2021 AFL season

2021 AFL premiership season
2021 AFL premiership season
Date	16 March – 25 September 2021
Teams	18
Premiers	Melbourne; 13th premiership
Runners-up	Western Bulldogs; (2nd runners-up)
Minor premiers	Melbourne; 10th minor premiership
Brownlow Medallist	Ollie Wines ; (Port Adelaide – 36 votes)
Coleman Medallist	Harry McKay ; (Carlton – 58 goals)
Attendance
Matches played	207
Total attendance	3,976,228 (19,209 per match)
Highest	78,113 ; (Round 6, Collingwood vs Essendon)
	← 2020 2022 →

The 2021 AFL season was the 125th 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, ran from 18 March until 25 September, and comprised a 22-game home-and-away season followed by a finals series featuring the top eight clubs.

The season was played during the second year of the COVID-19 pandemic, and saw disruptions but to a much lesser extent than the 2020 season. Virus outbreaks resulted in restrictions on crowds and the relocation of forty games outside their originally fixtured states, but the season was played without suspension and with only minor disruptions to the scheduled dates of matches.

The premiership was won by the Melbourne Football Club for the 13th time, after it defeated the Western Bulldogs by 74 points in the 2021 AFL Grand Final, which was played at Optus Stadium in Perth.

Impact of COVID-19 pandemic

The season was played during the second year of the COVID-19 pandemic, with the country's vaccination roll-outs commencing around the beginning of the season. The country had largely settled into a paradigm of most states maintaining zero COVID-19 cases outside of their international travel quarantine systems; and when this was the case, it allowed matches to be played in front of crowds (albeit with reduced capacity) and unhindered interstate travel was permitted without quarantine. However, the different state governments often responded quickly to small numbers or even single virus cases being discovered in the community; this meant border restrictions or quarantine periods were often re-imposed at short notice, impacting interstate travel for matches; and, in some cases, that city- or state-wide lockdowns were imposed within the impacted states, precluding football activities altogether.^[1] Short 'snap lockdowns', lasting between three and seven days in a given city, became a common response to the first few cases in the community as governments adopted 'Zero-COVID' policies.

The impact of the pandemic to the season's scheduled fixture was mostly limited to venue changes and matches being played behind closed doors; the dates of some fixtured games were adjusted, but none by more than a week from its original date. Unlike the 2020 season, the league sought to avoid putting clubs into long-term interstate hubs, and players were instead promised that only medium-term interstate trips would occur, with a maximum duration of three weeks before returning home.^[2] This worked across most of the league, but a months-long period of lockdown and border restrictions in Sydney during the latter part of the season meant that Sydney and Greater Western Sydney were unable to return home after Round 15, the latter spending more than ten weeks interstate in more than six different locations between then and its season ending;^[3] families and partners were able to join the players interstate after six weeks.^[4] The completion of the season was assisted by special "sterile corridor" arrangements made with several state governments, allowing clubs to fly in and out of those states from some hot zones without quarantine if the travelling party was subjected to isolation and testing requirements in their home states in the week leading up to the match.^[2]^[4] In the end, the biggest impact to the fixtured season was that the pre-finals bye week, which had been conventional since 2016, was dropped at less than two weeks' notice, and the first week of finals was brought forward, as a contingency to allow the league to respond to any unforeseen changes to border or societal restrictions during finals; at the time of the announcement, the grand final remained scheduled for its original date of Saturday 25 September, and the bye week was ultimately scheduled in the week between the preliminary finals and the grand final.^[5]

The league saw relatively few impacts through the first half of the season, with only occasional games relocated; but, as more virus cases and outbreaks occurred through winter, the second half of the season was more heavily affected with relocated games. In particular:

Rounds 11 to 14: an outbreak in Victoria resulted in lockdown and border restrictions on Victorian clubs, precluding free entry to any state except New South Wales. Many clubs shifted games to Sydney and remained there between rounds during that period.^[2]
Rounds 15 and 16: nationwide outbreaks in all states except Tasmania at one stage locked down all capital cities in those states, and precluded most free interstate travel in the country. All non-Victorian clubs relocated their training bases and most matches to Victoria, with only select matches able to be played interstate.^[6]
Round 15 until the end of the season: a long period of restrictions in Sydney saw both clubs based outside New South Wales long term.^[4]
All finals were held outside of Victoria and New South Wales due to the league’s preference to play finals before a crowd.

While most matches in the season saw some level of attendance restrictions, there was a steady return to larger crowds compared to the restrictions imposed in 2020. The openness of Australia's society compared with others around the world in the first half of the season meant that the AFL was on the leading edge of a return to typical sports attendances; and at the time it was played, the attendance of 78,113 for the match between Collingwood and Essendon on Anzac Day was a world record highest attendance for a sporting event since the beginning of the pandemic.^[7] This was reversed in the second half of the season, with a return to matches being played with no spectators in many states.

Rule changes

The following rule changes were made in the 2021 season:^[8]

The maximum number of interchanges allowed was reduced from 90 to 75 per team. Like previous steps taken to reduce interchange numbers, this was designed to alleviate congested play by giving teams less fatigue management.
The interchange bench was increased from four to five, with the fifth designated a medical substitute allowed to take the field only to replace a player deemed medically unfit to continue. Except with permission from the AFL Medical Officer, a player thus substituted off would be ineligible to play again until at least twelve days later.^[9] To be granted permission to play the injury must not be concussion, which has its own mandatory 12 day rule.
The distance between man on the mark and the kick-off line at a kick-in was increased from 10m to 15m.^[10]
The duration of each quarter of play was returned to 20 minutes plus time-on, as it had been since 1994. Quarters had been played at a reduced 16 minutes plus time-on in 2020, specifically as a fatigue and injury management strategy to cope with pandemic-related interruptions to the season.^[11]

Additionally, umpires were directed to use a more stringent interpretation of existing rules related to the man on the mark: the man on the mark had previously been given freedom to move laterally or make a run towards the mark, provided they did not step over the mark; but now, the player would be directed to 'stand' upon taking up the mark position, and would concede a 50-metre penalty if he left that position; he could also choose not to take up the mark, leaving him free to move provided he remained at least five metres behind the mark. This new interpretation made it more difficult for the man on the mark to influence a subsequent sequence of quick-running play, opening up freer ball movement.^[12]^[13]

Pre-season

AAMI Community Series

The pre-season series of games returned as the 2021 AAMI Community Series, with teams playing one game each. The games were stand-alone, with no overall winner of the series. All games were televised live on Fox Footy.^[14]

Home-and-away season

A full 23-round fixture for the 2021 season was released in December 2020; but dates, times and broadcasters were initially revealed only for the first six rounds, with the league intending to release the remaining dates in four-to-six weeks blocks with at least a month's notice during the season.^[11]

Through the below tables, there were many matches played before no crowd or a heavily restricted attendance, all of which were caused by the local COVID-19 conditions at the time of the match. Where the venue for the match was altered due to COVID-19 restrictions, the original venue is noted; in cases where the competing teams had a return match later in the season, the clubs sometimes swapped home games.

Round 1


	Round 1
Thursday, 18 March (7:25 pm)	Richmond 15.15 (105)	def.	Carlton 11.14 (80)	MCG (crowd: 49,218)	Report
Friday, 19 March (7:40 pm)	Collingwood 7.11 (53)	def. by	Western Bulldogs 10.9 (69)	MCG (crowd: 46,051)	Report
Saturday, 20 March (1:45 pm)	Melbourne 11.14 (80)	def.	Fremantle 8.10 (58)	MCG (crowd: 21,365)	Report
Saturday, 20 March (4:05 pm)	Adelaide 15.13 (103)	def.	Geelong 13.13 (91)	Adelaide Oval (crowd: 26,985)	Report
Saturday, 20 March (7:25 pm)	Essendon 13.13 (91)	def. by	Hawthorn 14.8 (92)	Marvel Stadium (crowd: 25,128)	Report
Saturday, 20 March (6:45 pm)	Brisbane Lions 14.10 (94)	def. by	Sydney 19.11 (125)	Gabba (crowd: 22,762)	Report
Sunday, 21 March (1:10 pm)	North Melbourne 9.11 (65)	def. by	Port Adelaide 17.15 (117)	Marvel Stadium (crowd: 13,050)	Report
Sunday, 21 March (3:20 pm)	Greater Western Sydney 11.12 (78)	def. by	St Kilda 13.8 (86)	Giants Stadium (crowd: 5,014)	Report
Sunday, 21 March (3:10 pm)	West Coast 12.11 (83)	def.	Gold Coast 8.10 (58)	Optus Stadium (crowd: 38,493)	Report

Round 2


	Round 2
Thursday, 25 March (7:20 pm)	Carlton 13.7 (85)	def. by	Collingwood 16.10 (106)	MCG (crowd: 51,723)	Report
Friday, 26 March (7:50 pm)	Geelong 12.9 (81)	def.	Brisbane Lions 11.14 (80)	GMHBA Stadium (crowd: 20,070)	Report
Saturday, 27 March (1:45 pm)	Sydney 18.13 (121)	def.	Adelaide 11.22 (88)	SCG (crowd: 23,946)	Report
Saturday, 27 March (4:05 pm)	Port Adelaide 18.11 (119)	def.	Essendon 9.11 (65)	Adelaide Oval (crowd: 29,978)	Report
Saturday, 27 March (7:30 pm)	St Kilda 11.7 (73)	def. by	Melbourne 12.19 (91)	Marvel Stadium (crowd: 25,903)	Report
Saturday, 27 March (7:10 pm)	Gold Coast 14.14 (98)	def.	North Melbourne 5.9 (39)	Metricon Stadium (crowd: 6,661)	Report
Sunday, 28 March (1:10 pm)	Hawthorn 7.7 (49)	def. by	Richmond 11.12 (78)	MCG (crowd: 41,051)	Report
Sunday, 28 March (3:20 pm)	Western Bulldogs 14.16 (100)	def.	West Coast 14.9 (93)	Marvel Stadium (crowd: 21,391)	Report
Sunday, 28 March (3:10 pm)	Fremantle 11.21 (87)	def.	Greater Western Sydney 7.14 (56)	Optus Stadium (crowd: 27,625)	Report

Round 3


	Round 3 (Easter Round)
Thursday, 1 April (7:40 pm)	Collingwood 11.6 (72)	def. by	Brisbane Lions 11.7 (73)	Marvel Stadium (crowd: 28,057) (Moved from The Gabba^[15])	Report
Friday, 2 April (4:20 pm)	North Melbourne 5.9 (39)	def. by	Western Bulldogs 25.17 (167)	Marvel Stadium (crowd: 28,483)	Report
Friday, 2 April (7:20 pm)	Adelaide 14.11 (95)	def.	Gold Coast 12.13 (85)	Adelaide Oval (crowd: 30,175)	Report
Saturday, 3 April (1:45 pm)	Richmond 10.12 (72)	def. by	Sydney 17.15 (117)	MCG (crowd: 43,637)	Report
Saturday, 3 April (4:35 pm)	Essendon 22.11 (143)	def.	St Kilda 9.14 (68)	Marvel Stadium (crowd: 29,234)	Report
Saturday, 3 April (5:10 pm)	West Coast 16.12 (108)	def.	Port Adelaide 11.5 (71)	Optus Stadium (crowd: 42,090)	Report
Sunday, 4 April (3:20 pm)	Carlton 16.13 (109)	def.	Fremantle 9.10 (64)	Marvel Stadium (crowd: 24,551)	Report
Sunday, 4 April (6:10 pm)	Greater Western Sydney 11.2 (68)	def. by	Melbourne 15.12 (102)	Manuka Oval (crowd: 9,563)	Report
Monday, 5 April (3:20 pm)	Geelong 10.9 (69)	def.	Hawthorn 9.10 (64)	MCG (crowd: 50,030)	Report
Zac Bailey (Brisbane Lions) kicked a goal after the siren to win the match against Collingwood.^[16] Western Bulldogs set a new record for its greatest winning margin in a VFL/AFL match, winning by 128 points against North Melbourne.^[17]

Round 4


	Round 4
Thursday, 8 April (7:20 pm)	Sydney 11.17 (83)	def.	Essendon 12.8 (80)	SCG (crowd: 28,039)	Report
Friday, 9 April (7:20 pm)	Port Adelaide 11.13 (79)	def.	Richmond 11.11 (77)	Adelaide Oval (crowd: 33,742)	Report
Saturday, 10 April (1:45 pm)	Western Bulldogs 10.13 (73)	def.	Brisbane Lions 8.6 (54)	Mars Stadium (crowd: 7,387)	Report
Saturday, 10 April (4:35 pm)	St Kilda 15.12 (102)	def.	West Coast 13.4 (82)	Marvel Stadium (crowd: 16,710)	Report
Saturday, 10 April (7:25 pm)	Gold Coast 8.11 (59)	def. by	Carlton 9.16 (70)	Metricon Stadium (crowd: 11,618)	Report
Saturday, 10 April (7:25 pm)	Collingwood 9.6 (60)	def. by	Greater Western Sydney 14.6 (90)	MCG (crowd: 29,866)	Report
Sunday, 11 April (1:10 pm)	North Melbourne 10.8 (68)	def. by	Adelaide 16.13 (109)	Marvel Stadium (crowd: 13,479)	Report
Sunday, 11 April (3:20 pm)	Melbourne 12.13 (85)	def.	Geelong 9.6 (60)	MCG (crowd: 33,728)	Report
Sunday, 11 April (2:40 pm)	Fremantle 13.18 (96)	def.	Hawthorn 12.9 (81)	Optus Stadium (crowd: 29,490)	Report

Round 5


	Round 5
Thursday, 15 April (7:20 pm)	St Kilda 7.6 (48)	def. by	Richmond 20.14 (134)	Marvel Stadium (crowd: 32,056)	Report
Friday, 16 April (6:10 pm)	West Coast 16.7 (103)	def.	Collingwood 11.10 (76)	Optus Stadium (crowd: 54,159)	Report
Saturday, 17 April (4:35 pm)	Western Bulldogs 17.16 (118)	def.	Gold Coast 8.8 (56)	Marvel Stadium (crowd: 18,920)	Report
Saturday, 17 April (4:35 pm)	Sydney 10.9 (69)	def. by	Greater Western Sydney 9.17 (71)	SCG (crowd: 33,541)	Report
Saturday, 17 April (7:25 pm)	Carlton 9.14 (68)	def. by	Port Adelaide 15.6 (96)	MCG (crowd: 32,893)	Report
Saturday, 17 April (7:25 pm)	Brisbane Lions 15.12 (102)	def.	Essendon 6.9 (45)	Gabba (crowd: 23,544)	Report
Sunday, 18 April (12:40 pm)	Adelaide 11.6 (72)	def. by	Fremantle 12.12 (84)	Adelaide Oval (crowd: 31,454)	Report
Sunday, 18 April (3:20 pm)	Hawthorn 8.6 (54)	def. by	Melbourne 15.14 (104)	MCG (crowd: 36,337)	Report
Sunday, 18 April (4:40 pm)	Geelong 10.17 (77)	def.	North Melbourne 7.5 (47)	GMHBA Stadium (crowd: 21,282)	Report

Round 6


	Round 6 (ANZAC Round)
Friday, 23 April (7:50 pm)	Greater Western Sydney 9.11 (65)	def. by	Western Bulldogs 15.14 (104)	Manuka Oval (crowd: 10,064)	Report
Saturday, 24 April (1:45 pm)	Geelong 21.10 (136)	def.	West Coast 5.9 (39)	GMHBA Stadium (crowd: 21,282)	Report
Saturday, 24 April (1:45 pm)	Gold Coast 15.10 (100)	def.	Sydney 9.6 (60)	Metricon Stadium (crowd: 9,819)	Report
Saturday, 24 April (4:35 pm)	Carlton 12.13 (85)	def. by	Brisbane Lions 15.13 (103)	Marvel Stadium (crowd: 29,576)	Report
Saturday, 24 April (7:25 pm)	Melbourne 12.10 (82)	def.	Richmond 6.12 (48)	MCG (crowd: 56,418)	Report
Saturday, 24 April (6:10 pm)	Fremantle 14.15 (99)	def.	North Melbourne 6.12 (48)	Optus Stadium (crowd: 0)	Report
Sunday, 25 April (12:30 pm)	Hawthorn 15.12 (102)	def.	Adelaide 16.3 (99)	University of Tasmania Stadium (crowd: 9,007)	Report
Sunday, 25 April (3:20 pm)	Collingwood 13.7 (85)	def. by	Essendon 16.13 (109)	MCG (crowd: 78,113)	Report
Sunday, 25 April (6:10 pm)	Port Adelaide 14.9 (93)	def.	St Kilda 5.9 (39)	Adelaide Oval (crowd: 33,125)	Report
Adelaide kicked an AFL record of 15 goals straight (14 of which were kicked before half time, also a record) before registering its first behind in its loss to Hawthorn.^[18]

Round 7


	Round 7
Friday, 30 April (7:50 pm)	Richmond 11.11 (77)	def.	Western Bulldogs 7.13 (55)	MCG (crowd: 52,402)	Report
Saturday, 1 May (1:40 pm)	Adelaide 4.15 (39)	def. by	Greater Western Sydney 15.16 (106)	Adelaide Oval (crowd: 28,853)	Report
Saturday, 1 May (1:45 pm)	Collingwood 7.13 (55)	def. by	Gold Coast 12.7 (79)	MCG (crowd: 24,397)	Report
Saturday, 1 May (4:35 pm)	St Kilda 19.14 (128)	def.	Hawthorn 9.5 (59)	Marvel Stadium (crowd: 26,433)	Report
Saturday, 1 May (7:25 pm)	Sydney 14.6 (90)	def.	Geelong 12.16 (88)	SCG (crowd: 29,123)	Report
Saturday, 1 May (7:25 pm)	Brisbane Lions 13.15 (93)	def.	Port Adelaide 5.14 (44)	Gabba (crowd: 20,007)	Report
Sunday, 2 May (1:10 pm)	North Melbourne 11.7 (73)	def. by	Melbourne 16.7 (103)	Blundstone Arena (crowd: 6,009)	Report
Sunday, 2 May (3:20 pm)	Essendon 16.11 (107)	def. by	Carlton 19.9 (123)	MCG (crowd: 57,447)	Report
Sunday, 2 May (2:40 pm)	West Coast 20.12 (132)	def.	Fremantle 11.7 (73)	Optus Stadium (crowd: 0)	Report

Round 8


	Round 8
Friday, 7 May (7:50 pm)	Richmond 9.9 (63)	def. by	Geelong 19.12 (126)	MCG (crowd: 54,857)	Report
Saturday, 8 May (1:45 pm)	Gold Coast 7.12 (54)	def. by	St Kilda 8.15 (63)	Metricon Stadium (crowd: 9,271)	Report
Saturday, 8 May (2:10 pm)	Greater Western Sydney 16.11 (107)	def.	Essendon 16.9 (105)	GIANTS Stadium (crowd: 8,526)	Report
Saturday, 8 May (4:35 pm)	North Melbourne 11.10 (76)	def. by	Collingwood 14.10 (94)	Marvel Stadium (crowd: 22,329)	Report
Saturday, 8 May (7:25 pm)	Melbourne 10.7 (67)	def.	Sydney 8.10 (58)	MCG (crowd: 35,567)	Report
Saturday, 8 May (7:10 pm)	Port Adelaide 12.15 (87)	def.	Adelaide 5.8 (38)	Adelaide Oval (crowd: 43,069)	Report
Sunday, 9 May (1:10 pm)	Hawthorn 8.12 (60)	def. by	West Coast 14.14 (98)	MCG (crowd: 15,277)	Report
Sunday, 9 May (3:20 pm)	Western Bulldogs 16.11 (107)	def.	Carlton 13.13 (91)	Marvel Stadium (crowd: 27,663)	Report
Sunday, 9 May (4:40 pm)	Brisbane Lions 14.11 (95)	def.	Fremantle 10.11 (71)	The Gabba (crowd: 15,403) (Moved from Optus Stadium^[19])	Report

Round 9


	Round 9
Friday, 14 May (7:50 pm)	St Kilda 5.17 (47)	def. by	Geelong 10.8 (68)	Marvel Stadium (crowd: 26,712)	Report
Saturday, 15 May (1:45 pm)	Sydney 10.12 (72)	def.	Collingwood 5.12 (42)	SCG (crowd: 31,448)	Report
Saturday, 15 May (2:10 pm)	Hawthorn 12.8 (80)	def. by	North Melbourne 13.9 (87)	University of Tasmania Stadium (crowd: 9,121)	Report
Saturday, 15 May (4:35 pm)	Gold Coast 7.9 (51)	def. by	Brisbane Lions 19.10 (124)	Metricon Stadium (crowd: 12,636)	Report
Saturday, 15 May (7:25 pm)	Richmond 13.9 (87)	def.	Greater Western Sydney 12.11 (83)	Marvel Stadium (crowd: 18,798)	Report
Saturday, 15 May (7:10 pm)	Port Adelaide 12.5 (77)	def. by	Western Bulldogs 15.6 (96)	Adelaide Oval (crowd: 32,787)	Report
Sunday, 16 May (1:10 pm)	Essendon 10.8 (68)	def.	Fremantle 8.13 (61)	Marvel Stadium (crowd: 26,357)	Report
Sunday, 16 May (3:20 pm)	Melbourne 13.16 (94)	def.	Carlton 10.8 (68)	MCG (crowd: 38,581)	Report
Sunday, 16 May (2:40 pm)	West Coast 16.10 (106)	def.	Adelaide 11.10 (76)	Optus Stadium (crowd: 43,427)	Report
North Melbourne's win was its first since Round 9, 2020, ending a 16 game losing streak. It was North Melbourne's longest losing streak since 1971–72.^[20]

Round 10


	Round 10
Friday, 21 May (7:50 pm)	Brisbane Lions 15.12 (102)	def.	Richmond 11.8 (74)	Gabba (crowd: 31,127)	Report
Saturday, 22 May (1:45 pm)	Carlton 13.8 (86)	def.	Hawthorn 9.9 (63)	MCG (crowd: 45,741)	Report
Saturday, 22 May (2:10 pm)	Geelong 14.7 (91)	def.	Gold Coast 8.9 (57)	GMHBA Stadium (crowd: 22,055)	Report
Saturday, 22 May (4:05 pm)	Adelaide 15.6 (96)	def.	Melbourne 14.11 (95)	Adelaide Oval (crowd: 31,373)	Report
Saturday, 22 May (7:25 pm)	Western Bulldogs 21.18 (144)	def.	St Kilda 5.3 (33)	Marvel Stadium (crowd: 28,720)	Report
Saturday, 22 May (5:40 pm)	Fremantle 12.14 (86)	def.	Sydney 13.6 (84)	Optus Stadium (crowd: 29,134)	Report
Sunday, 23 May (1:10 pm)	Greater Western Sydney 13.15 (93)	def.	West Coast 11.11 (77)	GIANTS Stadium (crowd: 9,046)	Report
Sunday, 23 May (3:20 pm)	Collingwood 8.10 (58)	def. by	Port Adelaide 8.11 (59)	MCG (crowd: 23,415)	Report
Sunday, 23 May (4:40 pm)	Essendon 22.9 (141)	def.	North Melbourne 10.9 (69)	Marvel Stadium (crowd: 33,121)	Report
Melbourne suffered its first loss since Round 16, 2020, ending an 11 game winning streak.^[21] St Kilda suffered its worst ever defeat against the Western Bulldogs, losing by 111 points.^[22]^[23] West Coast's Shannon Hurn played his 290th game, surpassing the club's games record previously held by Dean Cox.

Round 11


	Round 11 (Sir Doug Nicholls Round Week 1)
Friday, 28 May (7:50 pm)	Western Bulldogs 8.11 (59)	def. by	Melbourne 13.9 (87)	Marvel Stadium (crowd: 0)	Report
Saturday, 29 May (1:45 pm)	Collingwood 6.15 (51)	def. by	Geelong 8.13 (61)	MCG (crowd: 0)	Report
Saturday, 29 May (2:10 pm)	Brisbane Lions 19.15 (129)	def.	Greater Western Sydney 10.5 (65)	Gabba (crowd: 22,038)	Report
Saturday, 29 May (4:35 pm)	St Kilda 12.16 (88)	def.	North Melbourne 10.8 (68)	Marvel Stadium (crowd: 0)	Report
Saturday, 29 May (7:40 pm)	Gold Coast 17.11 (113)	def.	Hawthorn 11.10 (76)	SCG (crowd: 1,241) (Moved from TIO Stadium^[24])	Report
Saturday, 29 May (5:40 pm)	West Coast 11.5 (71)	def. by	Essendon 12.15 (87)	Optus Stadium (crowd: 41,883)	Report
Sunday, 30 May (2:10 pm)	Richmond 17.9 (111)	def.	Adelaide 12.11 (83)	GIANTS Stadium (crowd: 4,236) (Moved from MCG^[25])	Report
Sunday, 30 May (3:20 pm)	Sydney 15.10 (100)	def.	Carlton 11.12 (78)	SCG (crowd: 29,882)	Report
Sunday, 30 May (4:50 pm)	Port Adelaide 18.7 (115)	def.	Fremantle 9.15 (69)	Adelaide Oval (crowd: 26,759)	Report

Round 12


	Round 12 (Sir Doug Nicholls Round Week 2)
Friday, 4 June (7:20 pm)	Melbourne 14.13 (97)	def.	Brisbane Lions 11.9 (75)	GIANTS Stadium (crowd: 3,772) (Moved from TIO Traeger Park^[26])	Report
Saturday, 5 June (1:45 pm)	Sydney 13.14 (92)	def.	St Kilda 12.11 (83)	SCG (crowd: 19,020) (Moved from Marvel Stadium^[26])	Report
Saturday, 5 June (4:05 pm)	Adelaide 10.13 (73)	def. by	Collingwood 12.6 (78)	Adelaide Oval (crowd: 30,446)	Report
Saturday, 5 June (5:40 pm)	Essendon 12.12 (84)	def. by	Richmond 19.9 (123)	Optus Stadium (crowd: 55,656) (Moved from MCG^[26])	Report
Sunday, 6 June (3:20 pm)	Carlton 10.13 (73)	def. by	West Coast 14.11 (95)	SCG (crowd: 5,137) (Moved from MCG^[26])	Report
Sunday, 6 June (4:40 pm)	Fremantle 9.11 (65)	def. by	Western Bulldogs 13.15 (93)	Optus Stadium (crowd: 32,875)	Report
	Bye Geelong, Gold Coast, Greater Western Sydney, Hawthorn, North Melbourne, Port Adelaide

Round 13


	Round 13
Thursday, 10 June (7:10 pm)	Port Adelaide 14.7 (91)	def. by	Geelong 17.10 (112)	Adelaide Oval (crowd: 28,718)	Report
Friday, 11 June (7:50 pm)	Sydney 7.9 (51)	def. by	Hawthorn 14.5 (89)	SCG (crowd: 25,904)	Report
Saturday, 12 June (2:15 pm)	Fremantle 11.10 (76)	def.	Gold Coast 6.13 (49)	Optus Stadium (crowd: 27,318)	Report
Saturday, 12 June (7:25 pm)	St Kilda 8.12 (60)	def. by	Adelaide 9.12 (66)	Cazalys Stadium (crowd: 5,969)	Report
Sunday, 13 June (3:20 pm)	North Melbourne 14.10 (94)	drew with	Greater Western Sydney 14.10 (94)	Blundstone Arena (crowd: 3,462)	Report
Sunday, 13 June (5:20 pm)	West Coast 13.7 (85)	def.	Richmond 12.9 (81)	Optus Stadium (crowd: 50,834)	Report
Monday, 14 June (3:20 pm)	Melbourne 9.9 (63)	def. by	Collingwood 11.14 (80)	SCG (crowd: 16,453) (Moved from MCG^[27])	Report
	Bye Brisbane Lions, Carlton, Essendon, Western Bulldogs
The game between West Coast and Richmond was brought forward from Round 14 to Round 13, which had been both teams' originally fixtured bye; this allowed Richmond, whose players had remained interstate since Round 11, to visit Western Australia without quarantine and then return to Victoria five days earlier than the original fixture would have allowed.^[28] The attendance of 3,462 at the North Melbourne and Greater Western Sydney match is the lowest ever figure for a VFL/AFL fixture in Tasmania.^[29]

Round 14


	Round 14
Friday, 18 June (7:50 pm)	Geelong 12.11 (83)	def.	Western Bulldogs 11.12 (78)	GMHBA Stadium (crowd: 6,583)	Report
Saturday, 19 June (1:45 pm)	Gold Coast 4.7 (31)	def. by	Port Adelaide 12.9 (81)	Metricon Stadium (crowd: 7,117)	Report
Saturday, 19 June (4:35 pm)	North Melbourne 6.9 (45)	def. by	Brisbane Lions 9.14 (68)	Blundstone Arena (crowd: 5,060) (Moved from Marvel Stadium^[30])	Report
Saturday, 19 June (7:25 pm)	Greater Western Sydney 16.6 (102)	def.	Carlton 9.12 (66)	GIANTS Stadium (crowd: 7,035)	Report
Sunday, 20 June (3:20 pm)	Hawthorn 10.13 (73)	def. by	Essendon 13.8 (86)	University of Tasmania Stadium (crowd: 14,834) (Moved from MCG^[30])	Report
	Bye Adelaide, Collingwood, Fremantle, Melbourne, Richmond, St Kilda, Sydney, West Coast
Gary Rohan (Geelong) kicked a goal after the siren to win the game against the Western Bulldogs.^[31]

Round 15


	Round 15
Thursday, 24 June (7:30 pm)	Brisbane Lions 13.16 (94)	def.	Geelong 7.8 (50)	Gabba (crowd: 29,024)	Report
Friday, 25 June (7:50 pm)	Richmond 2.10 (22)	def. by	St Kilda 9.8 (62)	MCG (crowd: 14,787)	Report
Saturday, 26 June (1:45 pm)	Collingwood 12.7 (79)	def. by	Fremantle 14.7 (91)	Marvel Stadium (crowd: 11,570)	Report
Saturday, 26 June (1:45 pm)	North Melbourne 9.18 (72)	def.	Gold Coast 9.9 (63)	Blundstone Arena (crowd: 6,719)	Report
Saturday, 26 June (4:05 pm)	Port Adelaide 12.9 (81)	def.	Sydney 10.11 (71)	Adelaide Oval (crowd: 29,631)	Report
Saturday, 26 June (7:25 pm)	Essendon 8.9 (57)	def. by	Melbourne 9.14 (68)	MCG (crowd: 19,414)	Report
Sunday, 27 June (1:10 pm)	Greater Western Sydney 11.6 (72)	def. by	Hawthorn 13.12 (90)	MCG (crowd: 9,897) (Moved from GIANTS Stadium^[32])	Report
Sunday, 27 June (1:20 pm)	West Coast 6.7 (43)	def. by	Western Bulldogs 13.20 (98)	Optus Stadium (crowd: 0)	Report
Sunday, 27 June (4:10 pm)	Carlton 12.11 (83)	def.	Adelaide 10.13 (73)	Marvel Stadium (crowd: 14,930)	Report
The crowd of 9,897 between Greater Western Sydney and Hawthorn, under capacity restrictions, was the lowest for an attended AFL premiership match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground since round 21, 1992.^[33] Richmond's score of 2.10 (22) against St Kilda was its lowest score since Round 16, 1961, and its lowest score at the MCG since the 1927 Grand Final.^[34]

Round 16


	Round 16
Thursday, 1 July (7:20 pm)	Gold Coast 10.17 (77)	def.	Richmond 10.7 (67)	Marvel Stadium (crowd: 9,327) (Moved from Metricon Stadium^[35])	Report
Friday, 2 July (7:50 pm)	Geelong 15.8 (98)	def.	Essendon 8.9 (57)	GMHBA Stadium (crowd: 15,579)	Report
Saturday, 3 July (1:45 pm)	Melbourne 7.13 (55)	def. by	Greater Western Sydney 9.10 (64)	MCG (crowd: 16,963)	Report
Saturday, 3 July (4:05 pm)	Adelaide 8.11 (59)	def. by	Brisbane Lions 17.9 (111)	Adelaide Oval (crowd: 16,178)	Report
Saturday, 3 July (7:40 pm)	Hawthorn 7.11 (53)	def. by	Port Adelaide 13.9 (87)	Marvel Stadium (crowd: 18,251)	Report
Saturday, 3 July (7:40 pm)	Fremantle 8.16 (64)	def. by	Carlton 12.8 (80)	MCG (crowd: 12,103) (Moved from Optus Stadium^[35])	Report
Sunday, 4 July (1:10 pm)	Sydney 18.10 (118)	def.	West Coast 3.8 (26)	GMHBA Stadium (crowd: 9,520) (Moved from SCG^[35])	Report
Sunday, 4 July (3:20 pm)	Collingwood 8.13 (61)	def. by	St Kilda 10.10 (70)	MCG (crowd: 18,082)	Report
Sunday, 4 July (4:40 pm)	Western Bulldogs 16.12 (108)	def.	North Melbourne 11.13 (79)	Marvel Stadium (crowd: 18,216)	Report
Shaun Burgoyne of Hawthorn became the fifth player in VFL/AFL history to play 400 games; his milestone game was played against his former club Port Adelaide.^[36] West Coast recorded a score of 3.8 (26) against Sydney, its lowest score since Round 23, 1992.^[37]

Round 17


	Round 17
Thursday, 8 July (7:10 pm)	Port Adelaide 8.7 (55)	def. by	Melbourne 12.14 (86)	Adelaide Oval (crowd: 30,908)	Report
Friday, 9 July (7:50 pm)	Essendon 11.18 (84)	def.	Adelaide 2.9 (21)	Marvel Stadium (crowd: 23,604)	Report
Saturday, 10 July (1:45 pm)	Hawthorn 6.10 (46)	def. by	Fremantle 16.12 (108)	University of Tasmania Stadium (crowd: 9,111)	Report
Saturday, 10 July (4:35 pm)	Carlton 5.14 (44)	def. by	Geelong 10.10 (70)	MCG (crowd: 31,834)	Report
Saturday, 10 July (7:25 pm)	Brisbane Lions 8.15 (63)	def. by	St Kilda 14.11 (95)	Metricon Stadium (crowd: 9,075) (Moved from The Gabba^[38])	Report
Sunday, 11 July (12:40 pm)	Greater Western Sydney 9.10 (64)	def. by	Gold Coast 10.5 (65)	Mars Stadium (crowd: 2,952) (Moved from GIANTS Stadium^[39])	Report
Sunday, 11 July (3:20 pm)	Western Bulldogs 8.12 (60)	def. by	Sydney 11.13 (79)	Marvel Stadium (crowd: 24,817)	Report
Sunday, 11 July (4:10 pm)	Richmond 11.5 (71)	def. by	Collingwood 13.9 (87)	MCG (crowd: 29,437)	Report
Monday, 12 July (5:40 pm)	West Coast 8.12 (60)	def. by	North Melbourne 10.10 (70)	Optus Stadium (crowd: 30,515)	Report
Adelaide's score of 2.9 (21) against Essendon set new records for the lowest score in Adelaide's history, and the lowest score ever by any team at Marvel Stadium, surpassing the previous mark of 3.6 (24) from Round 18, 2011, which was also scored by the Crows.^[40]

Round 18


	Round 18
Thursday, 15 July (6:10 pm)	Fremantle 3.13 (31)	def. by	Geelong 14.16 (100)	Optus Stadium (crowd: 35,271)	Report
Friday, 16 July (8:05 pm)	Richmond 16.10 (106)	def.	Brisbane Lions 13.8 (86)	Metricon Stadium (crowd: 4,119) (Moved from MCG^[41])	Report
Saturday, 17 July (1:45 pm)	St Kilda 8.13 (61)	def. by	Port Adelaide 10.14 (74)	Marvel Stadium (crowd: 0)	Report
Saturday, 17 July (4:35 pm)	Gold Coast 11.13 (79)	def. by	Western Bulldogs 14.6 (90)	Metricon Stadium (crowd: 8,244)	Report
Saturday, 17 July (7:25 pm)	Melbourne 11.13 (79)	drew with	Hawthorn 12.7 (79)	MCG (crowd: 0)	Report
Sunday, 18 July (12:35 pm)	North Melbourne 11.8 (74)	def. by	Essendon 13.14 (92)	Metricon Stadium (crowd: 5,114) (Moved from Marvel Stadium^[41])	Report
Sunday, 18 July (3:20 pm)	Collingwood 9.8 (62)	def. by	Carlton 13.13 (91)	MCG (crowd: 0)	Report
Sunday, 18 July (4:10 pm)	Adelaide 8.8 (56)	def. by	West Coast 14.14 (98)	Adelaide Oval (crowd: 24,554)	Report
Sunday, 18 July (6:10 pm)	Greater Western Sydney 11.6 (72)	def. by	Sydney 15.8 (98)	Metricon Stadium (crowd: 2,374) (Moved from GIANTS Stadium^[41])	Report

Round 19


	Round 19
Friday, 23 July (7:15 pm)	Port Adelaide 14.13 (97)	def.	Collingwood 10.9 (69)	Marvel Stadium (crowd: 0) (Moved from Adelaide Oval)	Report
Saturday, 24 July (1:45 pm)	Carlton 11.11 (77)	def. by	North Melbourne 18.8 (116)	Marvel Stadium (crowd: 0)	Report
Saturday, 24 July (3:10 pm)	Brisbane Lions 17.18 (120)	def.	Gold Coast 10.11 (71)	Gabba (crowd: 16,660)	Report
Saturday, 24 July (2:35 pm)	West Coast 14.10 (94)	def.	St Kilda 13.8 (86)	Optus Stadium (crowd: 43,657)	Report
Saturday, 24 July (7:25 pm)	Melbourne 9.11 (65)	def. by	Western Bulldogs 13.7 (85)	MCG (crowd: 0)	Report
Saturday, 24 July (7:40 pm)	Adelaide 16.6 (102)	def.	Hawthorn 13.5 (83)	Marvel Stadium (crowd: 0) (Moved from Adelaide Oval)	Report
Sunday, 25 July (12:30 pm)	Sydney 14.14 (98)	def.	Fremantle 8.10 (58)	Metricon Stadium (crowd: 2,875) (Moved from SCG)	Report
Sunday, 25 July (3:20 pm)	Geelong 15.5 (95)	def.	Richmond 8.9 (57)	MCG (crowd: 0)	Report
Sunday, 25 July (6:10 pm)	Essendon 7.11 (53)	def. by	Greater Western Sydney 9.12 (66)	Metricon Stadium (crowd: 2,681) (Moved from Marvel Stadium)	Report

Round 20


	Round 20
Friday, 30 July (7:50 pm)	St Kilda 12.9 (81)	def. by	Carlton 18.4 (112)	Marvel Stadium (crowd: 0)	Report
Saturday, 31 July (12:20 pm)	Western Bulldogs 15.15 (105)	def.	Adelaide 8.8 (56)	Mars Stadium (crowd: 0)	Report
Saturday, 31 July (1:15 pm)	North Melbourne 6.6 (42)	def. by	Geelong 8.14 (62)	Blundstone Arena (crowd: 8,083)	Report
Saturday, 31 July (4:15 pm)	Collingwood 14.6 (90)	def.	West Coast 6.9 (45)	MCG (crowd: 0)	Report
Sunday, 1 August (12:10 pm)	Gold Coast 4.6 (30)	def. by	Melbourne 18.20 (128)	Marvel Stadium (crowd: 0) (Moved from Metricon Stadium^[42])	Report
Sunday, 1 August (2:10 pm)	Hawthorn 14.8 (92)	def.	Brisbane Lions 12.8 (80)	University of Tasmania Stadium (crowd: 5,381) (Moved from MCG)	Report
Sunday, 1 August (3:10 pm)	Essendon 16.6 (102)	def. by	Sydney 17.7 (109)	MCG (crowd: 0) (Moved from Marvel Stadium)	Report
Sunday, 1 August (3:10 pm)	Fremantle 7.13 (55)	def.	Richmond 6.15 (51)	Optus Stadium (crowd: 24,979)	Report
Sunday, 1 August (6:10 pm)	Greater Western Sydney 11.7 (73)	def. by	Port Adelaide 15.10 (100)	Marvel Stadium (crowd: 0) (Moved from UNSW Canberra Oval^[42])	Report
A snap COVID-19 lockdown in Queensland, announced on the morning of Saturday 31 July and commencing the same afternoon, saw two matches – Gold Coast vs Melbourne and Essendon vs Sydney (which had previously been relocated to Queensland from Marvel Stadium) – postponed at less than a day's notice from Saturday to Sunday. Both matches were relocated to Melbourne, as was the Greater Western Sydney vs Port Adelaide match (which had previously been relocated to Queensland from UNSW Canberra Oval), which was already fixtured for Sunday.^[42]

Round 21


	Round 21
Friday, 6 August (7:50 pm)	Geelong 8.17 (65)	def. by	Greater Western Sydney 13.6 (84)	GMHBA Stadium (crowd: 0)	Report
Saturday, 7 August (1:45 pm)	Carlton 8.9 (57)	def. by	Gold Coast 11.10 (76)	Marvel Stadium (crowd: 0)	Report
Saturday, 7 August (4:35 pm)	Richmond 13.11 (89)	def.	North Melbourne 8.8 (56)	MCG (crowd: 0)	Report
Saturday, 7 August (7:10 pm)	Adelaide 7.9 (51)	def. by	Port Adelaide 7.13 (55)	Adelaide Oval (crowd: 14,376)	Report
Saturday, 7 August (7:40 pm)	St Kilda 14.9 (93)	def.	Sydney 10.4 (64)	Marvel Stadium (crowd: 0) (Moved from SCG^[26])	Report
Sunday, 8 August (2:10 pm)	Hawthorn 15.7 (97)	def.	Collingwood 12.6 (78)	MCG (crowd: 0)	Report
Sunday, 8 August (3:20 pm)	Western Bulldogs 12.12 (84)	def. by	Essendon 15.7 (97)	Marvel Stadium (crowd: 0)	Report
Sunday, 8 August (3:10 pm)	Fremantle 8.6 (54)	def. by	Brisbane Lions 18.10 (118)	Optus Stadium (crowd: 29,589) (Moved from The Gabba^[19])	Report
Monday, 9 August (6:10 pm)	West Coast 9.9 (63)	def. by	Melbourne 10.12 (72)	Optus Stadium (crowd: 31,584)	Report
The match between Hawthorn and Collingwood was originally moved from the MCG to University of Tasmania Stadium to allow spectators to attend; but was returned to its original venue after a COVID-19 case was detected in Tasmania.^[43] The match between West Coast and Melbourne was originally scheduled to be played on August 7, but was pushed back to August 9 to allow Melbourne to complete seven days of quarantine in Western Australia.^[44] The match between West Coast and Melbourne was suspended early in the final quarter under the lightning policy, and when the game resumed 29 minutes later, it was played to its full length.

Round 22


	Round 22
Friday, 13 August (7:50 pm)	Greater Western Sydney 16.10 (106)	def.	Richmond 10.7 (67)	Marvel Stadium (crowd: 0) (Moved from GIANTS Stadium)	Report
Saturday, 14 August (1:45 pm)	Hawthorn 9.10 (64)	def.	Western Bulldogs 5.7 (37)	University of Tasmania Stadium (crowd: 7,822)	Report
Saturday, 14 August (4:05 pm)	Port Adelaide 21.14 (140)	def.	Carlton 5.15 (45)	Adelaide Oval (crowd: 13,943)	Report
Saturday, 14 August (4:35 pm)	Geelong 13.7 (85)	def.	St Kilda 11.5 (71)	GMHBA Stadium (crowd: 0)	Report
Saturday, 14 August (7:25 pm)	Brisbane Lions 22.10 (142)	def.	Collingwood 8.9 (57)	Gabba (crowd: 15,146) (Moved from Marvel Stadium)	Report
Saturday, 14 August (7:40 pm)	North Melbourne 12.5 (77)	def. by	Sydney 13.13 (91)	Marvel Stadium (crowd: 0)	Report
Sunday, 15 August (2:10 pm)	Melbourne 16.8 (104)	def.	Adelaide 9.9 (63)	MCG (crowd: 0)	Report
Sunday, 15 August (3:20 pm)	Gold Coast 4.6 (30)	def. by	Essendon 14.14 (98)	GMHBA Stadium (crowd: 0) (Moved from Metricon Stadium)	Report
Sunday, 15 August (3:10 pm)	Fremantle 12.7 (79)	def.	West Coast 9.10 (64)	Optus Stadium (crowd: 51,692)	Report
Fremantle ended an 11-game Western Derby losing streak against West Coast.

Round 23


	Round 23
Friday, 20 August (7:50 pm)	Western Bulldogs 10.4 (64)	def. by	Port Adelaide 9.12 (66)	Marvel Stadium (crowd: 0)	Report
Saturday, 21 August (1:35 pm)	Richmond 12.11 (83)	drew with	Hawthorn 12.11 (83)	MCG (crowd: 0)	Report
Saturday, 21 August (1:45 pm)	Sydney 21.10 (136)	def.	Gold Coast 6.13 (49)	Marvel Stadium (crowd: 0) (Moved from SCG)	Report
Saturday, 21 August (4:35 pm)	Brisbane Lions 19.11 (125)	def.	West Coast 13.9 (87)	Gabba (crowd: 21,845)	Report
Saturday, 21 August (7:25 pm)	Geelong 12.5 (77)	def. by	Melbourne 12.9 (81)	GMHBA Stadium (crowd: 0)	Report
Saturday, 21 August (7:40 pm)	Carlton 11.9 (75)	def. by	Greater Western Sydney 12.17 (89)	Marvel Stadium (crowd: 0)	Report
Sunday, 22 August (12:15 pm)	St Kilda 17.5 (107)	def.	Fremantle 6.13 (49)	Blundstone Arena (crowd: 3,082) (Moved from Marvel Stadium)	Report
Sunday, 22 August (3:20 pm)	Essendon 16.6 (102)	def.	Collingwood 9.10 (64)	MCG (crowd: 0)	Report
Sunday, 22 August (4:10 pm)	Adelaide 13.20 (98)	def.	North Melbourne 8.6 (54)	Adelaide Oval (crowd: 13,103)	Report
Max Gawn kicked a goal after the siren to win the game for Melbourne against Geelong, after trailing by 44 points midway through the third quarter. In doing so, Melbourne secured the minor premiership. It was the first time that the minor premiership was not confirmed until after the siren in the final round since Round 22, 1987. It was also the first time Melbourne had kicked a goal after the siren to win a game.^{[citation needed]}

Season notes

Melbourne won its first nine games of the season, its best unbeaten start to a season since 1956.^[45]
North Melbourne 'won' the wooden spoon, their 14th total and their first since 1972. They were only the 8th team in VFL/AFL history to finish last on the ladder after every round of the home-and-away season (and the first since 2008).^[46]
Melbourne won the minor premiership for the first time since 1964. Melbourne also won the McClelland Trophy for the first time since 1990 for finishing first.
West Coast missed the AFL finals for the first time since 2014.

Win/loss table

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	F1	F2	F3	GF	Ladder
Adelaide	Geel +12	Syd -33	GCS +10	NM +41	Frem -12	Haw -3	GWS -67	PA -49	WCE -30	Melb +1	Rich -28	Coll -5	StK +6	X	Carl -10	BL -52	Ess -63	WCE -42	Haw +19	WB -49	PA -4	Melb -41	NM +44	X	X	X	X	15
Brisbane Lions	Syd -31	Geel -1	Coll +1	WB -19	Ess +57	Carl +18	PA +49	Frem +24	GCS +73	Rich +28	GWS +64	Melb -22	X	NM +23	Geel +44	Adel +52	StK -32	Rich -20	GCS +49	Haw -12	Frem +64	Coll +85	WCE +38	Melb -33	WB -1	X	X	4 (5)
Carlton	Rich -25	Coll -21	Frem +45	GCS +11	PA -28	BL -18	Ess +16	WB -16	Melb -26	Haw +23	Syd -22	WCE -22	X	GWS -36	Adel +10	Frem +16	Geel -26	Coll +29	NM -39	StK +31	GCS -19	PA -95	GWS -14	X	X	X	X	13
Collingwood	WB -16	Carl +21	BL -1	GWS -30	WCE -27	Ess -24	GCS -24	NM +18	Syd -30	PA -1	Geel -10	Adel +5	Melb +17	X	Frem -12	StK -9	Rich +16	Carl -29	PA -28	WCE +45	Haw -19	BL -85	Ess -38	X	X	X	X	17
Essendon	Haw -1	PA -54	StK +75	Syd -3	BL -57	Coll +24	Carl -16	GWS -2	Frem +7	NM +72	WCE +16	Rich -39	X	Haw +13	Melb -11	Geel -41	Adel +63	NM +18	GWS -13	Syd -7	WB +13	GCS +68	Coll +38	WB -49	X	X	X	8 (8)
Fremantle	Melb -22	GWS +31	Carl -45	Haw +15	Adel +12	NM +51	WCE -59	BL -24	Ess -7	Syd +2	PA -46	WB -28	GCS +27	X	Coll +12	Carl -16	Haw +62	Geel -69	Syd -40	Rich +4	BL -64	WCE +15	StK -58	X	X	X	X	11
Geelong	Adel -12	BL +1	Haw +5	Melb -25	NM +30	WCE +97	Syd -2	Rich +63	StK +21	GCS +34	Coll +10	X	PA +21	WB +5	BL -44	Ess +41	Carl +26	Frem +69	Rich +38	NM +20	GWS -19	StK +14	Melb -4	PA -43	GWS +35	Melb -83	X	3 (4)
Gold Coast	WCE -25	NM +59	Adel -10	Carl -11	WB -62	Syd +40	Coll +24	StK -9	BL -73	Geel -34	Haw +37	X	Frem -27	PA -50	NM -9	Rich +10	GWS +1	WB -11	BL -49	Melb -98	Carl +19	Ess -68	Syd -87	X	X	X	X	16
Greater Western Sydney	StK -8	Frem -31	Melb -34	Coll +30	Syd +2	WB -39	Adel +67	Ess +2	Rich -4	WCE +16	BL -64	X	NM 0	Carl +36	Haw -18	Melb +9	GCS -1	Syd -26	Ess +13	PA -27	Geel +19	Rich +39	Carl +14	Syd +1	Geel -35	X	X	7 (6)
Hawthorn	Ess +1	Rich -29	Geel -5	Frem -15	Melb -50	Adel +3	StK -69	WCE -38	NM -7	Carl -23	GCS -37	X	Syd +38	Ess -13	GWS +18	PA -34	Frem -62	Melb 0	Adel -19	BL +12	Coll +19	WB +27	Rich 0	X	X	X	X	14
Melbourne	Frem +22	StK +18	GWS +34	Geel +25	Haw +50	Rich +34	NM +30	Syd +9	Carl +26	Adel -1	WB +28	BL +22	Coll -17	X	Ess +11	GWS -9	PA +31	Haw 0	WB -20	GCS +98	WCE +9	Adel +41	Geel +4	BL +33	X	Geel +83	WB +74	1 (1)
North Melbourne	PA -52	GCS -59	WB -128	Adel -41	Geel -30	Frem -51	Melb -30	Coll -18	Haw +7	Ess -72	StK -20	X	GWS 0	BL -23	GCS +9	WB -29	WCE +10	Ess -18	Carl +39	Geel -20	Rich -33	Syd -14	Adel -44	X	X	X	X	18
Port Adelaide	NM +52	Ess +54	WCE -37	Rich +2	Carl +28	StK +54	BL -49	Adel +49	WB -19	Coll +1	Frem +46	X	Geel -21	GCS +50	Syd +10	Haw +34	Melb -31	StK +13	Coll +28	GWS +27	Adel +4	Carl +95	WB +2	Geel +43	X	WB -71	X	2 (3)
Richmond	Carl +25	Haw +29	Syd -45	PA -2	StK +86	Melb -34	WB +22	Geel -63	GWS +4	BL -28	Adel +28	Ess +39	WCE -4	X	StK -40	GCS -10	Coll -16	BL +20	Geel -38	Frem -4	NM +33	GWS -39	Haw 0	X	X	X	X	12
St Kilda	GWS +8	Melb -18	Ess -75	WCE +20	Rich -86	PA -54	Haw +69	GCS +9	Geel -21	WB -111	NM +20	Syd -9	Adel -6	X	Rich +40	Coll +9	BL +32	PA -13	WCE -8	Carl -31	Syd +29	Geel -14	Frem +58	X	X	X	X	10
Sydney	BL +31	Adel +33	Rich +45	Ess +3	GWS -2	GCS -40	Geel +2	Melb -9	Coll +30	Frem -2	Carl +22	StK +9	Haw -38	X	PA -10	WCE +92	WB +19	GWS +26	Frem +40	Ess +7	StK -29	NM +14	GCS +87	GWS -1	X	X	X	6 (7)
West Coast	GCS +25	WB -7	PA +37	StK -20	Coll +27	Geel -97	Frem +59	Haw +38	Adel +30	GWS -16	Ess -16	Carl +22	Rich +4	X	WB -55	Syd -92	NM -10	Adel +42	StK +8	Coll -45	Melb -9	Frem -15	BL -38	X	X	X	X	9
Western Bulldogs	Coll +16	WCE +7	NM +128	BL +19	GCS +62	GWS +39	Rich -22	Carl +16	PA +19	StK +111	Melb -28	Frem +28	X	Geel -5	WCE +55	NM +29	Syd -19	GCS +11	Melb +20	Adel +49	Ess -13	Haw -27	PA -2	Ess +49	BL +1	PA +71	Melb -74	5 (2)
Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	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	Melbourne (P)	22	17	4	1	1888	1443	130.8	70	Finals series
2	Port Adelaide	22	17	5	0	1884	1492	126.3	68
3	Geelong	22	16	6	0	1845	1456	126.7	64
4	Brisbane Lions	22	15	7	0	2131	1599	133.3	60
5	Western Bulldogs	22	15	7	0	1994	1501	132.8	60
6	Sydney	22	15	7	0	1986	1656	119.9	60
7	Greater Western Sydney	22	11	10	1	1768	1773	99.7	46
8	Essendon	22	11	11	0	1953	1790	109.1	44
9	West Coast	22	10	12	0	1752	1880	93.2	40
10	St Kilda	22	10	12	0	1644	1796	91.5	40
11	Fremantle	22	10	12	0	1578	1825	86.5	40
12	Richmond	22	9	12	1	1743	1780	97.9	38
13	Carlton	22	8	14	0	1746	1972	88.5	32
14	Hawthorn	22	7	13	2	1629	1912	85.2	32
15	Adelaide	22	7	15	0	1616	1971	82.0	28
16	Gold Coast	22	7	15	0	1430	1863	76.8	28
17	Collingwood	22	6	16	0	1557	1818	85.6	24
18	North Melbourne	22	4	17	1	1458	2075	70.3	18

Updated to match(es) played on 21 August 2021. Source: AFL
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) percentage; 3) number of points for.
(P) Premiers

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	19	20	21	22	23
Team ╲ Round
Melbourne	4₃	8₄	12₃	16₂	20₂	24₂	28₁	32₁	36₁	36₂	40₁	44₁	44₁	44₁	48₁	48₂	52₁	54₁	54₃	58₃	62₁	66₁	70₁
Port Adelaide	4₁	8₁	8₄	12₄	16₄	20₃	20₃	24₃	24₅	28₅	32₅	32₅	32₅	36₅	40₄	44₄	44₅	48₄	52₄	56₄	60₄	64₃	68₂
Geelong	0₁₂	4₁₁	8₇	8₁₀	12₈	16₄	16₅	20₄	24₃	28₃	32₄	32₃	36₃	40₃	40₅	44₅	48₃	52₃	56₂	60₂	60₃	64₂	64₃
Brisbane Lions	0₁₅	0₁₄	4₁₃	4₁₆	8₁₀	12₈	16₇	20₅	24₄	28₄	32₃	32₄	32₄	36₄	40₃	44₃	44₄	44₄	48₅	48₆	52₅	56₅	60₄
Western Bulldogs	4₆	8₅	12₁	16₁	20₁	24₁	24₂	28₂	32₂	36₁	36₂	40₂	40₂	40₂	44₂	48₁	48₂	52₂	56₁	60₁	60₂	60₄	60₅
Sydney	4₄	8₃	12₂	16₃	16₃	16₅	20₄	20₆	24₆	24₆	28₆	32₆	32₆	32₆	32₆	36₆	40₆	44₆	48₆	52₅	52₆	56₆	60₆
Greater Western Sydney	0₁₁	0₁₆	0₁₇	4₁₅	8₁₂	8₁₄	12₁₁	16₉	16₉	20₈	20₁₀	20₁₀	22₁₀	26₉	26₁₀	30₈	30₁₀	30₁₂	34₈	34₉	38₈	42₇	46₇
Essendon	0₁₀	0₁₇	4₁₀	4₁₂	4₁₄	8₁₂	8₁₅	8₁₅	12₁₂	16₁₁	20₉	20₉	20₁₁	24₁₀	24₁₁	24₁₂	28₁₁	32₈	32₉	32₁₀	36₉	40₈	44₈
West Coast	4₂	4₇	8₅	8₆	12₆	12₁₀	16₈	20₇	24₇	24₇	24₇	28₇	32₇	32₇	32₇	32₇	32₈	36₇	40₇	40₇	40₇	40₉	40₉
St Kilda	4₈	4₁₀	4₁₆	8₁₁	8₁₃	8₁₆	12₁₄	16₁₁	16₁₁	16₁₄	20₁₂	20₁₂	20₁₃	20₁₃	24₁₂	28₁₁	32₉	32₁₁	32₁₂	32₁₃	36₁₁	36₁₂	40₁₀
Fremantle	0₁₆	4₈	4₁₅	8₉	12₉	16₆	16₉	16₁₀	16₁₀	20₁₀	20₁₁	20₁₁	24₉	24₁₁	28₉	28₁₀	32₇	32₁₀	32₁₁	36₈	36₁₂	40₁₀	40₁₁
Richmond	4₅	8₂	8₆	8₈	12₅	12₇	16₆	16₈	20₈	20₉	24₈	28₈	28₈	28₈	28₈	28₉	28₁₂	32₉	32₁₀	32₁₁	36₁₀	36₁₁	38₁₂
Carlton	0₁₄	0₁₅	4₁₂	8₇	8₁₁	8₁₃	12₁₂	12₁₃	12₁₃	16₁₂	16₁₃	16₁₄	16₁₄	16₁₄	20₁₃	24₁₃	24₁₃	28₁₃	28₁₃	32₁₂	32₁₃	32₁₃	32₁₃
Hawthorn	4₉	4₁₃	4₁₄	4₁₇	4₁₇	8₁₅	8₁₆	8₁₇	8₁₇	8₁₇	8₁₇	8₁₇	12₁₇	12₁₇	16₁₇	16₁₇	16₁₇	18₁₇	18₁₇	22₁₇	26₁₅	30₁₄	32₁₄
Adelaide	4₇	4₁₂	8₈	12₅	12₇	12₉	12₁₃	12₁₄	12₁₅	16₁₃	16₁₅	16₁₅	20₁₂	20₁₂	20₁₄	20₁₅	20₁₆	20₁₆	24₁₅	24₁₆	24₁₇	24₁₇	28₁₅
Gold Coast	0₁₇	4₆	4₉	4₁₃	4₁₅	8₁₁	12₁₀	12₁₂	12₁₄	12₁₅	16₁₄	16₁₃	16₁₅	16₁₆	16₁₆	20₁₄	24₁₄	24₁₄	24₁₄	24₁₅	28₁₄	28₁₅	28₁₆
Collingwood	0₁₃	4₉	4₁₁	4₁₄	4₁₆	4₁₇	4₁₇	8₁₆	8₁₆	8₁₆	8₁₆	12₁₆	16₁₆	16₁₅	16₁₅	16₁₆	20₁₅	20₁₅	20₁₆	24₁₄	24₁₆	24₁₆	24₁₇
North Melbourne	0₁₈	0₁₈	0₁₈	0₁₈	0₁₈	0₁₈	0₁₈	0₁₈	4₁₈	4₁₈	4₁₈	4₁₈	6₁₈	6₁₈	10₁₈	10₁₈	14₁₈	14₁₈	18₁₈	18₁₈	18₁₈	18₁₈	18₁₈

Source: AFL Tables^[47]

Positions of teams round by round

Finals series

Qualifying and elimination finals

Semi-finals

Preliminary finals

Grand final

28 Aug, Adelaide Oval

1

Melbourne

13.15 (93)

4

Brisbane Lions

9.6 (60)

4 Sep, Gabba

Brisbane Lions

11.12 (78)

29 Aug, University of Tasmania Stadium

Western Bulldogs

11.13 (79)

10 Sep, Optus Stadium

5

Western Bulldogs

13.7 (85)

Melbourne

19.11 (125)

8

Essendon

4.12 (36)

Geelong

6.6 (42)

25 Sep, Optus Stadium

Melbourne

21.14 (140)

28 Aug, University of Tasmania Stadium

11 Sep, Adelaide Oval

Western Bulldogs

10.6 (66)

6

Sydney

10.13 (73)

Port Adelaide

6.9 (45)

7

Greater Western Sydney

11.8 (74)

3 Sep, Optus Stadium

Western Bulldogs

17.14 (116)

Geelong

15.13 (103)

27 Aug, Adelaide Oval

Greater Western Sydney

10.8 (68)

2

Port Adelaide

12.14 (86)

3

Geelong

5.13 (43)

Week one


	Qualifying finals
QF2: Friday, 27 August (7:20 pm)	Port Adelaide 12.14 (86)	def.	Geelong 5.13 (43)	Adelaide Oval (crowd: 19,712)	Report
QF1: Saturday, 28 August (7:00 pm)	Melbourne 13.15 (93)	def.	Brisbane Lions 9.6 (60)	Adelaide Oval (crowd: 13,784)	Report


	Elimination finals
EF2: Saturday, 28 August (3:20 pm)	Sydney 10.13 (73)	def. by	Greater Western Sydney 11.8 (74)	University of Tasmania Stadium (crowd: 8,635)	Report
EF1: Sunday, 29 August (3:20 pm)	Western Bulldogs 13.7 (85)	def.	Essendon 4.12 (36)	University of Tasmania Stadium (crowd: 9,760)	Report
Tasmania hosted its first AFL finals games with University of Tasmania Stadium in Launceston hosting both elimination finals.

Week two


	Semi-finals
SF2: Friday, 3 September (5:50 pm)	Geelong 15.13 (103)	def.	Greater Western Sydney 10.8 (68)	Optus Stadium (crowd: 44,091)	Report
SF1: Saturday, 4 September (7:20 pm)	Brisbane Lions 11.12 (78)	def. by	Western Bulldogs 11.13 (79)	Gabba (crowd: 30,647)	Report
Geelong's Joel Selwood played his 333rd game, surpassing the club's games record previously held by Corey Enright.

Week three


	Preliminary finals
PF1: Friday, 10 September (5:50 pm)	Melbourne 19.11 (125)	def.	Geelong 6.6 (42)	Optus Stadium (crowd: 58,599)	Report
PF2: Saturday, 11 September (7:10 pm)	Port Adelaide 6.9 (45)	def. by	Western Bulldogs 17.14 (116)	Adelaide Oval (crowd: 26,400)	Report
Melbourne defeated Geelong by 83 points, its greatest winning margin ever against Geelong.

Week four


	Grand final
Saturday, 25 September (5:15 pm)	Melbourne 21.14 (140)	def.	Western Bulldogs 10.6 (66)	Optus Stadium (crowd: 61,118)	Report
Owing to a COVID-19 lockdown preventing the match from being played with a crowd at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, the match was staged at Optus Stadium in Perth. The second year in a row that saw the AFL Grand Final played outside of Melbourne. Melbourne won their first premiership in 57 years, ending the longest active premiership drought and the fourth longest in VFL/AFL history.

Club leadership

Club	Coach	Captain(s)	Vice-captain(s)	Leadership group	Ref.
Adelaide	Matthew Nicks	Rory Sloane		Matt Crouch, Tom Doedee, Tom Lynch, Brodie Smith	^[48]
Brisbane Lions	Chris Fagan	Dayne Zorko	Harris Andrews	Jarrod Berry, Darcy Gardiner, Ryan Lester, Jarryd Lyons, Lincoln McCarthy, Hugh McCluggage, Lachie Neale, Daniel Rich	^[49]
Carlton	David Teague	Patrick Cripps Sam Docherty
Collingwood	Nathan Buckley (round 1–13) Robert Harvey (round 15–)	Scott Pendlebury	Taylor Adams, Jeremy Howe, Steele Sidebottom	Brodie Grundy, Darcy Moore, Jordan Roughead	^[50]
Essendon	Ben Rutten	Dyson Heppell	Michael Hurley, Andrew McGrath, Zach Merrett		^[51]
Fremantle	Justin Longmuir	Nathan Fyfe		Andrew Brayshaw, Reece Conca, David Mundy, Alex Pearce, Michael Walters	^[52]
Geelong	Chris Scott	Joel Selwood	Mark Blicavs, Patrick Dangerfield	Mitch Duncan, Mark O'Connor, Tom Stewart, Zach Tuohy	^[53]
Gold Coast	Stuart Dew	David Swallow Jarrod Witts	Sam Collins, Touk Miller		^[54]
Greater Western Sydney	Leon Cameron	Stephen Coniglio	Toby Greene	Phil Davis, Matt de Boer, Jacob Hopper, Josh Kelly, Lachie Whitfield	^[55]
Hawthorn	Alastair Clarkson	Ben McEvoy	Jaeger O’Meara	Jack Gunston, Tom Mitchell, Liam Shiels, James Worpel	^[56]
Melbourne	Simon Goodwin	Max Gawn	Jack Viney		^[57]
North Melbourne	David Noble	Jack Ziebell	Luke McDonald, Jy Simpkin	Ben Cunnington, Robbie Tarrant, Kayne Turner	^[58]
Port Adelaide	Ken Hinkley	Tom Jonas	Ollie Wines	Darcy Byrne-Jones, Hamish Hartlett	^[59]
Richmond	Damien Hardwick	Trent Cotchin	Jack Riewoldt, Shane Edwards
St Kilda	Brett Ratten	Jarryn Geary Jack Steele	Dougal Howard, Tim Membrey	Jack Billings, Sebastian Ross, Callum Wilkie	^[60]
Sydney	John Longmire	Josh Kennedy Luke Parker Dane Rampe		Harry Cunningham, Lance Franklin, Jake Lloyd, Callum Mills, Tom Papley	^[61]
West Coast	Adam Simpson	Luke Shuey	Jeremy McGovern	Josh Kennedy, Nic Naitanui	^[62]
Western Bulldogs	Luke Beveridge	Marcus Bontempelli	Mitch Wallis		^[63]

Awards

Coleman Medal

Numbers highlighted in blue indicates the player led the Coleman Medal at the end of that round.
Numbers underlined indicates the player did not play in that round.

Player milestones

Player milestones^[64]
Name	Club	Milestone	Round
Brad Sheppard	West Coast	200 AFL games^[65]	Round 4
Luke Dahlhaus	Geelong	200 AFL games^[66]	Round 6
Nathan Jones	Melbourne	300 AFL games^[67]	Round 6
Dustin Martin	Richmond	250 AFL games^[68]	Round 6
Brandon Ellis	Gold Coast	200 AFL games^[69]	Round 8
Steele Sidebottom	Collingwood	250 AFL games^[70]	Round 8
Robbie Gray	Port Adelaide	250 AFL games^[71]	Round 14
Shaun Burgoyne	Hawthorn	400 AFL games^[36]	Round 16
Steven Motlop	Port Adelaide	200 AFL games^[72]	Round 17
Nathan Fyfe	Fremantle	200 AFL games^[73]	Round 17
Lachie Henderson	Geelong	200 AFL games^[74]^[75]	Round 17
Dayne Zorko	Brisbane Lions	200 AFL games^[76]	Round 17
Jack Riewoldt	Richmond	700 AFL goals^[77]	Round 17
Todd Goldstein	North Melbourne	Most hitouts in VFL/AFL history^[78]	Round 17
Jack Riewoldt	Richmond	300 AFL games^[77]	Round 18
Brodie Smith	Adelaide	200 AFL games^[79]	Round 18
Nic Naitanui	West Coast	200 AFL games^[80]	Round 18
Lance Franklin	Sydney	400 Sydney goals^[81]	Round 18
Travis Boak	Port Adelaide	300 AFL games^[82]	Round 19
Ed Curnow	Carlton	200 AFL games^[83]	Round 19
David Mundy	Fremantle	350 AFL games^[84]	Round 19
Shaun Higgins	Geelong	250 AFL games^[85]	Round 20
Shannon Hurn	West Coast	300 AFL games^[86]	Round 20
Cameron Guthrie	Geelong	200 AFL games^[87]	Round 21
Marc Murphy	Carlton	300 AFL games^[88]	Round 22
Mark Blicavs	Geelong	200 AFL games^[89]	Round 23
Eddie Betts	Carlton	350 AFL games^[90]	Round 23
Jordan Roughead	Collingwood	200 AFL games^[91]	Round 23
Tom Hawkins	Geelong	300 AFL games^[92]	Qualifying Final
Jackson Macrae	Western Bulldogs	Most disposals in a VFL/AFL season	Preliminary Final

Best and fairest

Club	Award name	Player	Times won
Adelaide	Malcolm Blight Medal	Rory Laird	2
Brisbane Lions	Merrett–Murray Medal	Dayne Zorko	5
Carlton	John Nicholls Medal	Sam Walsh	1
Collingwood	Copeland Trophy	Jack Crisp	1
Essendon	W. S. Crichton Medal	Zach Merrett	3
Fremantle	Doig Medal	Sean Darcy	1
Geelong	Carji Greeves Medal	Tom Stewart	1
Gold Coast	Club Champion	Touk Miller	1
Greater Western Sydney	Kevin Sheedy Medal	Josh Kelly	2
Hawthorn	Peter Crimmins Medal	Tom Mitchell	3
Melbourne	Keith 'Bluey' Truscott Trophy	Clayton Oliver	3
North Melbourne	Syd Barker Medal	Jy Simpkin	1
Port Adelaide	John Cahill Medal	Ollie Wines	1
Richmond	Jack Dyer Medal	Dylan Grimes	1
St Kilda	Trevor Barker Award	Jack Steele	2
Sydney	Bob Skilton Medal	Luke Parker	3
West Coast	John Worsfold Medal	Nic Naitanui	2
Western Bulldogs	Charles Sutton Medal	Marcus Bontempelli	4

Coach changes

Outgoing coach	Club	Date	Notes	Caretaker coach	Incoming coach
Nathan Buckley	Collingwood	9 June 2021	Stepped down after round 13 following poor start to the season in his final year of contract.^[93]	Robert Harvey^[93]	Craig McRae^[94]
Alastair Clarkson	Hawthorn	30 July 2021	Stepping down at the end of the season after succession plan ended earlier than expected.^[95]	N/A	Sam Mitchell^[96]
David Teague	Carlton	26 August 2021	Sacked following an extensive review of the club's football operations.^[97]	N/A (end of season)	Michael Voss^[98]

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^ James, Ethan (31 July 2021). "Cats edge out plucky Kangaroos in AFL". The Canberra Times. In his 250th AFL game, Geelong's Shaun Higgins managed a goal from a set shot against his former club.
^ O'Donoghue, Craig (30 July 2021). "West Coast Eagles superstar Shannon Hurn knows the secret to AFL success as he prepares for 300th game". The West Australian.
^ Pierik, Jon (4 August 2021). "Cameron to miss GWS clash, but Cats' forward very close". The Age.
^ Caffery, Oliver (10 August 2021). "Marc Murphy saga comes to an end after 300-game retirement call". Seven News.
^ Voogt, Luke (18 August 2021). "Huge 200th game for Mark Blicavs". Geelong Independent.
^ Cherny, Daniel (16 August 2021). "'Playing on Eddie was so tough': Betts to retire after 350th game". The Age.
^ Cherny, Daniel (22 August 2021). "Dons claim dead rubber against Pies". WAtoday. ...chaired off alongside 200-gamer Jordan Roughead.
^ Ryan, Peter (24 August 2021). "Shattered and excited all at the same time as Hawkins reaches 300". The Age.
^ ^a ^b "Buckley to step down after 478 games as player and coach". Collingwood. Telstra. 9 June 2021. Retrieved 29 June 2021.
^ "Success in his DNA: Pies explain appointment of new coach". afl.com.au. Telstra. 1 September 2021. Retrieved 1 September 2021.
^ "Clarkson and Hawthorn to part ways at season's end". The Age. Nine Entertainment. 30 July 2021. Retrieved 9 August 2021.
^ "Succession plan is on: Mitchell to replace Clarkson at Hawthorn". afl.com.au. Telstra. 6 July 2021. Retrieved 9 August 2021.
^ Morris, Tom; Laughton, Max (26 August 2021). "BREAKING: David Teague sacked as Blues FINALLY act on controversial review". Fox Sports Australia. Retrieved 26 August 2021.
^ Waterworth, Ben (26 September 2021). "Voss the boss: Lions legend appointed new coach amid Carlton's 'serious reset'". Fox Sports Australia. Retrieved 23 September 2021.

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	Player	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	Total
1	Harry McKay	2₂	4₆	7₁₃	2₁₅	1₁₆	6₂₂	4₂₆	4₃₀	3₃₃	2₃₅	3₃₈	0₃₈	0₃₈	3₄₁	2₄₃	3₄₆	2₄₈	4₅₂	0₅₂	5₅₇	1₅₈	0₅₈	0₅₈	58
2	Tom Hawkins	2₂	3₅	2₇	2₉	1₁₀	3₁₃	1₁₄	4₁₈	2₂₀	2₂₂	3₂₅	0₂₅	4₂₉	1₃₀	1₃₁	6₃₇	0₃₇	4₄₁	4₄₅	1₄₆	1₄₇	3₅₀	4₅₄	54
3	Jack Riewoldt	4₄	4₈	1₉	3₁₂	5₁₇	2₁₉	1₂₀	1₂₁	1₂₂	3₂₅	5₃₀	2₃₂	2₃₄	0₃₄	0₃₄	1₃₅	1₃₆	6₄₂	2₄₄	1₄₅	2₄₇	1₄₈	3₅₁	51
4	Taylor Walker	5₅	6₁₁	6₁₇	3₂₀	2₂₂	3₂₅	2₂₇	0₂₇	0₂₇	3₃₀	4₃₄	2₃₆	1₃₇	0₃₇	3₄₀	1₄₁	0₄₁	1₄₂	4₄₆	2₄₈	0₄₈	0₄₈	0₄₈	48
	Josh Bruce	1₁	3₄	10₁₄	1₁₅	2₁₇	2₁₉	1₂₀	5₂₅	2₂₇	3₃₀	3₃₃	1₃₄	0₃₄	3₃₇	0₃₇	2₃₉	1₄₀	1₄₁	2₄₃	2₄₅	3₄₈	0₄₈	0₄₈
	Lance Franklin	0₀	3₃	0₃	3₆	5₁₁	0₁₁	0₁₁	0₁₁	2₁₃	6₁₉	3₂₂	2₂₄	1₂₅	0₂₅	4₂₉	3₃₂	1₃₃	4₃₇	2₃₉	2₄₁	1₄₂	0₄₂	6₄₈
7	Bayley Fritsch	2₂	1₃	3₆	4₁₀	0₁₀	2₁₂	6₁₈	0₁₈	3₂₁	1₂₂	3₂₅	2₂₇	1₂₈	0₂₈	0₂₈	0₃₁	1₃₂	3₃₅	2₃₇	2₃₉	0₃₉	7₄₆	1₄₇	47
	Charlie Cameron	0₀	2₂	2₄	0₄	1₅	3₈	4₁₂	3₁₅	3₁₈	1₁₉	1₂₀	2₂₂	0₂₂	2₂₄	3₂₇	3₃₀	0₃₀	2₃₂	3₃₅	1₃₆	2₃₈	6₄₄	3₄₇
	Ben King	3₃	3₆	4₁₀	1₁₁	2₁₃	5₁₈	2₂₀	3₂₃	2₂₅	3₂₈	4₃₂	0₃₂	0₃₂	2₃₄	0₃₄	4₃₈	0₃₈	2₄₀	3₄₃	0₄₃	0₄₃	0₄₃	4₄₇
10	Charlie Dixon	2₂	4₆	0₆	0₆	2₈	2₁₀	0₁₀	2₁₂	2₁₄	1₁₅	3₁₈	0₁₈	4₂₂	2₂₄	2₂₆	4₃₀	2₃₂	1₃₃	4₃₇	4₄₁	1₄₂	4₄₆	0₄₆	46

v t e 2021 AFL season
Events	Pre-season matches Premiership season Finals series Grand Final
Awards	22under22 team AFL Players Association awards All-Australian team Brownlow Medal Coleman Medal Goal of the Year Leigh Matthews Trophy Mark of the Year Norm Smith Medal Rising Star
Club overviews	Adelaide Brisbane Lions Carlton Collingwood Essendon Fremantle Geelong Gold Coast Greater Western Sydney Hawthorn Melbourne North Melbourne Port Adelaide Richmond St Kilda Sydney West Coast Western Bulldogs
Player changes	Trades National draft Mid-season draft Rookie draft Debuts Retirements and delistings
See also	2021 AFL Women's season