The AFL elimination finals are set to take place today, with four teams vying for survival. The GWS Giants will face the Hawthorn Hawks in Sydney, while the Fremantle Dockers will host the Gold Coast Suns in Perth. The stakes are high, as the winners will advance to the semifinals next weekend.

Collingwood's recent victory over Adelaide has added to the excitement. The winner of the Giants and Hawks match will earn the right to meet the Crows in a semifinal. In Perth, either Fremantle's Nat Fyfe or Gold Coast's David Swallow will play their final career game.

In a related development, the AFL has acknowledged a controversial umpiring decision from Friday night's match between the Geelong Cats and the Brisbane Lions. The league admitted that an incorrect free kick was awarded to Cam Rayner after a minor nudge from Mark O'Connor. This decision drew criticism from analysts, who deemed it excessive. The Cats were in the process of scoring at the time, resulting in a significant penalty.

Despite the controversy, the Cats secured a comfortable victory and advanced to the preliminary finals. The AFL also confirmed that a free kick against Zach Guthrie, which followed Rayner's incident, was justified, even though Rayner appeared to go down easily.

Today's elimination finals schedule includes: - GWS Giants vs. Hawthorn at Sydney Showground, starting at 3:15 PM AEST. - Fremantle vs. Gold Coast at Perth Stadium, starting at 7:35 PM AEST (5:35 PM AWST).

The winners of these matches will continue their campaigns in the 2025 season. The Giants or Hawks will travel to Adelaide to face the Crows, while the Dockers or Suns will head to Brisbane to take on the Lions. The stakes are high, as the losing teams will be eliminated from the finals.