2016 AFL Premiership

2016 ladder

Final home-and-away ladder.

AFL ladder
#	Club	W–L	P	W	L	%	Pts
1	Sydney SwansSydney	17–5	22	17	5	151.2	68
2	Geelong CatsGeelong	17–5	22	17	5	143.8	68
3	HawthornHawthorn	17–5	22	17	5	118.6	68
4	GWS GiantsGWS	16–6	22	16	6	143.1	64
5	Adelaide CrowsAdelaide	16–6	22	16	6	138.3	64
6	West Coast EaglesWest Coast	16–6	22	16	6	130.0	64
7	Western BulldogsBulldogs	15–7	22	15	7	115.4	60
8	North MelbourneNorth	12–10	22	12	10	105.2	48
9	St KildaSt Kilda	12–10	22	12	10	95.7	48
10	Port AdelaidePort	10–12	22	10	12	106.0	40
11	MelbourneMelbourne	10–12	22	10	12	97.6	40
12	CollingwoodCollingwood	9–13	22	9	13	95.6	36
13	RichmondRichmond	8–14	22	8	14	79.5	32
14	CarltonCarlton	7–15	22	7	15	79.3	28
15	Gold Coast SunsGold Coast	6–16	22	6	16	78.2	24
16	FremantleFremantle	4–18	22	4	18	74.3	16
17	Brisbane LionsBrisbane	3–19	22	3	19	61.6	12
18	EssendonEssendon	3–19	22	3	19	61.0	12

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

Ordered by premiership points, then percentage.

Finals

Western Bulldogs, premiers

Qualifying & elimination finals

Full timeElimination Final

West Coast Eagles7.1052

Western Bulldogs14.1599

Bulldogs by 47 · Domain Stadium

Full timeQualifying Final

Geelong Cats12.1385

Hawthorn12.1183

Geelong by 2 · MCG

Full timeQualifying Final

Sydney Swans7.1355

GWS Giants12.1991

GWS by 36 · ANZ Stadium

Full timeElimination Final

Adelaide Crows21.15141

North Melbourne12.779

Adelaide by 62 · Adelaide Oval

Semi-finals

Full timeSemi Final

Hawthorn12.1284

Western Bulldogs16.11107

Bulldogs by 23 · MCG

Full timeSemi Final

Sydney Swans18.10118

Adelaide Crows12.1082

Sydney by 36 · SCG

Preliminary finals

Full timePreliminary Final

Geelong Cats8.1260

Sydney Swans15.797

Sydney by 37 · MCG

Full timePreliminary Final

GWS Giants12.1183

Western Bulldogs13.1189

Bulldogs by 6 · ENGIE Stadium

Grand Final

Full timeGrand Final

Sydney Swans10.767

Western Bulldogs13.1189

Bulldogs by 22 · 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 2016?

Sydney finished on top of the 2016 AFL ladder with 68 premiership points (17 wins) and a percentage of 151.2, ahead of Geelong on 68 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 2016 AFL premiership?

The Western Bulldogs won the 2016 AFL premiership, beating Sydney in the Grand Final.

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