2018 AFL season


The 2018 AFL season was the 122nd season of the Australian Football League, 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 22 March until 29 September, and comprised a 22-game home-and-away season followed by a finals series featuring the top eight clubs.
The premiership was won by the West Coast Eagles for the fourth time, after it defeated by five points in the AFL Grand Final.

Pre-season

The pre-season began with the 2018 AFLX competition. Played under modified AFLX rules, the game is played on a soccer-sized pitch over two ten minute halves by teams of seven players plus interchange players. It was the first of two AFLX pre-season competitions to be held featuring AFL players. The matches were played from 15–17 February 2018. The winners of the competition were Adelaide, Melbourne and Brisbane.
The pre-season series was then played, known as the 2018 JLT Community Series. The number of games was reduced compared to the previous season, with teams playing two games each. The games were stand-alone, with no overall winner of the series. Each team played two games, many at suburban or regional venues. All matches were televised live on Fox Footy as well as on the AFL Live app.
The nine-point super goal for a goal kicked from beyond 50m was eliminated from the rules; it had featured in all pre-season competitions since 2003.

Premiership season

Round 8

Round 16

Season notes

  • lost its first seven matches, the longest losing streak to start a season in the club's history.
  • Carlton's total of two wins for the season was the club's fewest wins in a season since 1901.
  • qualified for the finals for the first time since 2006.

Win/loss table

Bold – Home game

X – Bye

Opponent for round listed above margin

Ladder


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 had a bye during that round.
  • Subscript numbers indicate ladder position at round's end.
Team1234567891011121314151617181920212223
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18

Finals series

Finals notes

  • qualified for a preliminary final for the first time since 2000, and qualified for the finals for the first time since 2006.
  • qualified for the grand final for the first time since 2011, and qualified for the finals for the first time since 2013.

Awards

Milestones

NameClubMilestoneRoundRef.

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.
Player1234567891011121314151617181920212223Total
1Jack Riewoldt44044819211314317219524024125328230030333235237441344448105826056565
2Ben Brown006641051541942312422653123323503503554024244645025215315445805836161
3Tom Hawkins00113404042641001031331631932232502532853343774475115215365926161
4Lance Franklin8841221431711801801801832112232542923103143543934204224465025255705757
5Luke Breust44043741151631912032302302312402412522733063603654144534825025215353
6Jack Gunston222404262831111251742102102102112232502542923123323554024244624851
6Tom McDonald000000000022245941321541962502532812913033343734004024234534851
8Jesse Hogan33581911021221431732012152653103103103133423644014114244614704704747
9Josh Jenkins2257180831101131411511611711822012102122332622823003033333633974646
10Josh Caddy333606170741111241611762342702712802812923113223313503543944314444