Screw the AFL.
They are dopes and it ruins all the momentum into the finals.
You will also find it has disadvantaged the top 4 teams as before the pre-finals bye. Barely anyone could make the GF from the bottom half of the 8.
Since the bye came in the top teams who had another week off in week 2 were getting ambushed in the prelim finals due to lack of match fitness one game in a month. I think i heard a few years back the winning record jumped from 90% of teams getting into a GF off a week off in week 2 before the finals bye to less then 50% in a 5 year period after it got introduced.
Western Bulldogs won the comp from 8th in its first season it came in due to it.
They would never have won the comp if the pre-finals bye wasn't there.
Anyway
@Poupou Escobar lives in AFL heartland i am sure he could add to that analysis.