How It Works
Spin, draft your AFL era 18, then win all 26 games of the season.
The Idea
Spin a random AFL club and season, pick one player from that list, and repeat until your 18 is full. Then your team plays a full AFL season against all 18 clubs: 23 home and away games, then the finals. Finish in the top four and win three finals, Grand Final included, and you go 26-0.
The Team
You fill an 18 on the oval: six backs, six midfielders (the ruck among them) and six forwards. Every player is listed for the lines he played, so a player who played in the midfield and up forward can fill a spot in either. Tap an empty spot on the oval and the list shows who can play there.
The Season
The fixture runs like the AFL’s: an Opening Round, then 24 rounds with byes, 23 games each. Every club plays its own games too, so the ladder is a real one: 4 points for a win, then percentage. Scores are goals and behinds, and every game has a winner.
The Finals
The top 10 make the finals. 7th plays 10th and 8th plays 9th in the Wildcard Round. Then the Qualifying Finals (1st v 4th, 2nd v 3rd: the winners get a week off, the losers a second chance), the Elimination Finals (5th and 6th against the wildcard winners), the Semi Finals, the Preliminary Finals and the Grand Final. From 5th or 6th the flag is four finals wins away, from 7th to 10th five.
The Modes
| Mode | How you draft | Ratings | Wildcards |
|---|---|---|---|
| Classic | Spin a club and season, pick 1 player from that list | Shown | 1 of each with a free CAST Profile, 2 of each with CAST Pass |
| Hard | Classic spins | Hidden until your 18 is full | Paid only, one of each |
| Pack | Rip open 9 packs of 6 cards, then pick your best 18 from what you pull | Shown | Immortal Picks only |
Pack cards come in five rarities: Elite, Green, Blue, Silver and Bronze. Hard Mode has its own leaderboard, so pure footy knowledge gets its own ranking.
Wildcards
- Reroll: bin the current spin and get a fresh club and season.
- Reveal Ratings: show the ratings on the current list when they are hidden.
- Remove Player: take one player out of your 18 and draft that spot again. If your 18 is full, you can still use it before you lock in.
- Star Key: your next spin has a player rated 95 or more (Classic only).
- Immortal Pick: choose one of three AFL Immortals, the Hall of Fame greats, and he joins your 18 at 99.
Wildcards come with a free CAST Profile. Guests see them locked until they sign in. CAST Pass adds a second of each, a Star Key every day, Substitute (move a player already in your 18 into another open spot he can play, once a Classic season) and Custom Seasons (pick your era and hide the ratings in Classic). Hard is Hard Mode: no free wildcards for anyone, CAST Pass included, but you can use one of each a season from your Vault or buy it on the spot.
Run It Back
Just missed out in Classic? A Run It Back runs your finished season back with one loss turned into a win: a lost Grand Final first, otherwise your closest home and away loss. Once a season. A season run back shows a boost mark on the leaderboards, and a run-back 26-0 still counts as a Perfect Season.
The Rules
- Every player can only be picked once.
- Picks are final, unless you use Remove Player.
- Your team rating comes from the ratings of your 18, the midfield counting a little more.
- The season is simulated from your team rating: the stronger your 18, the better your chances every week, but upsets happen, especially in the finals.
- Your best season in every mode goes up on today’s, this week’s and the all-time leaderboards, with Perfect Seasons and your longest streak.
Where the Ratings Come From
The player pool covers every AFL player from 1990 to now. Every rating is an editorial opinion of The Cast Patrol, built from peak performance, era context and career impact. They are debatable. That is the point. They are not official AFL ratings and may differ from any other source.
Spot something that looks wrong? Let us know and we’ll check it.