Tackles''' || 48 || 43
|-
| '''Hitouts''' || 32 || 30
|-
| '''Frees''' || 17 || 20
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="margin:1em auto;"
! Date
| Saturday, 10 September 2005 7PM [[Australian Central Standard Time|ACST]]
|-
! Goals ([[Adelaide Crows|Ade]])
| '''4:''' [[Scott Welsh|S Welsh]]<br />'''3:''' [[Simon Goodwin|S Goodwin]], [[Ian Perrie|I Perrie]]<br />'''2:''' [[Ken McGregor (footballer)|K McGregor]]<br />'''1:''' [[Tyson Edwards (footballer)|T Edwards]], [[Trent Hentschel|T Hentschel]], [[Andrew McLeod|A McLoed]], [[Mark Ricciuto|M Ricciuto]],<br />[[Ben Rutten|B Rutten]], [[Robert Shirley|R Shirley]]
|-
! Goals ([[Port Adelaide Football Club|PA]])
| '''1:''' [[Shaun Burgoyne|S Burgoyne]], [[Josh Mahoney|J Mahoney]], [[Danyle Pearce|D Pearce]],<br />[[Michael Pettigrew|M Pettigrew]], [[Gavin Wanganeen|G Wanganeen]]
|-
! Best
| '''Ade:''' Edwards, Goodwin, Ricciuto, Clarke, Rutten,<br />Bassett, Burton, McLeod<br />'''PA:''' C. Cornes, K. Cornes, Montgomery, Wakelin
|-
! Injuries
| '''Ade:''' Johncock (calf), Biglands, Shirley (head knock)<br />'''PA:''' Wilson (hamstring)
|-
! Reports
| None
|-
! Venue
| [[AAMI Stadium]], [[Adelaide]], [[South Australia|SA]]
|-
! Attendance
| 50,521
|-
! Umpires
| [[Michael Vozzo]], [[Brett Allen (umpire)|Brett Allen]], [[Scott McLaren]]
|}

===Second Semi-final===

====Scorecard====
{| class="wikitable" style="margin:1em auto;"
|- bgcolor="#FF0033"
! Team !! 1 !! 2 !! 3 !! 4 !! Total
|-
| '''(3) [[Sydney Swans|Sydney]]''' || '''2.2''' || '''2.6''' || '''3.12''' || '''7.14''' || '''7.14 (56)'''
|-
| (6) [[Geelong Football Club|Geelong]] || 2.6 || 5.8 || 6.11 || 7.11 || 7.11 (53)
|-
| ''Sydney won by 3'' || '''G.B''' || '''G.B''' || '''G.B''' || '''G.B''' || ''Final''
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="margin:1em auto;"
|- bgcolor="#FF0033"
! Team Stats !! [[Sydney Swans|Syd]] !! [[Geelong Football Club|Geel]]
|-
| '''Kicks''' || 155 || 177
|-
| '''Marks''' || 50 || 79
|-
| '''Handballs''' || 111 || 93
|-
| '''Tackles''' || 66 || 83
|-
| '''Hitouts''' || 66 || 22
|-
| '''Frees''' || 16 || 17
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="margin:1em auto;"
! Date
| Friday, 9 September 2005 8PM [[AEST]]
|-
! Goals ([[Sydney Swans|Syd]])
| '''4:''' [[Nick Davis (footballer)|N Davis]]<br />'''2:''' [[Michael O'Loughlin|M O'Loughlin]]<br />'''1:''' [[Ryan O'Keefe|R O'Keefe]]
|-
! Goals ([[Geelong Football Club|Geel]])
| '''2''': [[Steve Johnson (Australian footballer)|S Johnson]]<br />'''1:''' [[Charlie Gardiner (Australian footballer)|C Gardiner]], [[James Kelly (Australian footballer)|J Kelly]], [[Henry Playfair|H Playfair]],<br />[[Max Rooke|J Rooke]], [[David Johnson (Australian rules footballer)|D Johnson]]
|-
! Best
| '''Syd:''' Davis, Crouch, Kirk, Buchanan, Bolton<br />'''Geel:''' Kelly, Scarlett, Johnson, Ling, Corey, Sanderson
|-
! Injuries
| '''Syd:''' Williams (thigh)<br />'''Geel:''' King (hamstring)
|-
! Reports
| None
|-
! Venue
| [[Sydney Cricket Ground]], Sydney, [[New South Wales|NSW]]
|-
! Attendance
| 39,079
|-
! Umpires
| [[Stuart Wenn]], [[Shaun Ryan]], [[Darren Goldspink]]
|}
A thrilling victory for Sydney, and a heartbreaking loss for Geelong. The game seemed decided, with Geelong ahead by 23 points early in the final quarter - Sydney needed four goals to win, and had kicked only three for the night. But the Swans did come back, with Nick Davis kicking all four of the final quarter goals, including the game-winner with less than ten seconds remaining.

==Week Three==

=== First Preliminary Final ===

==== Scorecard ====
{| class="wikitable" style="margin:1em auto;"
|- bgcolor="#FF0033"
! Team !! 1 !! 2 !! 3 !! 4 !! Total
|-
| (4) [[St Kilda Football Club|St Kilda]] || 3.1 || 5.5 || 9.7 || 9.11 || 9.11 (65)
|-
| '''(3) [[Sydney Swans|Sydney]]''' || '''5.1''' || '''6.3''' || '''8.6''' || '''15.6''' || '''15.6 (96)'''
|-
| ''Sydney won by 31'' || '''G.B''' || '''G.B''' || '''G.B''' || '''G.B''' || ''Final''
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="margin:1em auto;"
|- bgcolor="#FF0033"
! Team Stats !! [[St Kilda Football Club|StK]] !! [[Sydney Swans|Syd]]
|-
| '''Kicks''' || 157 || 196
|-
| '''Marks''' || 65 || 91
|-
| '''Handballs''' || 98 || 76
|-
| '''Tackles''' || 64 || 73
|-
| '''Hitouts''' || 42 || 37
|-
| '''Frees''' || 19 || 11
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="margin:1em auto;"
! Date
| Friday, 16 September 2005 8PM [[AEST]]
|-
! Goals ([[St Kilda Football Club|StK]])
| '''4:''' [[Fraser Gehrig|F Gehrig]]<br />'''2:''' [[Nick Riewoldt|N Riewoldt]]<br />'''1:''' [[Leigh Montagna|L Montagna]], [[Nick Dal Santo|N Dal Santo]], [[Lenny Hayes|L Hayes]]
|-
! Goals ([[Sydney Swans|Syd]])
| '''4:''' [[Barry Hall|B Hall]]<br />'''3:''' [[Adam Schneider|A Schneider]]<br />'''2:''' [[Michael O'Loughlin|M O'Loughlin]], [[Paul Williams (Australian rules footballer)|P Williams]], [[Ryan O'Keefe|R O'Keefe]]<br />'''1:''' [[Nick Davis (footballer)|N Davis]], [[Amon Buchanan|A Buchanan]]
|-
! Best
| '''StK:''' Dal Santo, Harvey, Hudghton, Jones<br />Gehrig, Baker, Montagna<br />'''Syd:''' O'Keefe, Hall, C. Bolton, J. Bolton,<br />Schneider, Kennelly, Ablett, Crouch,
|-
! Injuries
| None
|-
! Reports
| '''Syd:''' Hall for striking Maguire
|-
! Venue
| [[Melbourne Cricket Ground]], [[Melbourne]], [[Victoria (Australia)|VIC]]
|-
! Attendance
| 73,344
|-
! Metropolitan Free To Air TV audience
| 1.811 million
|-
! Umpires
| [[Michael Vozzo]], [[Scott McLaren]], [[Darren Goldspink]]
|}
Sydney opened the game strongly, but once St. Kilda righted their effort they took the lead and steadily built upon it. Leading by 15 points midway through the third quarter, the Saints were on the verge of putting the game out of reach but they were unable to match Sydney's endurance. In the final quarter the Swans blew the game out of reach by kicking seven un-answered goals.

The Swans' win reversed two heavy losses to the Saints within the past twelve months, the latter of which proved to be a major turning point in their 2005 season.

===Second Preliminary Final===

====Scorecard====
{| class="wikitable" style="margin:1em auto;"
|- bgcolor="#FF0033"
!  Team !! 1 !! 2 !! 3 !! 4 !! Total
|-
| '''(2) [[West Coast Eagles|West Coast]]''' || '''2.2''' || '''6.5''' || '''11.8''' || '''14.9''' || '''14.9 (93)'''
|-
| (1) [[Adelaide Crows|Adelaide]] || 2.2 || 5.4 || 6.6 || 11.11 || 11.11 (77)
|-
| ''West Coast won by 16'' || '''G.B''' || '''G.B''' || '''G.B''' || '''G.B''' || ''Final''
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="margin:1em auto;"
|- bgcolor="#FF0033"
! Team Stats !! [[West Coast Eagles|WCE]] !! [[Adelaide Crows|Ade]]
|-
| '''Kicks''' || 204 || 184
|-
| '''Marks''' || 91 || 82
|-
| '''Handballs''' || 142 || 127
|-
| '''Tackles''' || 52 || 50
|-
| '''Hitouts''' || 36 || 31
|-
| '''Frees''' || 15 || 8
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="margin:1em auto;"
! Date
| Saturday, 17 September 2005 1PM [[Australian Western Standard Time|AWST]]
|-
! Goals ([[West Coast Eagles|WCE]])
| '''3:''' [[Ashley Hansen|A Hansen]], [[Daniel Chick|D Chick]]<br />'''2:''' [[Andrew Embley|A Embley]]<br />'''1:''' [[Michael S. Gardiner|M Gardiner]], [[Ashley Sampi|A Sampi]], [[Ben Cousins|B Cousins]],<br />[[Adam Selwood|A Selwood]], [[Adam Hunter (AFL player)|A Hunter]], [[Mark Seaby|M Seaby]]
|-
! Goals ([[Adelaide Crows|Ade]])
| '''3:''' [[Ken McGregor (footballer)|K McGregor]]<br />'''2:''' [[Trent Hentschel|T Hentschel]], [[Scott Welsh|S Welsh]]<br />'''1:''' [[Tyson Edwards (footballer)|T Edwards]], [[Brett Burton|B Burton]], [[Ian Perrie|I Perrie]], [[Simon Goodwin|S Goodwin]]
|-
! Best
| '''WCE:''' Kerr, Hunter, Wirrpunda, Embley,<br />Judd, Chick, Selwood, Stenglein<br />'''Ade:''' Edwards, Goodwin, Clarke, Burton,<br />McGregor, Perrie
|-
! Injuries
| '''WCE:''' Braun (leg)<br />'''Ade:''' Johncock (calf)
|-
! Reports
| None
|-
! Venue
| [[Subiaco Oval]], [[Perth, Western Australia|Perth]], [[Western Australia|WA]]
|-
! Attendance
| 43,009
|-
! Metropolitan Free To Air TV audience
| 1.490 million
|-
! Umpires
| [[Stephen McBurney]], [[Brett Allen (umpire)|Brett Allen]], [[Shaun Ryan]]
|}

==Grand final==
{{Main|2005 AFL Grand Final}}
{| class="wikitable"
! Team !! 1 !! 2 !! 3 !! 4 !! Total
|-
| '''(3) [[Sydney Swans|Sydney]]''' || '''3.0''' || '''6.3''' || '''6.5''' || '''8.10''' || '''8.10 (58)'''
|-
| (2) [[West Coast Eagles|West Coast]]  || 2.4 || 2.7 || 5.9 || 7.12 || 7.12 (54)
|-
| ''Sydney won by 4'' || '''G.B''' || '''G.B''' || '''G.B''' || '''G.B''' || ''Final''
|}
{{Wikinews|Sydney Swans win AFL premiership after 72 years in classic match}}

{| class="wikitable"
! Date
| Saturday, 24 September 2005, 2:35pm [[Australian Eastern Standard Time|AEST]]
|-
! Coin Toss Winner
| [[Sydney Swans|Sydney]]
|-
! Goals ([[Sydney Swans|Syd]])
| '''2:''' [[Barry Hall|B Hall]]<br />'''1:''' [[Darren Jolly|D Jolly]], [[Adam Schneider|A Schneider]], [[Michael O'Loughlin|M O'Loughlin]],<br /> [[Tadhg Kennelly|T Kennelly]], [[Adam Goodes|A Goodes]], [[Amon Buchanan|A Buchanan]]
|-
! Goals ([[West Coast Eagles|WCE]])
|'''2:''' [[Adam Hunter (AFL player)|A Hunter]]<br />'''1:''' [[Mark Nicoski|M Nicoski]], [[Dean Cox (Australian footballer)|D Cox]], [[Andrew Embley|A Embley]],<br /> [[Ashley Hansen|A Hansen]], [[Ben Cousins|B Cousins]]
|-
! Best
| '''Syd:''' Roberts-Thomson, Goodes, Buchanan,<br />Kennelly, Fosdike, Kirk<br />'''WCE:''' Judd, Wirrpunda, Cousins,<br />Cox, Fletcher
|-
! [[Norm Smith Medal]]
| [[Chris Judd|C Judd]] '''(WCE)'''
|-
! Injuries
| '''Syd:''' Ball (cut head), C Bolton (nose), Crouch (ankle)<br />'''WCE:''' Kerr (ankle), Gardiner (cut head)
|-
! Reports
| None
|-
! Venue
| [[Melbourne Cricket Ground]], [[Melbourne]], [[Victoria (Australia)|VIC]]
|-
! Attendance
| 91,898
|-
! Umpires
| [[Scott McLaren]], [[Brett Allen (umpire)|Brett Allen]], [[Darren Goldspink]]
|-
! Metropolitan Free To Air TV audience
| 3.386 million
|}

==External links==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20110719170250/http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=5847685594157264218 Some highlights from the 2005 AFL Grand Final] at [[Google Videos]]
* [http://www.afl.com.au AFL official website]
* [http://sport.yahoo.com.au Yahoo! Sport Australia/New Zealand (news)]
* [http://realfooty.theage.com.au RealFooty by The Age (Melbourne) Online] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080725045941/http://www.realfooty.theage.com.au/ |date=25 July 2008 }}
* [http://www.sportsaustralia.com SportsAustralia (news and views)]

{{2005 AFL season}}
{{AFL finals series}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:2005 Afl Finals Series}}
[[Category:2005 in Australian rules football|AFL Finals Series]]
[[Category:2005 Australian Football League season|Finals Series]]