Has an AFL game ever ended 38-35?
Yes. AFL has seen a final score of 38-35 2 times. It first happened on May 24, 1902, when Essendon beat Sydney, and most recently on May 4, 1912, when Richmond beat Sydney.
That makes 38-35 the 2421st most common final score out of 6,607 that have ever occurred in AFL. One point away, 39-35 has happened 2 times and 38-36 has happened 4 times.