2009 AFL season

The 2009 Australian Football League season commenced on 26 March and concluded on 26 September. It was the 113th season of the VFL/AFL competition and the 20th under the name 'Australian Football League', having switched from 'Victorian Football League' after 1989. The season consisted of 22 home and away rounds and four rounds of finals, culminating in the 2009 AFL Grand Final which determined the 2009 AFL premiers. Geelong won the Grand Final against St Kilda.

2009 AFL premiership season
Teams16
PremiersGeelong
(8th premiership)
Minor premiersSt Kilda
(3rd minor premiership)
Pre-season cupGeelong
(2nd pre-season cup win)
Matches played185
Attendance6,988,638 (37,776 per match)
Highest attendance99,251 (Grand Final, St Kilda vs. Geelong)
Coleman MedallistBrendan Fevola
Carlton (86 goals)
Brownlow MedallistGary Ablett, Jr.
Geelong (30 votes)
Wooden spoonersMelbourne
(12th wooden spoon)

Pre-season

AFL pre-season draft
Main article: 2008 AFL Draft § 2009 Pre-season Draft

The pre-season draft was held on 16 December 2008 (but is referred to as the 2009 Pre-season draft in continuation from the early years of the AFL draft when it was held in January or February) and most pre-draft interest was on whether or not former West Coast Eagles captain and Brownlow Medal winner Ben Cousins would be selected by the Richmond Football Club. Richmond, the only club to show interest in recruiting Cousins, had one selection in the pre-season draft (because it had only one space left on its senior list). In the week leading up to the pre-season draft, Richmond requested to have Graham Polak (who had been hit by a tram the previous season, with it not clear at this stage whether or not the resulting injuries would end his career) moved to the rookie list, to free up an additional list space and give them a second selection in the pre-season draft. The request was similar to one made by and granted to the Essendon Football Club a few years earlier with respect to Adam Ramanauskas, but there were key differences which led to Richmond's request being rejected by the AFL and a majority of rival clubs on 15 December.[1] Although Richmond had maintained throughout the previous week that it would draft Cousins only if its request to put Polak on the rookie list was granted, they selected Cousins anyway with their only selection in the pre-season draft. Josh Carr's return to Port Adelaide was another major player move.[2]

NAB Cup
Main article: 2009 NAB Cup
Round One Quarterfinals Semifinals Final
Western Bulldogs 69
Essendon 70 Essendon 67
Brisbane Lions 65 Brisbane Lions 65
St Kilda 56 Essendon 73
West Coast 54 Collingwood 116
Collingwood 116 Collingwood 97
Fremantle 86 Richmond 51
Richmond 89 Collingwood 51
Geelong 119 Geelong 127
Adelaide 84 Geelong 72
Sydney 78 Port Adelaide 54
Port Adelaide 143 Geelong 84
Carlton 123 Carlton 67
North Melbourne 70 Carlton 112
Hawthorn 69 Hawthorn 88
Melbourne 66

Premiership season

Round 1
Round 1 (Season Launch)
Thursday, 26 March Richmond 9.13 (67) def. by Carlton 23.12 (150) MCG (crowd: 87,043) Report
Friday, 27 March Hawthorn 16.7 (103) def. by Geelong 15.21 (111) MCG (crowd: 69,593) Report
Saturday, 28 March Collingwood 13.8 (86) def. by Adelaide 13.12 (90) MCG (crowd: 41,591) Report
Saturday, 28 March Brisbane Lions 14.11 (95) def. West Coast 13.8 (86) The Gabba (crowd: 26,800) Report
Saturday, 28 March St Kilda 12.8 (80) def. Sydney 9.11 (65) Etihad Stadium (crowd: 32,442) Report
Sunday, 29 March Melbourne 10.7 (67) def. by North Melbourne 15.11 (101) MCG (crowd: 28,707) Report
Sunday, 29 March Port Adelaide 15.17 (107) def. Essendon 9.12 (66) AAMI Stadium (crowd: 28,315) Report
Sunday, 29 March Fremantle 13.16 (94) def. by Western Bulldogs 25.7 (157) Subiaco Oval (crowd: 34,634) Report
  • In the season-opener on Thursday night, Carlton easily defeated Richmond, and Richmond's high-profile recruit Ben Cousins injured his hamstring in the final quarter; he had suffered the same injury in his final match with West Coast in 2007.
  • The opening match between Richmond and Carlton was the highest attended home-and-away game of the season, with a crowd of 87,043 at the MCG, and had the third-highest attendance of all games including finals.
  • Michael Voss began his Brisbane Lions coaching career with a win; the Lions beat West Coast by 9 points at the Gabba, after trailing by 38 points during the second quarter.

Round 2
Round 2
Friday, 3 April Adelaide 10.9 (69) def. by St Kilda 15.11 (101) AAMI Stadium (crowd: 41,189) Report
Saturday, 4 April Geelong 15.15 (105) def. Richmond 13.7 (85) Skilled Stadium (crowd: 22,288) Report
Saturday, 4 April Collingwood 17.15 (117) def. Melbourne 10.4 (64) MCG (crowd: 43,176) Report
Saturday, 4 April Carlton 18.11 (119) def. Brisbane Lions 15.10 (100) Etihad Stadium (crowd: 42,496 ) Report
Saturday, 4 April Sydney 22.11 (143) def. Hawthorn 15.15 (105) ANZ Stadium (crowd: 36,116) Report
Sunday, 5 April Essendon 16.13 (109) def. Fremantle 10.11 (71) Etihad Stadium (crowd: 27,461) Report
Sunday, 5 April Western Bulldogs 11.14 (80) def. North Melbourne 9.11 (65) MCG (crowd: 34,466) Report
Sunday, 5 April West Coast 19.11 (125) def. Port Adelaide 10.15 (75) Subiaco Oval (crowd: 37,826) Report

Round 3
Round 3 (Easter)
Thursday, 9 April Geelong 18.14 (122) def. Collingwood 13.17 (95) MCG (crowd: 58,527) Report
Saturday, 11 April St Kilda 25.11 (161) def. West Coast 9.10 (64) Etihad Stadium (crowd: 29,006) Report
Saturday, 11 April Brisbane Lions 15.10 (100) def. Sydney 9.13 (67) The Gabba (crowd: 24,984) Report
Saturday, 11 April Carlton 16.16 (112) def. by Essendon 17.14 (116) MCG (crowd: 70,411) Report
Sunday, 12 April Port Adelaide 22.15 (147) def. Melbourne 14.6 (90) AAMI Stadium (crowd: 21,030) Report
Sunday, 12 April North Melbourne 10.9 (69) def. by Hawthorn 19.9 (123) Etihad Stadium (crowd: 34,893) Report
Sunday, 12 April Fremantle 11.14 (80) def. by Adelaide 15.14 (104) Subiaco Oval (crowd: 30,035) Report
Monday, 13 April Western Bulldogs 16.14 (110) def. Richmond 8.15 (63) Etihad Stadium (crowd: 46,261) Report

Round 4
Round 4
Friday, 17 April Brisbane Lions 10.13 (73) def. by Collingwood 13.12 (90) The Gabba (crowd: 34,912) Report
Saturday, 18 April Sydney 12.12 (84) def. Carlton 9.13 (67) SCG (crowd: 30,834) Report
Saturday, 18 April Hawthorn 12.13 (85) def. by Port Adelaide 17.13 (115) MCG (crowd: 33,274) Report
Saturday, 18 April St Kilda 17.9 (111) def. Fremantle 4.4 (28) Etihad Stadium (crowd: 26,326) Report
Saturday, 18 April Adelaide 13.8 (86) def. by Geelong 21.8 (134) AAMI Stadium (crowd: 40,418) Report
Sunday, 19 April North Melbourne 10.9 (69) def. Essendon 7.15 (57) Etihad Stadium (crowd: 33,842) Report
Sunday, 19 April Richmond 13.14 (92) def. by Melbourne 14.16 (100) MCG (crowd: 40,763) Report
Sunday, 19 April West Coast 17.14 (116) def. Western Bulldogs 12.11 (83) Subiaco Oval (crowd: 37,758) Report

Round 5
Round 5 (ANZAC Day)
Friday, 24 April Port Adelaide 5.6 (36) def. by St Kilda 15.12 (102) AAMI Stadium (crowd: 25,426) Report
Saturday, 25 April Essendon 13.15 (93) def. Collingwood 12.16 (88) MCG (crowd: 84,829) Report
Saturday, 25 April Hawthorn 11.8 (74) def. West Coast 7.14 (56) Aurora Stadium (crowd: 17,880) Report
Saturday, 25 April Fremantle 18.13 (121) def. Sydney 16.4 (100) Subiaco Oval (crowd: 32,884) Report
Saturday, 25 April North Melbourne 7.16 (58) def. by Richmond 13.16 (94) Etihad Stadium (crowd: 29,224) Report
Sunday, 26 April Geelong 18.18 (126) def. Brisbane Lions 5.3 (33) Skilled Stadium (crowd: 15,580) Report
Sunday, 26 April Western Bulldogs 13.12 (90) def. by Carlton 21.7 (133) Etihad Stadium (crowd: 44,268) Report
Sunday, 26 April Melbourne 4.10 (34) def. by Adelaide 7.9 (51) MCG (crowd: 14,129) Report
  • Essendon's David Zaharakis kicked the winning goal in the final seconds, ensuring that Essendon beat Collingwood for the first time on ANZAC Day since 2005.
  • Geelong amassed 490 disposals against Brisbane, breaking the old record of 469 disposals set by West Coast in 2007 and matched by Geelong in 2008; their 254 handpasses was also a record. The two records would only stand for seven days.

Round 6
Round 6
Friday, 1 May North Melbourne 11.9 (75) def. by Collingwood 19.13 (127) Etihad Stadium (crowd: 40,087) Report
Saturday, 2 May Hawthorn 16.10 (106) def. Carlton 15.12 (102) MCG (crowd: 69,014) Report
Saturday, 2 May West Coast 9.20 (74) def. by Fremantle 13.9 (87) Subiaco Oval (crowd: 41,654) Report
Saturday, 2 May Brisbane Lions 17.9 (111) def. Essendon 9.14 (68) The Gabba (crowd: 29,252) Report
Saturday, 2 May Port Adelaide 15.15 (105) def. Adelaide 12.7 (79) AAMI Stadium (crowd: 41,558) Report
Sunday, 3 May Sydney 14.10 (94) def. Richmond 11.9 (75) SCG (crowd: 25,410) Report
Sunday, 3 May Melbourne 10.8 (68) def. by Geelong 15.21 (111) MCG (crowd: 36,932) Report
Sunday, 3 May Western Bulldogs 11.10 (76) def. by St Kilda 14.20 (104) Etihad Stadium (crowd: 36,302) Report
  • In the Hawthorn-Carlton game, Carlton's Brendan Fevola and Hawthorn's Jarryd Roughead both kicked 8 goals for the game. In the final minute of the game, Fevola had a chance to win the game by a point, but his shot hit the post and Hawthorn held on for a 4-point win.
  • Dustin Fletcher played his 300th match for Essendon. In the same game, Matthew Lloyd became the 8th player in the history of the VFL/AFL to kick 900 goals.
  • Geelong amassed 498 disposals, including 259 handpasses, against Melbourne at the MCG, breaking the two records which they had set the previous week.

Round 7
Round 7
Friday, 8 May Essendon 17.14 (116) def. Hawthorn 10.12 (72) Etihad Stadium (crowd: 50,475)
Saturday, 9 May Geelong 17.14 (116) def. Sydney 10.5 (65) Skilled Stadium (crowd: 22,050)
Saturday, 9 May Richmond 10.11 (71) def. by Brisbane Lions 15.7 (97) MCG (crowd: 34,646)
Saturday, 9 May North Melbourne 20.5 (125) def. Port Adelaide 18.12 (120) Etihad Stadium (crowd: 14,342)
Saturday, 9 May Carlton 11.15 (81) def. by Fremantle 13.10 (88) Gold Coast Stadium (crowd: 10,294)
Sunday, 10 May Adelaide 12.14 (86) def. by Western Bulldogs 17.16 (118) AAMI Stadium (crowd: 31,742)
Sunday, 10 May West Coast 12.18 (90) def. Melbourne 13.4 (82) Subiaco Oval (crowd: 35,209)
Monday, 11 May Collingwood 5.10 (40) def. by St Kilda 20.8 (128) Etihad Stadium (crowd: 46,880) Report
  • Sydney's Michael O'Loughlin kicked his 500th career goal in the match against Geelong.
  • St Kilda and Collingwood played a Monday night game, the AFL's first for several seasons. St Kilda won by a new record winning margin against the Magpies of 88 points. Collingwood's score of 5.10 (40) was its lowest with Mick Malthouse as coach.
  • This would be the last time until the 2020 Qualifying Final that Brisbane Lions would beat Richmond in a match

Round 8
Round 8
Friday, 15 May Fremantle 9.11 (65) def. by Hawthorn 13.9 (87) Subiaco Oval (crowd: 39,135) Report
Saturday, 16 May Melbourne 15.7 (97) def. by Western Bulldogs 15.14 (104) MCG (crowd: 28,279)
Saturday, 16 May Geelong 18.11 (119) def. North Melbourne 7.7 (49) Skilled Stadium (crowd: 20,273)
Saturday, 16 May Brisbane Lions 18.11 (119) def. Adelaide 12.11 (83) The Gabba (crowd: 27,767)
Saturday, 16 May Sydney 16.10 (106) def. West Coast 15.11 (101) ANZ Stadium (crowd: 33,079)
Sunday, 17 May Port Adelaide 14.18 (102) def. Richmond 15.9 (99) AAMI Stadium (crowd: 22,034)
Sunday, 17 May Collingwood 7.11 (53) def. by Carlton 16.8 (104) MCG (crowd: 82,834)
Sunday, 17 May St Kilda 13.12 (90) def. Essendon 10.11 (71) Etihad Stadium (crowd: 45,594)

Round 9
Round 9 (Indigenous Round)
Friday, 22 May Geelong 17.14 (116) def. Western Bulldogs 17.12 (114) Etihad Stadium (crowd: 44,620)
Saturday, 23 May North Melbourne 14.14 (98) def. Fremantle 12.13 (85) Etihad Stadium (crowd: 15,436)
Saturday, 23 May Adelaide 15.14 (104) def. Carlton 8.12 (60) AAMI Stadium (crowd: 41,107)
Saturday, 23 May West Coast 9.12 (66) def. by Collingwood 12.16 (88) Subiaco Oval (crowd: 36,658)
Saturday, 23 May Richmond 12.13 (85) def. by Essendon 19.11 (125) MCG (crowd: 73,625)
Sunday, 24 May Sydney 18.15 (123) def. Port Adelaide 10.8 (68) SCG (crowd: 23,229)
Sunday, 24 May St Kilda 14.13 (97) def. Brisbane Lions 13.3 (81) Etihad Stadium (crowd: 30,673)
Sunday, 24 May Hawthorn 17.12 (114) def. Melbourne 13.14 (92) MCG (crowd: 39,395)

Round 10
Round 10
Friday, 29 May Carlton 16.15 (111) def. West Coast 10.10 (70) Etihad Stadium (crowd: 39,611)
Saturday, 30 May Western Bulldogs 18.9 (117) def. Sydney 12.5 (77) Manuka Oval (crowd: 12,457)
Saturday, 30 May North Melbourne 12.9 (81) def. by Brisbane Lions 15.9 (99) Etihad Stadium (crowd: 21,583) Report
Saturday, 30 May Fremantle 17.10 (112) def. by Richmond 17.13 (115) Subiaco Oval (crowd: 35,391)
Saturday, 30 May St Kilda 11.17 (83) def. Melbourne 6.10 (46) Gold Coast Stadium (crowd: 9,112)
Sunday, 31 May Adelaide 16.10 (106) def. Hawthorn 12.7 (79) AAMI Stadium (crowd: 40,035)
Sunday, 31 May Essendon 11.4 (70) def. by Geelong 20.14 (134) Etihad Stadium (crowd: 48,852)
Sunday, 31 May Collingwood 17.12 (114) def. Port Adelaide 11.10 (76) MCG (crowd: 34,793)

Round 11
Round 11 (Women’s Round, Queen's Birthday Holiday Weekend)
Friday, 5 June Richmond 14.5 (89) def. by Western Bulldogs 24.13 (157) Etihad Stadium (crowd: 36,483)
Saturday, 6 June North Melbourne 9.3 (57) def. by St Kilda 15.13 (103) Etihad Stadium (crowd: 30,962)
Saturday, 6 June Brisbane Lions 16.10 (106) def. by Carlton 16.16 (112) The Gabba (crowd: 33,790)
Saturday, 6 June Port Adelaide 14.10 (94) def. Fremantle 11.4 (70) AAMI Stadium (crowd: 18,418)
Sunday, 7 June Essendon 18.6 (114) def. by Adelaide 21.4 (130) Etihad Stadium (crowd: 39,451)
Sunday, 7 June Hawthorn 12.14 (86) def. Sydney 11.9 (75) MCG (crowd: 44,464)
Sunday, 7 June West Coast 12.5 (77) def. by Geelong 15.9 (99) Subiaco Oval (crowd: 35,355)
Monday, 8 June Melbourne 8.12 (60) def. by Collingwood 19.12 (126) MCG (crowd: 61,287)
  • Terry Wallace coached his final match for Richmond, after announcing his retirement earlier in the week. Wallace was replaced by Jade Rawlings as caretaker.
  • St Kilda won its 11th consecutive game, breaking the previous club record of 10 set in 2004.
  • St Kilda and Geelong, both at 11–0, set the best start to a premiership season since Essendon in 2000.
  • Adelaide defeated Essendon by 16 points in a game notable for having the highest combined goal-kicking accuracy in VFL/AFL history. The combined score of 39.10 (244) had an overall goalkicking accuracy of 79.6%; the previous best was 76.1%, when Essendon and St Kilda combined for 35.11 (221) in round 20, 1984. Goalkicking accuracy league-wide was 60.78% during the round, also a record.

Round 12
Round 12 (Split round)
Friday, 12 June Carlton 14.11 (95) def. by St Kilda 16.8 (104) Etihad Stadium (crowd: 50,820)
Saturday, 13 June Western Bulldogs 21.11 (137) def. Port Adelaide 7.2 (44) TIO Stadium (crowd: 11,306)
Saturday, 13 June Richmond 13.14 (92) def. West Coast 11.11 (77) Etihad Stadium (crowd: 30,117)
Sunday, 14 June Hawthorn 7.9 (51) def. by Brisbane Lions 13.15 (93) Aurora Stadium (crowd: 16,710)
Sunday, 14 June Adelaide 9.14 (68) def. North Melbourne 3.6 (24) AAMI Stadium (crowd: 30,173)
Friday, 19 June Essendon 19.17 (131) def. Melbourne 13.5 (83) Etihad Stadium (crowd: 45,740)
Saturday, 20 June Sydney 9.12 (66) def. by Collingwood 13.11 (89) ANZ Stadium (crowd: 41,042)
Sunday, 21 June Fremantle 11.9 (75) def. by Geelong 13.16 (94) Subiaco Oval (crowd: 33,213)
  • In wet weather in Adelaide, North Melbourne was held to 3.6 (24), the club's lowest score since 1971, the lowest score by any team since round 4, 1999, the lowest score ever conceded by Adelaide, and the lowest score ever at AAMI Stadium (the latter two records would be broken only three weeks later).

Round 13
Round 13
Friday, 26 June Essendon 21.10 (136) def. Carlton 9.13 (67) MCG (crowd: 83,407) Report
Saturday, 27 June Collingwood 26.13 (169) def. Fremantle 13.7 (85) MCG (crowd: 44,114) Report
Saturday, 27 June Adelaide 12.13 (85) def. Sydney 10.9 (69) AAMI Stadium (crowd: 38,064) Report
Saturday, 27 June West Coast 16.11 (107) def. Hawthorn 13.9 (87) Subiaco Oval (crowd: 31,441) Report
Saturday, 27 June Brisbane Lions 16.15 (111) def. Melbourne 8.8 (56) The Gabba (crowd: 23,750) Report
Sunday, 28 June Geelong 18.14 (122) def. Port Adelaide 13.10 (88) Skilled Stadium (crowd: 21,142) Report
Sunday, 28 June North Melbourne 12.14 (86) def. by Western Bulldogs 17.6 (108) MCG (crowd: 31,470) Report
Sunday, 28 June St Kilda 13.14 (92) def. Richmond 5.6 (36) Etihad Stadium (crowd: 38,196) Report
  • St Kilda and Geelong became the sixth and seventh clubs to begin a season with thirteen consecutive wins, the feat having previously been achieved by Collingwood in 1929, Geelong in 1953, Melbourne in 1956, West Coast in 1991 and Essendon in 2000. All seven clubs reached the Grand Finals in their respective seasons.
  • Matthew Lloyd overtook Leigh Matthews with his 916th career goal to become the 7th highest goalkicker in AFL/VFL history.

Round 14
Round 14
Friday, 3 July Collingwood 15.12 (102) def. Essendon 9.13 (67) MCG (crowd: 77,699) Report
Saturday, 4 July Melbourne 17.10 (112) def. West Coast 13.14 (92) MCG (crowd: 23,149) Report
Saturday, 4 July Port Adelaide 19.14 (128) def. Brisbane Lions 11.14 (80) AAMI Stadium (crowd: 20,293) Report
Saturday, 4 July Richmond 13.7 (85) def. by Adelaide 15.12 (102) Gold Coast Stadium (crowd: 11,174) Report
Saturday, 4 July Western Bulldogs 19.19 (133) def. Hawthorn 6.9 (45) Etihad Stadium (crowd: 36,827) Report
Sunday, 5 July Sydney 15.10 (100) def. North Melbourne 13.7 (85) SCG (crowd: 21,929) Report
Sunday, 5 July St Kilda 14.7 (91) def. Geelong 13.7 (85) Etihad Stadium (crowd: 54,444) Report
Sunday, 5 July Fremantle 15.10 (100) def. by Carlton 16.19 (115) Subiaco Oval (crowd: 34,720) Report
  • The round 14 match between St Kilda and Geelong, both of whom were unbeaten at this stage, had a change in timeslot, moving from 2:10 pm to 3:10 pm so that the Seven Network could broadcast the game live into Melbourne, and use it as a lead-in to its 6pm news broadcast; in 2012, this change in timeslot became permanent for all Sunday afternoon matches broadcast by Seven. All capital cities (except Sydney and Brisbane, which received a live telecast of the Sydney vs North Melbourne on the same day) received a live telecast of the match. The game broke the record set in round 8, 1991 between West Coast and Essendon as being the latest into a season that two undefeated teams had played against each other. The attendance of 54,444 set a new record for the largest crowd at an AFL game held at Etihad Stadium. Geelong lost at the stadium for the first time since round 1, 2007, ending a 13-match winning streak at the ground.
  • Western Bulldogs held Hawthorn goalless in the first half of their game, and reigning Coleman Medallist Lance Franklin was held goalless for the first time since 2006, breaking a streak of 71 consecutive games scoring at least one goal.
  • Melbourne club president Jim Stynes announced in the week prior to the game that he had been diagnosed with cancer.
  • The Richmond vs Adelaide game was the last event staged at the Gold Coast Stadium before renovation works began at the oval to suit the AFL's new team on the Gold Coast.

Round 15
Round 15
Friday, 10 July Western Bulldogs 16.14 (110) def. by Collingwood 17.9 (111) Etihad Stadium (crowd: 51,382) Report
Saturday, 11 July Sydney 10.12 (72) def. by Essendon 15.17 (107) SCG (crowd: 30,924) Report
Saturday, 11 July Carlton 16.13 (109) def. Richmond 12.17 (89) MCG (crowd: 50,784) Report
Saturday, 11 July Brisbane Lions 16.12 (108) def. Geelong 9.11 (65) The Gabba (crowd: 34,274) Report
Saturday, 11 July Adelaide 19.16 (130) def. Fremantle 1.7 (13) AAMI Stadium (crowd: 32,451) Report
Sunday, 12 July Hawthorn 10.13 (73) def. North Melbourne 9.10 (64) Aurora Stadium (crowd: 15,080) Report
Sunday, 12 July Melbourne 15.11 (101) def. Port Adelaide 13.12 (90) MCG (crowd: 15,888) Report
Sunday, 12 July West Coast 11.4 (70) def. by St Kilda 13.12 (90) Subiaco Oval (crowd: 36,259) Report
  • Carlton's Brendan Fevola kicked a career-best nine goals in his team's win against Richmond.
  • Adelaide's dominant victory against Fremantle saw the latter held to only 1.7 (13). This was the lowest score in Fremantle's history (its previous lowest was 3.7 (25) in 2004), the lowest score by a team at AAMI Stadium and the lowest score ever conceded by Adelaide (the previous record for each was set by North Melbourne three weeks earlier), and the lowest score by any team since 1961, when Richmond scored 0.8 (8). Fremantle was held to 0.1 (1) in the first half, the lowest half-time score since Fitzroy was scoreless in the first half in round 1, 1995. Fremantle's 117-point loss was at the time its equal worst in club history.

Round 16
Round 16
Friday, 17 July Essendon 11.4 (70) def. by Western Bulldogs 15.13 (103) Etihad Stadium (crowd: 47,120) Report
Saturday, 18 July Carlton 19.10 (124) def. Sydney 9.9 (63) Etihad Stadium (crowd: 42,018) Report
Saturday, 18 July Geelong 17.15 (117) def. Melbourne 11.5 (71) Skilled Stadium (crowd: 21,160) Report
Saturday, 18 July Fremantle 7.5 (47) def. by Brisbane Lions 9.8 (62) Subiaco Oval (crowd: 22,595) Report
Saturday, 18 July Collingwood 11.10 (76) def. by Hawthorn 18.13 (121) MCG (crowd: 66,149) Report
Sunday, 19 July Port Adelaide 17.10 (112) def. West Coast 11.10 (76) AAMI Stadium (crowd: 21,106) Report
Sunday, 19 July Richmond 12.13 (85) drew with North Melbourne 12.13 (85) MCG (crowd: 30,604) Report
Sunday, 19 July St Kilda 15.15 (105) def. Adelaide 7.6 (48) Etihad Stadium (crowd: 31,940) Report
  • Carlton broke a twelve-game losing streak against Sydney with its victory.
  • North Melbourne overcame a 43-point deficit early in the third quarter to record the first draw of the season against Richmond.

Round 17
Round 17 (Rivalry Round)
Friday, 24 July Carlton 4.16 (40) def. by Collingwood 14.10 (94) MCG (crowd: 84,938) Report
Saturday, 25 July Geelong 15.9 (99) def. Hawthorn 14.14 (98) MCG (crowd: 64,803) Report
Saturday, 25 July Fremantle 10.11 (71) def. West Coast 8.18 (66) Subiaco Oval (crowd: 39,536) Report
Saturday, 25 July Brisbane Lions 17.14 (116) def. North Melbourne 11.9 (75) The Gabba (crowd: 25,509) Report
Saturday, 25 July St Kilda 16.10 (106) def. Western Bulldogs 9.7 (61) Etihad Stadium (crowd: 45,082) Report
Sunday, 26 July Melbourne 6.14 (50) def. by Sydney 10.8 (68) Manuka Oval (crowd: 7,311) Report
Sunday, 26 July Essendon 14.12 (96) def. by Richmond 15.11 (101) MCG (crowd: 47,412) Report
Sunday, 26 July Adelaide 19.18 (132) def. Port Adelaide 9.8 (62) AAMI Stadium (crowd: 46,859) Report

Round 18
Round 18
Friday, 31 July North Melbourne 11.18 (84) def. by Carlton 14.10 (94) Etihad Stadium (crowd: 38,554) Report
Saturday, 1 August Western Bulldogs 17.9 (111) def. Fremantle 11.14 (80) Etihad Stadium (crowd: 19,065) Report
Saturday, 1 August Geelong 14.9 (93) def. Adelaide 13.13 (91) Skilled Stadium (crowd: 21,686) Report
Saturday, 1 August Sydney 13.15 (93) def. by St Kilda 13.16 (94) SCG (crowd: 27,805) Report
Saturday, 1 August Collingwood 12.23 (95) def. Brisbane Lions 8.7 (55) MCG (crowd: 47,268) Report
Sunday, 2 August Melbourne 12.10 (82) def. by Richmond 12.14 (86) MCG (crowd: 37,438)
Sunday, 2 August Port Adelaide 18.13 (121) def. Hawthorn 14.19 (103) AAMI Stadium (crowd: 25,154) Report
Sunday, 2 August West Coast 14.11 (95) def. Essendon 10.8 (68) Subiaco Oval (crowd: 35,765) Report

Round 19
Round 19
Friday, 7 August Carlton 14.13 (97) def. Geelong 8.14 (62) MCG (crowd: 55,057)
Saturday, 8 August Western Bulldogs 13.19 (97) def. by West Coast 16.6 (102) Etihad Stadium (crowd: 22,417) Report
Saturday, 8 August Hawthorn 7.7 (49) def. by St Kilda 10.14 (74) Aurora Stadium (crowd: 20,011) Report
Saturday, 8 August Essendon 13.9 (87) drew with Brisbane Lions 12.15 (87) MCG (crowd: 41,636) Report
Saturday, 8 August Adelaide 9.14 (68) def. by Collingwood 13.11 (89) AAMI Stadium (crowd: 45,128) Report
Sunday, 9 August North Melbourne 19.9 (123) def. Melbourne 8.13 (61) Etihad Stadium (crowd: 16,594) Report
Sunday, 9 August Richmond 10.8 (68) def. by Sydney 18.15 (123) MCG (crowd: 32,216) Report
Sunday, 9 August Fremantle 17.14 (116) def. Port Adelaide 11.8 (74) Subiaco Oval (crowd: 30,029) Report

Round 20
Round 20 (Green Round)
Friday, 14 August Hawthorn 9.13 (67) def. by Adelaide 13.16 (94) MCG (crowd: 32,583) Report
Saturday, 15 August Richmond 8.11 (59) def. by Collingwood 22.20 (152) MCG (crowd: 63,366) Report
Saturday, 15 August West Coast 17.8 (110) def. North Melbourne 10.12 (72) Subiaco Oval (crowd: 32,472) Report
Saturday, 15 August Brisbane Lions 12.12 (84) def. by Western Bulldogs 15.12 (102) The Gabba (crowd: 33,421) Report
Saturday, 15 August Sydney 13.9 (87) def. by Geelong 13.14 (92) ANZ Stadium (crowd: 40,261) Report
Sunday, 16 August Melbourne 20.7 (127) def. Fremantle 9.10 (64) MCG (crowd: 13,004) Report
Sunday, 16 August Port Adelaide 9.13 (67) def. by Carlton 18.13 (121) AAMI Stadium (crowd: 27,221) Report
Sunday, 16 August Essendon 16.14 (110) def. St Kilda 16.12 (108) Etihad Stadium (crowd: 41,410) Report
  • Essendon defeated St Kilda by two points to inflict St Kilda's first loss of the season; St Kilda's captain Nick Riewoldt had the chance to win the game with a 45-metre set shot after the final siren, but he missed the goal. St Kilda's nineteen-game winning streak was the longest in club history, the second-longest by any club to start a season (coincidentally, a win would have equaled the all time record, held by their opponents Essendon), and the fifth-longest of all-time.
  • The game between Melbourne and Fremantle, played partially in heavy rain, was the lowest attended match at the MCG since 2004, with an attendance of 13,004.
  • Carlton clinched a position in the finals, ending the club's seven-year finals drought, the longest in club history.

Round 21
Round 21
Friday, 21 August Western Bulldogs 16.14 (110) def. Geelong 14.12 (96) Etihad Stadium (crowd: 46,818) Report
Saturday, 22 August Carlton 24.9 (153) def. Melbourne 15.6 (96) Etihad Stadium (crowd: 37,433) Report
Saturday, 22 August Adelaide 18.14 (122) def. West Coast 7.6 (48) AAMI Stadium (crowd: 39,640) Report
Saturday, 22 August Brisbane Lions 16.11 (107) def. Port Adelaide 14.8 (92) The Gabba (crowd: 26,437) Report
Saturday, 22 August Richmond 14.9 (93) def. by Hawthorn 20.15 (135) MCG (crowd: 34,779) Report
Sunday, 23 August St Kilda 8.11 (59) def. by North Melbourne 10.4 (64) Etihad Stadium (crowd: 30,522) Report
Sunday, 23 August Collingwood 13.19 (97) def. Sydney 8.8 (56) MCG (crowd: 54,400) Report
Sunday, 23 August Fremantle 21.15 (141) def. Essendon 13.9 (87) Subiaco Oval (crowd: 32,413) Report

Round 22
Round 22
Friday, 28 August West Coast 17.23 (125) def. Richmond 6.9 (45) Subiaco Oval (crowd: 39,017) Report
Saturday, 29 August Geelong 14.10 (94) def. Fremantle 8.6 (54) Skilled Stadium (crowd: 18,196) Report
Saturday, 29 August Hawthorn 14.15 (99) def. by Essendon 16.20 (116) MCG (crowd: 77,278) Report
Saturday, 29 August Carlton 16.8 (104) def. by Adelaide 27.14 (176) Etihad Stadium (crowd: 42,356) Report
Saturday, 29 August Sydney 14.8 (92) def. by Brisbane Lions 15.10 (100) SCG (crowd: 27,933) Report
Saturday, 29 August Port Adelaide 9.13 (67) def. by North Melbourne 10.11 (71) AAMI Stadium (crowd: 17,284) Report
Sunday, 30 August Melbourne 10.7 (67) def. by St Kilda 17.12 (114) MCG (crowd: 36,748) Report
Sunday, 30 August Collingwood 10.16 (76) def. by Western Bulldogs 14.16 (100) Etihad Stadium (crowd: 48,888) Report
  • Essendon secured eighth spot and their first finals appearance since 2004 with a 17-point win over Hawthorn in a fiery encounter.
  • Hawthorn became the first team since Adelaide in 1999 to miss the finals after winning the flag the previous year.
  • Western Bulldogs defeated Collingwood by 24 points; the win gave the Bulldogs a 0.31% percentage advantage over Collingwood, placing the Bulldogs third and the Magpies fourth. Had Brad Johnson not scored in the final minute, instead of kicking the goal, Collingwood would have finished third.

Win/loss table
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 F1 F2 F3 GF Ladder
Adelaide Coll
+4		 StK
-32		 Frem
+24		 Geel
-48		 Melb
+17		 PA
-26		 WB
-32		 BL
-36		 Carl
+44		 Haw
+27		 Ess
+16		 NM
+44		 Syd
+16		 Rich
+17		 Frem
+117		 StK
-57		 PA
+70		 Geel
-2		 Coll
-21		 Haw
+27		 WCE
+74		 Carl
+72		 Ess
+96		 Coll
-5		 X X 5
Brisbane Lions WCE
+9		 Carl
-19		 Syd
+33		 Coll
-17		 Geel
-93		 Ess
+43		 Rich
+26		 Adel
+36		 StK
-16		 NM
+18		 Carl
-6		 Haw
+42		 Melb
+55		 PA
-48		 Geel
+43		 Frem
+15		 NM
+41		 Coll
-40		 Ess
0		 WB
-18		 PA
+15		 Syd
+8		 Carl
+7		 WB
-51		 X X 6
Carlton Rich
+83		 BL
+19		 Ess
-4		 Syd
-17		 WB
+43		 Haw
-4		 Frem
-7		 Coll
+51		 Adel
-44		 WCE
+41		 BL
+6		 StK
-9		 Ess
-69		 Frem
+15		 Rich
+20		 Syd
+61		 Coll
-54		 NM
+10		 Geel
+35		 PA
+54		 Melb
+57		 Adel
-72		 BL
-7		 X X X 7
Collingwood Adel
-4		 Melb
+53		 Geel
-27		 BL
+17		 Ess
-5		 NM
+52		 StK
-88		 Carl
-51		 WCE
+22		 PA
+38		 Melb
+66		 Syd
+23		 Frem
+84		 Ess
+35		 WB
+1		 Haw
-45		 Carl
+54		 BL
+40		 Adel
+21		 Rich
+93		 Syd
+41		 WB
-24		 StK
-28		 Adel
+5		 Geel
-73		 X 4
Essendon PA
-41		 Frem
+38		 Carl
+4		 NM
-12		 Coll
+5		 BL
-43		 Haw
+44		 StK
-19		 Rich
+40		 Geel
-64		 Adel
-16		 Melb
+48		 Carl
+69		 Coll
-35		 Syd
+35		 WB
-33		 Rich
-5		 WCE
-27		 BL
0		 StK
+2		 Frem
-54		 Haw
+17		 Adel
-96		 X X X 8
Fremantle WB
-63		 Ess
-38		 Adel
-24		 StK
-83		 Syd
+21		 WCE
+13		 Carl
+7		 Haw
-22		 NM
-13		 Rich
-3		 PA
-24		 Geel
-19		 Coll
-84		 Carl
-15		 Adel
-117		 BL
-15		 WCE
+5		 WB
-31		 PA
+42		 Melb
-63		 Ess
+54		 Geel
-40		 X X X X 14
Geelong Haw
+8		 Rich
+20		 Coll
+27		 Adel
+48		 BL
+93		 Melb
+43		 Syd
+51		 NM
+70		 WB
+2		 Ess
+64		 WCE
+22		 Frem
+19		 PA
+34		 StK
-6		 BL
-43		 Melb
+46		 Haw
+1		 Adel
+2		 Carl
-35		 Syd
+5		 WB
-14		 Frem
+40		 WB
+14		 X Coll
+73		 StK
+12		 2
Hawthorn Geel
-8		 Syd
-38		 NM
+54		 PA
-30		 WCE
+18		 Carl
+4		 Ess
-44		 Frem
+22		 Melb
+22		 Adel
-27		 Syd
+11		 BL
-42		 WCE
-20		 WB
-88		 NM
+9		 Coll
+45		 Geel
-1		 PA
-18		 StK
-25		 Adel
-27		 Rich
+42		 Ess
-17		 X X X X 9
Melbourne NM
-34		 Coll
-53		 PA
-57		 Rich
+8		 Adel
-17		 Geel
-43		 WCE
-8		 WB
-7		 Haw
-22		 StK
-37		 Coll
-66		 Ess
-48		 BL
-55		 WCE
+20		 PA
+11		 Geel
-46		 Syd
-18		 Rich
-4		 NM
-62		 Frem
+63		 Carl
-57		 StK
-47		 X X X X 16
North Melbourne Melb
+34		 WB
-15		 Haw
-54		 Ess
+12		 Rich
-36		 Coll
-52		 PA
+5		 Geel
-70		 Frem
+13		 BL
-18		 StK
-46		 Adel
-44		 WB
-22		 Syd
-15		 Haw
-9		 Rich
0		 BL
-41		 Carl
-10		 Melb
+62		 WCE
-38		 StK
+5		 PA
+4		 X X X X 13
Port Adelaide Ess
+41		 WCE
-50		 Melb
+57		 Haw
+30		 StK
-66		 Adel
+26		 NM
-5		 Rich
+3		 Syd
-55		 Coll
-38		 Frem
+24		 WB
-93		 Geel
-34		 BL
+48		 Melb
-11		 WCE
+36		 Adel
-70		 Haw
+18		 Frem
-42		 Carl
-54		 BL
-15		 NM
-4		 X X X X 10
Richmond Carl
-83		 Geel
-20		 WB
-47		 Melb
-8		 NM
+36		 Syd
-19		 BL
-26		 PA
-3		 Ess
-40		 Frem
+3		 WB
-68		 WCE
+15		 StK
-56		 Adel
-17		 Carl
-20		 NM
0		 Ess
+5		 Melb
+4		 Syd
-55		 Coll
-93		 Haw
-42		 WCE
-80		 X X X X 15
St Kilda Syd
+15		 Adel
+32		 WCE
+97		 Frem
+83		 PA
+66		 WB
+28		 Coll
+88		 Ess
+19		 BL
+16		 Melb
+37		 NM
+46		 Carl
+9		 Rich
+56		 Geel
+6		 WCE
+20		 Adel
+57		 WB
+45		 Syd
+1		 Haw
+25		 Ess
-2		 NM
-5		 Melb
+47		 Coll
+28		 X WB
+7		 Geel
-12		 1
Sydney StK
-15		 Haw
+38		 BL
-33		 Carl
+17		 Frem
-21		 Rich
+19		 Geel
-51		 WCE
+5		 PA
+55		 WB
-40		 Haw
-11		 Coll
-23		 Adel
-16		 NM
+15		 Ess
-35		 Carl
-61		 Melb
+18		 StK
-1		 Rich
+55		 Geel
-5		 Coll
-41		 BL
-8		 X X X X 12
West Coast BL
-9		 PA
+50		 StK
-97		 WB
+33		 Haw
-18		 Frem
-13		 Melb
+8		 Syd
-5		 Coll
-22		 Carl
-41		 Geel
-22		 Rich
-15		 Haw
+20		 Melb
-20		 StK
-20		 PA
-36		 Frem
-5		 Ess
+27		 WB
+5		 NM
+38		 Adel
-74		 Rich
+80		 X X X X 11
Western Bulldogs Frem
+63		 NM
+15		 Rich
+47		 WCE
-33		 Carl
-43		 StK
-28		 Adel
+32		 Melb
+7		 Geel
-2		 Syd
+40		 Rich
+68		 PA
+93		 NM
+22		 Haw
+88		 Coll
-1		 Ess
+33		 StK
-45		 Frem
+31		 WCE
-5		 BL
+18		 Geel
+14		 Coll
+24		 Geel
-14		 BL
+51		 StK
-7		 X 3
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 F1 F2 F3 GF Ladder
ColourSymbolResult
Green+Win
Red-Loss
BlueN/ADraw

Bold – Home game

Ladder
2009 AFL ladder
Pos Team Pld W L D PF PA PP Pts
1 St Kilda 22 20 2 0 2197 1411 155.7 80 Finals series
2 Geelong (P) 22 18 4 0 2312 1815 127.4 72
3 Western Bulldogs 22 15 7 0 2378 1940 122.6 60
4 Collingwood 22 15 7 0 2174 1778 122.3 60
5 Adelaide 22 14 8 0 2104 1789 117.6 56
6 Brisbane Lions 22 13 8 1 2017 1890 106.7 54
7 Carlton 22 13 9 0 2270 2055 110.5 52
8 Essendon 22 10 11 1 2080 2127 97.8 42
9 Hawthorn 22 9 13 0 1962 2120 92.5 36
10 Port Adelaide 22 9 13 0 1990 2244 88.7 36
11 West Coast 22 8 14 0 1893 2029 93.3 32
12 Sydney 22 8 14 0 1888 2027 93.1 32
13 North Melbourne 22 7 14 1 1680 2015 83.4 30
14 Fremantle 22 6 16 0 1747 2259 77.3 24
15 Richmond 22 5 16 1 1774 2388 74.3 22
16 Melbourne 22 4 18 0 1706 2285 74.7 16
Source: AFL ladder
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.
Team ╲ Round12345678910111213141516171819202122
St Kilda481216202428323640444852566064687276767680
Geelong481216202428323640444852525256606464686872
Western Bulldogs481212121216202024283236404044444848525660
Collingwood044881212121620242832364040444852566060
Adelaide4488121212121620242832364040444444485256
Brisbane Lions448881216202024242832323640444446465054
Carlton4888121212161620242424283236364044485252
Essendon0488121216162020202428283232323234383842
Hawthorn004481212162020242424242832323232323636
Port Adelaide44812121616202020242424282832323636363636
West Coast04488812121212121216161616162024282832
Sydney044881212162020202020242424282832323232
North Melbourne44488812121616161616161618181822222630
Fremantle00004812121212121212121212161620202424
Richmond000044444881212121214182222222222
Melbourne000444444444481212121212161616
Source:

Finals series
Main article: 2009 AFL finals series
  Qualifying / Elimination finals Semi-finals Preliminary finals Grand final
                                   
  QF1: 6 September, MCG  
1  St Kilda 12.8 (80)  
4  Collingwood 7.10 (52)     SF1: 12 September, MCG  
     Collingwood 12.11 (83)    
EF1: 4 September, AAMI Stadium      Adelaide 11.12 (78)       PF1: 18 September, MCG
5  Adelaide 26.10 (166)        St Kilda 9.6 (60)  
8  Essendon 10.10 (70)          Western Bulldogs 7.11 (53)     GF: 26 September, MCG
         St Kilda 9.14 (68)
  EF2: 5 September, The Gabba       PF2: 19 September, MCG      Geelong 12.8 (80)
6  Brisbane Lions 16.15 (111)          Geelong 17.18 (120)  
7  Carlton 15.14 (104)     SF2: 11 September, MCG        Collingwood 6.11 (47)  
     Western Bulldogs 16.11 (107)    
QF2: 5 September, MCG      Brisbane Lions 8.8 (56)    
2  Geelong 14.12 (96)  
3  Western Bulldogs 12.10 (82)  

Week one
Qualifying and Elimination Finals
4 September (8:15 pm) Adelaide 26.10 (166) def. Essendon 10.10 (70) AAMI Stadium (crowd: 50,393) Report
5 September (2:30 pm) Geelong 14.12 (96) def. Western Bulldogs 12.10 (82) MCG (crowd: 74,007) Report
5 September (7:30 pm) Brisbane Lions 16.15 (111) def. Carlton 15.14 (104) The Gabba (crowd: 32,702) Report
6 September (2:30 pm) St Kilda 12.8 (80) def. Collingwood 7.10 (52) MCG (crowd: 84,213) Report
  • Brisbane came back from 30 points down early in the final quarter to defeat Carlton by 7 points.

Week two
Semi Finals
11 September (7:45 pm) Western Bulldogs 16.11 (107) def. Brisbane Lions 8.8 (56) MCG (crowd: 47,030) Report
12 September (7:30 pm) Collingwood 12.11 (83) def. Adelaide 11.12 (78) MCG (crowd: 62,184) Report

Week three
Preliminary Finals
18 September (7:45 pm) St Kilda 9.6 (60) def. Western Bulldogs 7.11 (53) MCG (crowd: 78,245) Report
19 September (7:30 pm) Geelong 17.18 (120) def. Collingwood 6.11 (47) MCG (crowd: 87,258) Report

Week four
Main article: 2009 AFL Grand Final
Grand Final
26 September (2:30 pm) St Kilda def. by Geelong MCG (crowd: 99,251) Report
3.2 (20)
7.7 (49)
9.11 (65)
 9.14 (68)		 Q1
Q2
Q3
 Final		 3.0 (18)
7.1 (43)
9.4 (58)
 12.8 (80)		 Umpires: McBurney, Rosebury, Ryan
Norm Smith Medal: Paul Chapman (Geelong)
Schneider 2
Goddard, Hayes, Dempster, Jones, Koschitzke, Riewoldt, Montagna 1		 Goals 3 Chapman
2 Mooney, Hawkins, Rooke
1 Selwood, Byrnes, Ablett
Gram, Hayes, Ball, Jones, Montagna, Baker, Goddard Best Chapman, Rooke, Milburn, Taylor, Selwood, Ablett, Corey, Bartel, Ling, Scarlett
Goddard (broken nose and collarbone), Riewoldt (torn adductor muscle) Injuries Chapman (hamstring), Taylor (broken hand)
Nil Reports Nil
  • The Grand Final between St Kilda and Geelong was the first time these two teams had played each other in a Grand Final.
  • For the first time since the 1984 Grand Final, a team was behind at three-quarter time and went on to win the premiership.
  • For the first time since the 1989 Grand Final, a team had won three quarters and still lost the premiership.
  • In the whole finals series (until the Grand Final), all the home sides had won.

Awards

Best and fairest
Club Award name Winner Ref.
Adelaide Malcolm Blight Medal Bernie Vince [5]
Brisbane Lions Merrett-Murray Medal Jonathan Brown [6]
Carlton John Nicholls Medal Chris Judd [7]
Collingwood Copeland Trophy Dane Swan [8]
Essendon Crichton Medal Jobe Watson [9]
Fremantle Doig Medal Aaron Sandilands [10]
Geelong Carji Greeves Medal Gary Ablett / Corey Enright [11]
Hawthorn Peter Crimmins Medal Sam Mitchell [12]
Melbourne Keith 'Bluey' Truscott Medal Aaron Davey [13]
North Melbourne Syd Barker Medal Andrew Swallow [14]
Port Adelaide John Cahill Medal Warren Tredrea [15]
Richmond Jack Dyer Medal Brett Deledio [16]
St Kilda Trevor Barker Award Nick Riewoldt [17]
Sydney Bob Skilton Medal Ryan O'Keefe [18]
West Coast Club Champion Award Darren Glass [19]
Western Bulldogs Charles Sutton Medal Matthew Boyd [20]

AFL Rising Star
Main article: 2009 AFL Rising Star

The 2009 award was won by Daniel Rich from the Brisbane Lions.[21]

Goal of the Year
Main article: Goal of the Year (Australia)

The Australian Football League celebrates the best goal of the season through the annual Goal of the Year competition. From 2009 onwards, the commercial name for the award is the AFL Stores Goal of the Year.

Nominations[22]

Mark of the Year
Main article: Mark of the Year

The Australian Football League celebrates the best mark of the season through the annual Mark of the Year competition. From 2009 onwards, the commercial name for the award is the Hungry Jack's Mark of the Year.

Nominations[24]

AFL Army Award
Main article: AFL Army Award

The Australian Football League, with the support of the Australian Army, recognises players who produce an act or acts of bravery or selflessness to promote the cause of his team during a game. Each week three players and what they did are made available on the AFL Army Award website for supporters to vote on. The player with the highest percentage of the vote is the AFL Army Award nominee for that round.

Nominations

For the full list of round-by-round nominees, see 2009 AFL Army Award.

Club leadership
Club Coach Captain(s) Vice Captain(s)/Leadership Group
Adelaide Neil Craig Simon Goodwin Tyson Edwards, Brett Burton, Ben Rutten, Nathan van Berlo, Michael Doughty, Scott Stevens[25]
Brisbane Lions Michael Voss Jonathan Brown Simon Black, Luke Power, Jed Adcock, Daniel Merrett
Carlton Brett Ratten Chris Judd Heath Scotland, Nick Stevens
Collingwood Mick Malthouse Nick Maxwell Josh Fraser (vc), Scott Pendlebury (vc), Shane O'Bree, Dane Swan, Tarkyn Lockyer[26]
Essendon Matthew Knights Matthew Lloyd Scott Lucas (vc), Mark McVeigh, Adam McPhee, Andrew Welsh, David Hille, Jobe Watson
Fremantle Mark Harvey Matthew Pavlich Luke McPharlin, Aaron Sandilands, Antoni Grover, Des Headland
Geelong Mark Thompson Tom Harley Cameron Ling (vc), Joel Corey (dvc), Joel Selwood, Gary Ablett, Jimmy Bartel, Corey Enright
Hawthorn Alastair Clarkson Sam Mitchell Luke Hodge (vc)
Melbourne Dean Bailey James McDonald Cameron Bruce (vc), Brad Green, Brad Miller, Brent Moloney, Brock McLean
North Melbourne Dean Laidley Brent Harvey Drew Petrie (vc)
Port Adelaide Mark Williams Domenic Cassisi[27] Shaun Burgoyne (vc), Kane Cornes (vc)
Richmond Terry Wallace Chris Newman Nathan Foley, Kelvin Moore, Brett Deledio[28]
St Kilda Ross Lyon Nick Riewoldt Lenny Hayes
Sydney Paul Roos Brett Kirk[29] Craig Bolton, Adam Goodes
West Coast John Worsfold Darren Glass Dean Cox (vc), Tyson Stenglein, Matthew Priddis, Adam Selwood, Beau Waters
Western Bulldogs Rodney Eade Brad Johnson

Umpiring and rule changes

Two rule changes were introduced into the regular season[30]

  • If a player is not 'under pressure' and deliberately rushes a behind would be penalised by a free kick at the spot that the ball was rushed;
  • If a player tackles an opponent after he disposes of the ball, preventing him from taking further part in the play, then a free kick and 50m penalty is paid.

Umpires were also encouraged to recall a centre bounce if it is offline, throwing it up the second time.

Players contacting umpires continued to be an issue with several players fined for making contact with umpires as they retreated from ball-ups. In related offences, Collingwood's Heath Shaw was suspended for one week after touching an umpire's shoulder, and Hawthorn president Jeff Kennett was fined $5000 after criticising the umpires on radio.[31]

Coach changes
Coach Club Caretaker Coach (for 2009) Date New Coach (2010– )
Terry Wallace Richmond Jade Rawlings 1 June 2009 Damien Hardwick
Dean Laidley North Melbourne Darren Crocker 16 June 2009 Brad Scott

See also

References
  1. Ben Cousins denied AFL return; 15 December 2008
  2. 2009 NAB AFL Pre-Season and Rookie Drafts
  3. Ralph, Jon (3 August 2011), "How Melbourne tanked in 2009", Herald Sun, Melbourne, VIC, retrieved 10 November 2011
  4. Wilson, Caroline (20 February 2013), "Demons cleared, guilty, fined", The Age, Melbourne, VIC, retrieved 20 February 2013
  5. Double delight for birthday boy afc.com.au. Retrieved 2 October 2009. Archived 4 October 2009.
  6. Lions Club Champion winners lions.com.au. Retrieved 2 October 2009. Archived 4 October 2009.
  7. "Judd best of the Blues". Fairfax Digital. 29 September 2009. Archived from the original on 1 October 2009. Retrieved 29 September 2009.
  8. "Swan takes back-to-back Copeland Trophies". AFL.com.au. 2 October 2009. Archived from the original on 4 October 2009. Retrieved 2 October 2009.
  9. "Watson wins, and more honours beckon". Fairfax Digital. 1 October 2009. Archived from the original on 3 October 2009. Retrieved 1 October 2009.
  10. O'Donoghue, Craig (9 October 2009). "Honour for Sandilands as Tarrant vows to stay". The West Australian. Retrieved 10 October 2009.
  11. "Ablett, Enright tie for B&F". gfc.com.au. 1 October 2009. Archived from the original on 4 October 2009. Retrieved 4 October 2009.
  12. "Mitchell 2009 Peter Crimmins Medalist". hawthornfc.com.au. 3 October 2009. Archived from the original on 17 October 2009. Retrieved 4 October 2009.
  13. "Davey Wins His First Truscott Trophy". melbournefc.com.au. 21 October 2009. Archived from the original on 20 July 2011. Retrieved 22 October 2009.
  14. "Swallow wins Syd Barker Medal". kangaroos.com.au. 2 October 2009. Archived from the original on 21 October 2009. Retrieved 4 October 2009.
  15. "Tredrea Wins His Fourth John Cahill Medal". portadelaidefc.com.au. 3 October 2009. Archived from the original on 6 October 2009. Retrieved 4 October 2009.
  16. "Deledio goes back to back at B&F". richmondfc.com.au. 16 September 2007. Archived from the original on 27 September 2009. Retrieved 19 September 2009.
  17. "Riewoldt's B&F win sets new record". saints.com.au. 3 October 2009. Archived from the original on 6 October 2009. Retrieved 4 October 2009.
  18. "O'Keefe named Club Champion". sydneyswans.com.au. 11 September 2007. Archived from the original on 27 September 2009. Retrieved 19 September 2009.
  19. "Glass wins club champion award". westcoasteagles.com.au. 12 September 2007. Archived from the original on 27 September 2009. Retrieved 19 September 2009.
  20. "Boyd wins Charles Sutton Medal". westernbulldogs.com.au. 3 October 2009. Archived from the original on 6 October 2009. Retrieved 4 October 2009.
  21. Holmesby, Luke (2 September 2009). "Rich wins rising star". AFL.com.au. Archived from the original on 7 October 2009. Retrieved 4 July 2010.
  22. "2009 AFL Stores Goal of the Year". Archived from the original on 24 July 2009. Retrieved 19 July 2009.
  23. Burton, Rioli win mark and goal of the year Archived 29 September 2009 at the Wayback Machine afl.com.au. Retrieved 4 October 2009.
  24. "2009 Hungry Jacks Mark of the Year". Archived from the original on 6 September 2009. Retrieved 3 September 2009.
  25. "Goodwin to lead Crows again". AFL. 5 December 2008. Archived from the original on 5 December 2008. Retrieved 7 December 2008.
  26. Maxwell announced as Magpie captain Archived 6 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine; 17 December 2008; collingwoodfc.com.au
  27. Cassisi takes over Power leadership; 9 February 2009; ABC
  28. Chris Newman now top Tiger; 19 November 2008; Fox Sports
  29. Co-captaincy for Goodes Archived 6 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine; 13 February 2009; AFL
  30. All clear for rushed behind rule; (20 March 2009)
  31. Smith, Patrick (20 April 2009) Umpires cop it from all sides
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