1996 AFL season

Results and statistics for the Australian Football League season of 1996.

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

AFL Draft

See 1996 AFL Draft for more information.

Lighting Premiership

In the 1996 AFL Lightning Premiership final, Essendon defeated Brisbane Bears 6.11 (47) 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

Qualifying Finals

Semi Finals

Preliminary Finals

Grand Final

Ladder

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

• 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. The Swans' victory led a Sydney journalist to comment that "All week we have been concentrating on Lockett's groin, when we now know it was his behind that counted."

References

• 1996 Season - AFL Tables