# 2020 AFL season

The 2020 AFL season was the 124th season of the Australian Football League (AFL), the highest level senior men's Australian rules football competition in Australia, which was known as the Victorian Football League until 1989. The season featured eighteen clubs.
Played during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, the season commenced on 19 March and was suspended four days later; it resumed on 11 June and ran until 24 October. A shortened season was played, comprising a 17-game home-and-away season followed by a finals series featuring the top eight clubs; all matches were shortened to 80% of their usual length. Virus outbreaks and interstate travel restrictions precluded games in many states for much of the season, with all clubs spending parts of the season temporarily relocated to quarantine hubs, particularly in South East Queensland where almost half of all matches were played – including the Grand Final, the first time it had been played outside Victoria. Health directives resulted in restricted match attendances throughout the year, including thirty matches played behind closed doors.
The premiership was won by the Richmond Football Club for the 13th time and second time consecutively, after it defeated Geelong by 31 points in the 2020 AFL Grand Final.

## Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic

The 2020 season was disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, which was formally declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization on 11 March 2020, eight days prior to the scheduled start of the premiership season. Restrictions imposed by the different state governments related to social distancing, lockdowns of non-essential services which lasted for three months across the country, and border controls for interstate and international travel, all had significant effects on the completion of the 2020 season.

### Fixture

Prior to the commencement of the season, anticipating that the season would be forced to cease at the peak of the virus, the AFL announced the fixture would be shortened from 22 matches per team to 17, with each team playing each other once and serving one bye. The season then commenced on 19 March as originally scheduled; but as restrictions, followed by periods of formal quarantine, were introduced on interstate travel, the season was suspended after Round 1.
The season was suspended for more than two months. On 15 May, as most states began easing restrictions, the league's plan to resume the season was announced: clubs began non-contact training from 18 May, and full contact training from 25 May ahead of resuming competitive matches from 11 June, with the revised fixture released gradually throughout the year, and changing regularly and often at short notice when the situation forced it.
The first major fixturing challenge occurred in the aftermath of Round 4, when a spike in Victorian COVID-19 cases prompted other states to either impose tighter quarantine restrictions on Victorians, or defer the relaxation of restrictions already in place. Although this forced two planned Round 5 matches—Richmond vs West Coast and Melbourne vs Sydney—to be redrawn at less than a week's notice (Richmond instead faced Melbourne in Victoria, and Sydney faced West Coast in Queensland) and the entire planned Round 6 and 7 fixtures to be redrawn, the season continued without suspension. The gradual release of the fixture also allowed the flexibility to reschedule any games which were postponed due to positive COVID-19 tests among players or staff.
When games were postponed or rescheduled at short notice, other games within the same round were often also rescheduled to ensure the primetime television slots were filled.

### Club medical restrictions

During the peak of the hiatus, players were allowed to train only within the strict limits of the government restrictions on public gatherings; at the height of the pandemic in April and May, when gatherings larger than two were restricted, players could train only in pairs. When the league returned to training and playing, it was done with strict, enforceable protocols and monitoring in place to ensure that the clubs would not suffer a virus outbreak, and that any virus cases could be contained with minimal impact to the wider competition. To this effect, players, umpires and staff were regularly tested for the virus and continued to train mostly in small groups, allowing individual players or small groups to be segregated and contained in the event of positive cases. Players and club personnel were subject to protocols which extended to players' personal lives, which were above and beyond the lockdown guidelines still in place for the general public, in order to protect the AFL season from suffering an outbreak; and families and partners who were part of quarantine hubs came under the same restrictions.
There were many breaches during the season, resulting in fines for the players and clubs involved, or suspensions in the most egregious cases:
* Richmond's Sydney Stack and Callum Coleman-Jones (ten matches each), for being involved in a fight outside a Surfers Paradise kebab shop in the early hours of 4 September.
* Sydney's Elijah Taylor (rest of season, which amounted to six home-and-away matches), for bringing his girlfriend into the club's Perth quarantine hotel.
* Adelaide assistant coach Ben Hart (six training weeks), for allowing training groups to be too close to each other on a quarantine camp in early May.
* Collingwood's Steele Sidebottom (four matches) and Lynden Dunn (one match), for travelling in an Uber and visiting more than one unauthorised house, the night concluding with Sidebottom being driven home by police.
* Port Adelaide's Peter Ladhams (three matches) and Dan Houston (two matches), for inviting non-authorised residents to their house.
* Melbourne's Charlie Spargo (two matches) and Kysaiah Pickett (one match), for travelling via an Uber to an unauthorised house for a gathering.
* Port Adelaide's Ollie Wines (one week), for inviting a non-authorised resident to his house.
* Essendon's Brandon Zerk-Thatcher (one week), for breaching living arrangement protocols.
Throughout the season, AFL-listed players were not permitted to participate in the state league competitions (the VFL, SANFL, WAFL and NEAFL) due to the greater risk of external threats in the semi-professional state league environment; this meant there was no formal competitive reserves football for players who were not selected in the seniors. (The NEAFL and VFL ended up cancelling their seasons altogether). Clubs based in the same state were permitted to arrange ad hoc scratch matches for their unselected players against each other and in empty stadiums to enable some match practice; these could be stand-alone games or curtain raisers to senior games.

### Quarantine hubs and club relocation

Interstate travel restrictions and quarantine periods were a significant impediment to the completion of the season after the resumption, with many state border crossings subject to mandatory 14-day quarantine periods. Western Australia and Tasmania had the tightest restrictions, requiring quarantine for all entries throughout the entire season; South Australia had similar restrictions which were loosened after Round 5. Border crossings around the rest of the country were freer; but, as second waves of virus cases occurred in Victoria (after Round 5) and New South Wales (after Round 10), quarantines were imposed on travellers leaving those states. This precluded a conventional interstate home-and-away fixture, and meant that Queensland – which maintained few virus cases and had the most favourable quarantine arrangements – became critical to the completion of the season.
The border restrictions were managed by requiring several clubs to relocate outside their states; or, to set-up in weeks-long quarantine hubs, in which clubs travelled at the same time to a restricted state for an extended three- or four-week trip, quarantined there and played several games against other teams in the hub. Players' immediate families were permitted to join them at the league's expense, but were subject to the same lifestyle restrictions and virus testing regime as the players.
The relocation of all ten Victorian clubs occurred after Round 5. Carlton, Western Bulldogs, North Melbourne, St Kilda, Richmond and Essendon moved to south-east Queensland; and Collingwood, Hawthorn, Geelong and Melbourne moved to New South Wales. The relocation of the six New South Wales based clubs (Sydney, Greater Western Sydney and the four Victorian clubs) to Queensland then occurred after Round 8. These relocations lasted until the end of the season.
The season's first quarantine hub occurred immediately after the resumption, and featured the clubs from South Australia and Western Australia – the most tightly restricted state at that time. The clubs were relocated to south-east Queensland – with the Western Australian teams arriving in Round 2 and the South Australian teams arriving in Round 3 (after their Round 2 Showdown game in Adelaide). The visiting teams played each other and the two Queensland-based clubs in a hub until Round 5. The two West Australian teams remained in the hub for an additional week and flew back to West Australia following Round 6, and the South Australian hub members returned to South Australia after Round 5 but still travelled weekly to Queensland over subsequent weeks.
From that point on, three three-week quarantine hubs were staged in Perth, to allow matches to be played there despite season-long quarantine requirements. Each time, two interstate clubs travelled at once from Queensland, and played each other while in quarantine, then the two Perth clubs while out of quarantine. These hubs were:
* Rounds 7–9: Geelong and Collingwood
* Rounds 9–12: Hawthorn and Carlton (including a bye)
* Rounds 12–14: Sydney and Greater Western Sydney
Fremantle and West Coast later returned to a Queensland hub for the final four rounds of the home-and-away season.
Teams could also travel from Queensland to the Northern Territory, where three games were played. However, season-long Tasmanian border restrictions to all states resulted in no AFL matches being played in the state for the first time since 2000.
Border restrictions ultimately also precluded the playing of any finals in Victoria or New South Wales – including the Grand Final – and limited finals in Western Australia to the first week only, since the bye week after Round 18 allowed time to quarantine. For the first three weeks of finals, clubs unable to play in their home states were given the option to nominate a preferred home ground from the Gabba, Metricon Stadium and Adelaide Oval for home finals. On 2 September, the Grand Final was formally scheduled for Saturday 24 October, the latest in the year a Grand Final had been played; it was scheduled at night to avoid a clash with the 100th running of the Cox Plate that afternoon, making it the first Grand Final not to be played in the afternoon timeslot; and, it was scheduled at the Gabba, making it the first AFL Grand Final to be played outside of Melbourne.
The hub arrangements resulted in many other fixturing anomalies. Among the most notable occurred in Round 6, when all nine games were played in New South Wales and Queensland, traditionally rugby league territory. Whole rounds were played with no matches in Melbourne, which had only previously occurred in Round 8, 1952 (the promotional National Day Round). Clubs hosted several fixtured home games at interstate venues, and hub stadiums were sometimes used for multiple games on the same day – the first time this had happened in senior VFL/AFL football since a double-header in Round 19, 1986. The desire to compress the schedule meant that the seven-game Round 10 and six-game Round 15 were played entirely on weekdays, the first time this had happened outside of rounds played on a public holiday.

### Crowds

Government restrictions on gatherings meant that, starting in Round 1, crowds were locked out of senior VFL/AFL matches for the first time in the code's history. State governments gradually allowed crowds, often small and restricted in size, into games, starting immediately from the resumption in Round 2 in South Australia and New South Wales, from Round 3 in Queensland, and from football's resumption in Round 7 in Western Australia. The sizes of allowable crowds changed as the season progressed, with early season Queensland and New South Wales crowds limited to only a few hundred, while half-full crowds were allowed in the largely virus-free Western Australia from Round 7.
Starting in Round 2, after the resumption of the season, broadcasters experimented with adding artificial crowd noise to lend a more normal feel to their telecasts to overcome the lack of genuine crowds in stadiums.
All in all, the total attendance for 2020 (1,033,037) was only 13.74% of 2019's unaffected 7,517,677 total. Similarly, due to the shortened season, the average attendance of 6,377 per game was 17.56% of the 2019 season's average of 36,317.

### Rule changes

Throughout the season, matches were played for a shortened length of 16 minutes plus time on per quarter, instead of 20 minutes plus time on. This was originally done at the start of the season, in the hope that playing shorter games could facilitate more frequent games than weekly, maximising the games which could be played before the anticipated suspension of the season; but this did not eventuate, since the season was suspended after only one round. It was then retained after the resumption to lighten the load on players to take account for the compromised training schedule; and, to allow make-up games to be more easily scheduled between rounds when matches were postponed or refixtured. As a direct result of this, it was a very low-scoring season, and several records or long-standing marks in low scoring were set during the season.

### Financials

When the season was suspended, the league and clubs were faced with an acute cash-flow shortage, as the gate and broadcast revenues which had been budgeted for stopped immediately; clubs deriving revenues from gaming and other public venues also saw those revenues drop when public gatherings were restricted. The league and clubs all stood down or severely reduced hours for huge percentages of their staff during the suspension; furthermore, the AFL agreed with both the AFLPA and ALFUA to enact significant play cuts for the players and umpires for the season, amounting to 50% of their wage from the point of the suspension until the end of the season, and increasing to 70% for any period of suspension which extends beyond the end of May. The league successfully obtained a $500–600 million line of credit with the National Australia Bank and ANZ Bank, leveraged against its ownership of Marvel Stadium, to cover its and its clubs' cash shortfalls during the suspension.
Resuming the season and playing the shortened 17-game season in full, even without crowds, was important to ensure the league still took in most of its television revenue. Prior to the resumption, the league renegotiated its $417-million-per-year broadcast deals with the Seven Network and Foxtel, ultimately resulting in a total television revenue reduction of approximately $150 million over 2020–2022. On top of this, the cost of running the Queensland hubs, including medical costs for ongoing COVID-19 testing, resulted in a $60 million expense for the league.
The overall financial losses for the league in the 2020 season, compared with the budgeted results prior to the pandemic, were less than but in the order of $100 million – a substantially better result than the $1 billion loss which was feared as a worst-case scenario when the season was originally suspended.

### Other effects

Among the other direct impacts of the pandemic were:
* The Dreamtime at the 'G match between Richmond and Essendon was not played at the Melbourne Cricket Ground per its name, but instead at TIO Stadium in Darwin.
* St Kilda and Port Adelaide did not play a match at Jiangwan Stadium in Shanghai, China, as scheduled as part of the original Round 11 – this decision was made prior to the season while the virus was still mostly prevalent only within China and prior to its spread in Australia, but would eventually have been mandated by restrictions on international travel.
* The two-Test international rules football series against Ireland, planned to have been played in Ireland in November, were cancelled.

## Pre-season
### Marsh Community Series

The pre-season series of games returned as the 2020 Marsh Community Series, with teams playing two games each. The games were stand-alone, with no overall winner of the series. Each team played two games, many at suburban or regional venues, while all games were televised on Fox Footy.
| | Week 1 | Week 1 | Week 1 | | |
| Thursday, 20 February (7:10 pm) | St Kilda 17.9 (111) | def. | Hawthorn 13.12 (90) | RSEA Park (crowd: 8,187) | Report |
| Friday, 21 February (7:10 pm) | Western Bulldogs 15.11 (101) | def. | North Melbourne 9.3 (57) | Marvel Stadium (crowd: 5,465) | Report |
| Saturday, 22 February (4:40 pm) | Melbourne 15.13 (103) | def. | Adelaide 10.10 (70) | Casey Fields (crowd: 3,095) | Report |
| Saturday, 22 February (6:40 pm) | Gold Coast 17.20 (122) | def. | Geelong 7.12 (54) | Metricon Stadium (crowd: 5,903) | Report |
| Sunday, 23 February (3:10 pm) | Brisbane Lions 12.5 (77) | def. by | Port Adelaide 14.14 (98) | Moreton Bay Central Sports Complex (crowd: 2,027) | Report |
| | Week 2 | Week 2 | Week 2 | | |
| Thursday, 27 February (4:40 pm) | West Coast 13.9 (87) | def. by | Essendon 14.11 (95) | Mineral Resources Park (crowd: 4,302) | Report |
| Saturday, 29 February (4:10 pm) | Greater Western Sydney 19.7 (121) | def. | Sydney 3.9 (27) | Blacktown International Sportspark (crowd: 2,022) | Report |
| Saturday, 29 February (4:10 pm) | Fremantle 13.12 (90) | def. | Carlton 5.13 (43) | David Grays Arena (crowd: 5,127) | Report |
| Sunday, 1 March (4:10 pm) | Richmond 6.8 (44) | def. by | Collingwood 13.6 (84) | Norm Minns Oval (crowd: 7,164) | Report |
| | Week 3 | Week 3 | Week 3 | | |
| Friday, 6 March (4:20 pm) | Adelaide 9.10 (64) | def. by | Gold Coast 9.17 (71) | Flinders University Stadium (crowd: 2,788) | Report |
| Friday, 6 March (7:40 pm) | Hawthorn 6.13 (49) | def. by | Melbourne 12.9 (81) | University of Tasmania Stadium (crowd: 2,712) | Report |
| Saturday, 7 March (3:40 pm) | Port Adelaide 14.11 (95) | def. | Western Bulldogs 13.7 (85) | Bennett Oval, Whyalla (crowd: 4,770) | Report |
| Saturday, 7 March (4:10 pm) | West Coast 7.12 (54) | def. by | Fremantle 8.7 (55) | HBF Arena (crowd: 10,384) | Report |
| Sunday, 8 March (12:40 pm) | Greater Western Sydney 17.7 (109) | def. | Richmond 14.11 (95) | Robertson Oval (crowd: 6,556) | Report |
| Sunday, 8 March (3:50 pm) | Collingwood 9.3 (57) | def. by | St Kilda 10.8 (68) | Morwell Recreation Reserve (crowd: 5,431) | Report |
| Sunday, 8 March (6:40 pm) | Carlton 10.6 (66) | def. by | Brisbane Lions 16.15 (111) | Ikon Park (crowd: 7,148) | Report |
| Monday, 9 March (1:40 pm) | North Melbourne 14.6 (90) | def. | Sydney 12.7 (79) | Kingston Twin Ovals, Hobart (crowd: 2,571) | Report |
| Monday, 9 March (4:40 pm) | Geelong 9.7 (61) | def. by | Essendon 9.11 (65) | Central Reserve, Colac (crowd: 7,598) | Report |
| | Week 1 | Week 1 | Week 1 | | |
| Thursday, 20 February (7:10 pm) | St Kilda 17.9 (111) | def. | Hawthorn 13.12 (90) | RSEA Park (crowd: 8,187) | Report |
| Friday, 21 February (7:10 pm) | Western Bulldogs 15.11 (101) | def. | North Melbourne 9.3 (57) | Marvel Stadium (crowd: 5,465) | Report |
| Saturday, 22 February (4:40 pm) | Melbourne 15.13 (103) | def. | Adelaide 10.10 (70) | Casey Fields (crowd: 3,095) | Report |
| Saturday, 22 February (6:40 pm) | Gold Coast 17.20 (122) | def. | Geelong 7.12 (54) | Metricon Stadium (crowd: 5,903) | Report |
| Sunday, 23 February (3:10 pm) | Brisbane Lions 12.5 (77) | def. by | Port Adelaide 14.14 (98) | Moreton Bay Central Sports Complex (crowd: 2,027) | Report |
| | Week 2 | Week 2 | Week 2 | | |
| Thursday, 27 February (4:40 pm) | West Coast 13.9 (87) | def. by | Essendon 14.11 (95) | Mineral Resources Park (crowd: 4,302) | Report |
| Saturday, 29 February (4:10 pm) | Greater Western Sydney 19.7 (121) | def. | Sydney 3.9 (27) | Blacktown International Sportspark (crowd: 2,022) | Report |
| Saturday, 29 February (4:10 pm) | Fremantle 13.12 (90) | def. | Carlton 5.13 (43) | David Grays Arena (crowd: 5,127) | Report |
| Sunday, 1 March (4:10 pm) | Richmond 6.8 (44) | def. by | Collingwood 13.6 (84) | Norm Minns Oval (crowd: 7,164) | Report |
| | Week 3 | Week 3 | Week 3 | | |
| Friday, 6 March (4:20 pm) | Adelaide 9.10 (64) | def. by | Gold Coast 9.17 (71) | Flinders University Stadium (crowd: 2,788) | Report |
| Friday, 6 March (7:40 pm) | Hawthorn 6.13 (49) | def. by | Melbourne 12.9 (81) | University of Tasmania Stadium (crowd: 2,712) | Report |
| Saturday, 7 March (3:40 pm) | Port Adelaide 14.11 (95) | def. | Western Bulldogs 13.7 (85) | Bennett Oval, Whyalla (crowd: 4,770) | Report |
| Saturday, 7 March (4:10 pm) | West Coast 7.12 (54) | def. by | Fremantle 8.7 (55) | HBF Arena (crowd: 10,384) | Report |
| Sunday, 8 March (12:40 pm) | Greater Western Sydney 17.7 (109) | def. | Richmond 14.11 (95) | Robertson Oval (crowd: 6,556) | Report |
| Sunday, 8 March (3:50 pm) | Collingwood 9.3 (57) | def. by | St Kilda 10.8 (68) | Morwell Recreation Reserve (crowd: 5,431) | Report |
| Sunday, 8 March (6:40 pm) | Carlton 10.6 (66) | def. by | Brisbane Lions 16.15 (111) | Ikon Park (crowd: 7,148) | Report |
| Monday, 9 March (1:40 pm) | North Melbourne 14.6 (90) | def. | Sydney 12.7 (79) | Kingston Twin Ovals, Hobart (crowd: 2,571) | Report |
| Monday, 9 March (4:40 pm) | Geelong 9.7 (61) | def. by | Essendon 9.11 (65) | Central Reserve, Colac (crowd: 7,598) | Report |

### State of Origin for Bushfire Relief Match

A one-off benefit match was played on 28 February 2020, as a fundraiser for the relief effort for the 2019–20 Australian bushfire season. The league donated $2.5 million to disaster relief funds in association with the match. Selection for the two teams was under state of origin rules, and it was the first interstate representative match featuring AFL-listed players since the AFL Hall of Fame Tribute Match held in 2008. Played prior to the pandemic's spread to Australia, it was the highest-attended football match of the year.
| | State of Origin for Bushfire Relief Match | State of Origin for Bushfire Relief Match | State of Origin for Bushfire Relief Match | | |
| Friday, 28 February 2020 (7:50 pm) | Victoria | def. | All-Stars | Marvel Stadium (crowd: 51,052) | Report |
| | 4.1 (25) 10.2 (62) 15.7 (97) 24.10 (154) | Q1 Q2 Q3 Final | 4.7 (31) 9.14 (68) 15.16 (106) 15.18 (108) | Umpires: Fisher, Stephens, Nicholls, Williamson Best on Ground Medal: Dustin Martin (Victoria) | Umpires: Fisher, Stephens, Nicholls, Williamson Best on Ground Medal: Dustin Martin (Victoria) |
| Papley 5 Kelly, Greene 4 Martin, Gaff, Bontempelli, Gresham 2 Dangerfield, J Cameron, Lynch 1 | Papley 5 Kelly, Greene 4 Martin, Gaff, Bontempelli, Gresham 2 Dangerfield, J Cameron, Lynch 1 | Goals | C Cameron 3 Coniglio, Breust, Riewoldt, Smith 2 Neale, Weller, Walters, Hill 1 | C Cameron 3 Coniglio, Breust, Riewoldt, Smith 2 Neale, Weller, Walters, Hill 1 |
| Kelly, Martin, Greene, Papley, Pendlebury, Haynes, Cotchin, Dangerfield | Kelly, Martin, Greene, Papley, Pendlebury, Haynes, Cotchin, Dangerfield | Best | Coniglio, C Cameron, Mills, Cripps, Neale, Johannisen | Coniglio, C Cameron, Mills, Cripps, Neale, Johannisen |

## Premiership season

As the coronavirus situation developed, only the first round was played as originally drawn. The rest of the fixture was redrawn into a new seventeen-round season in which each team played each other once. The new rescheduled fixture was released gradually through the season, often at short notice, to allow the fixture to respond to developments in the spread of the virus.

### Round 1

| | Round 1 | Round 1 | Round 1 | | |
| Thursday, 19 March (7:40 pm) | Richmond 16.9 (105) | def. | Carlton 12.9 (81) | MCG (crowd: 0) | Report |
| Friday, 20 March (7:50 pm) | Western Bulldogs 5.4 (34) | def. by | Collingwood 13.8 (86) | Marvel Stadium (crowd: 0) | Report |
| Saturday, 21 March (2:10 pm) | Essendon 9.9 (63) | def. | Fremantle 8.9 (57) | Marvel Stadium (crowd: 0) | Report |
| Saturday, 21 March (4:35 pm) | Adelaide 11.5 (71) | def. by | Sydney 11.8 (74) | Adelaide Oval (crowd: 0) | Report |
| Saturday, 21 March (7:40 pm) | Greater Western Sydney 17.3 (105) | def. | Geelong 11.7 (73) | GIANTS Stadium (crowd: 0) | Report |
| Saturday, 21 March (6:40 pm) | Gold Coast 4.5 (29) | def. by | Port Adelaide 10.16 (76) | Metricon Stadium (crowd: 0) | Report |
| Sunday, 22 March (1:05 pm) | North Melbourne 8.8 (56) | def. | St Kilda 7.12 (54) | Marvel Stadium (crowd: 0) | Report |
| Sunday, 22 March (3:35 pm) | Hawthorn 14.6 (90) | def. | Brisbane Lions 9.8 (62) | MCG (crowd: 0) | Report |
| Sunday, 22 March (3:40 pm) | West Coast 12.6 (78) | def. | Melbourne 7.9 (51) | Optus Stadium (crowd: 0) | Report |
| Greater Western Sydney scored at 85% accuracy, beating its previous highest accuracy of 77.78% (minimum 15 scoring shots) in Round 11, 2016, also against Geelong. ||||||

### Round 2

| | Round 2 | Round 2 | Round 2 | | |
| Thursday, 11 June (7:40 pm) | Collingwood 5.6 (36) | drew with | Richmond 5.6 (36) | MCG (crowd: 0) | Report |
| Friday, 12 June (7:50 pm) | Geelong 17.6 (108) | def. | Hawthorn 7.5 (47) | GMHBA Stadium (crowd: 0) | Report |
| Saturday, 13 June (1:45 pm) | Brisbane Lions 12.9 (81) | def. | Fremantle 10.9 (69) | Gabba (crowd: 0) | Report |
| Saturday, 13 June (4:35 pm) | Carlton 7.11 (53) | def. by | Melbourne 8.6 (54) | Marvel Stadium (crowd: 0) | Report |
| Saturday, 13 June (7:10 pm) | Port Adelaide 17.8 (110) | def. | Adelaide 5.5 (35) | Adelaide Oval (crowd: 2,240) | Report |
| Saturday, 13 June (7:40 pm) | Gold Coast 14.6 (90) | def. | West Coast 6.10 (46) | Metricon Stadium (crowd: 0) | Report |
| Sunday, 14 June (1:05 pm) | Greater Western Sydney 8.12 (60) | def. by | North Melbourne 12.8 (80) | GIANTS Stadium (crowd: 350) | Report |
| Sunday, 14 June (3:35 pm) | Sydney 11.7 (73) | def. by | Essendon 12.7 (79) | SCG (crowd: 337) | Report |
| Sunday, 14 June (6:05 pm) | St Kilda 14.4 (88) | def. | Western Bulldogs 7.7 (49) | Marvel Stadium (crowd: 0) | Report |
| Collingwood's and Richmond's combined score of 10.12 (72) was the lowest combined score since Round 11, 1999. Port Adelaide recorded their largest winning margin, 75 points, against Adelaide in a Showdown. Adelaide's score of 5.5 (35) was the lowest score by either side in a Showdown, and their lowest score at either Adelaide Oval or Football Park. Gold Coast won its first game since Round 4, 2019, breaking a 19 game losing streak. Hawthorn played at Kardinia Park for the first time since 2006. ||||||

### Round 3

| | Round 3 | Round 3 | Round 3 | | |
| Thursday, 18 June (7:40 pm) | Richmond 5.9 (39) | def. by | Hawthorn 11.5 (71) | MCG (crowd: 0) | Report |
| Friday, 19 June (7:50 pm) | Western Bulldogs 8.9 (57) | def. | Greater Western Sydney 4.9 (33) | Marvel Stadium (crowd: 0) | Report |
| Saturday, 20 June (1:45 pm) | North Melbourne 8.12 (60) | def. by | Sydney 10.11 (71) | Marvel Stadium (crowd: 0) | Report |
| Saturday, 20 June (4:35 pm) | Collingwood 12.9 (81) | def. | St Kilda 5.7 (37) | MCG (crowd: 0) | Report |
| Saturday, 20 June (7:40 pm) | Geelong 11.11 (77) | def. by | Carlton 12.7 (79) | GMHBA Stadium (crowd: 0) | Report |
| Saturday, 20 June (7:40 pm) | Brisbane Lions 10.14 (74) | def. | West Coast 6.8 (44) | Gabba (crowd: 1,965) | Report |
| Sunday, 21 June (3:05 pm) | Gold Coast 12.10 (82) | def. | Adelaide 4.5 (29) | Metricon Stadium (crowd: 1,997) | Report |
| Sunday, 21 June (cancelled) | Essendon | v | Melbourne | MCG | |
| Sunday, 21 June (8:10 pm) | Fremantle 6.5 (41) | def. by | Port Adelaide 10.10 (70) | Metricon Stadium (crowd: 180) | Report |
| | Bye Essendon, Melbourne | Bye Essendon, Melbourne | Bye Essendon, Melbourne | | |
| Conor McKenna (Essendon) tested positive to COVID-19 in his Saturday pre-match test, resulting in the Essendon vs Melbourne match being postponed indefinitely at 24 hours notice. The match was ultimately rescheduled to Round 18, and Round 3 was retroactively considered Essendon's and Melbourne's bye for the season. Gold Coast defeated Adelaide for the first time, having lost their first thirteen encounters against them. This meant that Gold Coast had now beaten every other team in the league at least once. Adelaide lost at Metricon Stadium for the first time in their history, breaking an eleven-game winning streak at the venue. Adelaide's final score of 4.5 (29) was its lowest score at Metricon Stadium, and the lowest score conceded by Gold Coast. Adelaide's three quarter time score of 1.4 (10) was its lowest three quarter time score of all time. ||||||

### Round 4

| | Round 4 | Round 4 | Round 4 | | |
| Thursday, 25 June (7:40 pm) | Sydney 5.9 (39) | def. by | Western Bulldogs 10.7 (67) | SCG (crowd: 605) | Report |
| Friday, 26 June (7:50 pm) | Greater Western Sydney 10.6 (66) | def. | Collingwood 9.10 (64) | GIANTS Stadium (crowd: 487) | Report |
| Saturday, 27 June (1:45 pm) | Port Adelaide 13.11 (89) | def. | West Coast 6.5 (41) | Metricon Stadium (crowd: 450) | Report |
| Saturday, 27 June (4:35 pm) | St Kilda 15.3 (93) | def. | Richmond 10.7 (67) | Marvel Stadium (crowd: 0) | Report |
| Saturday, 27 June (7:40 pm) | Essendon 8.3 (51) | def. by | Carlton 7.10 (52) | MCG (crowd: 0) | Report |
| Saturday, 27 June (7:40 pm) | Gold Coast 10.4 (64) | def. | Fremantle 8.3 (51) | Metricon Stadium (crowd: 5,106) | Report |
| Sunday, 28 June (1:05 pm) | Brisbane Lions 10.23 (83) | def. | Adelaide 7.4 (46) | Gabba (crowd: 7,354) | Report |
| Sunday, 28 June (3:35 pm) | Melbourne 6.8 (44) | def. by | Geelong 7.5 (47) | MCG (crowd: 0) | Report |
| Sunday, 28 June (6:05 pm) | Hawthorn 8.10 (58) | def. | North Melbourne 8.6 (54) | Marvel Stadium (crowd: 0) | Report |
| In the first half of their game, Gold Coast scored 7.0 (42) and Fremantle scored 6.0 (36), making it the first half of football in VFL/AFL history in which no behinds were scored. ||||||

### Round 5

| | Round 5 | Round 5 | Round 5 | | |
| Thursday, 2 July (7:40 pm) | Carlton 8.7 (55) | def. by | St Kilda 11.7 (73) | Marvel Stadium (crowd: 0) | Report |
| Friday, 3 July (7:50 pm) | Collingwood 7.6 (48) | def. by | Essendon 10.3 (63) | MCG (crowd: 0) | Report |
| Saturday, 4 July (1:45 pm) | West Coast 11.11 (77) | def. | Sydney 6.7 (43) | Metricon Stadium (crowd: 2,238) | Report |
| Saturday, 4 July (4:35 pm) | Geelong 13.11 (89) | def. | Gold Coast 8.4 (52) | GMHBA Stadium (crowd: 0) | Report |
| Saturday, 4 July (7:40 pm) | Western Bulldogs 13.9 (87) | def. | North Melbourne 5.8 (38) | Marvel Stadium (crowd: 0) | Report |
| Saturday, 4 July (7:40 pm) | Brisbane Lions 12.13 (85) | def. | Port Adelaide 6.12 (48) | Gabba (crowd: 10,161) | Report |
| Sunday, 5 July (1:05 pm) | Adelaide 4.10 (34) | def. by | Fremantle 8.6 (54) | Metricon Stadium (crowd: 418) | Report |
| Sunday, 5 July (3:35 pm) | Melbourne 8.4 (52) | def. by | Richmond 12.7 (79) | MCG (crowd: 0) | Report |
| Sunday, 5 July (6:10 pm) | Greater Western Sydney 13.5 (83) | def. | Hawthorn 7.7 (49) | GIANTS Stadium (crowd: 5,674) | Report |

### Round 6

| | Round 6 | Round 6 | Round 6 | | |
| Thursday, 9 July (7:40 pm) | Geelong 11.7 (73) | def. | Brisbane Lions 6.10 (46) | SCG (crowd: 1,311) | Report |
| Friday, 10 July (7:50 pm) | Collingwood 8.11 (59) | def. | Hawthorn 3.9 (27) | GIANTS Stadium (crowd: 1,772) | Report |
| Saturday, 11 July (12:35 pm) | Fremantle 12.7 (79) | def. | St Kilda 11.7 (73) | Metricon Stadium (crowd: 638) | Report |
| Saturday, 11 July (3:05 pm) | West Coast 10.7 (67) | def. | Adelaide 5.4 (34) | Gabba (crowd: 210) | Report |
| Saturday, 11 July (6:05 pm) | Melbourne 12.8 (80) | def. | Gold Coast 9.9 (63) | GIANTS Stadium (crowd: 250) | Report |
| Saturday, 11 July (7:40 pm) | Essendon 9.13 (67) | def. | North Melbourne 7.11 (53) | Metricon Stadium (crowd: 4,271) | Report |
| Sunday, 12 July (1:05 pm) | Port Adelaide 9.9 (63) | def. | Greater Western Sydney 6.10 (46) | Metricon Stadium (crowd: 368) | Report |
| Sunday, 12 July (3:35 pm) | Richmond 4.10 (34) | def. | Sydney 3.8 (26) | Gabba (crowd: 3,606) | Report |
| Sunday, 12 July (6:45 pm) | Carlton 16.7 (103) | def. | Western Bulldogs 7.9 (51) | Metricon Stadium (crowd: 2,178) | Report |
| Hawthorn's score of 3.9 (27) was its lowest in a game since Round 21, 1975. The combined score of 7.18 (60) in the rain-affected match between Richmond and Sydney was the lowest in any game since Round 16, 1996. Sydney's score of 3.8 (26) was its lowest in a game since Round 13, 1988. ||||||

### Round 7

| | Round 7 | Round 7 | Round 7 | | |
| Thursday, 16 July (6:10 pm) | Geelong 5.5 (35) | def. by | Collingwood 8.9 (57) | Optus Stadium (crowd: 22,077) | Report |
| Friday, 17 July (7:50 pm) | Essendon 7.9 (51) | def. by | Western Bulldogs 14.9 (93) | Metricon Stadium (crowd: 4,949) | Report |
| Saturday, 18 July (1:45 pm) | Greater Western Sydney 10.8 (68) | def. by | Brisbane Lions 13.10 (88) | GIANTS Stadium (crowd: 3,168) | Report |
| Saturday, 18 July (4:35 pm) | Sydney 9.6 (60) | def. by | Gold Coast 13.14 (92) | SCG (crowd: 6,000) | Report |
| Saturday, 18 July (7:40 pm) | Richmond 11.11 (77) | def. | North Melbourne 2.11 (23) | Metricon Stadium (crowd: 4,337) | Report |
| Sunday, 19 July (1:05 pm) | Carlton 9.7 (61) | def. by | Port Adelaide 9.10 (64) | Gabba (crowd: 3,510) | Report |
| Sunday, 19 July (3:35 pm) | Hawthorn 7.6 (48) | def. by | Melbourne 14.7 (91) | GIANTS Stadium (crowd: 750) | Report |
| Sunday, 19 July (6:35 pm) | Fremantle 5.2 (32) | def. by | West Coast 9.8 (62) | Optus Stadium (crowd: 25,306) | Report |
| Monday, 20 July (7:40 pm) | Adelaide 8.7 (55) | def. by | St Kilda 12.6 (78) | Adelaide Oval (crowd: 13,579) | Report |
| Robbie Gray kicked a goal after the final siren to win the match for Port Adelaide. North Melbourne's score of 2.11 (23) was the lowest score recorded at Metricon Stadium. St Kilda won its first premiership AFL match at Adelaide Oval, after ten consecutive losses. ||||||

### Round 8

| | Round 8 | Round 8 | Round 8 | | |
| Thursday, 23 July (7:40 pm) | Gold Coast 6.10 (46) | def. by | Western Bulldogs 7.9 (51) | Metricon Stadium (crowd: 4,039) | Report |
| Friday, 24 July (7:50 pm) | Greater Western Sydney 9.8 (62) | def. | Richmond 6.14 (50) | GIANTS Stadium (crowd: 5,500) | Report |
| Saturday, 25 July (1:05 pm) | North Melbourne 9.3 (57) | def. by | Carlton 9.10 (64) | Gabba (crowd: 3,655) | Report |
| Saturday, 25 July (3:35 pm) | Sydney 9.6 (60) | def. | Hawthorn 7.11 (53) | SCG (crowd: 4,264) | Report |
| Saturday, 25 July (7:10 pm) | Port Adelaide 6.8 (44) | def. by | St Kilda 12.1 (73) | Adelaide Oval (crowd: 16,727) | Report |
| Sunday, 26 July (12:35 pm) | Adelaide 8.11 (59) | def. by | Essendon 9.8 (62) | Adelaide Oval (crowd: 15,155) | Report |
| Sunday, 26 July (3:35 pm) | West Coast 18.3 (111) | def. | Collingwood 6.9 (45) | Optus Stadium (crowd: 24,824) | Report |
| Sunday, 26 July (6:10 pm) | Melbourne 7.7 (49) | def. by | Brisbane Lions 7.11 (53) | Metricon Stadium (crowd: 3,011) | Report |
| Monday, 27 July (6:10 pm) | Fremantle 2.4 (16) | def. by | Geelong 6.12 (48) | Optus Stadium (crowd: 20,251) | Report |

### Round 9

| | Round 9 | Round 9 | Round 9 | | |
| Wednesday, 29 July (7:10 pm) | Western Bulldogs 7.7 (49) | def. by | Richmond 13.12 (90) | Metricon Stadium (crowd: 2,824) | Report |
| Thursday, 30 July (7:50 pm) | Melbourne 4.8 (32) | def. by | Port Adelaide 12.11 (83) | Gabba (crowd: 323) | Report |
| Friday, 31 July (3:40 pm) | Carlton 9.4 (58) | def. by | Hawthorn 14.5 (89) | Optus Stadium (crowd: 12,304) | Report |
| Friday, 31 July (8:10 pm) | Essendon 3.10 (28) | def. by | Brisbane Lions 14.7 (91) | Metricon Stadium (crowd: 4,860) | Report |
| Saturday, 1 August (2:35 pm) | North Melbourne 19.5 (119) | def. | Adelaide 7.8 (50) | Metricon Stadium (crowd: 522) | Report |
| Saturday, 1 August (5:10 pm) | St Kilda 15.11 (101) | def. | Sydney 6.12 (48) | Gabba (crowd: 2,978) | Report |
| Saturday, 1 August (6:10 pm) | West Coast 11.7 (73) | def. | Geelong 10.4 (64) | Optus Stadium (crowd: 26,211) | Report |
| Sunday, 2 August (3:35 pm) | Gold Coast 4.11 (35) | def. by | Greater Western Sydney 9.7 (61) | Metricon Stadium (crowd: 4,363) | Report |
| Sunday, 2 August (4:10 pm) | Fremantle 10.1 (61) | def. | Collingwood 7.7 (49) | Optus Stadium (crowd: 20,912) | Report |
| Essendon’s score of 3.10 (28) was the lowest score conceded by the Brisbane Lions in their history. St Kilda defeated Sydney for the first time since Round 9, 2012, ending a ten-match losing streak. ||||||

### Round 10

| | Round 10 | Round 10 | Round 10 | | |
| Monday, 3 August (6:40 pm) | Port Adelaide 8.7 (55) | def. | Western Bulldogs 5.12 (42) | Adelaide Oval (crowd: 14,159) | Report |
| Tuesday, 4 August (7:10 pm) | Richmond 12.10 (82) | def. | Brisbane Lions 4.17 (41) | Metricon Stadium (crowd: 5,651) | Report |
| Wednesday, 5 August (5:40 pm) | Geelong 13.12 (90) | def. | North Melbourne 9.3 (57) | Gabba (crowd: 2,282) | Report |
| Wednesday, 5 August (7:40 pm) | Adelaide 5.7 (37) | def. by | Melbourne 13.10 (88) | Adelaide Oval (crowd: 12,022) | Report |
| Thursday, 6 August (5:40 pm) | Collingwood 6.14 (50) | def. | Sydney 6.5 (41) | Gabba (crowd: 4,146) | Report |
| Thursday, 6 August (8:10 pm) | Gold Coast 11.8 (74) | def. by | St Kilda 12.6 (78) | Metricon Stadium (crowd: 3,095) | Report |
| Friday, 7 August (7:50 pm) | Essendon 8.7 (55) | def. by | Greater Western Sydney 8.11 (59) | Metricon Stadium (crowd: 1,178) | Report |
| | Bye Carlton, Fremantle, Hawthorn, West Coast | Bye Carlton, Fremantle, Hawthorn, West Coast | Bye Carlton, Fremantle, Hawthorn, West Coast | | |
| The aggregate score of 0.4 (4) in first quarter of Essendon v Greater Western Sydney was the lowest-scoring opening quarter of any match since Round 1, 1965. ||||||

### Round 11

| | Round 11 | Round 11 | Round 11 | | |
| Saturday, 8 August (4:05 pm) | Port Adelaide 13.15 (93) | def. | Richmond 11.6 (72) | Adelaide Oval (crowd: 10,256) | Report |
| Saturday, 8 August (7:40 pm) | Brisbane Lions 14.12 (96) | def. | Western Bulldogs 11.6 (72) | Gabba (crowd: 11,061) | Report |
| Sunday, 9 August (1:35 pm) | West Coast 11.6 (72) | def. | Carlton 7.8 (50) | Optus Stadium (crowd: 19,092) | Report |
| Sunday, 9 August (5:40 pm) | Melbourne 13.14 (92) | def. | North Melbourne 5.5 (35) | Adelaide Oval (crowd: 2,172) | Report |
| Monday, 10 August (6:10 pm) | St Kilda 4.10 (34) | def. by | Geelong 14.9 (93) | Gabba (crowd: 3,903) | Report |
| Monday, 10 August (6:40 pm) | Fremantle 7.6 (48) | def. | Hawthorn 4.8 (32) | Optus Stadium (crowd: 18,512) | Report |
| Tuesday, 11 August (6:05 pm) | Adelaide 5.8 (38) | def. by | Collingwood 10.2 (62) | Adelaide Oval (crowd: 8,577) | Report |
| Wednesday, 12 August (7:10 pm) | Gold Coast 11.7 (73) | drew with | Essendon 11.7 (73) | Metricon Stadium (crowd: 4,303) | Report |
| | Bye Greater Western Sydney, Sydney | Bye Greater Western Sydney, Sydney | Bye Greater Western Sydney, Sydney | | |

### Round 12

| | Round 12 | Round 12 | Round 12 | | |
| Thursday, 13 August (6:10 pm) | Sydney 10.6 (66) | def. | Greater Western Sydney 3.7 (25) | Optus Stadium (crowd: 6,464) | Report |
| Friday, 14 August (7:50 pm) | Geelong 14.7 (91) | def. | Port Adelaide 4.7 (31) | Metricon Stadium (crowd: 3,378) | Report |
| Saturday, 15 August (2:35 pm) | North Melbourne 8.4 (52) | def. by | Brisbane Lions 7.11 (53) | Metricon Stadium (crowd: 2,722) | Report |
| Saturday, 15 August (5:10 pm) | Melbourne 16.4 (100) | def. | Collingwood 6.8 (44) | Gabba (crowd: 5,338) | Report |
| Saturday, 15 August (6:10 pm) | Fremantle 5.6 (36) | def. by | Carlton 5.10 (40) | Optus Stadium (crowd: 24,114) | Report |
| Sunday, 16 August (1:05 pm) | Western Bulldogs 16.15 (111) | def. | Adelaide 8.6 (54) | Metricon Stadium (crowd: 613) | Report |
| Sunday, 16 August (3:35 pm) | St Kilda 10.8 (68) | def. | Essendon 5.3 (33) | Gabba (crowd: 4,686) | |
| Sunday, 16 August (4:10 pm) | West Coast 12.9 (81) | def. | Hawthorn 7.7 (49) | Optus Stadium (crowd: 22,780) | |
| Monday, 17 August (7:10 pm) | Richmond 8.5 (53) | def. | Gold Coast 4.8 (32) | Gabba (crowd: 4,062) | |
| Jack Newnes kicked a goal after the final siren to win the match for Carlton. ||||||

### Round 13

| | Round 13 (Sir Doug Nicholls Round) | Round 13 (Sir Doug Nicholls Round) | Round 13 (Sir Doug Nicholls Round) | | |
| Friday, 21 August (7:20 pm) | Gold Coast 4.3 (27) | def. by | Carlton 7.18 (60) | TIO Stadium (crowd: 5,172) | Report |
| Saturday, 22 August (1:45 pm) | Western Bulldogs 12.8 (80) | def. | Melbourne 7.10 (52) | Metricon Stadium (crowd: 1,765) | Report |
| Saturday, 22 August (4:05 pm) | Port Adelaide 9.14 (68) | def. | Hawthorn 9.4 (58) | Adelaide Oval (crowd: 11,740) | Report |
| Saturday, 22 August (7:10 pm) | Essendon 10.1 (61) | def. by | Richmond 10.13 (73) | TIO Stadium (crowd: 5,401) | Report |
| Saturday, 22 August (6:10 pm) | Fremantle 7.8 (50) | def. | Sydney 2.7 (19) | Optus Stadium (crowd: 24,714) | Report |
| Sunday, 23 August (12:35 pm) | Adelaide 5.7 (37) | def. by | Geelong 9.11 (65) | Adelaide Oval (crowd: 10,431) | Report |
| Sunday, 23 August (3:35 pm) | Brisbane Lions 6.14 (50) | def. | St Kilda 7.6 (48) | Gabba (crowd: 13,750) | Report |
| Sunday, 23 August (4:10 pm) | West Coast 9.7 (61) | def. | Greater Western Sydney 7.7 (49) | Optus Stadium (crowd: 27,339) | Report |
| Monday, 24 August (7:10 pm) | Collingwood 10.5 (65) | def. | North Melbourne 5.5 (35) | Gabba (crowd: 2,443) | Report |
| Sydney's score of 2.7 (19) was its lowest in a game since Round 12, 1971 (as South Melbourne). ||||||

### Round 14

| | Round 14 | Round 14 | Round 14 | | |
| Thursday, 27 August (4:10 pm) | Hawthorn 10.11 (71) | def. by | Essendon 13.9 (87) | Adelaide Oval (crowd: 4,973) | Report |
| Thursday, 27 August (7:10 pm) | Richmond 14.4 (88) | def. | West Coast 9.7 (61) | Metricon Stadium (crowd: 3,628) | Report |
| Friday, 28 August (7:50 pm) | Western Bulldogs 9.7 (61) | def. by | Geelong 10.12 (72) | Metricon Stadium (crowd: 2,156) | Report |
| Saturday, 29 August (1:15 pm) | Port Adelaide 11.7 (73) | def. | Sydney 7.5 (47) | Adelaide Oval (crowd: 11,801) | Report |
| Saturday, 29 August (2:35 pm) | Fremantle 8.5 (53) | def. by | Greater Western Sydney 14.7 (91) | Optus Stadium (crowd: 24,406) | Report |
| Saturday, 29 August (7:10 pm) | Melbourne 8.4 (52) | def. | St Kilda 7.7 (49) | TIO Traeger Park (crowd: 1,917) | Report |
| Sunday, 30 August (3:35 pm) | Carlton 7.6 (48) | def. by | Collingwood 10.12 (72) | Gabba (crowd: 9,033) | Report |
| Sunday, 30 August (6:10 pm) | Gold Coast 12.19 (91) | def. | North Melbourne 4.4 (28) | Metricon Stadium (crowd: 3,353) | Report |
| | Bye Adelaide, Brisbane Lions | Bye Adelaide, Brisbane Lions | Bye Adelaide, Brisbane Lions | | |

### Round 15

| | Round 15 | Round 15 | Round 15 | | |
| Tuesday, 1 September (5:10 pm) | Hawthorn 7.6 (48) | def. by | Adelaide 12.11 (83) | Adelaide Oval (crowd: 6,191) | Report |
| Tuesday, 1 September (8:10 pm) | West Coast 9.6 (60) | def. | Essendon 6.9 (45) | Gabba (crowd: 1,932) | Report |
| Wednesday, 2 September (7:10 pm) | Richmond 8.8 (56) | def. | Fremantle 4.5 (29) | Metricon Stadium (crowd: 1,818) | Report |
| Thursday, 3 September (4:40 pm) | Sydney 10.7 (67) | def. | Melbourne 6.10 (46) | Cazalys Stadium (crowd: 3,199) | Report |
| Thursday, 3 September (7:10 pm) | Greater Western Sydney 6.12 (48) | def. | Carlton 5.9 (39) | Metricon Stadium (crowd: 1,469) | Report |
| Friday, 4 September (7:50 pm) | Brisbane Lions 6.6 (42) | def. | Collingwood 5.4 (34) | Gabba (crowd: 15,036) | Report |
| | Bye Geelong, Gold Coast, North Melbourne, Port Adelaide, St Kilda, Western Bulldogs | Bye Geelong, Gold Coast, North Melbourne, Port Adelaide, St Kilda, Western Bulldogs | Bye Geelong, Gold Coast, North Melbourne, Port Adelaide, St Kilda, Western Bulldogs | | |
| Adelaide won its first game since Round 20, 2019, breaking a club record 16-game losing streak. ||||||

### Round 16

| | Round 16 | Round 16 | Round 16 | | |
| Saturday, 5 September (7:40 pm) | North Melbourne 6.6 (42) | def. by | Port Adelaide 11.12 (78) | Metricon Stadium (crowd: 592) | Report |
| Sunday, 6 September (1:05 pm) | St Kilda 11.14 (80) | def. | Hawthorn 9.12 (66) | Metricon Stadium (crowd: 2,740) | Report |
| Sunday, 6 September (3:35 pm) | Geelong 17.6 (108) | def. | Essendon 5.12 (42) | Gabba (crowd: 5,011) | Report |
| Sunday, 6 September (6:10 pm) | Western Bulldogs 6.13 (49) | def. | West Coast 7.5 (47) | Metricon Stadium (crowd: 532) | Report |
| Monday, 7 September (7:10 pm) | Melbourne 4.9 (33) | def. by | Fremantle 6.11 (47) | Cazalys Stadium (crowd: 3,279) | Report |
| Tuesday, 8 September (5:10 pm) | Adelaide 8.11 (59) | def. | Greater Western Sydney 7.5 (47) | Adelaide Oval (crowd: 12,436) | Report |
| Tuesday, 8 September (8:10 pm) | Carlton 8.9 (57) | def. | Sydney 8.4 (52) | Metricon Stadium (crowd: 1,580) | Report |
| Wednesday, 9 September (7:10 pm) | Brisbane Lions 13.10 (88) | def. | Gold Coast 6.7 (43) | Gabba (crowd: 11,292) | Report |
| | Bye Collingwood, Richmond | Bye Collingwood, Richmond | Bye Collingwood, Richmond | | |

### Round 17

| | Round 17 | Round 17 | Round 17 | | |
| Thursday, 10 September (7:10 pm) | St Kilda 6.14 (50) | def. by | West Coast 9.11 (65) | Gabba (crowd: 1,925) | Report |
| Friday, 11 September (7:50 pm) | Geelong 4.7 (31) | def. by | Richmond 7.15 (57) | Metricon Stadium (crowd: 7,061) | Report |
| Saturday, 12 September (2:10 pm) | North Melbourne 5.5 (35) | def. by | Fremantle 15.9 (99) | Metricon Stadium (crowd: 308) | Report |
| Saturday, 12 September (4:35 pm) | Port Adelaide 11.13 (79) | def. | Essendon 4.5 (29) | Adelaide Oval (crowd: 17,482) | Report |
| Saturday, 12 September (7:40 pm) | Greater Western Sydney 11.8 (74) | def. by | Melbourne 12.7 (79) | Gabba (crowd: 1,204) | Report |
| Sunday, 13 September (1:05 pm) | Carlton 8.8 (56) | def. by | Adelaide 10.12 (72) | Metricon Stadium (crowd: 2,735) | Report |
| Sunday, 13 September (3:05 pm) | Hawthorn 6.4 (40) | def. by | Western Bulldogs 11.10 (76) | Adelaide Oval (crowd: 2,625) | Report |
| Sunday, 13 September (6:10 pm) | Sydney 6.5 (41) | def. by | Brisbane Lions 11.7 (73) | Cazalys Stadium (crowd: 3,700) | Report |
| Monday, 14 September (7:10 pm) | Collingwood 10.8 (68) | def. | Gold Coast 6.10 (46) | Gabba (crowd: 2,896) | Report |

### Round 18

| | Round 18 | Round 18 | Round 18 | | |
| Thursday, 17 September (7:10 pm) | North Melbourne 4.10 (34) | def. by | West Coast 7.7 (49) | Metricon Stadium (crowd: 724) | Report |
| Friday, 18 September (7:50 pm) | St Kilda 12.10 (82) | def. | Greater Western Sydney 3.12 (30) | Gabba (crowd: 1,528) | Report |
| Saturday, 19 September (2:10 pm) | Essendon 7.7 (49) | def. by | Melbourne 10.8 (68) | Metricon Stadium (crowd: 2,175) | Report |
| Saturday, 19 September (4:40 pm) | Adelaide 4.9 (33) | def. by | Richmond 12.5 (77) | Adelaide Oval (crowd: 17,710) | Report |
| Saturday, 19 September (7:40 pm) | Brisbane Lions 11.12 (78) | def. | Carlton 10.1 (61) | Gabba (crowd: 14,563) | Report |
| Sunday, 20 September (12:35 pm) | Hawthorn 17.6 (108) | def. | Gold Coast 8.9 (57) | Adelaide Oval (crowd: 2,136) | Report |
| Sunday, 20 September (3:35 pm) | Sydney 9.9 (63) | def. by | Geelong 10.9 (69) | Metricon Stadium (crowd: 2,798) | Report |
| Sunday, 20 September (6:10 pm) | Fremantle 6.8 (44) | def. by | Western Bulldogs 11.8 (74) | Cazalys Stadium (crowd: 3,114) | Report |
| Monday, 21 September (7:15 pm) | Collingwood 7.3 (45) | def. by | Port Adelaide 9.7 (61) | Gabba (crowd: 5,424) | Report |
| West Coast and North Melbourne negotiated an agreement under which North Melbourne would play its home fixture at Optus Stadium in Perth, in exchange for between $700,000 and $800,000. However, this was rejected by the AFL. ||||||

### Season notes

* St Kilda qualified for the finals for the first time since 2011.
* Adelaide "won" its first wooden spoon.
* Port Adelaide won its fourth McClelland Trophy as the minor premiers and its first since 2004. They also finished on top of the ladder at the end of every round. This was last achieved by Essendon in 2000.

## Win/loss table

| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | F1 | F2 | F3 | GF | Ladder |
| Adelaide | Syd -3 | PA -75 | GCS -53 | BL -37 | Frem -20 | WCE -33 | StK -23 | Ess -3 | NM -69 | Melb -51 | Coll -24 | WB -57 | Geel -28 | X | Haw +35 | GWS +12 | Carl +16 | Rich -44 | X | X | X | X | 18 |
| Brisbane Lions | Haw -28 | Frem +12 | WCE +30 | Adel +37 | PA +37 | Geel -27 | GWS +20 | Melb +4 | Ess +63 | Rich -41 | WB +24 | NM +1 | StK +2 | X | Coll +8 | GCS +45 | Syd +32 | Carl +17 | Rich +15 | X | Geel -40 | X | 2 (4) |
| Carlton | Rich -24 | Melb -1 | Geel +2 | Ess +1 | StK -18 | WB +52 | PA -3 | NM +7 | Haw -31 | X | WCE -22 | Frem +4 | GCS +33 | Coll -24 | GWS -9 | Syd +5 | Adel -16 | BL -17 | X | X | X | X | 11 |
| Collingwood | WB +52 | Rich 0 | StK +44 | GWS -2 | Ess -15 | Haw +32 | Geel +22 | WCE -66 | Frem -12 | Syd +9 | Adel +24 | Melb -56 | NM +30 | Carl +24 | BL -8 | X | GCS +22 | PA -16 | WCE +1 | Geel -68 | X | X | 8 (6) |
| Essendon | Frem +6 | Syd +6 | X | Carl -1 | Coll +15 | NM +14 | WB -42 | Adel +3 | BL -63 | GWS -4 | GCS 0 | StK -35 | Rich -12 | Haw +16 | WCE -15 | Geel -66 | PA -50 | Melb -19 | X | X | X | X | 13 |
| Fremantle | Ess -6 | BL -12 | PA -29 | GCS -13 | Adel +20 | StK +6 | WCE -30 | Geel -32 | Coll +12 | X | Haw +16 | Carl -4 | Syd +31 | GWS -38 | Rich -27 | Melb +14 | NM +64 | WB -30 | X | X | X | X | 12 |
| Geelong | GWS -32 | Haw +61 | Carl -2 | Melb +3 | GCS +37 | BL +27 | Coll -22 | Frem +32 | WCE -9 | NM +33 | StK +59 | PA +60 | Adel +28 | WB +11 | X | Ess +66 | Rich -26 | Syd +6 | PA -16 | Coll +68 | BL +40 | Rich -31 | 4 (2) |
| Gold Coast | PA -47 | WCE +44 | Adel +53 | Frem +13 | Geel -37 | Melb -17 | Syd +32 | WB -5 | GWS -26 | StK -4 | Ess 0 | Rich -21 | Carl -33 | NM +63 | X | BL -45 | Coll -22 | Haw -51 | X | X | X | X | 14 |
| Greater Western Sydney | Geel +32 | NM -20 | WB -24 | Coll +2 | Haw +34 | PA -17 | BL -20 | Rich +12 | GCS +26 | Ess +4 | X | Syd -41 | WCE -12 | Frem +38 | Carl +9 | Adel -12 | Melb -5 | StK -52 | X | X | X | X | 10 |
| Hawthorn | BL +28 | Geel -61 | Rich +32 | NM +4 | GWS -34 | Coll -32 | Melb -43 | Syd -7 | Carl +31 | X | Frem -16 | WCE -32 | PA -10 | Ess -16 | Adel -35 | StK -14 | WB -36 | GCS +51 | X | X | X | X | 15 |
| Melbourne | WCE -27 | Carl +1 | X | Geel -3 | Rich -27 | GCS +17 | Haw +43 | BL -4 | PA -51 | Adel +51 | NM +57 | Coll +56 | WB -28 | StK +3 | Syd -21 | Frem -14 | GWS +5 | Ess +19 | X | X | X | X | 9 |
| North Melbourne | StK +2 | GWS +20 | Syd -11 | Haw -4 | WB -49 | Ess -14 | Rich -54 | Carl -7 | Adel +69 | Geel -33 | Melb -57 | BL -1 | Coll -30 | GCS -63 | X | PA -36 | Frem -64 | WCE -15 | X | X | X | X | 17 |
| Port Adelaide | GCS +47 | Adel +75 | Frem +29 | WCE +48 | BL -37 | GWS +17 | Carl +3 | StK -29 | Melb +51 | WB +13 | Rich +21 | Geel -60 | Haw +10 | Syd +26 | X | NM +36 | Ess +50 | Coll +16 | Geel +16 | X | Rich -6 | X | 1 (3) |
| Richmond | Carl +24 | Coll 0 | Haw -32 | StK -26 | Melb +27 | Syd +8 | NM +54 | GWS -12 | WB +41 | BL +41 | PA -21 | GCS +21 | Ess +12 | WCE +27 | Frem +27 | X | Geel +26 | Adel +44 | BL -15 | StK +31 | PA +6 | Geel +31 | 3 (1) |
| St Kilda | NM -2 | WB +39 | Coll -44 | Rich +26 | Carl +18 | Frem -6 | Adel +23 | PA +29 | Syd +53 | GCS +4 | Geel -59 | Ess +35 | BL -2 | Melb -3 | X | Haw +14 | WCE -15 | GWS +52 | WB +3 | Rich -31 | X | X | 6 (5) |
| Sydney | Adel +3 | Ess -6 | NM +11 | WB -28 | WCE -34 | Rich -8 | GCS -32 | Haw +7 | StK -53 | Coll -9 | X | GWS +41 | Frem -31 | PA -26 | Melb +21 | Carl -5 | BL +32 | Geel -6 | X | X | X | X | 16 |
| West Coast | Melb +27 | GCS -44 | BL -30 | PA -48 | Syd +34 | Adel +33 | Frem +30 | Coll +66 | Geel +9 | X | Carl +22 | Haw +32 | GWS +12 | Rich -27 | Ess +15 | WB -2 | StK +15 | NM +15 | Coll -1 | X | X | X | 5 (7) |
| Western Bulldogs | Coll -52 | StK -39 | GWS +24 | Syd +28 | NM +49 | Carl -52 | Ess +42 | GCS +5 | Rich -41 | PA -13 | BL -24 | Adel +57 | Melb +28 | Geel -11 | X | WCE +2 | Haw +36 | Frem +30 | StK -3 | X | X | X | 7 (8) |
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | F1 | F2 | F3 | GF | Ladder |
| + | Win | | Qualified for finals |
| - | Loss | X | Bye |
| | Draw | | Eliminated |
Bold – Home game X – Bye Opponent for round listed above margin

## Ladder

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | D | PF | PA | PP | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Port Adelaide | 17 | 14 | 3 | 0 | 1185 | 869 | 136.4 | 56 | Finals series |
| 2 | Brisbane Lions | 17 | 14 | 3 | 0 | 1184 | 948 | 124.9 | 56 | Finals series |
| 3 | Richmond (P) | 17 | 12 | 4 | 1 | 1135 | 874 | 129.9 | 50 | Finals series |
| 4 | Geelong | 17 | 12 | 5 | 0 | 1233 | 901 | 136.8 | 48 | Finals series |
| 5 | West Coast | 17 | 12 | 5 | 0 | 1095 | 936 | 117.0 | 48 | Finals series |
| 6 | St Kilda | 17 | 10 | 7 | 0 | 1159 | 997 | 116.2 | 40 | Finals series |
| 7 | Western Bulldogs | 17 | 10 | 7 | 0 | 1103 | 1034 | 106.7 | 40 | Finals series |
| 8 | Collingwood | 17 | 9 | 7 | 1 | 965 | 881 | 109.5 | 38 | Finals series |
| 9 | Melbourne | 17 | 9 | 8 | 0 | 1063 | 986 | 107.8 | 36 | |
| 10 | Greater Western Sydney | 17 | 8 | 9 | 0 | 1007 | 1053 | 95.6 | 32 | |
| 11 | Carlton | 17 | 7 | 10 | 0 | 1017 | 1078 | 94.3 | 28 | |
| 12 | Fremantle | 17 | 7 | 10 | 0 | 866 | 924 | 93.7 | 28 | |
| 13 | Essendon | 17 | 6 | 10 | 1 | 938 | 1185 | 79.2 | 26 | |
| 14 | Gold Coast | 17 | 5 | 11 | 1 | 996 | 1099 | 90.6 | 22 | |
| 15 | Hawthorn | 17 | 5 | 12 | 0 | 1004 | 1194 | 84.1 | 20 | |
| 16 | Sydney | 17 | 5 | 12 | 0 | 890 | 1077 | 82.6 | 20 | |
| 17 | North Melbourne | 17 | 3 | 14 | 0 | 858 | 1205 | 71.2 | 12 | |
| 18 | Adelaide | 17 | 3 | 14 | 0 | 826 | 1283 | 64.4 | 12 | |

### 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.
Points by round :
| Team ╲ Round | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 |
| Port Adelaide | 4$_1$ | 8$_1$ | 12$_1$ | 16$_1$ | 16$_1$ | 20$_1$ | 24$_1$ | 24$_1$ | 28$_1$ | 32$_1$ | 36$_1$ | 36$_1$ | 40$_1$ | 44$_1$ | 44$_1$ | 48$_1$ | 52$_1$ | 56$_1$ |
| Brisbane Lions | 0$_{15}$ | 4$_{11}$ | 8$_5$ | 12$_3$ | 16$_2$ | 16$_3$ | 20$_2$ | 24$_2$ | 28$_2$ | 28$_3$ | 32$_2$ | 36$_2$ | 40$_2$ | 40$_3$ | 44$_2$ | 48$_2$ | 52$_2$ | 56$_2$ |
| Richmond | 4$_6$ | 6$_5$ | 6$_9$ | 6$_{14}$ | 10$_{11}$ | 14$_6$ | 18$_4$ | 18$_9$ | 22$_5$ | 26$_4$ | 26$_6$ | 30$_6$ | 34$_5$ | 38$_4$ | 42$_3$ | 42$_4$ | 46$_3$ | 50$_3$ |
| Geelong | 0$_{14}$ | 4$_7$ | 4$_{10}$ | 8$_6$ | 12$_3$ | 16$_2$ | 16$_5$ | 20$_3$ | 20$_6$ | 24$_5$ | 28$_3$ | 32$_3$ | 36$_3$ | 40$_2$ | 40$_4$ | 44$_3$ | 44$_4$ | 48$_4$ |
| West Coast | 4$_3$ | 4$_{12}$ | 4$_{15}$ | 4$_{16}$ | 8$_{15}$ | 12$_{11}$ | 16$_8$ | 20$_5$ | 24$_4$ | 24$_6$ | 28$_4$ | 32$_4$ | 36$_4$ | 36$_5$ | 40$_5$ | 40$_5$ | 44$_5$ | 48$_5$ |
| St Kilda | 0$_{10}$ | 4$_6$ | 4$_{11}$ | 8$_7$ | 12$_4$ | 12$_7$ | 16$_6$ | 20$_4$ | 24$_3$ | 28$_2$ | 28$_5$ | 32$_5$ | 32$_6$ | 32$_7$ | 32$_7$ | 36$_6$ | 36$_7$ | 40$_6$ |
| Western Bulldogs | 0$_{17}$ | 0$_{18}$ | 4$_{16}$ | 8$_{13}$ | 12$_8$ | 12$_{12}$ | 16$_9$ | 20$_6$ | 20$_8$ | 20$_9$ | 20$_{11}$ | 24$_{10}$ | 28$_8$ | 28$_{10}$ | 28$_{10}$ | 32$_9$ | 36$_8$ | 40$_7$ |
| Collingwood | 4$_2$ | 6$_4$ | 10$_2$ | 10$_5$ | 10$_{10}$ | 14$_5$ | 18$_3$ | 18$_8$ | 18$_{10}$ | 22$_8$ | 26$_7$ | 26$_7$ | 30$_7$ | 34$_6$ | 34$_6$ | 34$_7$ | 38$_6$ | 38$_8$ |
| Melbourne | 0$_{16}$ | 4$_{14}$ | 4$_{14}$ | 4$_{15}$ | 4$_{17}$ | 8$_{15}$ | 12$_{12}$ | 12$_{13}$ | 12$_{15}$ | 16$_{12}$ | 20$_{10}$ | 24$_8$ | 24$_9$ | 28$_8$ | 28$_9$ | 28$_{10}$ | 32$_9$ | 36$_9$ |
| Greater Western Sydney | 4$_5$ | 4$_8$ | 4$_{12}$ | 8$_{10}$ | 12$_7$ | 12$_{10}$ | 12$_{13}$ | 16$_{12}$ | 20$_7$ | 24$_7$ | 24$_8$ | 24$_9$ | 24$_{11}$ | 28$_9$ | 32$_8$ | 32$_8$ | 32$_{10}$ | 32$_{10}$ |
| Carlton | 0$_{13}$ | 0$_{16}$ | 4$_{13}$ | 8$_{12}$ | 8$_{12}$ | 12$_8$ | 12$_{11}$ | 16$_{11}$ | 16$_{12}$ | 16$_{13}$ | 16$_{13}$ | 20$_{12}$ | 24$_{10}$ | 24$_{12}$ | 24$_{12}$ | 28$_{11}$ | 28$_{12}$ | 28$_{11}$ |
| Fremantle | 0$_{12}$ | 0$_{15}$ | 0$_{17}$ | 0$_{17}$ | 4$_{16}$ | 8$_{14}$ | 8$_{15}$ | 8$_{16}$ | 12$_{16}$ | 12$_{16}$ | 16$_{14}$ | 16$_{14}$ | 20$_{13}$ | 20$_{14}$ | 20$_{14}$ | 24$_{13}$ | 28$_{11}$ | 28$_{12}$ |
| Essendon | 4$_7$ | 8$_3$ | 8$_4$ | 8$_8$ | 12$_5$ | 16$_4$ | 16$_{10}$ | 20$_7$ | 20$_9$ | 20$_{10}$ | 22$_9$ | 22$_{11}$ | 22$_{12}$ | 26$_{11}$ | 26$_{11}$ | 26$_{12}$ | 26$_{13}$ | 26$_{13}$ |
| Gold Coast | 0$_{18}$ | 4$_{10}$ | 8$_3$ | 12$_2$ | 12$_6$ | 12$_9$ | 16$_7$ | 16$_{10}$ | 16$_{11}$ | 16$_{11}$ | 18$_{12}$ | 18$_{13}$ | 18$_{14}$ | 22$_{13}$ | 22$_{13}$ | 22$_{14}$ | 22$_{14}$ | 22$_{14}$ |
| Hawthorn | 4$_4$ | 4$_{13}$ | 8$_8$ | 12$_4$ | 12$_9$ | 12$_{13}$ | 12$_{14}$ | 12$_{15}$ | 16$_{13}$ | 16$_{14}$ | 16$_{15}$ | 16$_{16}$ | 16$_{15}$ | 16$_{15}$ | 16$_{16}$ | 16$_{16}$ | 16$_{16}$ | 20$_{15}$ |
| Sydney | 4$_8$ | 4$_9$ | 8$_7$ | 8$_{11}$ | 8$_{14}$ | 8$_{17}$ | 8$_{16}$ | 12$_{14}$ | 12$_{17}$ | 12$_{17}$ | 12$_{17}$ | 16$_{15}$ | 16$_{16}$ | 16$_{16}$ | 20$_{15}$ | 20$_{15}$ | 20$_{15}$ | 20$_{16}$ |
| North Melbourne | 4$_9$ | 8$_2$ | 8$_6$ | 8$_9$ | 8$_{13}$ | 8$_{16}$ | 8$_{17}$ | 8$_{17}$ | 12$_{14}$ | 12$_{15}$ | 12$_{16}$ | 12$_{17}$ | 12$_{17}$ | 12$_{17}$ | 12$_{17}$ | 12$_{17}$ | 12$_{17}$ | 12$_{17}$ |
| Adelaide | 0$_{11}$ | 0$_{17}$ | 0$_{18}$ | 0$_{18}$ | 0$_{18}$ | 0$_{18}$ | 0$_{18}$ | 0$_{18}$ | 0$_{18}$ | 0$_{18}$ | 0$_{18}$ | 0$_{18}$ | 0$_{18}$ | 0$_{18}$ | 4$_{18}$ | 8$_{18}$ | 12$_{18}$ | 12$_{18}$ |

### Positions of teams round by round
## Finals series

| Qualifying and elimination finals | Qualifying and elimination finals | Qualifying and elimination finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Preliminary finals | Preliminary finals | Preliminary finals | Grand final | Grand final | Grand final |
| 1 Oct, Adelaide Oval | 1 Oct, Adelaide Oval | 1 Oct, Adelaide Oval | | | | | | | | | |
| 1 | Port Adelaide | 9.4 (58) | | | | | | | | | |
| 4 | Geelong | 5.12 (42) | 10 Oct, Gabba | 10 Oct, Gabba | 10 Oct, Gabba | | | | |
| | | | Geelong | Geelong | 15.10 (100) | | | | |
| 3 Oct, Optus Stadium | 3 Oct, Optus Stadium | 3 Oct, Optus Stadium | Collingwood | Collingwood | 5.2 (32) | 16 Oct, Adelaide Oval | 16 Oct, Adelaide Oval | 16 Oct, Adelaide Oval | | | |
| 5 | West Coast | 11.9 (75) | | | | Port Adelaide | Port Adelaide | 6.4 (40) | |
| 8 | Collingwood | 12.4 (76) | | | | Richmond | Richmond | 6.10 (46) | 24 Oct, Gabba | 24 Oct, Gabba | 24 Oct, Gabba |
| | | | | | | | | | Richmond | Richmond | 12.9 (81) |
| 3 Oct, Gabba | 3 Oct, Gabba | 3 Oct, Gabba | | | | 17 Oct, Gabba | 17 Oct, Gabba | 17 Oct, Gabba | Geelong | Geelong | 7.8 (50) |
| 6 | St Kilda | 10.7 (67) | | | | Brisbane Lions | Brisbane Lions | 6.6 (42) | | |
| 7 | Western Bulldogs | 9.10 (64) | 9 Oct, Metricon Stadium | 9 Oct, Metricon Stadium | 9 Oct, Metricon Stadium | Geelong | Geelong | 11.16 (82) | | |
| | | | Richmond | Richmond | 12.8 (80) | | | | | | |
| 2 Oct, Gabba | 2 Oct, Gabba | 2 Oct, Gabba | St Kilda | St Kilda | 6.13 (49) | | | | | |
| 2 | Brisbane Lions | 10.9 (69) | | | | | | | | | |
| 3 | Richmond | 8.6 (54) | | | | | | | | |

### Week one

| | Qualifying finals | Qualifying finals | Qualifying finals | | |
| QF1: Thursday, 1 October (7:10 pm) | Port Adelaide 9.4 (58) | def. | Geelong 5.12 (42) | Adelaide Oval (crowd: 22,755) | Report |
| QF2: Friday, 2 October (7:50 pm) | Brisbane Lions 10.9 (69) | def. | Richmond 8.6 (54) | Gabba (crowd: 22,104) | Report |
| The Brisbane Lions defeated Richmond for the first time since round seven, 2009, breaking a fifteen-game losing streak. ||||||
| | Elimination finals | Elimination finals | Elimination finals | | |
| EF2: Saturday, 3 October (4:40 pm) | St Kilda 10.7 (67) | def. | Western Bulldogs 9.10 (64) | Gabba (crowd: 10,651) | Report |
| EF1: Saturday, 3 October (6:10 pm) | West Coast 11.9 (75) | def. by | Collingwood 12.4 (76) | Optus Stadium (crowd: 32,865) | Report |

### Week two

| | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | | |
| SF2: Friday, 9 October (6:50 pm) | Richmond 12.8 (80) | def. | St Kilda 6.13 (49) | Metricon Stadium (crowd: 13,778) | Report |
| SF1: Saturday, 10 October (6:40 pm) | Geelong 15.10 (100) | def. | Collingwood 5.2 (32) | Gabba (crowd: 21,396) | Report |
| Collingwood was held to its lowest three-quarter time score since round 6, 1900, scoring only 1.1 (7). ||||||

### Week three

| | Preliminary finals | Preliminary finals | Preliminary finals | | |
| PF1: Friday, 16 October (7:20 pm) | Port Adelaide 6.4 (40) | def. by | Richmond 6.10 (46) | Adelaide Oval (crowd: 24,292) | Report |
| PF2: Saturday, 17 October (6:40 pm) | Brisbane Lions 6.6 (42) | def. by | Geelong 11.16 (82) | Gabba (crowd: 29,121) | Report |

### Week four

| | Grand final | Grand final | Grand final | | |
| Saturday, 24 October (6:30 pm) | Richmond 12.9 (81) | def. | Geelong 7.8 (50) | Gabba (crowd: 29,707) | Report |
| This was the first Grand Final in VFL/AFL history to be hosted outside Victoria, and the first not to be hosted at the MCG since 1991. The crowd of 29,707 was the lowest for a VFL/AFL Grand Final since 1917. Dustin Martin became the first player in VFL/AFL history to win the Norm Smith Medal three times. ||||||

## Attendance
### By club

In this table, home matches which were played behind closed doors are not included in the total count of home games, and therefore do not contribute to the home average.
2020 AFL Attendances :
| Club | Home Total | Home Games | Home Avg. |
| Adelaide | 90,328 | 8 | 11,291 |
| Brisbane Lions | 85,182 | 8 | 10,648 |
| Carlton | 31,340 | 6 | 5,223 |
| Collingwood | 16,681 | 5 | 3,336 |
| Essendon | 22,834 | 6 | 3,806 |
| Fremantle | 162,147 | 10 | 16,215 |
| Geelong | 41,120 | 6 | 6,853 |
| Gold Coast | 31,428 | 8 | 3,929 |
| Greater Western Sydney | 17,852 | 7 | 2,550 |
| Hawthorn | 16,675 | 5 | 3,335 |
| Melbourne | 16,290 | 7 | 2,327 |
| North Melbourne | 8,523 | 6 | 1,421 |
| Port Adelaide | 85,223 | 9 | 9,469 |
| Richmond | 23,102 | 6 | 3,850 |
| St Kilda | 17,760 | 6 | 2,960 |
| Sydney | 27,367 | 8 | 3,421 |
| West Coast | 124,626 | 8 | 15,578 |
| Western Bulldogs | 7,890 | 5 | 1,578 |

## Club leadership

| Club | Coach | Captain(s) | Vice-captain(s) | Leadership group |
| Adelaide | Matthew Nicks | Rory Sloane | | Matt Crouch, Tom Doedee, Tom Lynch, Brodie Smith |
| Brisbane Lions | Chris Fagan | Dayne Zorko | Harris Andrews | Jarrod Berry, Darcy Gardiner, Ryan Lester, Jarryd Lyons, Stefan Martin, Hugh McCluggage, Lachie Neale |
| Carlton | David Teague | Patrick Cripps Sam Docherty | | Ed Curnow, Liam Jones, Marc Murphy, Sam Walsh, Jacob Weitering |
| Collingwood | Nathan Buckley | Scott Pendlebury | Taylor Adams, Steele Sidebottom, Jeremy Howe | Brodie Grundy, Jordan Roughead |
| Essendon | John Worsfold | Dyson Heppell | | Michael Hurley, Dylan Shiel, Devon Smith, David Zaharakis |
| Fremantle | Justin Longmuir | Nat Fyfe | | Reece Conca, Joel Hamling, David Mundy, Alex Pearce, Michael Walters |
| Geelong | Chris Scott | Joel Selwood | Mark Blicavs, Patrick Dangerfield | Mitch Duncan, Mark O'Connor, Tom Stewart, Zach Tuohy |
| Gold Coast | Stuart Dew | David Swallow Jarrod Witts | Touk Miller | Sam Collins, Brayden Fiorini, Alex Sexton |
| Greater Western Sydney | Leon Cameron | Stephen Coniglio | Josh Kelly | Jeremy Cameron, Matt de Boer, Toby Greene, Lachie Whitfield |
| Hawthorn | Alastair Clarkson | Ben Stratton | Tom Mitchell, Jaeger O'Meara | Jack Gunston, Ben McEvoy, Liam Shiels, Isaac Smith |
| Melbourne | Simon Goodwin | Max Gawn | Jack Viney | |
| North Melbourne | Rhyce Shaw | Jack Ziebell | Shaun Higgins, Robbie Tarrant | Ben Cunnington, Trent Dumont, Jamie Macmillan, Jasper Pittard, Jy Simpkin |
| Port Adelaide | Ken Hinkley | Tom Jonas | Hamish Hartlett, Ollie Wines | |
| Richmond | Damien Hardwick | Trent Cotchin | Jack Riewoldt | |
| St Kilda | Brett Ratten | Jarryn Geary | Sebastian Ross | Jack Billings, Bradley Hill, Tim Membrey, Dylan Roberton |
| Sydney | John Longmire | Josh Kennedy Luke Parker Dane Rampe | | Lance Franklin, Callum Mills |
| West Coast | Adam Simpson | Luke Shuey | Josh Kennedy, Jeremy McGovern | Jack Darling, Andrew Gaff, Nic Naitanui, Elliot Yeo |
| Western Bulldogs | Luke Beveridge | Marcus Bontempelli | | Josh Dunkley, Jason Johannisen, Mitch Wallis, Easton Wood |

## Awards
### Coleman Medal

| Player | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | Total |
| Tom Hawkins | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 3 | 2 | – | 4 | 1 | 2 | 42 |
| Charlie Dixon | – | 3 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 | – | 2 | 2 | 1 | 32 |
| Josh Kennedy | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 7 | 4 | – | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | – | 2 | 1 | 0 | 31 |
| Jack Gunston | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 3 | – | 1 | 2 | – | 2 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 31 |
| Matt Taberner | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 4 | – | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | – | 29 |
| Tom Lynch | 0 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | – | 1 | – | 28 |
| Jack Riewoldt | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | – | 4 | 2 | 28 |
| Jack Darling | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | – | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 27 |
| Dan Butler | 0 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | – | 1 | 1 | 1 | 27 |
| Tom Papley | 1 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 1 | – | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 26 |
| Charlie Cameron | 2 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | – | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 26 |

### Player milestones

| Name | Club | Milestone | Round |
| Rory Sloane | Adelaide | 200 AFL games | Round 1 |
| Patrick Dangerfield | Geelong | 250 AFL games | Round 2 |
| Shaun Atley | North Melbourne | 200 AFL games | Round 3 |
| Andrew Gaff | West Coast | 200 AFL games | Round 3 |
| Grant Birchall | Brisbane Lions | 250 AFL games | Round 3 |
| Josh P. Kennedy | Sydney | 250 AFL games | Round 4 |
| Brad Ebert | Port Adelaide | 250 AFL games | Round 4 |
| Jack Darling | West Coast | 200 AFL games | Round 4 |
| Lewis Jetta | West Coast | 200 AFL games | Round 4 |
| Luke Parker | Sydney | 200 AFL games | Round 5 |
| Gary Ablett Jr. | Geelong | 350 AFL games | Round 5 |
| Joel Selwood | Geelong | 300 AFL games | Round 5 |
| Jarrod Harbrow | Gold Coast | 250 AFL games | Round 6 |
| Josh J. Kennedy | West Coast | 250 AFL games | Round 7 |
| Jack Gunston | Hawthorn | 200 AFL games | Round 8 |
| Mitch Robinson | Brisbane Lions | 200 AFL games | Round 9 |
| Paddy Ryder | St Kilda | 250 AFL games | Round 10 |
| Ben Stratton | Hawthorn | 200 AFL games | Round 13 |
| Tom Rockliff | Port Adelaide | 200 AFL games | Round 13 |
| Taylor Walker | Adelaide | 200 AFL games | Round 13 |
| Cale Hooker | Essendon | 200 AFL games | Round 15 |
| Shane Mumford | Greater Western Sydney | 200 AFL games | Round 15 |
| Jarryn Geary | St Kilda | 200 AFL games | Round 16 |
| Zach Tuohy | Geelong | 200 AFL games | Round 17 |
| Todd Goldstein | North Melbourne | 250 AFL games | Round 17 |
| Matt de Boer | Greater Western Sydney | 200 AFL games | Round 17 |
| Daniel Talia | Adelaide | 200 AFL games | Round 18 |
| Trent Cotchin | Richmond | 250 AFL games | Preliminary Final |
| Tom Hawkins | Geelong | 600 AFL goals | Semi-final |

### Best and fairest

| Club | Award name | Player | Times won |
| Adelaide | Malcolm Blight Medal | Reilly O'Brien | 1 |
| Brisbane Lions | Merrett–Murray Medal | Lachie Neale | 2 |
| Carlton | John Nicholls Medal | Jacob Weitering | 1 |
| Collingwood | Copeland Trophy | Taylor Adams | 1 |
| Essendon | W. S. Crichton Medal | Jordan Ridley | 1 |
| Fremantle | Doig Medal | Luke Ryan | 1 |
| Geelong | Carji Greeves Medal | Cameron Guthrie | 1 |
| Gold Coast | Club Champion | Sam Collins | 1 |
| Greater Western Sydney | Kevin Sheedy Medal | Nick Haynes | 1 |
| Greater Western Sydney | Kevin Sheedy Medal | Lachie Whitfield | 2 |
| Hawthorn | Peter Crimmins Medal | Jack Gunston | 1 |
| Melbourne | Keith 'Bluey' Truscott Trophy | Christian Petracca | 1 |
| North Melbourne | Syd Barker Medal | Luke McDonald | 1 |
| Port Adelaide | John Cahill Medal | Darcy Byrne-Jones | 1 |
| Richmond | Jack Dyer Medal | Jayden Short | 1 |
| St Kilda | Trevor Barker Award | Jack Steele | 1 |
| Sydney | Bob Skilton Medal | Jake Lloyd | 2 |
| West Coast | John Worsfold Medal | Nic Naitanui | 1 |
| Western Bulldogs | Charles Sutton Medal | Caleb Daniel | 1 |

## Coach changes

| Outgoing coach | Club | Date | Notes | Incoming coach |
| John Worsfold | Essendon | 17 September 2019 | Stepped down at the conclusion of the club's 2020 season as part of a succession plan. | Ben Rutten |
| Rhyce Shaw | North Melbourne | 22 October 2020 | Stepped down at the conclusion of the club's 2020 season due to personal health issues. | David Noble |