2016 Australian Football League Season

The 2016 AFL season was the 120th season of the Australian Football League (AFL), the highest level senior Australian rules football competition in Australia, which was known as the Victorian Football League until 1989.

The season featured eighteen clubs, ran from 24 March until 1 October, and comprised a 22-game home-and-away season followed by a finals series featuring the top eight clubs. Thirty-four players, seventeen of whom were still active in the league, missed the season through suspension by the World Anti-Doping Agency, for doping infringements which occurred at the Essendon Football Club as part of its 2012 sports supplements program.

The premiership was won by the Western Bulldogs for the second time, after it defeated by 22 points in the 2016 AFL Grand Final.

Pre-season

NAB Challenge

For the third consecutive year, the NAB Challenge series took place, featuring 27 practice matches played over 25 days, which began on 18 February and ended on 13 March. The matches were stand-alone, with no overall winner of the series. Each team played three games, many of which were played at suburban or regional venues, with all games televised on Fox Footy. The super goal was retained for these pre-season matches.

Rule changes

The following rule changes were made for the 2016 season:
*The interchange rules were significantly altered to give each team four interchange players and a maximum of 90 rotations per game (excluding concussion, blood rule and stretcher interchanges). This replaced the 2015 protocol in which teams had three interchange players and a substitute and a maximum of 120 rotations per game.
*The scope of tackles covered by the existing 'dangerous tackles' rule was expanded, with both umpires and the tribunal more strictly penalising players for tackles including a lifting, slinging or rotating technique.
*A stricter interpretation of the existing "deliberate out of bounds" rule is to be applied.
*The width of the protected zone on either side of a player with a mark or free kick was increased from five metres to ten metres. The rule was trialled in the 2016 pre-season before being endorsed shortly for the premiership season.
*A provision for the AFL to appeal to the tribunal against an inadequate penalty will be introduced; previously, players had the right to appeal their charges or penalties but the AFL did not have the right to appeal against an acquittal or lenient penalty.
*A thirty-second countdown clock, within which a player taking a set shot must begin their approach, was displayed on the scoreboard at most AFL grounds. This replaced the previous system in which the umpire was responsible for judging the thirty second time limit. The change was not implemented at grounds which lacked existing infrastructure to support it. From round 9 onwards, the shot clock was not shown during the final two minutes of any quarter to prevent it from being actively used in end-of-game clock management.
*The grand final replay was abolished, with the provisions which were introduced in 1991 for five minutes each way of extra time in drawn finals now also applying to a drawn grand final. A new provision was also introduced to all finals to allow for an untimed period of golden point extra time to decide the game if scores remained level after extra time.
*All matches during rounds 13, 14 and 15 (the bye rounds) featured a trial of officiating matches with four field umpires instead of three.

Premiership season

Notable features of the draw include:
*Due to the weighted rule, and met only once in the regular season for the first time since 1991, on Anzac Day.
*Due to poor results in the Friday night timeslot in 2015, did not feature on Friday nights during the regular season, but still contested the annual Thursday night season opener against in round 1.
* and again met on Anzac Eve, which this season fell on a Sunday night. It was the only Sunday night match for the season, with the timeslot's unpopularity causing it to be scrapped after the 2014 season. The New Zealand Anzac Day match was scrapped from the fixture.
*Due to the Sydney Royal Easter Show, 's primary home ground (Spotless Stadium) was unavailable until round 6, therefore the club's first two home games were played at its secondary home ground, Manuka Oval.
*One month prior to the season, the Sydney Swans and ANZ Stadium came to an agreement to end their contract one year earlier than its scheduled conclusion, resulting in all eleven Sydney home games being played at the Sydney Cricket Ground, instead of eight at the SCG and three at ANZ Stadium. ANZ Stadium was still used for finals matches during 2016.
*The inclusion of the first ever AFL sanctioned LGBT pride game for premiership points was held in round 21 between and .
*There was a bye round between round 23 and the first week of the finals, to encourage teams participating in the finals to field their strongest side possible ahead of their first final. It was since announced in February 2016 that the annual E. J. Whitten Legends Game would be played in the football-free weekend, shifting from its mid-season slot.
*All starting times are local.

Round 1

Round 2

Round 3

Round 4

Round 5

Round 6

Round 7

Round 8

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

Round 23

Win/loss table

Bold – Home game

X – Bye

Opponent for round listed above margin

Ladder

Ladder progression

*Numbers highlighted in green indicates the team finished the round inside the top 8.
*Numbers highlighted in blue indicates the team finished in first place on the ladder in that round.
*Numbers highlighted in red indicates the team finished in last place on the ladder in that round.
*Underlined numbers indicates the team did not play during that round, either due to a bye or a postponed game.
*Subscript numbers indicate ladder position at round's end.

{{#invoke:Sports rbr table, table
, title=Points by round
, sortable = y
, color_F=#cfc , color_B=#9cf , color_R=#fcc
, source=AFL Tables{{cite web, title=2016 Season Scores and Results, url=http://afltables.com/afl/seas/2016.html, publisher=AFL Tables, access-date=4 July 2022

, team1 = {{AFL Syd
, resc1 = F / F / B / F / F / F / F / F / F / F / F / F / F / F / F / F / F / F / F / F / F / B / B
, res1 = {{sort, 02, 4₂ / {{sort, 02, 8₂ / {{sort, 01, 12₁ / {{sort, 03, 12₃ / {{sort, 03, 16₃ / {{sort, 03, 20₃ / {{sort, 03, 24₃ / {{sort, 04, 24₄ /
{{sort, 04, 28₄ / {{sort, 02, 32₂ / {{sort, 02, 36₂ / {{sort, 03, 36₃ /
{{sort, 02, 40₂ / {{sort, 02, 40₂ / {{sort, 04, 40₄ / {{sort, 02, 44₂ / {{sort, 05, 44₅ / {{sort, 03, 48₃ / {{sort, 03, 52₃ / {{sort, 02, 56₂ /
{{sort, 02, 60₂ / {{sort, 01, 64₁ / {{sort, 01, 68₁

, team2 = {{AFL Gee
, resc2 = F / F / F / F / F / F / F / F / F / F / F / F / B / F / F / F / F / F / F / F / F / F / F
, res2 = {{sort, 05, 4₅ / {{sort, 06, 4₆ / {{sort, 05, 8₅ / {{sort, 04, 12₄ / {{sort, 04, 16₄ / {{sort, 02, 20₂ / {{sort, 02, 24₂ / {{sort, 02, 28₂ /
{{sort, 02, 28₂ / {{sort, 03, 28₃ / {{sort, 03, 32₃ / {{sort, 02, 36₂ /
{{sort, 01, 40₁ / {{sort, 03, 40₃ / {{sort, 02, 40₂ / {{sort, 06, 40₆ / {{sort, 07, 44₇ / {{sort, 04, 48₄ / {{sort, 04, 52₄ / {{sort, 05, 56₅ /
{{sort, 04, 60₄ / {{sort, 03, 64₃ / {{sort, 02, 68₂

, team3 = {{AFL Haw
, resc3 = / F / / F / F / F / F / F / F / F / F / F / F / B / B / B / B / B / B / B / B / F / F
, res3 = {{sort, 14, 0₁₄ / {{sort, 07, 4₇ / {{sort, 09, 8₉ / {{sort, 08, 12₈ / {{sort, 05, 16₅ / {{sort, 08, 16₈ / {{sort, 06, 20₆ / {{sort, 06, 24₆ /
{{sort, 07, 24₇ / {{sort, 07, 28₇ / {{sort, 05, 32₅ / {{sort, 05, 36₅ /
{{sort, 04, 40₄ / {{sort, 01, 44₁ / {{sort, 01, 44₁ / {{sort, 01, 48₁ / {{sort, 01, 52₁ / {{sort, 01, 56₁ / {{sort, 01, 60₁ / {{sort, 01, 60₁ /
{{sort, 01, 64₁ / {{sort, 04, 64₄ / {{sort, 03, 68₃

, team4 = {{AFL GWS
, resc4 = / / / / F / F / F / F / F / F / F / F / F / F / F / F / F / F / F / F / F / F / F
, res4 = {{sort, 10, 0₁₀ / {{sort, 09, 4₉ / {{sort, 11, 4₁₁ / {{sort, 09, 8₉ / {{sort, 06, 12₆ / {{sort, 05, 16₅ / {{sort, 05, 20₅ / {{sort, 03, 24₃ /
{{sort, 03, 28₃ / {{sort, 04, 28₄ / {{sort, 06, 28₆ / {{sort, 06, 32₆ /
{{sort, 05, 36₅ / {{sort, 04, 40₄ / {{sort, 03, 40₃ / {{sort, 07, 40₇ / {{sort, 04, 44₄ / {{sort, 02, 48₂ / {{sort, 02, 52₂ / {{sort, 04, 56₄ /
{{sort, 05, 56₅ / {{sort, 05, 60₅ / {{sort, 04, 64₄

, team5 = {{AFL Ade
, resc5 = / F / F / F / / F / F / F / F / F / F / F / F / F / F / F / F / F / F / F / F / F / F
, res5 = {{sort, 11, 0₁₁ / {{sort, 05, 4₅ / {{sort, 06, 8₆ / {{sort, 07, 12₇ / {{sort, 09, 12₉ / {{sort, 07, 16₇ / {{sort, 08, 16₈ / {{sort, 08, 16₈ /
{{sort, 08, 20₈ / {{sort, 08, 24₈ / {{sort, 08, 28₈ / {{sort, 07, 32₇ /
{{sort, 08, 32₈ / {{sort, 08, 36₈ / {{sort, 05, 40₅ / {{sort, 03, 44₃ / {{sort, 02, 48₂ / {{sort, 06, 48₆ / {{sort, 05, 52₅ / {{sort, 03, 56₃ /
{{sort, 03, 60₃ / {{sort, 02, 64₂ / {{sort, 05, 64₅

, team6 = {{AFL WCE
, resc6 = F / F / F / F / F / F / F / F / F / F / F / F / F / F / F / F / F / F / F / F / F / F / F
, res6 = {{sort, 04, 4₄ / {{sort, 08, 4₈ / {{sort, 07, 8₇ / {{sort, 06, 12₆ / {{sort, 08, 12₈ / {{sort, 06, 16₆ / {{sort, 07, 16₇ / {{sort, 07, 20₇ /
{{sort, 06, 24₆ / {{sort, 05, 28₅ / {{sort, 07, 28₇ / {{sort, 08, 28₈ /
{{sort, 07, 32₇ / {{sort, 08, 32₈ / {{sort, 08, 36₈ / {{sort, 05, 40₅ / {{sort, 06, 44₆ / {{sort, 05, 48₅ / {{sort, 06, 48₆ / {{sort, 06, 52₆ /
{{sort, 06, 56₆ / {{sort, 06, 60₆ / {{sort, 06, 64₆

, team7 = {{AFL WB
, resc7 = B / B / F / F / F / F / F / F / F / F / F / F / F / F / F / F / F / F / F / F / F / F / F
, res7 = {{sort, 01, 4₁ / {{sort, 01, 8₁ / {{sort, 04, 8₄ / {{sort, 02, 12₂ / {{sort, 02, 16₂ / {{sort, 04, 16₄ / {{sort, 04, 20₄ / {{sort, 05, 24₅ /
{{sort, 05, 24₅ / {{sort, 06, 28₆ / {{sort, 04, 32₄ / {{sort, 04, 36₄ /
{{sort, 06, 36₆ / {{sort, 07, 36₇ / {{sort, 06, 40₆ / {{sort, 04, 44₄ / {{sort, 03, 48₃ / {{sort, 07, 48₇ / {{sort, 07, 48₇ / {{sort, 07, 52₇ /
{{sort, 07, 56₇ / {{sort, 07, 60₇ / {{sort, 07, 60₇

, team8 = {{AFL NM
, resc8 = F / F / F / B / B / B / B / B / B / B / B / B / F / F / F / F / F / F / F / F / F / F / F
, res8 = {{sort, 08, 4₈ / {{sort, 04, 8₄ / {{sort, 03, 12₃ / {{sort, 01, 16₁ / {{sort, 01, 20₁ / {{sort, 01, 24₁ / {{sort, 01, 28₁ / {{sort, 01, 32₁ /
{{sort, 01, 36₁ / {{sort, 01, 36₁ / {{sort, 01, 40₁ / {{sort, 01, 40₁ /
{{sort, 03, 40₃ / {{sort, 05, 40₅ / {{sort, 07, 40₇ / {{sort, 08, 40₈ / {{sort, 08, 40₈ / {{sort, 08, 44₈ / {{sort, 08, 48₈ / {{sort, 08, 48₈ /
{{sort, 08, 48₈ / {{sort, 08, 48₈ / {{sort, 08, 48₈

, team9 = {{AFL StK
, resc9 = / R / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /
, res9 = {{sort, 13, 0₁₃ / {{sort, 18, 0₁₈ / {{sort, 13, 4₁₃ / {{sort, 12, 4₁₂ / {{sort, 13, 4₁₃ / {{sort, 12, 8₁₂ / {{sort, 13, 8₁₃ / {{sort, 14, 8₁₄ / {{sort, 13, 12₁₃ / {{sort, 13, 16₁₃ / {{sort, 13, 16₁₃ / {{sort, 12, 20₁₂ /
{{sort, 12, 20₁₂ / {{sort, 12, 24₁₂ / {{sort, 13, 24₁₃ / {{sort, 12, 28₁₂ / {{sort, 10, 32₁₀ / {{sort, 09, 36₉ / {{sort, 10, 36₁₀ / {{sort, 09, 40₉ / {{sort, 10, 40₁₀ / {{sort, 09, 44₉ / {{sort, 09, 48₉

, team10 = {{AFL PA
, resc10 = F / / F / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /
, res10 = {{sort, 06, 4₆ / {{sort, 12, 4₁₂ / {{sort, 08, 8₈ / {{sort, 11, 8₁₁ / {{sort, 12, 8₁₂ / {{sort, 11, 12₁₁ / {{sort, 10, 16₁₀ / {{sort, 10, 16₁₀ / {{sort, 10, 16₁₀ / {{sort, 10, 20₁₀ / {{sort, 09, 24₉ / {{sort, 09, 24₉ / {{sort, 09, 24₉ / {{sort, 09, 24₉ / {{sort, 09, 28₉ / {{sort, 09, 28₉ / {{sort, 09, 32₉ / {{sort, 10, 32₁₀ / {{sort, 09, 36₉ / {{sort, 10, 36₁₀ / {{sort, 11, 36₁₁ / {{sort, 11, 36₁₁ / {{sort, 10, 40₁₀

, team11 = {{AFL Mel
, resc11 = / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /
, res11 = {{sort, 09, 4₉ / {{sort, 11, 4₁₁ / {{sort, 10, 4₁₀ / {{sort, 10, 8₁₀ / {{sort, 10, 12₁₀ / {{sort, 09, 12₉ / {{sort, 09, 16₉ / {{sort, 09, 16₉ / {{sort, 09, 20₉ / {{sort, 09, 20₉ / {{sort, 11, 20₁₁ / {{sort, 10, 24₁₀ / {{sort, 10, 24₁₀ / {{sort, 10, 24₁₀ / {{sort, 10, 24₁₀ / {{sort, 10, 28₁₀ / {{sort, 11, 28₁₁ / {{sort, 11, 28₁₁ / {{sort, 11, 32₁₁ / {{sort, 11, 36₁₁ / {{sort, 09, 40₉ / {{sort, 10, 40₁₀ / {{sort, 11, 40₁₁

, team12 = {{AFL Col
, resc12 = / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /
, res12 = {{sort, 17, 0₁₇ / {{sort, 14, 4₁₄ / {{sort, 14, 4₁₄ / {{sort, 15, 4₁₅ / {{sort, 11, 8₁₁ / {{sort, 13, 8₁₃ / {{sort, 14, 8₁₄ / {{sort, 12, 12₁₂ / {{sort, 11, 16₁₁ / {{sort, 12, 16₁₂ / {{sort, 12, 16₁₂ / {{sort, 14, 16₁₄ /
{{sort, 14, 16₁₄ / {{sort, 14, 20₁₄ / {{sort, 11, 24₁₁ / {{sort, 11, 28₁₁ / {{sort, 12, 28₁₂ / {{sort, 12, 28₁₂ / {{sort, 12, 32₁₂ / {{sort, 12, 32₁₂ / {{sort, 12, 32₁₂ / {{sort, 12, 36₁₂ / {{sort, 12, 36₁₂

, team13 = {{AFL Ric
, resc13 = F / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /
, res13 = {{sort, 07, 4₇ / {{sort, 10, 4₁₀ / {{sort, 12, 4₁₂ / {{sort, 13, 4₁₃ / {{sort, 14, 4₁₄ / {{sort, 15, 4₁₅ / {{sort, 15, 4₁₅ / {{sort, 15, 8₁₅ / {{sort, 14, 12₁₄ / {{sort, 14, 16₁₄ / {{sort, 14, 16₁₄ / {{sort, 13, 20₁₃ /
{{sort, 13, 20₁₃ / {{sort, 11, 24₁₁ / {{sort, 12, 24₁₂ / {{sort, 13, 24₁₃ / {{sort, 13, 28₁₃ / {{sort, 13, 28₁₃ / {{sort, 13, 28₁₃ / {{sort, 13, 32₁₃ / {{sort, 13, 32₁₃ / {{sort, 13, 32₁₃ / {{sort, 13, 32₁₃

, team14 = {{AFL Car
, resc14 = / / / R / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /
, res14 = {{sort, 12, 0₁₂ / {{sort, 15, 0₁₅ / {{sort, 17, 0₁₇ / {{sort, 18, 0₁₈ / {{sort, 15, 4₁₅ / {{sort, 14, 8₁₄ / {{sort, 12, 12₁₂ / {{sort, 11, 16₁₁ / {{sort, 12, 16₁₂ / {{sort, 11, 20₁₁ / {{sort, 10, 24₁₀ / {{sort, 11, 24₁₁ /
{{sort, 11, 24₁₁ / {{sort, 13, 24₁₃ / {{sort, 14, 24₁₄ / {{sort, 14, 24₁₄ / {{sort, 14, 24₁₄ / {{sort, 14, 24₁₄ / {{sort, 15, 24₁₅ / {{sort, 15, 24₁₅ / {{sort, 15, 24₁₅ / {{sort, 14, 28₁₄ / {{sort, 14, 28₁₄

, team15 = {{AFL GCS
, resc15 = F / F / F / F / F / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /
, res15 = {{sort, 03, 4₃ / {{sort, 03, 8₃ / {{sort, 02, 12₂ / {{sort, 05, 12₅ / {{sort, 07, 12₇ / {{sort, 10, 12₁₀ / {{sort, 11, 12₁₁ / {{sort, 13, 12₁₃ / {{sort, 15, 12₁₅ / {{sort, 15, 12₁₅ / {{sort, 15, 12₁₅ / {{sort, 15, 12₁₅ /
{{sort, 16, 12₁₆ / {{sort, 16, 12₁₆ / {{sort, 15, 16₁₅ / {{sort, 15, 20₁₅ / {{sort, 15, 20₁₅ / {{sort, 15, 24₁₅ / {{sort, 14, 24₁₄ / {{sort, 14, 24₁₄ / {{sort, 14, 24₁₄ / {{sort, 15, 24₁₅ / {{sort, 15, 24₁₅

, team16 = {{AFL Fre
, resc16 = R / / / / R / R / R / R / R / R / / / / / / / / / / / / /
, res16 = {{sort, 18, 0₁₈ / {{sort, 17, 0₁₇ / {{sort, 16, 0₁₆ / {{sort, 17, 0₁₇ / {{sort, 18, 0₁₈ / {{sort, 18, 0₁₈ / {{sort, 18, 0₁₈ / {{sort, 18, 0₁₈ /
{{sort, 18, 0₁₈ / {{sort, 18, 0₁₈ / {{sort, 16, 4₁₆ / {{sort, 16, 8₁₆ / {{sort, 15, 12₁₅ / {{sort, 15, 12₁₅ / {{sort, 16, 12₁₆ / {{sort, 16, 12₁₆ / {{sort, 16, 12₁₆ / {{sort, 16, 12₁₆ / {{sort, 16, 12₁₆ / {{sort, 16, 12₁₆ / {{sort, 16, 12₁₆ / {{sort, 16, 12₁₆ / {{sort, 16, 16₁₆

, team17 = {{AFL BL
, resc17 = / / R / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /
, res17 = {{sort, 15, 0₁₅ / {{sort, 16, 0₁₆ / {{sort, 18, 0₁₈ / {{sort, 14, 4₁₄ / {{sort, 16, 4₁₆ / {{sort, 16, 4₁₆ / {{sort, 16, 4₁₆ / {{sort, 16, 4₁₆ /
{{sort, 16, 4₁₆ / {{sort, 16, 4₁₆ / {{sort, 17, 4₁₇ / {{sort, 17, 4₁₇ /
{{sort, 17, 4₁₇ / {{sort, 17, 4₁₇ / {{sort, 17, 4₁₇ / {{sort, 17, 4₁₇ / {{sort, 17, 4₁₇ / {{sort, 17, 8₁₇ / {{sort, 17, 8₁₇ / {{sort, 17, 8₁₇ / {{sort, 17, 12₁₇ / {{sort, 17, 12₁₇ / {{sort, 17, 12₁₇

, team18 = {{AFL Ess
, resc18 = / / / / / / / / / / R / R / R / R / R / R / R / R / R / R / R / R / R
, res18 = {{sort, 16, 0₁₆ / {{sort, 13, 4₁₃ / {{sort, 15, 4₁₅ / {{sort, 16, 4₁₆ / {{sort, 17, 4₁₇ / {{sort, 17, 4₁₇ / {{sort, 17, 4₁₇ / {{sort, 17, 4₁₇ /
{{sort, 17, 4₁₇ / {{sort, 17, 4₁₇ / {{sort, 18, 4₁₈ / {{sort, 18, 4₁₈ /
{{sort, 18, 4₁₈ / {{sort, 18, 4₁₈ / {{sort, 18, 4₁₈ / {{sort, 18, 4₁₈ / {{sort, 18, 4₁₈ / {{sort, 18, 4₁₈ / {{sort, 18, 4₁₈ / {{sort, 18, 4₁₈ /
{{sort, 18, 8₁₈ / {{sort, 18, 8₁₈ / {{sort, 18, 12₁₈

Positions of teams round by round

{{Graph:Chart
, width=500
, height=300
, xAxisTitle=Round
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, x=1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23
, y1Title=Sydney Swans
, y1=2, 2, 1, 3, 3, 3, 3, 4, 4, 2, 2, 3, 2, 2, 4, 2, 5, 3, 3, 2, 2, 1, 1
, y2Title=Geelong Cats
, y2=5, 6, 5, 4, 4, 2, 2, 2, 2, 3, 3, 2, 1, 3, 2, 6, 7, 4, 4, 5, 4, 3, 2
, y3Title=Hawthorn Hawks
, y3=14, 7, 9, 8, 5, 8, 6, 6, 7, 7, 5, 5, 4, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 4, 3
, y4Title=Greater Western Sydney Giants
, y4=10, 9, 11, 9, 6, 5, 5, 3, 3, 4, 6, 6, 5, 4, 3, 7, 4, 2, 2, 4, 5, 5, 4
, y5Title=Adelaide Crows
, y5=11, 5, 6, 7, 9, 7, 8, 8, 8, 8, 8, 7, 8, 6, 5, 3, 2, 6, 5, 3, 3, 2, 5
, y6Title=West Coast Eagles
, y6=4, 8, 7, 6, 8, 6, 7, 7, 6, 5, 7, 8, 7, 8, 8, 5, 6, 5, 6, 6, 6, 6, 6
, y7Title=Western Bulldogs
, y7=1, 1, 4, 2, 2, 4, 4, 5, 5, 6, 4, 4, 6, 7, 6, 4, 3, 7, 7, 7, 7, 7, 7
, y8Title=North Melbourne Kangaroos
, y8=8, 4, 3, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 8, 8, 8, 8, 8, 8, 8
, y9Title=St. Kilda Saints
, y9=13, 18, 13, 12, 13, 12, 13, 14, 13, 13, 13, 12, 12, 12, 13, 12, 10, 9, 10, 9, 10, 9, 9
, y10Title=Port Adelaide Power
, y10=6, 12, 8, 11, 12, 11, 10, 10, 10, 10, 9, 9, 9, 9, 9, 9, 9, 10, 9, 10, 11, 11, 10
, y11Title=Melbourne Demons
, y11=9, 11, 10, 10, 10, 9, 9, 9, 9, 9, 11, 10, 10, 10, 10, 10, 11, 11, 11, 11, 9, 10, 11
, y12Title=Collingwood Magpies
, y12=17, 14, 14, 15, 11, 13, 14, 12, 11, 12, 12, 14, 14, 14, 11, 11, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12
, y13Title=Richmond Tigers
, y13=7, 10, 12, 13, 14, 15, 15, 15, 14, 14, 14, 13, 13, 11, 12, 13, 13, 13, 13, 13, 13, 13, 13
, y14Title=Carlton Blues
, y14=12, 15, 17, 18, 15, 14, 12, 11, 12, 11, 10, 11, 11, 13, 14, 14, 14, 14, 15, 15, 15, 14, 14
, y15Title=Gold Coast Suns
, y15=3, 3, 2, 5, 7, 10, 11, 13, 15, 15, 15, 15, 16, 16, 15, 15, 15, 15, 14, 14, 14, 15, 15
, y16Title=Fremantle Dockers
, y16=18, 17, 16, 17, 18, 18, 18, 18, 18, 18, 16, 16, 15, 15, 16, 16, 16, 16, 16, 16, 16, 16, 16
, y17Title=Brisbane Lions
, y17=15, 16, 18, 14, 16, 16, 16, 16, 16, 16, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17
, y18Title=Essendon Bombers
, y18=16, 13, 15, 16, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 18, 18, 18, 18, 18, 18, 18, 18, 18, 18, 18, 18, 18
, colors=#e31a1c, #00375e, #ffde00, orange, #fc4e2a, #0072ff, blue, #4db5ff, #ff5e5e, #4eb3d3, #084081, black, #ffff33, #0075c7, #ffe46e, #984ea3, #d33800, #a20000

Finals series

{{main, 2016 AFL finals series

{{8TeamBracket-PagePlayoff
, align=center
, RD2-RD3-cross=y
, team-width=185
, score-width=100
, RD1-text1=10 Sep, ANZ Stadium
, RD1-team1={{AFL Syd
, RD1-score1=7.13 (55)
, RD1-team2={{AFL GWS
, RD1-score2=12.19 (91)
, RD1-text4=9 Sep, MCG
, RD1-team7={{AFL Gee
, RD1-score7=12.13 (85)
, RD1-team8={{AFL Haw
, RD1-score8=12.11 (83)

, RD1-text2=10 Sep, Adelaide Oval
, RD1-team3={{AFL Ade
, RD1-score3=21.15 (141)
, RD1-team4={{AFL NM
, RD1-score4=12.7 (79)
, RD1-text3=8 Sep, Domain Stadium
, RD1-team5={{AFL WC
, RD1-score5=7.10 (52)
, RD1-team6={{AFL WB
, RD1-score6=14.15 (99)

, RD2-text1=17 Sep, SCG
, RD2-team1={{AFL Syd
, RD2-score1=18.10 (118)
, RD2-team2={{AFL Ade
, RD2-score2=12.10 (82)
, RD2-text2=16 Sep, MCG
, RD2-team3={{AFL Haw
, RD2-score3=12.12 (84)
, RD2-team4={{AFL WB
, RD2-score4=16.11 (107)

, RD3-text1=24 Sep, Spotless Stadium
, RD3-team1={{AFL GWS
, RD3-score1=12.11 (83)
, RD3-team2={{AFL WB
, RD3-score2=13.11 (89)
, RD3-text2=23 Sep, MCG
, RD3-team3={{AFL Gee
, RD3-score3=8.12 (60)
, RD3-team4={{AFL Syd
, RD3-score4=15.7 (97)

, RD4-text1 = 1 Oct, MCG
, RD4-team1 = {{AFL Syd
, RD4-score1 = 10.7 (67)
, RD4-team2 = {{AFL WB
, RD4-score2 = 13.11 (89)

Week one

{{AFLGameHeader, title=Qualifying finals
{{AFLGame, QF2: Friday, 9 September (7:50 pm), {{AFL Gee, 12.13 (85), H, {{AFL Haw, 12.11 (83), MCG, 87,53
Report

{{AFLGame, QF1: Saturday, 10 September (3:20 pm), {{AFL Syd, 7.13 (55), A, {{AFL GWS, 12.19 (91), ANZ Stadium, 60,22
Report

{{AFLGameFooter

{{AFLGameHeader, title=Elimination finals
{{AFLGame, EF2: Thursday, 8 September (6:10 pm), {{AFL WCE, 7.10 (52), A, {{AFL WB, 14.15 (99), Domain Stadium, 42,07
Report

{{AFLGame, EF1: Saturday, 10 September (7:10 pm), {{AFL Ade, 21.15 (141), H, {{AFL NM, 12.7 (79), Adelaide Oval, 49,00
Report

{{AFLGameFooter, notes=
* The Western Bulldogs won their first week one final since 2006, and their first interstate final in the club's history.
*{{AFL GWS won their first ever finals match.

Week two

{{AFLGameHeader, title=Semi finals
{{AFLGame, SF2: Friday, 16 September (7:50 pm), {{AFL Haw, 12.12 (84), A, {{AFL WB, 16.11 (107), MCG, 87,82
Report

{{AFLGame, SF1: Saturday, 17 September (7:25 pm), {{AFL Syd, 18.10 (118), H, {{AFL Ade, 12.10 (82), SCG, 38,13
Report

{{AFLGameFooter, notes=

Week three

{{seealso, 2016 AFL First Preliminary Final
{{AFLGameHeader, title=Preliminary finals
{{AFLGame, PF2: Friday, 23 September (7:50 pm), {{AFL Gee, 8.12 (60), A, {{AFL Syd, 15.7 (97), MCG, 71,77
Report

{{AFLGame, PF1: Saturday, 24 September (5:15 pm), {{AFL GWS, 12.11 (83), A, {{AFL WB, 13.11 (89), Spotless Stadium, 21,79
Report

{{AFLGameFooter, notes=
*With both {{AFL Gee and {{AFL GWS losing, this was the first time under the final eight system in which both teams who won their respective qualifying finals failed to qualify for the grand final.
*The crowd of 21,790 for the match between Greater Western Sydney and the {{AFL WB is the highest ever crowd for an AFL game at Spotless Stadium.
*The Greater Western Sydney and Western Bulldogs match was the second-most watched game in AFL history outside a grand final with an average viewership of 2.387 million people.
*The Western Bulldogs qualified for their first grand final since 1961.
*The Western Bulldogs became the first team to finish outside the top 4 in the home and away season under the current system to qualify for the Grand Final.

Week four

{{main, 2016 AFL Grand Final
{{AFLGameHeader, title=Grand Final
{{AFLGame, Saturday, 1 October (2:30 pm), {{AFL Syd, 10.7 (67), A, {{AFL WB, 13.11 (89), MCG, 99,98
Report

{{AFLGameFooter, notes=
*The {{AFL WB won their first premiership in sixty-two years, ending the then-longest active VFL/AFL premiership drought.
*The Western Bulldogs won from the seventh on the ladder after the regular season, the lowest position from which an AFL team had ever won the premiership.
*The Western Bulldogs became just the second club after Adelaide in 1997 to win four consecutive finals to win a premiership.

Attendances

By club

{, class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable" style="text-align:center;"
, + 2016 AFL attendances
, -
! Club
! Total
! Games
! Avg. per game
! Home total
! Home games
! Home avg.
, -
! scope="row" , {{AFL Ade
, 944,586, , 24, , 37,948, , 517,612, , 11, , 47,056
, -
! scope="row" , {{AFL Bri
, 504,110, , 22, , 22,914, , 187,816, , 11, , 17,074
, -
! scope="row" , {{AFL Car
, 784,445, , 22, , 35,657, , 389,242, , 11, , 35,386
, -
! scope="row" , {{AFL Col
, 972,219, , 22, , 44,192, , 508,066, , 11, , 46,188
, -
! scope="row" , {{AFL Ess
, 802,059, , 22, , 36,457, , 371,015, , 11, , 33,729
, -
! scope="row" , {{AFL Fre
, 574,588, , 22, , 26,118, , 345,575, , 11, , 31,416
, -
! scope="row" , {{AFL Gee
, 910,207, , 24, , 37,925, , 335,490, , 11, , 30,499
, -
! scope="row" , {{AFL GC
, 351,648, , 22, , 15,984, , 127,168, , 11, , 11,561
, -
! scope="row" , {{AFL GWS
, 485,219, , 24, , 20,217, , 135,664, , 11, , 12,333
, -
! scope="row" , {{AFL Haw
, 1,013,973, , 24, , 42,249, , 403,078, , 11, , 36,643
, -
! scope="row" , {{AFL Mel
, 686,641, , 22, , 30,977, , 344,591, , 11, , 31,326
, -
! scope="row" , {{AFL Nor
, 720,874, , 23, , 31,342, , 309,881, , 11, , 28,171
, -
! scope="row" , {{AFL Por
, 694,948, , 22, , 31,589, , 436,310, , 11, , 39,665
, -
! scope="row" , {{AFL Ric
, 900,137, , 22, , 40,915, , 452,609, , 11, , 41,146
, -
! scope="row" , {{AFL Stk
, 686,842, , 22, , 31,220, , 340,420, , 11, , 30,947
, -
! scope="row" , {{AFL Syd
, 966,681, , 26, , 37,180, , 367,679, , 11, , 33,425
, -
! scope="row" , {{AFL WC
, 786,853, , 23, , 34,211, , 401,997, , 11, , 36,545
, -
! scope="row" , {{AFL WB
, 954,452, , 26, , 36,710, , 337,685, , 11, , 30,699

By ground

{, class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable" style="text-align:center;"
, + 2016 ground attendances
, -
! Ground
! Total
! Games
! Avg. per game
, -
! scope="row" , Adelaide Oval
, 1,002,929, , 23, , 43,606
, -
! scope="row" , ANZ Stadium
, 60,222, , 1, , 60,222
, -
! scope="row" , Aurora Stadium
, 55,418, , 4, , 13,855
, -
! scope="row" , Blundstone Arena
, 46,946, , 3, , 15,649
, -
! scope="row" , Cazaly's Stadium
, 8,509, , 1, , 8,509
, -
! scope="row" , Domain Stadium
, 789,651, , 23, , 34,333
, -
! scope="row" , Etihad Stadium
, 1,392,126, , 46, , 30,264
, -
! scope="row" , Gabba
, 187,816, , 11, , 17,074
, -
! scope="row" , Manuka Oval
, 38,658, , 3, , 12,886
, -
! scope="row" , MCG
, 2,434,905, , 50, , 48,698
, -
! scope="row" , Metricon Stadium
, 127,168, , 11, , 11,561
, -
! scope="row" , Simonds Stadium
, 187,973, , 8, , 23,497
, -
! scope="row" , Spotless Stadium
, 118,796, , 9, , 13,200
, -
! scope="row" , SCG
, 405,815, , 12, , 33,818
, -
! scope="row" , TIO Stadium
, 8,163, , 1, , 8,163
, -
! scope="row" , TIO Traeger Park
, 5,146, , 1, , 5,146

Awards

*The Brownlow Medal was awarded to Patrick Dangerfield of {{AFL Gee, who received 35 votes. He broke Dane Swan's 2011 record for the most votes by any player under the 3-2-1 voting system, until the record was broken a year later by Dustin Martin.
*The Coleman Medal was awarded to Josh Kennedy of {{AFL WCE, who kicked 80 goals during the home and away season.
*The Ron Evans Medal was awarded to Callum Mills of {{AFL Syd, who received 49 votes.
*The Norm Smith Medal was awarded to Jason Johannisen of the {{AFL WB.
*The AFL Goal of the Year was awarded to Eddie Betts of {{AFL Ade for the second consecutive season.{{cite news, url=http://www.afl.com.au/news/2016-09-26/daw-soars-and-eddie-electrifies-to-claim-highlight-reel-honours, title=Daw soars and Eddie electrifies to claim highlight reel honours, last=Gaskin, first=Lee, date=26 September 2016, work=AFL.com.au, publisher=Telstra Media, access-date=26 September 2016
*The AFL Mark of the Year was awarded to Majak Daw of {{AFL NM.
*The McClelland Trophy was awarded to Sydney for the first time since 2014.
*The wooden spoon was "awarded" to {{AFL Ess for the first time since 1933, breaking an eighty-three-year drought.
*The AFL Players Association Awards
**The Leigh Matthews Trophy was awarded to Patrick Dangerfield of Geelong.
**The Robert Rose Award was awarded to Luke Parker of Sydney for the second consecutive year.
**The best captain was awarded to Taylor Walker of {{AFL Ade.
**The best first year player was awarded to Callum Mills of Sydney.
**The 22under22 team captaincy was awarded to Marcus Bontempelli of the Western Bulldogs.
*The AFL Coaches Association Awards
**The AFL Coaches Association Player of the Year Award was awarded to Patrick Dangerfield of Geelong, who received 121 votes.
**The inaugural Gary Ayres Award for the best player in the finals series was awarded to Josh Kennedy of Sydney.
**The Allan Jeans Senior Coach of the Year Award was awarded to Luke Beveridge of the Western Bulldogs for the second consecutive year.
**The Assistant Coach of the Year Award was awarded to Stuart Dew of Sydney.
**The Career and Development Coach of the Year Award was awarded to Andrew McQualter of {{AFL Ric and Danny Sexton of {{AFL StK.
**The Lifetime Achievement Award was awarded to Mark Williams.
**The Best Young Player Award was awarded to Isaac Heeney of Sydney.
**The Media Award was awarded to Gerard Whateley for his work on Fox Footy and the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
*The Jim Stynes Community Leadership Award was awarded to Jimmy Bartel of Geelong.

Milestones

{, class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:left; "
, - style="background:#C1D8FF;"
! Name
! Club
! Milestone
! Round
! class=unsortable, Ref.
, -
, {{sortname, Michael, Rischitelli
, {{AFL GC
, {{sort, 200, 200 AFL games
, {{sort, 01, Round 1
,
, -
, {{sortname, Leigh, Montagna
, {{AFL StK
, {{sort, 250, 250 AFL games
, {{sort, 01, Round 1
,
, -
, {{sortname, Nick, Riewoldt
, {{AFL StK
, {{sort, 300, 300 AFL games
, {{sort, 02, Round 2
,
, -
, {{sortname, Matt, Priddis
, {{AFL WCE
, {{sort, 200, 200 AFL games
, {{sort, 03, Round 3
,
, -
, {{sortname, Joel, Patfull
, {{AFL GWS
, {{sort, 200, 200 AFL games
, {{sort, 04, Round 4
,
, -
, {{sortname, Shaun, Burgoyne
, {{AFL Haw
, {{sort, 300, 300 AFL games
, {{sort, 05, Round 5
,
, -
, {{sortname, Rodney, Eade
, {{AFL GC
, {{sort, 600, 600 AFL games played/coached
, {{sort, 05, Round 5
,
, -
, {{sortname, Drew, Petrie
, {{AFL NM
, {{sort, 300, 300 AFL games
, {{sort, 07, Round 7
,
, -
, {{sortname, Nick, Malceski
, {{AFL GC
, {{sort, 200, 200 AFL games
, {{sort, 08, Round 8
,
, -
, {{sortname, Kade, Simpson
, {{AFL Car
, {{sort, 250, 250 AFL games
, {{sort, 08, Round 8
,
, -
, {{sortname, Jordan, Lewis
, {{AFL Haw
, {{sort, 250, 250 AFL games
, {{sort, 10, Round 10
,
, -
, {{sortname, John, Worsfold
, {{AFL Ess
, {{sort, 500, 500 AFL games played/coached
, {{sort, 10, Round 10
,
, -
, {{sortname, Brent, Harvey
, {{AFL NM
, {{sort, 500, 500 AFL goals
, {{sort, 11, Round 11
,
, -
, {{sortname, Josh, Gibson, dab=footballer
, {{AFL Haw
, {{sort, 200, 200 AFL games
, {{sort, 11, Round 11
,
, -
, {{sortname, Heath, Grundy
, {{AFL Syd
, {{sort, 200, 200 AFL games
, {{sort, 13, Round 13
,
, -
, {{sortname, Bryce, Gibbs, dab=Australian rules footballer
, {{AFL Car
, {{sort, 200, 200 AFL games
, {{sort, 14, Round 14
,
, -
, {{sortname, Andrew, Walker, dab=footballer
, {{AFL Car
, {{sort, 200, 200 AFL games
, {{sort, 15, Round 15
,
, -
, {{sortname, Kieren, Jack
, {{AFL Syd
, {{sort, 200, 200 AFL games
, {{sort, 16, Round 16
,
, -
, {{sortname, Andrew, Swallow
, {{AFL NM
, {{sort, 200, 200 AFL games
, {{sort, 16, Round 16
,
, -
, {{sortname, Andrew, Mackie
, {{AFL Gee
, {{sort, 250, 250 AFL games
, {{sort, 17, Round 17
,
, -
, {{sortname, Scott, Thompson, dab=footballer, born 1983
, {{AFL Ade
, {{sort, 300, 300 AFL games
, {{sort, 17, Round 17
,
, -
, {{sortname, Sam, Mitchell, dab=footballer
, {{AFL Haw
, {{sort, 300, 300 AFL games
, {{sort, 18, Round 18
,
, -
, {{sortname, Jimmy, Bartel
, {{AFL Gee
, {{sort, 300, 300 AFL games
, {{sort, 19, Round 19
,
, -
, {{sortname, Brent, Harvey
, {{AFL NM
, {{sort, 427, 427 AFL games (league record)
, {{sort, 19, Round 19
,
, -
, {{sortname, Matthew, Pavlich
, {{AFL Fre
, {{sort, 350, 350 AFL games
, {{sort, 19, Round 19
,
, -
, {{sortname, Justin, Westhoff
, {{AFL PA
, {{sort, 200, 200 AFL games
, {{sort, 20, Round 20
,
, -
, {{sortname, John, Worsfold
, {{AFL Ess
, {{sort, 300, 300 AFL games coached
, {{sort, 20, Round 20
,
, -
, {{sortname, Jack, Riewoldt
, {{AFL Ric
, {{sort, 200, 200 AFL games
, {{sort, 21, Round 21
,
, -
, {{sortname, Harry, Taylor, dab=Australian rules footballer
, {{AFL Gee
, {{sort, 200, 200 AFL games
, {{sort, 21, Round 21
,
, -
, {{sortname, David, Mundy
, {{AFL Fre
, {{sort, 250, 250 AFL games
, {{sort, 22, Round 22
,
, -
, {{sortname, Eddie, Betts
, {{AFL Ade
, {{sort, 250, 250 AFL games
, {{sort, 22, Round 22
,
, -
, {{sortname, Adam, Cooney
, {{AFL Ess
, {{sort, 250, 250 AFL games
, {{sort, 22, Round 22
,
, -
, {{sortname, Mathew, Stokes
, {{AFL Ess
, {{sort, 200, 200 AFL games
, {{sort, 22, Round 22
, {{cite news, url=http://www.afl.com.au/news/2016-08-18/200-and-out-for-bomber-mathew-stokes-to-retire-after-dogs-clash, title=Bomber out for 200: Mathew Stokes to retire after Dogs clash, last=Navaratnam, first=Dinny, date=18 August 2016, work=AFL.com.au, publisher=Telstra Media, access-date=18 August 2016
, -
, {{sortname, Dale, Thomas, dab=footballer
, {{AFL Car
, {{sort, 200, 200 AFL games
, {{sort, 23, Round 23
,
, -
, {{sortname, Daniel, Merrett
, {{AFL BL
, {{sort, 200, 200 AFL games
, {{sort, 23, Round 23
,
, -
, {{sortname, Matthew, Pavlich
, {{AFL Fre
, {{sort, 700, 700 AFL goals
, {{sort, 23, Round 23
,
, -
, {{sortname, Shannon, Hurn
, {{AFL WCE
, {{sort, 200, 200 AFL games
, Finals week 1
,

Coleman Medal

{{see also, Coleman Medal
*Numbers highlighted in blue indicates the player led the Coleman that round.
*Underlined numbers indicates the player did not play that round.
{, class="wikitable nowraplinks" style="text-align:center; line-height: 90%; font-size:90%;" width=100%
, width=20,
!width=110 abbr="Position" , Player
!width=20 abbr="Round 1" , 1
!width=20 abbr="Round 2" , 2
!width=20 abbr="Round 3" , 3
!width=20 abbr="Round 4" , 4
!width=20 abbr="Round 5" , 5
!width=20 abbr="Round 6" , 6
!width=20 abbr="Round 7" , 7
!width=20 abbr="Round 8" , 8
!width=20 abbr="Round 9" , 9
!width=20 abbr="Round 10" , 10
!width=20 abbr="Round 11" , 11
!width=20 abbr="Round 12" , 12
!width=20 abbr="Round 13" , 13
!width=20 abbr="Round 14" , 14
!width=20 abbr="Round 15" , 15
!width=20 abbr="Round 16" , 16
!width=20 abbr="Round 17" , 17
!width=20 abbr="Round 18" , 18
!width=20 abbr="Round 19" , 19
!width=20 abbr="Round 20" , 20
!width=20 abbr="Round 21" , 21
!width=20 abbr="Round 22" , 22
!width=20 abbr="Round 23" , 23
!width=20 abbr="Total", Total
, -
, 1, , style="text-align:left;", Josh J. Kennedy
, style="background:#99ccff;" , 8₈, , style="background:#99ccff;" , 1₉, , 1₁₀, , 2₁₂, , 2₁₄, , 3₁₇, , 3₂₀, , 5₂₅, , 7₃₂, , 5₃₇, , 1₃₈, , 3₄₁, , 5₄₆, , 0₄₆, , 3₄₉, , style="background:#99ccff;" , 4₅₃, , style="background:#99ccff;" , 2₅₅, , style="background:#99ccff;" , 3₅₈, , style="background:#99ccff;" , 2₆₀, , style="background:#99ccff;" , 7₆₇, , style="background:#99ccff;", 3₇₀, , style="background:#99ccff;", 5₇₅, , style="background:#99ccff;", 5₈₀, , 80
, -
, 2, , style="text-align:left;", Lance Franklin
, 4₄, , 4₈, , 4₁₂, , 4₁₆, , 2₁₈, , 5₂₃, , style="background:#99ccff;" , 6₂₉, , style="background:#99ccff;" , 5₃₄, , style="background:#99ccff;" , 3₃₇, , style="background:#99ccff;" , 3₄₀, , style="background:#99ccff;" , 1₄₁, , style="background:#99ccff;" , 2₄₃, , style="background:#99ccff;" , 4₄₇, , style="background:#99ccff;" , 0₄₇, , style="background:#99ccff;" , 5₅₂, , style="background:#99ccff;" , 1₅₃, , 0₅₃, , 4₅₇, , 2₅₉, , 2₆₁, , 6₆₇, , 0₆₇, , 7₇₄, , 74
, -
, rowspan=2, 3, , style="text-align:left;", Eddie Betts
, 1₁, , 5₆, , 3₉, , 4₁₃, , 3₁₆, , 4₂₀, , 0₂₀, , 2₂₂, , 0₂₂, , 5₂₇, , 1₂₈, , 5₃₃, , 0₃₃, , 2₃₅, , 3₃₈, , 3₄₁, , 3₄₄, , 1₄₅, , 5₅₀, , 4₅₄, , 6₆₀, , 5₆₅, , 1₆₆, , rowspan="2" , 66
, -
, style="text-align:left;", Tom Lynch
, 4₄, , style="background:#99ccff;" , 5₉, , style="background:#99ccff;" , 4₁₃, , style="background:#99ccff;" , 5₁₈, , style="background:#99ccff;" , 4₂₂, , style="background:#99ccff;" , 2₂₄, , 4₂₈, , 2₃₀, , 2₃₂, , 2₃₄, , 1₃₅, , 4₃₉, , 0₃₉, , 3₄₂, , 1₄₃, , 5₄₈, , 3₅₁, , 4₅₅, , 2₅₇, , 4₆₁, , 2₆₃, , 2₆₅, , 1₆₆
, -
, 5, , style="text-align:left;" , Josh Jenkins
, 5₅, , style="background:#99ccff;" , 4₉, , 1₁₀, , 1₁₁, , 2₁₃, , 2₁₅, , 8₂₃, , 2₂₅, , 1₂₆, , 1₂₇, , 7₃₄, , 3₃₇, , 0₃₇, , 1₃₈, , 2₄₀, , 3₄₃, , 1₄₄, , 3₄₇, , 2₄₉, , 3₅₂, , 5₅₇, , 2₅₉, , 3₆₀, , 60
, -
, 6, , style="text-align:left;", Tom Hawkins
, 2₂, , 3₅, , 4₉, , 0₉, , 1₁₀, , 4₁₄, , 3₁₇, , 0₁₇, , 4₂₁, , 1₂₂, , 2₂₄, , 0₂₄, , 4₂₈, , 3₃₁, , 0₃₁, , 2₃₃, , 1₃₄, , 4₃₈, , 2₄₀, , 3₄₃, , 1₄₄, , 2₄₆, , 6₅₂, , 52
, -
, 7, , style="text-align:left;", Jeremy Cameron
, 0₀, , 0₀, , 0₀, , 0₀, , 5₅, , 3₈, , 1₉, , 7₁₆, , 5₂₁, , 1₂₂, , 0₂₂, , 1₂₃, , 2₂₅, , 3₂₈, , 0₂₈, , 5₃₃, , 3₃₆, , 2₃₈, , 2₄₀, , 4₄₄, , 1₄₅, , 3₄₈, , 1₄₉, , 49
, -
, rowspan=2, 8, , style="text-align:left;", Jack Riewoldt
, 2₂, , 3₅, , 1₆, , 4₁₀, , 3₁₃, , 3₁₆, , 3₁₉, , 1₂₀, , 2₂₂, , 2₂₄, , 2₂₆, , 1₂₇, , 0₂₇, , 4₃₁, , 4₃₅, , 2₃₇, , 0₃₇, , 2₃₉, , 2₄₁, , 4₄₅, , 1₄₆, , 1₄₇, , 1₄₈, , rowspan="2" , 48
, -
, style="text-align:left;", Jack Gunston
, 3₃, , 1₄, , 2₆, , 0₆, , 1₇, , 5₁₂, , 4₁₆, , 3₁₉, , 4₂₃, , 2₂₅, , 3₂₈, , 4₃₂, , 0₃₂, , 1₃₃, , 0₃₃, , 3₃₆, , 2₃₈, , 3₄₁, , 1₄₂, , 2₄₄, , 1₄₅, , 2₄₇, , 1₄₈
, -
, rowspan=2, 10, , style="text-align:left;", Tim Membrey
, 0₀, , 0₀, , 0₀, , 0₀, , 0₀, , 5₅, , 3₈, , 0₈, , 3₁₁, , 3₁₄, , 1₁₅, , 5₂₀, , 0₀, , 1₂₁, , 2₂₃, , 5₂₈, , 4₃₂, , 2₃₄, , 0₃₄, , 5₃₉, , 1₄₀, , 2₄₂, , 2₄₄, , rowspan="2" , 44
, -
, style="text-align:left;", Cyril Rioli
, 0₀, , 4₄, , 3₇, , 1₈, , 4₁₂, , 1₁₃, , 1₁₄, , 0₁₄, , 1₁₅, , 5₁₉, , 1₂₀, , 3₂₃, , 2₂₅, , 0₂₅, , 0₂₅, , 3₂₈, , 2₃₀, , 3₃₄, , 0₃₄, , 4₃₈, , 3₄₁, , 0₄₄, , 3₄₄

Best and fairest

{, class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:left; width:45%;"
, - style="background:#C1D8FF;"
! Club
! Award name
! Player
! class="unsortable", Ref.
, -
, {{AFL Ade
, Malcolm Blight Medal
, {{sortname, Rory, Sloane
,
, -
, {{AFL BL
, Merrett-Murray Medal
, {{sortname, Dayne, Zorko
,
, -
, {{AFL Car
, John Nicholls Medal
, {{sortname, Sam, Docherty
,
, -
, {{AFL Col
, Copeland Trophy
, {{sortname, Scott, Pendlebury
,
, -
, {{AFL Ess
, W. S. Crichton Medal
, {{sortname, Zach, Merrett
,
, -
, {{AFL Fre
, Doig Medal
, {{sortname, Lachie, Neale
,
, -
, {{AFL Gee
, Carji Greeves Medal
, {{sortname, Patrick, Dangerfield
,
, -
, {{AFL GC
, Club Champion
, {{sortname, Tom, Lynch, dab=Australian footballer born 1992
,
, -
, {{AFL GWS
, Kevin Sheedy Medal
, {{sortname, Toby, Greene
,
, -
, {{AFL Haw
, Peter Crimmins Medal
, {{sortname, Sam, Mitchell, dab=footballer
,
, -
, {{AFL Mel
, Keith 'Bluey' Truscott Medal
, {{sortname, Jack, Viney
,
, -
, {{AFL Nor
, Syd Barker Medal
, {{sortname, Robbie, Tarrant
,
, -
, {{AFL Por
, John Cahill Medal
, {{sortname, Robbie, Gray
,
, -
, {{AFL Ric
, Jack Dyer Medal
, {{sortname, Dustin, Martin
,
, -
, {{AFL StK
, Trevor Barker Award
, {{sortname, Jack, Steven
,
, -
, {{AFL Syd
, Bob Skilton Medal
, {{sortname, Josh, Kennedy, dab=footballer, born 1988
,
, -
, {{AFL WC
, John Worsfold Medal
, {{sortname, Luke, Shuey
,
, -
, {{AFL WB
, Charles Sutton Medal
, {{sortname, Marcus, Bontempelli
,

Club leadership

{, class="wikitable" style="font-size:100%;"
, - style="background:#C1D8FF;"
! width=10%, Club
! width=15%, Coach
! width=15%, Captain(s)
! width=20%, Vice-captain(s)
! width=40%, Leadership group
! Reference
, -
, {{AFL Ade
, Don Pyke
, Taylor Walker
,
, Richard Douglas, Sam Jacobs, Rory Sloane, Daniel Talia, Scott Thompson, Nathan van Berlo
,
, -
, {{AFL Bri
, Justin Leppitsch
, Tom Rockliff
, Pearce Hanley, Daniel Rich, Dayne Zorko, Dayne Beams, Daniel Merrett
,
,
, -
, {{AFL Car
, Brendon Bolton
, Marc Murphy
, Kade Simpson
, Patrick Cripps, Ed Curnow, Sam Docherty, Bryce Gibbs, Andrew Walker
,
, -
, {{AFL Col
, Nathan Buckley
, Scott Pendlebury
, Nathan Brown, Steele Sidebottom, Taylor Adams, Brent Macaffer
,
,
, -
, {{AFL Ess
, John Worsfold
, Brendon Goddard
, Mark Baguley
, Joe Daniher, James Gwilt, Zach Merrett, David Zaharakis
,
, -
, {{AFL Fre
, Ross Lyon
, David Mundy
,
, Nat Fyfe, Aaron Sandilands, Lee Spurr, Matthew Pavlich, Michael Johnson
,
, -
, {{AFL Gee
, Chris Scott
, Joel Selwood
, Harry Taylor
, Mark Blicavs, Patrick Dangerfield, Mitch Duncan, Tom Hawkins
,
, -
, {{AFL GC
, Rodney Eade
, Gary Ablett
, Tom Lynch, Dion Prestia, Steven May
, Nick Malceski, Michael Rischitelli, David Swallow, Jarrod Harbrow, Matt Rosa, Jaeger O'Meara
,
, -
, {{AFL GWS
, Leon Cameron
, Phil Davis
Callan Ward
, Heath Shaw
, Matthew Buntine, Stephen Coniglio, Dylan Shiel, Devon Smith
,
, -
, {{AFL Haw
, Alastair Clarkson
, Luke Hodge
,
, Jarryd Roughead, Jordan Lewis, Sam Mitchell, Josh Gibson, Isaac Smith
,
, -
, {{AFL Mel
, Paul Roos
, Nathan Jones
,
, Max Gawn, Colin Garland, Jack Viney, Bernie Vince, Tom McDonald
,
, -
, {{AFL Nor
, Brad Scott
, Andrew Swallow
, Jack Ziebell
, Shaun Higgins, Jamie Macmillan, Scott Thompson
,
, -
, {{AFL Por
, Ken Hinkley
, Travis Boak
, Hamish Hartlett
, Brad Ebert, Jack Hombsch, Tom Jonas, Matthew Lobbe, Justin Westhoff, Ollie Wines
,
, -
, {{AFL Ric
, Damien Hardwick
, Trent Cotchin
, Brett Deledio, Ivan Maric
, Alex Rance, Shane Edwards
,
, -
, {{AFL StK
, Alan Richardson
, Nick Riewoldt
,
, David Armitage, Sean Dempster, Jarryn Geary, Leigh Montagna, Jack Newnes, Jack Steven, Maverick Weller
,
, -
, {{AFL Syd
, John Longmire
, Kieren Jack
Jarrad McVeigh
,
, Heath Grundy, Dan Hannebery, Josh Kennedy, Luke Parker, Dane Rampe, Nick Smith
,
, -
, {{AFL WC
, Adam Simpson
, Shannon Hurn
, Josh Kennedy
, Eric Mackenzie, Matt Priddis, Luke Shuey
,
, -
, {{AFL WB
, Luke Beveridge
, Robert Murphy
, Easton Wood
, Matthew Boyd, Marcus Bontempelli, Dale Morris
,

Coach changes

{, class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable" style="text-align:left;"
, - style="background:#C1D8FF;"
!scope="col" style="width:12em", Coach
!scope="col" style="width:12em", Club
!scope="col" style="width:12em", Date
!scope="col" style="width:30em", Notes
!scope="col" style="width:12em", Caretaker
!scope="col" style="width:12em", New coach
, -
, {{sortname, Paul, Roos, dab=Australian rules footballer
, {{AFL Mel
, {{sort, 2016-8-27, 27 August 2016
, Retired at the end of the season as part of a succession plan
, {{n/a
, {{sortname, Simon, Goodwin
, -
, {{sortname, Justin, Leppitsch
, {{AFL BL
, {{sort, 2016-8-29, 29 August 2016
, Sacked following continued poor on-field performances in 2016
, {{n/a
, {{sortname, Chris, Fagan, dab=coach

Club financials

{, class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable" style="text-align:center;"
, + 2016 AFL membership figures
, -
! Club
! Members{{cite news, url=http://www.afl.com.au/news/2016-08-25/hawks-overtake-pies-to-top-membership-ladder, title=The membership ladder: Hawks overtake Pies, Dons slide, last=Bowen, first=Nick, date=25 August 2016, work=AFL.com.au, publisher=Telstra Media, access-date=25 August 2016
! Change from 2015
!% change from 2015
, -
! scope="row" , {{AFL Ade
, 54,307
, {{sort, 12, {{increase 1,387
, {{sort, 11, {{increase 2.62%
, -
! scope="row" , {{AFL Bri
, 23,286
, {{sort, 17, {{decrease 2,122
, {{sort, 18, {{decrease 8.35%
, -
! scope="row" , {{AFL Car
, 50,130
, {{sort, 08, {{increase 2,825
, {{sort, 09, {{increase 5.97%
, -
! scope="row" , {{AFL Col
, 74,643
, {{sort, 15, {{decrease 394
, {{sort, 14, {{decrease 0.53%
, -
! scope="row" , {{AFL Ess
, 57,494
, {{sort, 18, {{decrease 3,324
, {{sort, 16, {{decrease 5.47%
, -
! scope="row" , {{AFL Fre
, 51,889
, {{sort, 13, {{increase 456
, {{sort, 13, {{increase 0.89%
, -
! scope="row" , {{AFL Gee
, 50,571
, {{sort, 02, {{increase 6,259
, {{sort, 04, {{increase 14.12%
, -
! scope="row" , {{AFL GC
, 12,854
, {{sort, 16, {{decrease 789
, {{sort, 17, {{decrease 5.78%
, -
! scope="row" , {{AFL GWS
, 15,312
, {{sort, 10, {{increase 1,832
, {{sort, 03, {{increase 15.59%
, -
! scope="row" , {{AFL Haw
, 75,351
, {{sort, 09, {{increase 2,427
, {{sort, 10, {{increase 3.33%
, -
! scope="row" , {{AFL Mel
, 39,146
, {{sort, 07, {{increase 3,193
, {{sort, 07, {{increase 8.88%
, -
! scope="row" , {{AFL Nor
, 45,014
, {{sort, 06, {{increase 4,002
, {{sort, 06, {{increase 9.78%
, -
! scope="row" , {{AFL Por
, 53,743
, {{sort, 14, {{decrease 314
, {{sort, 15, {{decrease 0.58%
, -
! scope="row" , {{AFL Ric
, 72,278
, {{sort, 11, {{increase 1,469
, {{sort, 12, {{increase 2.07%
, -
! scope="row" , {{AFL Stk
, 38,009
, {{sort, 03, {{increase 5,263
, {{sort, 01, {{increase 16.07%
, -
! scope="row" , {{AFL Syd
, 56,523
, {{sort, 01, {{increase 7,687
, {{sort, 02, {{increase 15.74%
, -
! scope="row" , {{AFL WC
, 65,188
, {{sort, 04, {{increase 4,967
, {{sort, 08, {{increase 8.25%
, -
! scope="row" , {{AFL WB
, 39,459
, {{sort, 05, {{increase 4,237
, {{sort, 05, {{increase 12.03%
, - class="sortbottom"
! Total
!875,197
!{{increase 39,061
!{{increase 4.67%

Notable events

Essendon supplements scandal

{{see also, Essendon Football Club supplements saga
On 12 January 2016, after appealing the AFL anti-doping tribunal's verdict that 34 past and present {{AFL Ess players were found not guilty of taking an illegal substance during the 2012 season, the Court of Arbitration for Sport returned a final verdict of guilty; as a result, these players, including twelve still at the club, five at another as well as 17 players who are currently playing at lower levels or have retired altogether, were suspended for the entire season.{{cite web, url=http://www.afl.com.au/news/2016-01-12/guilty-court-bans-the-essendon-34-for-2016, title=Guilty: court bans the Essendon 34 for 2016, author=Travis King, date=12 January 2016, access-date=12 January 2016, publisher=Australian Football League

References

{{reflist, 30em

External links

Official AFL website

{{Australian Football League
{{2016 AFL season

Australian Football League seasons

2016 in Australian rules football