A bumper crowd of 76,707 at Saturday night's semi-final between St Kilda and Collingwood at the MCG squared the ledger for AFL finals attendances this year.

After three of the first five finals this series drew low crowds, a fine night and the strongly-supported Saints and Magpies attracted a strong crowd.

The Saints won by 34 points to set up a preliminary final clash against Hawthorn next Saturday.

The attendance was a major increase on Friday night's crowd of 42,731 who watched the Western Bulldogs beat Sydney in the other semi-final.

Of the four finals played last weekend, two games attracted small crowds, while the MCG attracted big attendances.

A measly crowd of 19,127 watched the Swans beat North Melbourne in last weekend's elimination final at ANZ Stadium, and 37,685 fans watched Collingwood beat Adelaide at AAMI Stadium, which is usually full for Crows games.

In the two qualifying finals last weekend, 76,703 fans watched Hawthorn beat the Bulldogs while 71,653 fans watched Geelong beat St Kilda.

But next weekend's all-Victorian preliminary finals between Geelong and the Bulldogs, and Hawthorn and St Kilda, should both be well-attended along with the grand final the following weekend.

Brought to you by AAP © 2024 AAP