2000 AFL Season - Notable Events

Notable Events

• The AFL season started and ended three weeks early to avoid scheduling conflicts with the 2000 Summer Olympics which were held in Sydney that year.
• Essendon won the most home-and-away games (21) and total games (24) in a single season in the history of the VFL/AFL, breaking the records set by Carlton in 1995 (20 and 23 respectively). It broke Collingwood’s 1929 record when it won its first twenty games, and if one includes its pre-season cup, it won 30 games. All records still stand. In 2008 Geelong won 21 of 22 in the home and away season to equal that record, but lost the Grand Final.
• Essendon's Grand Final win was the last by a Victorian side until Geelong won in 2007.
• The Brisbane Lions were the only non-Victorian side to make the finals.
• The McIntyre "Final Eight" system, which had operated from 1994 and 1999, was replaced by the AFL's Amended "Final Eight" system. The AFL's Amended "Final Eight" system has operated continuously from 2000 until today.
• Round 5 and 6 is recognised for the fact that every winner of both weeks had scored over 105 points in both weeks and 3 losing teams in the weeks still scored over 100 points (2 including Sydney, who lost both weeks).
• Round 3 currently stands as the highest-scoring round in VFL/AFL history, with the sixteen teams combining for 282.202 (1894). Furthermore, an enduring record 241 behinds were scored in Round 5.
• Essendon were the last team to win the pre-season cup and the Grand Final double until Geelong in 2009.
• The WACA ground hosted its 72nd and last game of AFL football when Richmond defeated Fremantle in Round 19.