Andrew Dillon, the current CEO of the AFL, has introduced a final 10 when there is still 18 teams. This means that in a comp with an even number of teams, more than half the teams will make it. This ruins the prestige of actually being able to make the finals series in the first place.

In the 2025 season, the last season of the proper final 8, there were 9 teams battling it out for the final 8 spots in September. This created a natural climax for the end of the regular season which had Fremantle and the Bulldogs effectively play-off for the final finals spot. The Bulldogs finished 9th and deserved to miss out on finals because they only beat one top 8 team throughout the entire season. Sydney who finished 10th had three less wins than the team that finished 8th on the ladder in Hawthorn, yet had a few wins more than the 11th placed team. If the final 10 was in place this year, the Bulldogs v Fremantle game would have effectively been a dead rubber and the home and away season would have been a drag as we all would have known which 10 teams were playing finals. Not only that the "wildcard finals" would have been one sided as Gold Coast would have thrashed Sydney and Hawthorn would have thrashed the Bulldogs. In 2025, all 8 teams that made finals deserved to be there and were all contenders. There was not a single team in the 2025 that was making up the numbers, as witnessed by Hawthorn being able to win two away finals, and thus make the preliminary final.

The final 8 system from 2000-2025 was near perfect. If your team finishes top 2 on the ladder your team gets two home finals, if your team finishes top 4 on the ladder, your team gets a double chance, if your team finishes top 6 on the ladder, you get at least one home final. If your team finishes 7-8th on the ladder your team has to win on the road every week. If your team finishes 1-4 on the ladder, your team needs to win three games to win the premiership, and if your team finishes 5-8 on the ladder, your team needs to win 4 games to win the ultimate prize. It was a system that didn't award mediocrity and awarded teams finishing higher on the ladder.