1997 AFL season
101st season of the Australian Football League (AFL)
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The 1997 AFL season was the 101st season of the Australian Football League (AFL), the highest level senior Australian rules football competition in Australia, which was known as the Victorian Football League until 1989. The season ran from 27 March until 27 September, and comprised a 22-game home-and-away season followed by a finals series featuring the top eight clubs.
Teams16
PremiersAdelaide
1st premiership
1st premiership
Minor premiersSt Kilda
2nd minor premiership
2nd minor premiership
Pre-season cupCarlton
1st pre-season cup win
1st pre-season cup win
| 1997 AFL premiership season | |
|---|---|
| Teams | 16 |
| Premiers | Adelaide 1st premiership |
| Minor premiers | St Kilda 2nd minor premiership |
| Pre-season cup | Carlton 1st pre-season cup win |
| Brownlow Medallist | Robert Harvey
(St Kilda) 26 votes |
| Leading goalkicker | Tony Modra (Adelaide) 84 goals |
| Attendance | |
| Matches played | 185 |
| Total attendance | 6,403,814 (34,615 per match) |
| Highest (H&A) | 83,247 (round 5, Essendon vs. Collingwood) |
| Highest (finals) | 99,645 (Grand Final, Adelaide vs. St Kilda) |
Before the season, the Port Adelaide Football Club (SANFL) was admitted to the league, increasing the South Australian membership to two clubs. Foundation club Fitzroy, which had gone into administration in 1996, merged with the Brisbane Bears to form a new Queensland-based team known as the Brisbane Lions. The Footscray Football Club changed its name to the Western Bulldogs. With these changes, the league's size remained at sixteen clubs.
The premiership was won by the Adelaide Football Club for the first time, after it defeated St Kilda by 31 points in the 1997 AFL Grand Final.
Home-and-away season
Round 1
| Round 1 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thursday, 27 March (7:40 pm) | North Melbourne 7.13 (55) | def. by | Melbourne 10.10 (70) | MCG (crowd: 35,802) | Report |
| Saturday, 29 March (2:10 pm) | Collingwood 26.10 (166) | def. | Port Adelaide 13.9 (87) | MCG (crowd: 51,883) | Report |
| Saturday, 29 March (2:10 pm) | Western Bulldogs 11.10 (76) | def. by | Fremantle 10.20 (80) | Optus Oval (crowd: 8,664) | Report |
| Saturday, 29 March (7:40 pm) | St Kilda 10.11 (71) | def. by | Hawthorn 11.11 (77) | Waverley Park (crowd: 35,732) | Report |
| Saturday, 29 March (6:40 pm) | West Coast 12.6 (78) | def. | Sydney 5.7 (37) | Subiaco Oval (crowd: 29,965) | Report |
| Sunday, 30 March (1:40 pm) | Adelaide 20.12 (132) | def. | Brisbane Lions 14.12 (96) | Football Park (crowd: 36,602) | Report |
| Sunday, 30 March (2:10 pm) | Richmond 15.14 (104) | def. | Geelong 13.17 (95) | MCG (crowd: 48,358) | Report |
| Monday, 31 March (2:10 pm) | Essendon 16.10 (106) | def. | Carlton 15.9 (99) | MCG (crowd: 82,363) | Report |
| |||||
Round 2
Round 3
Round 4
Round 5
Round 6
Round 7
Round 8
Round 9
Round 10
Round 11
Round 12
Round 13
Round 14
Round 15
Round 16
Round 17
Round 18
Round 19
Round 20
Round 21
Round 22
Ladder
| (P) | Premiers |
| Qualified for finals |
| # | Team | P | W | L | D | PF | PA | % | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | St Kilda | 22 | 15 | 7 | 0 | 2294 | 1918 | 119.6 | 60 |
| 2 | Geelong | 22 | 15 | 7 | 0 | 2111 | 1791 | 117.9 | 60 |
| 3 | Western Bulldogs | 22 | 14 | 8 | 0 | 2100 | 2062 | 101.8 | 56 |
| 4 | Adelaide (P) | 22 | 13 | 9 | 0 | 2151 | 1769 | 121.6 | 52 |
| 5 | West Coast | 22 | 13 | 9 | 0 | 1969 | 1770 | 111.2 | 52 |
| 6 | Sydney | 22 | 12 | 10 | 0 | 2093 | 1801 | 116.2 | 48 |
| 7 | North Melbourne | 22 | 12 | 10 | 0 | 2051 | 1835 | 111.8 | 48 |
| 8 | Brisbane Lions | 22 | 10 | 11 | 1 | 2076 | 1973 | 105.2 | 42 |
| 9 | Port Adelaide | 22 | 10 | 11 | 1 | 1852 | 2017 | 91.8 | 42 |
| 10 | Collingwood | 22 | 10 | 12 | 0 | 2138 | 1919 | 111.4 | 40 |
| 11 | Carlton | 22 | 10 | 12 | 0 | 1978 | 2045 | 96.7 | 40 |
| 12 | Fremantle | 22 | 10 | 12 | 0 | 1748 | 1902 | 91.9 | 40 |
| 13 | Richmond | 22 | 10 | 12 | 0 | 1883 | 2253 | 83.6 | 40 |
| 14 | Essendon | 22 | 9 | 13 | 0 | 2004 | 2170 | 92.4 | 36 |
| 15 | Hawthorn | 22 | 8 | 14 | 0 | 1873 | 2144 | 87.4 | 32 |
| 16 | Melbourne | 22 | 4 | 18 | 0 | 1477 | 2429 | 60.8 | 16 |
Rules for classification: 1. premiership points; 2. percentage; 3. points for
Average score: 90.3
Source: AFL Tables
Progression by round
Numbers highlighted in green indicate that the team finished the round inside the top 8.
Numbers highlighted in blue indicates the team finished first on the ladder in that round.
Numbers highlighted in red indicates the team finished in last place on the ladder in that round.
Source: AFL Tables
Finals series
Week one
| Qualifying finals | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| QF2: Saturday, 6 September (2:30 pm) | Western Bulldogs 18.11 (119) | def. | Sydney 12.12 (84) | MCG (crowd: 62,432) | Report |
| QF1: Sunday, 7 September (2:30 pm) | Adelaide 14.15 (99) | def. | West Coast 9.12 (66) | Football Park (crowd: 43,761) | Report |
| QF4: Sunday, 7 September (2:30 pm) | St Kilda 20.15 (135) | def. | Brisbane Lions 13.11 (89) | Waverley Park (crowd: 50,035) | Report |
| QF3: Sunday, 7 September (7:00 pm) | Geelong 9.7 (61) | def. by | North Melbourne 11.13 (79) | MCG (crowd: 55,561) | Report |
| |||||
Week two
| Semi-finals | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SF1: Saturday, 13 September (2:30 pm) | North Melbourne 15.8 (98) | def. | West Coast 12.13 (85) | MCG (crowd: 55,781) | Report |
| SF2: Saturday, 13 September (7:45 pm) | Adelaide 11.10 (76) | def. | Geelong 9.14 (68) | Football Park (crowd: 46,319) | Report |
|
The Adelaide versus Geelong semi final was notable due to an incident in the third quarter, when a clear forward 50 mark to Geelong's Leigh Colbert was not awarded by field umpire Grant Vernon, denying Geelong a crucial shot at goal. This incident was later confirmed as a significant error by the AFL umpiring association, and Grant Vernon was not selected to umpire in any remaining 1997 finals matches as a result.[2] | |||||
Week three
| Preliminary finals | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PF2: Friday, 19 September (7:45 pm) | St Kilda 15.14 (104) | def. | North Melbourne 11.7 (73) | MCG (crowd: 77,531) | Report |
| PF1: Saturday, 20 September (2:30 pm) | Western Bulldogs 13.13 (91) | def. by | Adelaide 12.21 (93) | MCG (crowd: 70,088) | Report |
Week four
Attendance
| Team | Hosted | Average | Highest | Lowest | Total | Last season | ± |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Essendon | 11 | 52,848 | 83,271 | 25,636 | 581,330 | 49,526 | + 3322 |
| Collingwood | 11 | 48,708 | 78,704 | 23,433 | 535,789 | 44,723 | + 3985 |
| Adelaide | 11 | 40,173 | 47,256 | 36,297 | 441,905 | 39,428 | + 745 |
| Port Adelaide | 11 | 35,829 | 45,498 | 31,757 | 394,115 | 11,017* | + 24812* |
| Sydney | 11 | 35,818 | 46,168 | 23,598 | 393,999 | 24,574 | + 11244 |
| St Kilda | 11 | 35,232 | 54,699 | 17,752 | 387,553 | 27,137 | + 8095 |
| Richmond | 11 | 34,515 | 58,812 | 15,461 | 379,670 | 38,624 | - 4109 |
| Carlton | 11 | 33,634 | 61,650 | 18,187 | 369,972 | 35,891 | - 2257 |
| West Coast | 11 | 32,582 | 39,294 | 21,164 | 358,401 | 32,448 | + 134 |
| North Melbourne | 11 | 32,520 | 54,901 | 13,056 | 357,725 | 34,627 | - 2107 |
| Hawthorn | 11 | 32,380 | 51,494 | 15,939 | 356,179 | 23,624 | + 8756 |
| Geelong | 11 | 28,324 | 65,228 | 16,467 | 311,567 | 25,161 | + 3163 |
| Melbourne | 11 | 27,714 | 61,138 | 13,392 | 304,853 | 30,315 | - 2601 |
| Fremantle | 11 | 21,982 | 39,711 | 14,721 | 241,801 | 22,473 | - 491 |
| Brisbane Lions | 11 | 19,550 | 21,348 | 17,123 | 215,051 | N/A | N/A |
| Western Bulldogs | 11 | 19,335 | 35,438 | 8664 | 212,681 | 18,073 | + 1262 |
| Totals | 176 | 33,197 | 83,271 | 8664 | 5842,591 | 29,637 | + 3560 |
| Venue | Hosted | Average | Highest | Lowest | Total | Last season | ± |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MCG | 53 | 43,488 | 83,271 | 13,392 | 2,304,865 | 46,114 | - 2626 |
| Football Park | 22 | 38,001 | 47,256 | 31,757 | 836,020 | 39,428 | - 1427 |
| SCG | 11 | 35,818 | 46,168 | 23,598 | 393,999 | 24,574 | + 11,244 |
| Waverley Park | 22 | 33,806 | 54,699 | 15,939 | 743,732 | 25,545 | + 8261 |
| Subiaco Oval | 17 | 28,371 | 39,711 | 14,721 | 482,310 | 28,289 | + 82 |
| Whitten Oval | 1 | 26,704 | 26,704 | 26,704 | 26,704 | 10,482 | + 16,222 |
| Victoria Park | 3 | 24,473 | 25,323 | 23,433 | 73,419 | 23,581 | + 892 |
| WACA | 5 | 23,578 | 29,838 | 18,198 | 117,892 | 25,253 | - 1675 |
| Kardinia Park | 9 | 21,269 | 24,099 | 16,467 | 191,417 | 22,670 | - 1401 |
| Optus Oval | 22 | 20,781 | 34,922 | 8664 | 457,182 | 15,641 | + 5140 |
| Gabba | 11 | 19,550 | 21,348 | 17,123 | 215,051 | 18,088 | + 1462 |
| Totals | 176 | 33,197 | 83,271 | 8664 | 5842,591 | 29,637 | + 3560 |
Notable events
- The last AFL regular season game at Whitten Oval was played in Round 21, with hosts the Western Bulldogs defeating West Coast by 18 points.[3]
- St Kilda finished on top of the ladder (prior to the finals) to claim the minor premiership, despite losing 7 matches in the home and away season. No team before or since has finished on top with that many losses; however, Essendon topped the ladder in 1993 with a lower winning percentage (67.5% to St Kilda's 68.18%) in a 20-game season. St Kilda would also play in their first preliminary final since 1972 and reach their first grand final since 1971.
- The first qualifying final between Adelaide and West Coast was rescheduled from Saturday evening to Sunday afternoon to allow the Seven Network to screen the funeral of Princess Diana live across Australia.[4] This meant that it was played at the same time as the fourth qualifying final between minor premiers St Kilda and the Brisbane Lions, who were competing in their first season as a merged entity. The game is also notable for being the first ever final between two non-Victorian teams.
- Gary Ablett Sr., arguably one of the games best and most well known players, officially announced his retirement during the Preliminary Final weekend. Ablett failed to play a game in 1997 due to a knee injury.