Rules · Season shape · Must-follow

Final round is for return games only

RA-06Catalogue name: No once-only meeting in the final round

What it means

If two clubs meet only once in the season, that game is not in the last round.

By the final round every pair has met at least once, so last-round games are all return games.

Hawthorn and Gold Coast, if they meet only once, cannot be left to Round 24.

Must-follow The fixture must obey this rule. A separate checker tests the finished fixture afterwards.

Must-follow. Earlier versions broke it twice; enforced from the 14 September rules release.

How the fixture is made shows how this plays out across the season.

One cell per release, oldest first. Each shows the verdict that release recorded for this rule; a release with no row for the rule says so.

First checked independently in TV slots added, 18 Sep 2026.

For analysts: catalogue text and codes

Rule id: RA-06
Catalogue text: If two teams meet once, that match cannot be in the final round.
Catalogue type: Hard
Catalogue family: Round Assignment
Class: hard · The fixture must never break it.
Step: S2 · Step 2: rounds
Recorded status: met · source row evaluated
Catalogue reason: Every pair has met at least once before the final round, so late-season fixtures are return matches.