1996 AFL season

The 1996 Australian Football League season was the 100th season of the elite Australian rules football competition.

See List of Australian Football League premiers for a complete list.

AFL Draft

See 1996 AFL Draft for more information.

Lightning Premiership

In the 1996 AFL Lightning Premiership final, Essendon defeated Brisbane Bears 6.2 (38) to 2.9 (21) at Waverley Park.

National Cup

In the 1996 Ansett Australia Cup final, St Kilda defeated Carlton 20.10 (130) to 10.12 (72) in front of 66,888 at Waverley Park.

Premiership Season

Round 1

Round 2

Round 3

Round 4

Round 5

Round 6

Round 7

Round 8

Note: Ben Hart took the mark of the year in Adelaide's win over St Kilda.
Note: Fitzroy's victory was the last win they had as a club.

Round 9

Round 10

Round 11

Round 12

Round 13

Round 14

Round 15

Round 16

Round 17

Round 18

Round 19

Round 20

Round 21

Round 22

Note:Last game of Fitzroy before Merger with Brisbane Bears to become Brisbane Lions.

Qualifying Finals

Semi Finals

Note: West Coast Eagles played its "home" final at the MCG despite being ranked above Essendon due to the agreement then in place with the Melbourne Cricket Club that at least one game each week of the finals be played at the MCG.

Preliminary Finals

Note: Last game of Brisbane Bears before merger with Fitzroy Lions to become Brisbane Lions.

Note: Tony Lockett kicked a behind after the siren to send the Swans to the Grand Final for the first time since South Melbourne's last appearance in 1945.

Note: Essendon became the first team in VFL/AFL history to lose two finals in the same season by one point.

Grand Final

Ladder

Ladder progression

• Numbers highlighted in green indicate that the team finished the round inside the top 8.
• Numbers highlighted in blue indicates the team finished first on the ladder in that round.
• Numbers highlighted in red indicates the team finished in last place on the ladder in that round.

Attendance

Awards

• The Brownlow Medal was awarded to Michael Voss of Brisbane Bears and James Hird of Essendon.
• The Leigh Matthews Trophy was awarded to Corey McKernan of North Melbourne.
• The Coleman Medal was awarded to Tony Lockett of Sydney.
• The Norm Smith Medal was awarded to Glenn Archer of North Melbourne.
• The AFL Rising Star award was awarded to Ben Cousins of West Coast.
• The Wooden Spoon was "awarded" to Fitzroy in their final season before the club merged with the Brisbane Bears.

Notes

• North Melbourne's Corey McKernan received the same number of Brownlow Medal votes as the joint-winners James Hird and Michael Voss, but was ineligible to receive a medal as McKernan was suspended for one match during the season for kneeing. McKernan went on to win the AFL Players Association MVP, which is not subject to the same eligibility criteria.
• The Round 10 game between St Kilda and Essendon was interrupted at the twenty-minute mark of the third quarter when Waverley Park lost power, causing the floodlights to go off. The remaining quarter and a bit was played three nights later.
  • Subsequently, the AFL introduced contingencies that a game could be abandoned, with the progress result accepted as final at any point beyond half time, at the agreement of the captains when (a) any unexpected incident delays a game by half an hour, or (b) if dangerous weather conditions, most typically lightning, prevail.
• North Melbourne received a special gold-coloured premiership cup, instead of the typical silver, to signify what the AFL had represented as its Centenary Season throughout 1996. (Note: 1996 was the VFL/AFL's hundredth season, which by strictest definition is not the same as the centenary season which would have been 1997).
• The season is perhaps best remembered for its preliminary final between minor premiers Sydney and sixth-placed Essendon. With scores level on 10.9 (69), Sydney's Tony Lockett scored a behind with a kick after the siren to win the game.
  • Lockett had been under an injury cloud with a groin problem during the preceding week, and there was some doubt whether he would play.

References

• 1996 Season - AFL Tables