2001 AFL season
105th season of the Australian Football League (AFL)
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The 2001 AFL season was the 105th season of the Australian Football League (AFL), the highest level senior Australian rules football competition in Australia. The season featured sixteen clubs, ran from 30 March until 29 September, and comprised a 22-game home-and-away season followed by a finals series featuring the top eight clubs.
Teams16
PremiersBrisbane Lions
1st premiership
1st premiership
Minor premiersEssendon
17th minor premiership
17th minor premiership
Pre-season cupPort Adelaide
1st pre-season cup win
1st pre-season cup win
| 2001 AFL premiership season | |
|---|---|
| Teams | 16 |
| Premiers | Brisbane Lions 1st premiership |
| Minor premiers | Essendon 17th minor premiership |
| Pre-season cup | Port Adelaide 1st pre-season cup win |
| Brownlow Medallist | Jason Akermanis (Brisbane Lions) |
| Leading goalkicker | Matthew Lloyd (Essendon) |
| Attendance | |
| Matches played | 185 |
| Total attendance | 6,447,560 (34,852 per match) |
| Highest | 91,482 (Grand Final, Brisbane Lions vs. Essendon) |
The premiership was won by the Brisbane Lions for the first time, after it defeated Essendon by 26 points in the AFL Grand Final.
AFL Draft
See 2001 AFL draft.
Ansett Australia Cup
Port Adelaide defeated the Brisbane Lions 17.9 (111) to 3.8 (26) in the grand final.
Premiership season
Ladder
All teams played 22 games during the home-and-away season, for a total of 176. An additional nine games were played during the finals series.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | D | PF | PA | PP | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Essendon | 22 | 17 | 5 | 0 | 2548 | 1895 | 134.5 | 68 | Finals series |
| 2 | Brisbane Lions (P) | 22 | 17 | 5 | 0 | 2538 | 1989 | 127.6 | 68 | |
| 3 | Port Adelaide | 22 | 16 | 6 | 0 | 2473 | 1918 | 128.9 | 64 | |
| 4 | Richmond | 22 | 15 | 7 | 0 | 2126 | 1973 | 107.8 | 60 | |
| 5 | Carlton | 22 | 14 | 8 | 0 | 2311 | 1797 | 128.6 | 56 | |
| 6 | Hawthorn | 22 | 13 | 9 | 0 | 2149 | 2041 | 105.3 | 52 | |
| 7 | Sydney | 22 | 12 | 10 | 0 | 2121 | 1833 | 115.7 | 48 | |
| 8 | Adelaide | 22 | 12 | 10 | 0 | 2085 | 2026 | 102.9 | 48 | |
| 9 | Collingwood | 22 | 11 | 11 | 0 | 2232 | 2088 | 106.9 | 44 | |
| 10 | Western Bulldogs | 22 | 10 | 12 | 0 | 2305 | 2458 | 93.8 | 40 | |
| 11 | Melbourne | 22 | 10 | 12 | 0 | 2136 | 2364 | 90.4 | 40 | |
| 12 | Geelong | 22 | 9 | 13 | 0 | 1926 | 2054 | 93.8 | 36 | |
| 13 | Kangaroos | 22 | 9 | 13 | 0 | 2161 | 2371 | 91.1 | 36 | |
| 14 | West Coast | 22 | 5 | 17 | 0 | 1708 | 2590 | 65.9 | 20 | |
| 15 | St Kilda | 22 | 4 | 18 | 0 | 1917 | 2642 | 72.6 | 16 | |
| 16 | Fremantle | 22 | 2 | 20 | 0 | 1794 | 2491 | 72.0 | 8 |
Source: AFL ladder
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) percentage; 3) number of points for.
(P) Premiers
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) percentage; 3) number of points for.
(P) Premiers
Ladder progression
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.
Finals series
| Qualifying and elimination finals | Semi-finals | Preliminary finals | Grand final | ||||||||||||||||
| 7 Sep, MCG | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Essendon | 17.11 (113) | |||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Richmond | 5.13 (43) | 15 Sep, MCG | ||||||||||||||||
| Richmond | 10.7 (67) | ||||||||||||||||||
| 8 Sep, MCG | Carlton | 7.14 (56) | 22 Sep, MCG | ||||||||||||||||
| 5 | Carlton | 17.16 (118) | Essendon | 11.10 (76) | |||||||||||||||
| 8 | Adelaide | 6.14 (50) | Hawthorn | 9.13 (67) | 29 Sep, MCG | ||||||||||||||
| Essendon | 12.10 (82) | ||||||||||||||||||
| 9 Sep, Colonial Stadium | 22 Sep, The Gabba | Brisbane Lions | 15.18 (108) | ||||||||||||||||
| 6 | Hawthorn | 19.11 (125) | Brisbane Lions | 20.16 (136) | |||||||||||||||
| 7 | Sydney | 11.8 (74) | 15 Sep, Football Park | Richmond | 10.8 (68) | ||||||||||||||
| Port Adelaide | 10.9 (69) | ||||||||||||||||||
| 8 Sep, The Gabba | Hawthorn | 10.12 (72) | |||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Brisbane Lions | 12.16 (88) | |||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Port Adelaide | 8.8 (56) | |||||||||||||||||
Week one
| Qualifying Finals | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Friday 7 September (7:45 pm) | Essendon 17.11 (113) | def. | Richmond 5.13 (43) | MCG (crowd: 78,253) | |
| Saturday 8 September (7:40 pm) | Brisbane Lions 12.16 (88) | def. | Port Adelaide 8.8 (56) | The Gabba (crowd: 32,380) | |
Week two
| Semi-finals | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday 15 September (2:30 pm) | Richmond 10.7 (67) | def. | Carlton 7.14 (56) | MCG (crowd: 83,323) | |
| Saturday 15 September (7:15 pm) | Port Adelaide 10.9 (69) | def. by | Hawthorn 10.12 (72) | Football Park (crowd: 30,613) | |
Week three
Week four
| Grand Final | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday 29 September (2:30 pm) | Essendon | def. by | Brisbane Lions | MCG (crowd: 91,482) | |
| 3.2 (20) 8.6 (54) 9.8 (62) 12.10 (82) |
Q1 Q2 Q3 Final |
3.7 (25) 5.10 (40) 11.12 (78) 15.18 (108) |
Umpires: McLaren, Ellis, James Norm Smith Medal: Shaun Hart (Brisbane Lions) Television broadcast: Seven Network National anthem: Julie Anthony | ||
| Lloyd 5, Lucas 4, Caracella, Johnson, Moorcroft | Goals | Power 3, Akermanis 2, Brown 2, Lappin 2, Lynch 2, Ashcroft, Notting, Pike, Voss | |||
| Lloyd, Lucas, J. Johnson | Best | Hart, Johnson, Voss, Lappin, Power | |||
Match attendance
| Team | Hosted | Average | Highest | Lowest | Total | Last year | Up/Down |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Essendon | 11 | 51,790 | 83,905 | 29,528 | 569,685 | 48,353 | + 3437 |
| Collingwood | 11 | 49,977 | 78,638 | 26,067 | 549,751 | 45,012 | + 4965 |
| Richmond | 11 | 46,129 | 77,576 | 25,856 | 507,416 | 44,012 | + 2117 |
| Adelaide | 11 | 39,627 | 46,852 | 31,534 | 435,897 | 38,470 | + 1157 |
| Melbourne | 11 | 34,060 | 62,761 | 12,566 | 374,665 | 37,599 | – 3499 |
| West Coast Eagles | 11 | 32,669 | 41,285 | 25,588 | 359,360 | 33,136 | – 467 |
| Hawthorn | 11 | 31,449 | 52,472 | 16,595 | 346,490 | 34,417 | – 2918 |
| Carlton | 11 | 31,263 | 70,051 | 15,622 | 343,889 | 34,414 | – 3151 |
| Port Adelaide | 11 | 30,789 | 49,846 | 22,423 | 338,683 | 26,377 | + 4412 |
| St Kilda | 11 | 29,850 | 40,783 | 14,018 | 328,355 | 24,422 | + 5428 |
| Western Bulldogs | 11 | 29,660 | 48,728 | 15,111 | 326,263 | 30,572 | – 912 |
| Sydney | 11 | 27,982 | 40,131 | 20,611 | 307,800 | 25,563 | + 2419 |
| Brisbane Lions | 11 | 27,638 | 36,149 | 20,059 | 304,014 | 27,406 | + 232 |
| Geelong | 11 | 27,093 | 50,160 | 14,298 | 298,024 | 27,729 | – 636 |
| Kangaroos | 11 | 26,998 | 56,028 | 10,030 | 296,983 | 22,092 | + 4906 |
| Fremantle | 11 | 21,258 | 38,804 | 15,136 | 233,842 | 22,357 | – 1099 |
| Totals | 176 | 33,643 | 83,905 | 10,030 | 5,921,117 | 32,618 | + 1025 |
| Venue | Hosted | Average | Highest | Lowest | Total | Last year | Up/Down |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MCG | 44 | 47,425 | 83,905 | 17,566 | 2086,712 | 46,141 | + 1284 |
| Football Park | 22 | 35,208 | 49,846 | 22,423 | 774,580 | 32,424 | + 2784 |
| Colonial Stadium | 43 | 31,939 | 50,701 | 12,566 | 1373,371 | 30,524 | + 1415 |
| Gabba | 12 | 27,313 | 36,149 | 20,059 | 327,754 | 27,406 | – 93 |
| SCG | 13 | 27,159 | 40,131 | 20,611 | 353,069 | 22,390 | + 4769 |
| Subiaco Oval | 22 | 26,964 | 41,285 | 15,136 | 593,202 | 30,326 | – 3362 |
| Optus Oval | 9 | 23,417 | 30,067 | 15,622 | 210,750 | 24,656 | – 1239 |
| Shell Stadium | 7 | 21,445 | 27,421 | 14,298 | 150,114 | 22,108 | – 663 |
| York Park | 1 | 17,460 | 17,460 | 17,460 | 17,460 | N/A | N/A |
| Manuka Oval | 3 | 11,368 | 13,117 | 10,030 | 34,105 | N/A | N/A |
| Totals | 176 | 33,643 | 83,905 | 10,030 | 5,921,117 | 32,618 | + 1025 |
Awards
- The Brownlow Medal was awarded to Jason Akermanis of the Brisbane Lions.
- The AFL Players Association MVP Award went to Andrew McLeod of Adelaide.
- This was the last year for the award under this name; starting with the 2002 season, it would be renamed the "Leigh Matthews Trophy".
- The Coleman Medal was awarded to Matthew Lloyd of Essendon.
- The Norm Smith Medal was awarded to Shaun Hart of the Brisbane Lions.
- The AFL Rising Star award was awarded to Justin Koschitzke of St Kilda.
Notable events
- In their Round 16 match, Essendon trailed by 69 points 12 minutes into the second quarter against the Kangaroos, but recovered to record a high-scoring 12-point win. This presently stands as the largest ever comeback in a VFL/AFL game.
- Melbourne and Collingwood began its annual tradition of playing each other at the M.C.G. in a Melbourne home game on Queen's Birthday Holiday, as the only AFL match of the day. The teams had met on the King's or Queen's Birthday Holiday sporadically in the past (1950, 1958, 1961, 1964, 1975, 1977, 1983, 1993, 1996 and 1999) as one of several games played on the day, with the 1958 game's attendance of 99,256 still enduring as the highest crowd for a non-final, but this was the first season that the fixture became annual, and the second time (after 1996) that the game was the only one played on the day.
- Fremantle lost their first 17 matches of the season in succession; having lost in the final round of the 2000 season, this took the Dockers' losing streak to 18, and was the worst start to a season by any club since Fitzroy lost all eighteen games in 1964.
- During the season, it came to the attention of the AFL that in 2000 and 2001, the Brisbane Lions had been using a controversial but then-legal practice of rehydrating its players by use of intravenous saline drip during half-time and between matches. The half-time drips were administered through stents which were inserted into the players' elbows prior to the game and covered with tape during the game. The AFL was concerned about negative perceptions of the practice, and the Lions agreed in early September to immediately cease intravenous rehydration. The league banned the practice in the 2002 pre-season,[1][2] and the World Anti Doping Agency later banned the practice in 2007.[3]