Has an AFL game ever ended 48-38?
Yes. AFL has seen a final score of 48-38 2 times. It first happened on May 9, 1901, when Geelong beat Fitzroy, and most recently on April 15, 1961, when Carlton beat St Kilda.
That makes 48-38 the 2421st most common final score out of 6,607 that have ever occurred in AFL. One point away, 49-38 has happened 3 times and 48-39 has happened 4 times. At one point the score disappeared for 60 years, between 1901 and 1961.