ProductEvidenceNotebookPricingFAQ
Sign inOpen the tool
ProductEvidencePricingFAQNotebookSign in
AFLThe season, counted
SydneyAFL club
FremantleAFL club
HawthornAFL club
Brisbane LionsAFL club

The last four: every game of the AFL preliminary finalists' 2026 seasons

Fremantle, Sydney, Brisbane Lions and Hawthorn finished first to fourth and are the last four: every game of their 2026 seasons, side by side.

By Adam16 Sept 20262 min readNumbers to the semi-finals
Figure 1

Every game of the last four's seasons

margin in points · home and away, then finals · the same scale in every panel

Fremantle1 · 19–4

Sydney2 · 18–5

Brisbane Lions3 · 16–7

Hawthorn4 · 15–6–2

won bylost bydashed line = finals begin · panel title = ladder position and record
Note: One column per game in the order played; every panel runs from a loss of 80 to a win of 140, so a column is the same height wherever it sits. Hawthorn's two draws are the flat gaps at zero. Completed games only.Source: Punt's database, read 16 September 2026.
Show the numbers
ClubRoundOpponentScoreMarginVenue
FremantleRound 1Geelong100–110−10Kardinia Park
FremantleRound 2Melbourne118–70+48Perth Stadium
FremantleRound 3Richmond103–43+60Perth Stadium
FremantleRound 4Adelaide78–76+2Adelaide Oval
FremantleRound 5Collingwood45–39+6Adelaide Oval
FremantleRound 6West Coast97–41+56Perth Stadium
FremantleRound 7Carlton103–89+14Perth Stadium
FremantleRound 8Western Bulldogs114–102+12Docklands
FremantleRound 9Hawthorn88–73+15Perth Stadium
FremantleRound 10Essendon104–61+43MCG
FremantleRound 11St Kilda104–74+30Perth Stadium
FremantleRound 12Brisbane Lions103–78+25Gabba
FremantleRound 13North Melbourne155–31+124Hands Oval
FremantleRound 15Geelong99–90+9Perth Stadium
FremantleRound 16Gold Coast80–29+51Perth Stadium
FremantleRound 17Greater Western Sydney88–109−21Manuka Oval
FremantleRound 18Sydney111–73+38Perth Stadium
FremantleRound 19Port Adelaide103–75+28Adelaide Oval
FremantleRound 20West Coast112–42+70Perth Stadium
FremantleRound 21Western Bulldogs78–41+37Perth Stadium
FremantleRound 22Melbourne109–113−4MCG
FremantleRound 23Adelaide112–88+24Perth Stadium
FremantleRound 24Carlton82–119−37Docklands
FremantleFinals Week 1Hawthorn40–72−32Perth Stadium
FremantleSemi-FinalsGeelong120–106+14Perth Stadium
SydneyOpening RoundCarlton132–69+63SCG
SydneyRound 1Brisbane Lions104–60+44SCG
SydneyRound 2Hawthorn82–99−17MCG
SydneyRound 4West Coast163–35+128Perth Stadium
SydneyRound 5Gold Coast100–68+32Norwood Oval
SydneyRound 6Greater Western Sydney107–66+41SCG
SydneyRound 7Western Bulldogs126–60+66Docklands
SydneyRound 8Melbourne131–114+17SCG
SydneyRound 9North Melbourne105–97+8Docklands
SydneyRound 10Collingwood81–75+6SCG
SydneyRound 11Geelong80–107−27Kardinia Park
SydneyRound 12Richmond170–56+114SCG
SydneyRound 13St Kilda104–102+2SCG
SydneyRound 14Port Adelaide93–90+3Adelaide Oval
SydneyRound 16Brisbane Lions83–126−43Gabba
SydneyRound 17Western Bulldogs90–55+35SCG
SydneyRound 18Fremantle73–111−38Perth Stadium
SydneyRound 19Adelaide71–87−16SCG
SydneyRound 20Greater Western Sydney139–88+51Sydney Showground
SydneyRound 21St Kilda107–88+19Docklands
SydneyRound 22Port Adelaide167–70+97SCG
SydneyRound 23Essendon112–76+36MCG
SydneyRound 24North Melbourne123–70+53SCG
SydneyFinals Week 1Brisbane Lions141–88+53SCG
Brisbane LionsOpening RoundWestern Bulldogs106–111−5Gabba
Brisbane LionsRound 1Sydney60–104−44SCG
Brisbane LionsRound 3St Kilda113–80+33Docklands
Brisbane LionsRound 4Collingwood119–65+54Gabba
Brisbane LionsRound 5North Melbourne92–66+26Barossa Park
Brisbane LionsRound 6Melbourne102–104−2MCG
Brisbane LionsRound 7Adelaide127–75+52Gabba
Brisbane LionsRound 8Essendon143–79+64Docklands
Brisbane LionsRound 9Carlton100–89+11Gabba
Brisbane LionsRound 10Geelong76–117−41Gabba
Brisbane LionsRound 11Greater Western Sydney88–166−78Sydney Showground
Brisbane LionsRound 12Fremantle78–103−25Gabba
Brisbane LionsRound 13Gold Coast106–75+31Carrara
Brisbane LionsRound 14Richmond115–80+35Bellerive Oval
Brisbane LionsRound 16Sydney126–83+43Gabba
Brisbane LionsRound 17Geelong123–101+22Kardinia Park
Brisbane LionsRound 18Essendon149–59+90Gabba
Brisbane LionsRound 19West Coast93–69+24Perth Stadium
Brisbane LionsRound 20Port Adelaide126–67+59Gabba
Brisbane LionsRound 21Carlton78–154−76Docklands
Brisbane LionsRound 22Hawthorn125–58+67Gabba
Brisbane LionsRound 23Gold Coast95–53+42Gabba
Brisbane LionsRound 24Collingwood159–96+63MCG
Brisbane LionsFinals Week 1Sydney88–141−53SCG
Brisbane LionsSemi-FinalsAdelaide144–91+53Gabba
HawthornOpening RoundGreater Western Sydney95–122−27Sydney Showground
HawthornRound 1Essendon145–83+62MCG
HawthornRound 2Sydney99–82+17MCG
HawthornRound 4Geelong92–91+1MCG
HawthornRound 5Western Bulldogs104–64+40Adelaide Oval
HawthornRound 6Port Adelaide89–86+3Docklands
HawthornRound 7Gold Coast112–63+49York Park
HawthornRound 8Collingwood93–930MCG
HawthornRound 9Fremantle73–88−15Perth Stadium
HawthornRound 10Melbourne81–120−39MCG
HawthornRound 11Adelaide75–66+9York Park
HawthornRound 12St Kilda119–67+52Docklands
HawthornRound 13Western Bulldogs71–77−6MCG
HawthornRound 15Gold Coast113–97+16Carrara
HawthornRound 16Greater Western Sydney96–82+14MCG
HawthornRound 17Melbourne90–125−35York Park
HawthornRound 18Carlton103–39+64MCG
HawthornRound 19Richmond122–52+70MCG
HawthornRound 20Essendon132–39+93MCG
HawthornRound 21North Melbourne99–83+16York Park
HawthornRound 22Brisbane Lions58–125−67Gabba
HawthornRound 23Collingwood92–920MCG
HawthornRound 24West Coast107–45+62Perth Stadium
HawthornFinals Week 1Fremantle72–40+32Perth Stadium

Why?

The last four are the top four on the ladder, and both preliminary finals are rematches from the season. I wanted to lay every game of their four seasons side by side.

Split by a win, then by percentage

Fremantle finished first on 76 premiership points. Sydney were second, a win behind on points and a whisker behind on percentage. Brisbane Lions and Hawthorn both finished on 64 points, and percentage split them. Hawthorn's 64 came from 15 wins and two draws. Brisbane Lions had 16 wins.

Every club's percentage, with its points beside it:

Figure 2

Percentage, every club

points for ÷ points against × 100 · home and away · the last four in ink

100: scored as many as conceded

Fremantle 76 pts137.2
Sydney 72 pts136.1
Brisbane Lions 64 pts121.7
Hawthorn 64 pts120.1
Geelong 60 pts122.3
Adelaide 60 pts117.3
Melbourne 60 pts109.6
Western Bulldogs 54 pts95.4
Collingwood 52 pts102.4
Carlton 50 pts101.5
St Kilda 40 pts102.8
Greater Western Sydney 40 pts98.9
Gold Coast 36 pts94.5
North Melbourne 36 pts88.8
Port Adelaide 28 pts88.0
West Coast 16 pts69.2
Richmond 12 pts62.5
Essendon 8 pts64.6
the last fourevery other club100: scored as many as conceded
Note: Ladder order: premiership points first, then percentage.Source: Punt's database, read 16 September 2026.
Show the numbers
PositionClubWonLostDrawnPointsPercentage
1Fremantle194076137.2
2Sydney185072136.1
3Brisbane Lions167064121.7
4Hawthorn156264120.1
5Geelong158060122.3
6Adelaide158060117.3
7Melbourne158060109.6
8Western Bulldogs13915495.4
9Collingwood129252102.4
10Carlton1210150101.5
11St Kilda1013040102.8
12Greater Western Sydney101304098.9
13Gold Coast91403694.5
14North Melbourne91403688.8
15Port Adelaide71602888.0
16West Coast41901669.2
17Richmond32001262.5
18Essendon2210864.6

Four seasons, four shapes

Each club's biggest win and heaviest loss:

ClubBiggest winHeaviest loss
Fremantle124 v North Melbourne (Round 13)37 v Carlton (Round 24)
Sydney128 v West Coast (Round 4)43 v Brisbane Lions (Round 16)
Brisbane Lions90 v Essendon (Round 18)78 v Greater Western Sydney (Round 11)
Hawthorn93 v Essendon (Round 20)67 v Brisbane Lions (Round 22)

Sydney finished the home-and-away season with five straight wins. They won four games by 10 points or fewer and did not lose one by that little: every Sydney loss was by more than 10.

Brisbane Lions took the heaviest loss of the four. None of their 16 wins was by 10 points or fewer.

Hawthorn's heaviest loss came two weeks after their biggest win, against Brisbane Lions in Round 22. Fremantle's heaviest loss was their last home-and-away game, against Carlton.

↗Every AFL player's game logEach player at the four clubs, game by game, finals included.Open the AFL players →

Two went the long way

Sydney and Hawthorn won in finals week 1 and went straight through. Fremantle and Brisbane Lions lost, then won their semi-finals.

Finals week 1 · Perth Stadium

Hawthorn72

Fremantle40

Finals week 1 · SCG

Sydney141

Brisbane Lions88

Semi-final · Perth Stadium

Fremantle120

Geelong106

Semi-final · Gabba

Brisbane Lions144

Adelaide91

Both preliminary finals are rematches from the season.

Round 18 · Perth Stadium

Fremantle111

Sydney73

Round 22 · Gabba

Brisbane Lions125

Hawthorn58

Preliminary finalsNot played when read

Brisbane Lions reached this point as the club that won the last two grand finals, both at the MCG:

YearBeatScore
2024Sydney120–60
2025Geelong122–75

And the preliminary finals?

The preliminary finals were scheduled for 18 and 19 September, after these numbers were read on 16 September, and nothing on this page says how they went. I want to add them and the Grand Final next, to see which of these four seasons ended with the flag.

Summary

Last four
1st–4thon the ladder
Season meetings
+38Fremantle, R18+67Brisbane Lions, R22
Grand finals
120–60Lions v Sydney, 2024122–75Lions v Geelong, 2025

The working

Definitions, sources and when the numbers were read
Ladder
Home-and-away Rounds 0 (Opening Round) to 24. Four premiership points a win, two a draw, then percentage.
Percentage
Points for ÷ points against × 100, home-and-away games only.
Margins
Every completed 2026 game for each club, home and away then finals, in date order.
Grand finals
2024 and 2025 results as stored: Brisbane Lions 120, Sydney 60; Brisbane Lions 122, Geelong 75.
Scheduled
Preliminary finals as listed on the read date: Sydney v Fremantle on 18 September, Hawthorn v Brisbane Lions on 19 September.
Read
16 September 2026, from Punt's database. Completed games only.
Not in this article
Who wins either preliminary final or the grand final, or anything about prices.
Sources and terms
Every source Punt uses, with its licence, is on Credits. The terms are defined in the Glossary, and the methodology page sets out where every number comes from and the rules it follows.
The notebook, by email

New articles, by email. At most one a day, and never a pick.

Every AFL playerGame by game, finals includedOpen

Keep reading

All articles →
AFL
020406080ORR4R8R12R16R20R24Charlie Curnow 69Logan Morris 63Ben King 60
The season, counted3 min readThe Coleman race, goal by goalBen King led the AFL goalkicking count for most of 2026. Charlie Curnow went past in Round 18 and finished the home and away on 69, six clear of Logan Morris.AFL
No rain164
<1mm156
1–2mm152
2–5mm144
5mm+143
The season, counted4 min readDoes rain change an AFL game?Rain takes about 20 points off an AFL game. Only 13 games in eight seasons were properly wet, and the gap between games is twice the gap between wet and dry.AFL
1918ORR4R8R12R16R20R24Fremantle
The season, counted2 min readFremantle went from 13th to top, and stayed there for 14 roundsRound by round: how the AFL's minor premiers climbed the ladder, what their margins looked like on the way, and how their finals have gone so far.

AFL, NRL, NBL, WNBA, NBA and NFL player-props research: hit rates, game logs and matchups — so every prop is a decision, not a guess.

Product

Games tonightPricingSign in

Players

AFL playersNRL playersNBL playersWNBA playersNBA playersNFL players

Company

AboutBlogContact

Resources

GlossaryMethodologyAcknowledgements

Legal

TermsPrivacyResponsible gamblingAccessibility
© 2026 Project Punt Pty Ltd · ABN 99 701 641 698 · Sydney · 18+. Gamble responsibly. Every number is a count of what already happened, with what it is out of. Nothing here is a tip.