The first week of the 2025 AFL finals series delivered some nail-biting finishes, and the action all kicks off again on Friday, 12 September at the Adelaide Oval, where Adelaide Crows face Hawthorn in a do-or-die semi-final. The second semi-final heads north to the Gabba, where the Brisbane Lions will battle the Gold Coast in a QClash final on September 13. The winner of those games will face Geelong or Collingwood in the Preliminary final.

First Semi Final – Adelaide Crows v Hawthorn

After Adelaide Crows fell short to Collingwood in the first qualifying final at the Adelaide Oval, they will have another crack at knocking a confident Hawthorn side out of the finals series. The Crows have the home ground advantage, but Hawthorn’s hunger to win and motivation after crushing the GWS Giants out of the finals by 19 points at Engie Stadium can’t be underestimated. Collingwood’s defence was too much for the Crows to handle, with the Pies applying more tackles than the Crows. Collingwood, on the other hand, had fewer clearances than the Crows and hit-outs, but the Crows lacked efficiency inside 50.

Second Semi Final – Brisbane Lions v Gold Coast Suns

Gold Coast stunned the league, dismantling Fremantle Dockers at Optus Stadium and ruining Dockers legend Nat Fyfe’s last game to progress to the semi-finals by one point and now have a challenge in facing Brisbane Lions at the Gabba. Brisbane Lions, on the other hand, couldn’t match Geelong’s defensive pressure, which affected them in receiving marks inside 50, costing them a spot in reaching the Preliminary final. Lions star midfielder Lachie Neale also won’t be taking part in any football this season after tearing his calf, with more devastating news that star forward Eric Hipwood will miss the rest of the season due to injury.

Wrap Up:

Regardless of who wins, these teams will no doubt deliver nail-biting and strong performances that will leave footy fans glued to their screens or feeling restless in the stands. But one question remains, as always, who will get through to the Preliminary Final?

Featured Photo: Panorama of the MCG during the 2018 AFL Grand Final. Photo by  Flickerd.   Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.