Critics of the AFL's wildcard finals shake-up have questioned the move that league boss Andrew Dillon insists will incentivise a top-six finish and ensure more "games of consequence" next season.
The AFL on Monday confirmed the divisive tweaks to the finals system with the addition of two wildcard games.
Those extra fixtures, to be played on the weekend that had been reserved for the pre-finals bye, will pit seventh against 10th and eighth against ninth.
The top six sides will continue to enjoy a week off while the highest-ranked winner of the two matches will secure seventh place and the other winner will secure eighth place heading into the first full week of finals.
That means a team could finish the regular-season in ninth place, but then contest a finals campaign as the seventh seed.
"Our fans love finals games, so we think it provides opportunities and hope for our fans," Dillon said.
"I've got plenty of good feedback from the clubs overnight.
"Our fans love finals and they love games of consequence.
"We know those games are the best-attended and most-watched on television."
But AFL Fans Association president Ron Issko has called for a review of the decision based on feedback and their own research, conducted in September, that found 77 per cent didn't support the concept.
"Fans aren't opposed to innovation," he said.
"But the wildcard proposal has raised questions about fairness and the home-and-away season.
"We encourage the AFL Commission and AFL executives to review this proposal, share the rationale and ensure any decision balances innovation with what supporters value most."
Richmond great Matthew Richardson expressed his displeasure on social media, posting, "More than half our teams make the finals. Seriously."
Former Carlton and Brisbane forward Brendan Fevola told Fox FM it was "the most drastic change in the history of the AFL", describing the move as "ridiculous".
St Kilda champion Nick Riewoldt called it "knee-jerk" on Triple M while fellow Saints great Nathan Burke told ABC the competition "doesn't need it whatsoever".
"Eight teams in the finals is enough," the four-time All Australian said.
The move comes after one of the tightest fights for a finals berth in recent history, with Western Bulldogs (14-9) boasting the best season in AFL history for a team finishing ninth.
Sydney came 10th with 12-11 record this year.
"I don't think it rewards mediocrity," Dillon countered.
"It makes that gap between sixth and seventh something clubs will strive for.
"You'll have a big difference between first and second, with the home final.
"Third and fourth, you get the double chance.
"Fifth and sixth you get the week off and seventh and eighth you host a home wildcard final."
If the wildcard round was in place this year, seventh-placed Gold Coast would have hosted Sydney (10th), and Hawthorn (eighth) would have played the Western Bulldogs (ninth).
The concept has proven popular in the NBA and MLB, where their respective conference systems often leave high-performing teams denied direct finals entry.
Dillon confirmed the extra fixtures would count towards the Gary Ayres Award for the best player of the finals series.