Has an AFL game ever ended 65-53?
Yes. AFL has seen a final score of 65-53 3 times. It first happened on September 17, 1910, when Sydney beat Carlton, and most recently on May 10, 1919, when Essendon beat Carlton.
That makes 65-53 the 1534th most common final score out of 6,607 that have ever occurred in AFL. One point away, 66-53 has happened 6 times and 65-54 has happened 7 times. Nearly all of its occurrences fall between 1890 and 1919.