| Seasons |
|---|
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♦ 1987 ♦ 1988 ♦ 1989 ♦ 1990 1991 ♦ 1992 ♦ 1993 ♦ 1994 ♦ 1995 1996 ♦ 1997 ♦ 1998 ♦ 1999 ♦ 2000 2001 ♦ 2002 ♦ 2003 ♦ 2004 ♦ 2005 2006 ♦ 2007 ♦ 2008 ♦ 2009 ♦ 2010 2011 ♦ 2012 ♦ 2013 ♦ 2014 ♦ 2015 2016 ♦ 2017 ♦ 2018 ♦ 2019 ♦ 2020♦ 2021♦ 2022♦ 2023♦ |
Although the league was still called the VFL until this season, this is the unofficial fourth AFL season as the league expanded from 12 clubs to 14 clubs in 1987. The new clubs were West Coast Eagles and Brisbane Bears.
Club Changes
- Mick Malthouse left Footscray to become the coach at West Coast Eagles. Terry Wheeler replaced him as coach at Footscray.
- North Melbourne appointed one of their favorite players, Wayne Schimmelbusch as their coach.
- Ken Sheldon replaced Darrel Baldock as coach at St Kilda.
- Norm Dare was appointed coach at Brisbane Bears.
In his 1st season at West Coast Eagles, Mick Malthouse took the club up 8 places into the finals series. Whilst Geelong fell 7 places to 10th.
Titles
After qualifying for last season's finals series, Collingwood took the next step by winning the premiership. Essendon, after finishing second in 1989, were the minor premiers. Whilst Brisbane Bears won its first wooden spoon in its 4th season in the AFL.
Medals
The Coleman Medal for the leading goalscorer was awarded to John Longmire of North Melbourne. Tony Liberatore of Footscray won the Brownlow Medal.
Ladder
| # | 1989 | Team | Home Ground | Coach | Captain |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ▲ 1 |  Essendon
|
Windy Hill | Kevin Sheedy | Tim Watson |
| 2 | ▲ 3 |  Collingwood
|
Victoria Park | Leigh Matthews | Tony Shaw |
| 3 | ▲ 8 |  West Coast Eagles
|
WACA/Subiaco Oval | Mick Malthouse | Steve Malaxos |
| 4 | — |  Melbourne
|
MCG | John Northey | Greg Healy |
| 5 | ▼ 4 |  Hawthorn
|
Princes Park | Allan Jeans | Michael Tuck |
| 6 | ▲ 3 |  North Melbourne
|
MCG | Wayne Schimmelbusch | Matthew Larkin |
| 7 | ▲ 6 |  Footscray
|
Western Oval | Terry Wheeler | Doug Hawkins |
| 8 | — |  Carlton
|
Princes Park | Alex Jesaulenko | Stephen Kernahan |
| 9 | ▲ 3 |  St Kilda
|
Moorabbin Oval | Ken Sheldon | Danny Frawley |
| 10 | ▼ 7 |  Geelong
|
Kardinia Park | Malcolm Blight | Andrew Bews |
| 11 | ▲ 3 |  Richmond
|
MCG | Kevin Bartlett | Dale Weightman |
| 12 | ▼ 6 | Fitzroy | Princes Park | Rod Austin | Paul Roos |
| 13 | ▼ 6 |  Sydney Swans
|
SCG | Col Kinnear | Dennis Carroll |
| 14 | ▼ 4 | Brisbane Bears | Carrara Stadium | Norm Dare | Roger Merrett |
Finals Series
| Qualifying Semi Final | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Essendon | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Collingwood | Grand Final | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Collingwood | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Qualifying Final | Preliminary Final | Essendon | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Collingwood | Essendon | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 3 | West Coast Eagles | Eliminating Semi Final | West Coast Eagles | |||||||||||||||||||
| West Coast Eagles | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Elimination Final | Melbourne | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Melbourne | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 5 | Hawthorn | |||||||||||||||||||||
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