Second divisions teams now compete with the motivation of progressing through to first division, and mixing it with South Australia, Vic Country, Vic Metro and Western Australia.
This year, division two winner Tasmania and runner-up New South Wales/Australian Capital Territory move into the next phase of the championships.
The round-robin format also provided the four second division teams the opportunity to play curtain-raiser matches before the Hall of Fame Tribute Match. Playing on that stage can only be a huge inspiration for players.
The boys took away plenty from that experience including a knowledge of what it takes to compete at the absolute highest level.
Now, we move onto the next step of the championships.
We have had the same format for 12 years, but this qualifying series was an important change and it recognises that there are states outside of the traditional football powers that really want to match it with the best.
Tasmania and NSW/ACT will play matches at home as well as having the opportunity of playing at AFL venues interstate.
Tassie will meet South Australia at the Adelaide Oval as a curtain raiser to the Victoria Vs South Australia state league senior level game, and NSW/ACT will travel to Western Australia and experience Subiaco Oval. This game will be staged as AFL curtain-raiser and will be tremendous experience for the young men involved.
In recent times, the AFL has announced its plans to expand and include 17th and 18th teams in the League so there is no better time for young players who are eyeing careers in football.
We told the boys from all second division teams that there is an opportunity to play at the highest level, as potentially 100 more places could be available on AFL lists in the next two to three years.
In terms of talent, there was plenty on show in division two.
The Northern Territory again displayed their wizardry and skills, and took on the opposition with speed and agility. This was particularly evident on the wide spaces of Casey Fields.
The Indigenous boys in particular only have to look at the likes of Austin Wonaeamirri and Cyril Rioli for inspiration. Who's to say there can't be another Aussie or Cyril among the NT players?
Patrick Heenan and Charlie Sharples were prolific ball-winners and very exciting players.
Although Queensland failed to win a match throughout the championships, it possessed some enormous height in its side. Long-term, this is very promising for the likes of Charlie Dixon (199cm), Zac Smith (203cm) and Lachlan Keefe (204cm). Another Queenslander to impress was midfielder Dayne Beams.
For NSW/ACT, Ranga Ediriwickrama, who is of Sri Lankan heritage and is a scholarship holder with Geelong, is a ball-magnet. He was very impressive across the three matches.
Two more scholarship holders with AFL clubs -- Josh Duncan (St Kilda) and Scott Reed (Collingwood) -- were others who caught the eye. Midfielder Luke Breust also had an excellent three games.
The promising Bart McCulloch (198cm) stood out for Tasmania, as a ruckman/key forward. His teammate, Aaron Cornelius, was outstanding in attack and his strong marking was a feature.
The Hunter Harrison medal for division two's best player went to 188cm ball-winning midfielder Mitch Robinson from Tasmania. Robinson has also played some matches for Tassie Devils in the VFL.
Harrison was an administrator in the Northern Territory for a long time and he now lives in Queensland. He was a wonderful contributor to the national vision of the game.
Now we turn our attention to division one. Vic Country and Vic Metro kick it off the competition on Sunday May 25 at the MCG in a curtain-raiser to the Melbourne v Hawthorn match.
From these games we will see roughly 55 players emerge onto AFL lists.
