2004 AFL Premiership Season

2004 ladder

Final home-and-away ladder.

AFL ladder
#	Club	W–L	P	W	L	%	Pts
1	Port AdelaidePort	17–5	22	17	5	132.4	68
2	Brisbane LionsBrisbane	16–6	22	16	6	137.2	64
3	St KildaSt Kilda	16–6	22	16	6	128.0	64
4	Geelong CatsGeelong	15–7	22	15	7	119.9	60
5	MelbourneMelbourne	14–8	22	14	8	111.9	56
6	Sydney SwansSydney	13–9	22	13	9	107.4	52
7	West Coast EaglesWest Coast	13–9	22	13	9	103.8	52
8	EssendonEssendon	12–10	22	12	10	102.4	48
9	FremantleFremantle	11–11	22	11	11	100.6	44
10	North MelbourneNorth	10–12	22	10	12	100.3	40
11	CarltonCarlton	10–12	22	10	12	81.7	40
12	Adelaide CrowsAdelaide	8–14	22	8	14	95.6	32
13	CollingwoodCollingwood	8–14	22	8	14	91.2	32
14	Western BulldogsBulldogs	5–17	22	5	17	79.6	20
15	HawthornHawthorn	4–18	22	4	18	70.2	16
16	RichmondRichmond	4–18	22	4	18	69.2	16

Top four: a second chance in the finals5th–8th: elimination finals% = points for ÷ points against × 100

Ordered by premiership points, then percentage.

Finals

Port Adelaide, premiers

Qualifying & elimination finals

Full timeQualifying Final

Brisbane Lions23.11149

St Kilda10.969

Brisbane by 80 · Gabba

Full timeElimination Final

Melbourne15.999

Essendon15.14104

Essendon by 5 · MCG

Full timeElimination Final

Sydney Swans11.975

West Coast Eagles4.1034

Sydney by 41 · ANZ Stadium

Full timeQualifying Final

Port Adelaide18.9117

Geelong Cats9.862

Port by 55 · AAMI Stadium

Semi-finals

St Kilda by 51 · MCG

Geelong by 10 · MCG

Preliminary finals

Full timePreliminary Final

Port Adelaide14.1094

St Kilda13.1088

Port by 6 · AAMI Stadium

Full timePreliminary Final

Brisbane Lions12.1284

Geelong Cats10.1575

Brisbane by 9 · MCG

Grand Final

Full timeGrand Final

Port Adelaide17.11113

Brisbane Lions10.1373

Port by 40 · MCG

The ladder race

Position after each round

Hover a line or pick a team to trace its season.

AFL ladder FAQ

Who finished top of the AFL ladder in 2004?

Port finished on top of the 2004 AFL ladder with 68 premiership points (17 wins) and a percentage of 132.4, ahead of Brisbane on 64 points.

How does the AFL ladder work?

Clubs get four premiership points for a win and two for a draw. Clubs on the same points are separated by percentage: points scored divided by points conceded, multiplied by 100. Byes are worth nothing, so clubs that have had more byes can sit lower for a week or two.

How many teams make the AFL finals?

From 2000 to 2025 the top eight made the finals, with the top four getting a second chance (the 'double chance') in the first week. From 2026 a wildcard round brings the top ten into the finals.

Who won the 2004 AFL premiership?

Port won the 2004 AFL premiership, beating Brisbane in the Grand Final.

How the finals work: the AFL finals format and wildcard round.