The AFL will finally have complete flexibility in regards to its finals scheduling this year, ensuring all non-Victorian clubs will be rewarded with home finals should they earn the right to host them.

After more than a decade of contractual issues clouding where the finals should be staged, the league will be able to schedule all of this year's finals wherever it chooses.

That means no repeat of the controversy of 2004 when the Brisbane Lions were forced to play a preliminary final at the MCG against Geelong, despite having earned the right to host the match at the Gabba by being the higher-placed team.

The only stumbling block this year will be whether the AFL can gain access to Sydney's Telstra Stadium in the event that the Swans earn the right to host a home final.

The AFL's greater flexibility in its finals scheduling for 2006 is good news for the non-Victorian clubs, who in the past have been forced to move home finals to the MCG in order to satisfy the league's finals contract with the Melbourne Cricket Club.

This also happened to the West Coast Eagles in 1996 and 1999 when they were forced to play knockout semi-finals at the MCG - losing to Essendon and Carlton - even though they had earned the right to host both matches at Subiaco.

And Adelaide was also forced to play what should have been a home semi-final against Melbourne at the MCG in 2002, although the Crows still won.

This was because the AFL's previous finals deal with the MCC called for one final each week to be staged at the MCG.

However under the new deal, which begins this year, the AFL only has to stage 10 finals over the first two weeks of the finals at the MCG in any five year period.

"So we don't have any restrictions at all this year (in terms of finals scheduling) as we are in year one of the agreement," AFL spokesman Patrick Keane said.

That means any non-Victorian team and there are likely to be four in this year's finals series - Adelaide, West Coast, Sydney and Fremantle - will enjoy home advantage in September provided they are the higher placed team.

Keane said the key factors in this year's finals scheduling will be.

- if any non-Victorian team earns the right to host a preliminary final it will host it, meaning that if Adelaide and West Coast finish in the top two as expected and then both win their home qualifying finals in week one then both preliminary finals would be staged outside Melbourne for the first time.

- if a Victorian team earns the right to host a preliminary final, that match would definitely be played at the MCG and both preliminary finals would be staged at the MCG if two Victorian clubs earned the right to host them - something that has not occurred since 2000.

- 10 finals must be played at the MCG over the first two weeks of the finals in any five year period.

- and Telstra Stadium is the first choice venue for any final in Sydney.

With 10 finals needing to be staged at the MCG over the first two weeks of the finals in any five-year period, that means an average of two per year should be played at the ground during the elimination/qualifying final and semi-final weekends.

But with Melbourne, St Kilda, Collingwood, the Bulldogs and possibly Geelong all likely to be involved in the finals this year, the league will almost certainly meet that commitment in year one - even though it has the flexibility now to stage fewer finals at the MCG in the first two weeks of the finals this year by playing more finals there in future seasons.

The biggest problem could be securing Telstra Stadium if the Swans earn a home final due to the fact that Sydney's Olympic Stadium also hosts National Rugby League finals in September.

The Swans did play a final at the much larger Telstra Stadium in 2003 and 2004 but last year was forced to stage their home semi-final against Geelong at the SCG because Telstra Stadium was unavailable.