'Everyone is absolutely losing their minds' over the 'most drastic change in AFL history'.
AFL greats have lashed out at the introduction of a wildcard round to the finals series, as league boss Andrew Dillon attempts to douse the flames.
The top-eight system has been axed after three decades in favour of a top 10 finals series that will kick off with two matches -- seventh versus 10th and eighth versus ninth -- during the pre-finals bye weekend.
The winners will progress to become the seventh and eighth-ranked teams in an otherwise unchanged four-week run to the grand final.
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Despite being called a wildcard round, the matches will count as finals for players and team records.
"I think the Essendon fans will be hoping they finish higher than 10th but, yes, you win a wildcard final that will be a finals win," Dillon said on Monday.
The long-time administrator, who is two years into his tenure as AFL CEO, justified the change as providing "more games of consequence".
"I don't think it rewards mediocrity, it provides more opportunities and games of consequences," he said.
"I think what we'll see when we get to the wildcard weekend is fans coming to the games in record numbers and we'll see them really well attended, really well watched."
But fans accepting the change appears to be a different story, with Nick Riewoldt describing it as a "knee-jerk" reaction to sloppy late-season games in 2025.
"It feels like a make-good," the St Kilda great said on Triple M's Mick in the Morning.
"We had some shocking TV games this year. A lot of Carlton and a lot of Essendon on the way home (towards finals).
"What we have done now is we have guaranteed that we will never see another team finishing seventh win the premiership again like the Western Bulldogs in 2016.
"To win it from a wildcard (game) is borderline impossible."
Brendan Fevola described the shift as "the most drastic change in the history of the AFL".
"It's ridiculous! If you finish seventh and you lose, you're out, and then the week after the finals will start properly," the dual Coleman medallist said on The Fox's Fifi, Fev and Nick.
"If you're not good enough after 24 rounds to finish in the top eight, you're not good enough to win the premiership. You shouldn't get that opportunity."
Kane Cornes is taking the view that the finals will not officially start until the 'final eight' is set, and said people need to "calm down".
"I don't see this as 10 teams making finals. I know that's been the talk and everyone is absolutely losing their minds," the Port Adelaide premiership player said on SEN.
"What's wrong with this? What's the issue?
"In the 'week off' we would have got seven v 10 which would have been Gold Coast v Sydney -- and eight v nine which would have been Hawthorn v Western Bulldogs. That would have been an unbelievable game of football.
"Then the finals start the following week. What is the issue here?"
Cornes believes the new system better rewards the top six, with fifth and sixth now gaining the benefit of a week off over their first opponents.
Wildcard games are likely to be played on Friday and Saturday, Dillon said, adding the Round 24 fixture could lead to a situation where both matches take place on a Saturday.