Sydney finished top of the 1996 AFL ladder with 66 points and 123.9%, two points clear of North Melbourne. North Melbourne won the premiership from 2nd, beating Sydney by 43 points in the Grand Final.
Final AFL ladder · Updated Thu 10 Nov 2022, 9:19pm (Melbourne time)
| Pos | Club | P | Pts | % | W | L | D | PF | PA | Last 5 | Finals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | SydneySYD | 22 | 66 | 123.9 | 16 | 5 | 1 | 2152 | 1737 | WWWLW | Runner-up |
| 2 | North MelbourneNTH🏆 | 22 | 64 | 127.4 | 16 | 6 | 0 | 2526 | 1982 | WLWLW | Premiers |
| 3 | Brisbane LionsBRI | 22 | 62 | 125.6 | 15 | 6 | 1 | 2174 | 1731 | WWWWL | Lost PF |
| 4 | West CoastWCE | 22 | 60 | 125.2 | 15 | 7 | 0 | 2201 | 1758 | WLWWL | Lost SF |
| 5 | CarltonCAR | 22 | 60 | 110.8 | 15 | 7 | 0 | 2116 | 1909 | WLLWW | Lost SF |
| 6 | EssendonESS | 22 | 58 | 109.2 | 14 | 7 | 1 | 2209 | 2023 | LWWWW | Lost PF |
| 7 | GeelongGEE | 22 | 54 | 114.9 | 13 | 8 | 1 | 2353 | 2047 | WWLWL | Lost FW1 |
| 8 | HawthornHAWTOP 8 | 22 | 46 | 98.5 | 11 | 10 | 1 | 1893 | 1921 | LWLWW | Lost FW1 |
| 9 | RichmondRIC | 22 | 44 | 117.4 | 11 | 11 | 0 | 2282 | 1944 | LLWWL | – |
| 10 | St KildaSTK | 22 | 40 | 101.0 | 10 | 12 | 0 | 2053 | 2033 | WWLLW | – |
| 11 | CollingwoodCOL | 22 | 36 | 102.8 | 9 | 13 | 0 | 2203 | 2142 | LLLWW | – |
| 12 | AdelaideADE | 22 | 32 | 96.0 | 8 | 14 | 0 | 2233 | 2327 | LLLLL | – |
| 13 | FremantleFRE | 22 | 28 | 92.3 | 7 | 15 | 0 | 1830 | 1983 | LWLLW | – |
| 14 | MelbourneMEL | 22 | 28 | 70.8 | 7 | 15 | 0 | 1743 | 2463 | LWWLL | – |
| 15 | Western BulldogsWBD | 22 | 22 | 77.3 | 5 | 16 | 1 | 1654 | 2139 | WLWLL | – |
| 16 | FitzroyFIT | 22 | 4 | 49.5 | 1 | 21 | 0 | 1452 | 2935 | LLLLL | – |