List of Australian Football League premiers
This page is a chronological listing of Australian Football League premiers. The AFL (formerly Victorian Football League) is the elite competition in Australian rules football. Between 1897, when the VFL was formed, and the 1980s where the VFL expanded nationally and was eventually renamed, it was theoretically just one of the state-based competitions. However, Melbourne's superior financial resources and population saw the VFL competition the strongest league in the country for most of that period.
Note that the current nicknames for the teams were devised subsequent to the beginning of the competition, and many have changed - for instance, the Kangaroos were at one stage known as "The Shinboners".
Notes:
Sources:
Year Premier Runner-up Grand Final scoreline 1897 Essendon Geelong No GF played 1898 Fitzroy Essendon 5.8 (38) - 3.5 (23) 1899 Fitzroy South Melbourne 3.9 (27) - 3.8 (26) 1900 Melbourne Fitzroy 4.10 (34) - 3.12 (30) 1901 Essendon Collingwood 6.7 (43) - 2.4 (16) 1902 Collingwood Essendon 9.6 (60) - 3.9 (27) 1903 Collingwood Fitzroy 4.7 (31) - 3.11 (29) 1904 Fitzroy Carlton 9.7 (61) - 5.7 (37) 1905 Fitzroy Collingwood 4.6 (30) - 2.5 (17) 1906 Carlton Fitzroy Lions 15.4 (94) - 6.9 (45) 1907 Carlton South Melbourne 6.14 (50) - 6.9 (45) 1908 Carlton Essendon 5.5 (35) - 3.8 (26) 1909 South Melbourne Carlton 4.14 (38) - 4.12 (36) 1910 Collingwood Carlton 9.7 (61) - 6.11 (47) 1911 Essendon Collingwood 5.11 (41) - 4.11 (35)
1912 Essendon South Melbourne 5.17 (47) - 4.9 (33) 1913 Fitzroy St Kilda 7.14 (56) - 5.13 (43) 1914 Carlton South Melbourne 6.9 (45) - 4.15 (39) 1915 Carlton Collingwood 11.12 (78) - 6.9 (45) 1916 Fitzroy Carlton 12.13 (85) - 8.8 (56) 1917 Collingwood Fitzroy 9.20 (74) - 5.9 (39) 1918 South Melbourne Collingwood 9.8 (62) - 7.15 (57) 1919 Collingwood Richmond 11.12 (78) - 7.1 (53) 1920 Richmond Collingwood 7.10 (52) - 5.5 (35) 1921 Richmond Carlton 5.6 (36) - 4.8 (32) 1922 Fitzroy Collingwood 11.13 (79) - 9.14 (68) 1923 Essendon Fitzroy 8.15 (63) - 6.10 (46) 1924 Essendon Richmond No Grand Final ** 1925 Geelong Collingwood 10.19 (79) - 9.15 (69) 1926 Melbourne Collingwood 17.17 (119) - 9.8 (62) 1927 Collingwood Richmond 2.13 (25) - 1.7 (13) 1928 Collingwood Richmond 13.18 (96) - 9.9 (63) 1929 Collingwood Richmond 11.13 (79) - 7.8 (50) 1930 Collingwood Geelong 14.16 (100) - 9.16 (70)
1931 Geelong Richmond 9.14 (68) - 7.6 (48) 1932 Richmond Carlton 13.14 (92) - 12.11 (83) 1933 South Melbourne Richmond 9.17 (71) - 4.5 (29) 1934 Richmond South Melbourne 19.14 (128) - 12.17 (89) 1935 Collingwood South Melbourne 11.12 (78) - 7.16 (58) 1936 Collingwood South Melbourne 11.23 (89) - 10.18 (78) 1937 Geelong Collingwood 18.14 (122) - 12.18 (90) 1938 Carlton Collingwood 15.10 (100) - 13.7 (85) 1939 Melbourne Collingwood 21.22 (148) - 14.11 (95) 1940 Melbourne Richmond 15.17 (107) - 10.8 (68) 1941 Melbourne Essendon 19.13 (127) - 13.20 (98) 1942 Essendon Richmond 19.18 (132) - 11.13 (79) 1943 Richmond Essendon 12.14 (86) - 11.15 (81) 1944 Fitzroy Richmond 9.12 (66) - 7.9 (51) 1945 Carlton South Melbourne 15.13 (103) - 10.15 (76) 1946 Carlton Essendon 13.8 (86) - 11.19(85) 1947 Carlton Essendon 13.8 (86) - 11.17 (83) 1948 Melbourne Essendon 13.11 (89) - 7.8 (50) "***" 1949 Essendon Carlton 18.17(125) - 6.16 (52) 1950 Essendon North Melbourne 13.14 (92) - 7.12 (54) 1951 Geelong Essendon 11.15 (81) - 10.10 (70) 1952 Geelong Collingwood 13.8 (86) - 5.10 (40) 1953 Collingwood Geelong 11.11 (77) - 8.17 (65) 1954 Footscray Melbourne 15.12 (102) - 7.9 (51) 1955 Melbourne Collingwood 8.16 (64) - 5.6 (36) 1956 Melbourne Collingwood 17.19 (121) - 6.12 (48) 1957 Melbourne Essendon 17.14 (116) - 7.13 (55) 1958 Collingwood Melbourne 12.10 (82) - 9.10 (64) 1959 Melbourne Essendon 17.13 (115) - 11.12 (78) 1960 Melbourne Collingwood 8.14 (62) - 2.2 (14) 1961 Hawthorn Footscray 13.16 (94) - 7.9 (51) 1962 Essendon Carlton 13.12 (90) - 8.10 (58) 1963 Geelong Hawthorn 15.19 (109) - 8.12 (60) 1964 Melbourne Collingwood 8.16 (64) - 8.12 (60)
1965 Essendon St Kilda 14.21 (105) - 9.16 (70) 1966 St Kilda Collingwood 10.14 (74) - 10.13 (73) 1967 Richmond Geelong 16.18 (114) - 15.15 (105) 1968 Carlton Essendon 7.14 (56) - 8.5 (53) 1969 Richmond Carlton 12.13 (85) - 8.12 (60) 1970 Carlton Collingwood 17.9 (111) - 14.17 (101)
1971 Hawthorn St Kilda 12.10 (82) - 11.9 (75) 1972 Carlton Richmond 28.9 (177) - 22.18 (150) 1973 Richmond Carlton 16.20 (116) - 12.14 (86) 1974 Richmond North Melbourne 18.20 (128) - 13.9 (87) 1975 North Melbourne Hawthorn 19.8 (122) - 9.13 (67) 1976 Hawthorn North Melbourne 13.22 (100) - 10.10 (70) 1977 North Melbourne Collingwood 21.25 (151) - 19.10 (124) "!!" 1978 Hawthorn North Melbourne 18.13 (121) - 15.13 (103) 1979 Carlton Collingwood 11.16 (82) - 11.11 (77) 1980 Richmond Collingwood 23.21 (159) - 9.24 (78) 1981 Carlton Collingwood 12.20 (92) - 10.12 (72) 1982 Carlton Richmond 14.19 (103) - 12.13 (83) 1983 Hawthorn Essendon 20.20 (140) - 8.9 (57) 1984 Essendon Hawthorn 14.21 (105) - 12.9 (81) 1985 Essendon Hawthorn 26.14 (170) - 14.8 (92) 1986 Hawthorn Carlton 16.14 (110) - 9.14 (68) 1987 Carlton Hawthorn 15.14 (104) - 9.17 (71) 1988 Hawthorn Melbourne 22.20 (152) - 6.20 (56) 1989 Hawthorn Geelong 21.18(144) - 21.12 (138) 1990 Collingwood Essendon 13.11 (89) - 5.11 (41) 1991 Hawthorn West Coast Eagles[?] 20.19 (139) - 13.8 (86) 1992 West Coast Eagles[?] Geelong 16.17 (113) - 12.13 (85) 1993 Essendon Carlton 20.13 (133) - 13.11 (89) 1994 West Coast Eagles[?] Geelong 20.23 (143) - 8.15 (63) 1995 Carlton Geelong 21.15 (141) - 11.14 (80) 1996 North Melbourne Sydney Swans 19.17(131) - 13.10 (88) 1997 Adelaide Crows St Kilda 19.11 (125) - 13.16 (94) 1998 Adelaide Crows North Melbourne 15.15 (105) - 8.22 (70) 1999 Kangaroos Carlton 19.10 (124) - 12.17 (89) 2000 Essendon Melbourne 19.21 (135) - 11.9 (75) 2001 Brisbane Lions Essendon 15.18(108) - 12.10 (82) 2002 Brisbane Lions Collingwood 10.15(75) - 9.12(66)
TODO:
Add VFA premiers from when it was the top-level competition.