2012 AFL season explained

Competition:	afl
Year:	2012
Teams:	18
Count:	5
Mpcount:	8
Pscount:	2
Matches:	207
Attendance:	6778559
Highattendha:	86,932 (round 5, v)
Highattendfinals:	99,683 (Grand Final, vs.)
Top Goal Scorer:	Jack Riewoldt (65 goals)
Brownlow Medal:	Sam Mitchell Trent Cotchin (both 26 votes)
Prevseason:	2011
Nextseason:	2013

The 2012 AFL season was the 116th season of the Australian Football League (AFL), the highest level senior Australian rules football competition in Australia, which was known as the Victorian Football League until 1989.

The season featured eighteen clubs, with addition of the newly established Greater Western Sydney Giants, which was based in Western Sydney and split its home games between Sydney and Canberra.

The season ran from 24 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 Sydney Swans for the fifth time, after it defeated by ten points in the 2012 AFL Grand Final.

Pre-season

Draft

See main article: 2011 AFL Draft. The 2011 National Draft was held on 24 November in Sydney, making it only the second time it was held out of Melbourne. This is due to the entry of .^[1]

NAB Cup

See main article: 2012 NAB Cup. Adelaide won the 2012 pre-season competition following a 34-point win over the West Coast Eagles at AAMI Stadium. It was their second pre-season cup premiership.

Premiership season

The fixture for this season was officially announced on 28 October 2011.^[2] Some of the features of the fixture included:

• Each team played twenty-two matches over twenty-three rounds.
• Each team had one bye, located between rounds 11 and 13. This is similar in practice to the split round concept, which (prior to 2011) saw one of the mid-season rounds played over two weeks, giving each team one week off.
• Due to concern over one-sided matches featuring the two newest teams (and), their fixtures were adjusted so that they played each of the top five teams from 2011 only once.
• For the first time, each Victorian team travelled interstate at least five times, and each team travelled to Perth at least once.
• Blundstone Arena, Blacktown International Sportspark and Škoda Stadium hosted home and away matches for the first time in 2012.
• As had been the case since 2010, the final round of matches was given a floating fixture. Exact dates were determined later in the season with a view to giving likely finalists the longest possible break ahead of their first final.

The addition of a ninth match in each round, and the new television rights deal requiring most matches to be shown live, influenced the scheduling of matches, and changed some traditional match starting times. In typical rounds, where nine matches were played between Friday and Sunday, the changes were:

• Friday night matches began at 7:50 pm EST instead of 7:40 pm, or 8:40 pm EST when played in South Australia or Western Australia.
• Saturday afternoon matches began at 1:40 pm EST and 1:45 pm/2:10 pm EST.
• A regular Saturday match was scheduled beginning at 4:40 pm EST – which was either a twilight match on the east coast, or an afternoon match in Perth.
• Saturday night matches began at 7:40 pm EST instead of 7:10 pm.
• The second Sunday afternoon match began at 3:15 pm instead of the traditional 2:10 pm. This change was to allow the Seven Network to show the match live into Victoria, and use it as a lead-in to its struggling 6:00 pm news bulletin.

Rule changes

Following two high profile goal umpiring errors in the previous three years' grand finals, in which goals were awarded to Tom Hawkins (2009) and Sharrod Wellingham (2011) for shots which hit the post, video score reviews were introduced to AFL games for the first time. A score review could be initiated by the field umpire, at his own discretion or on request by the goal umpire, and television broadcast footage would be reviewed for visual evidence to overturn an on-field goal umpiring decision.^[3]

Round 23

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	23	F1	F2	F3	GF	Ladder
	GCS +69	WB +18	Haw -56	GWS +46	PA +19	Syd +5	Geel +50	Carl +69	Coll -26	Frem +29	X	StK +4	NM -32	Rich +19	PA +58	GWS +119	WCE +49	Geel -27	Ess +4	Frem +28	BL -10	Melb +69	GCS +91	Syd -29	Frem +10	Haw -5	X	2
	Melb +41	Carl -91	Frem -29	GCS +65	Geel -39	Ess -67	Coll -58	GWS +92	NM -16	WCE +2	X	Haw -65	WB +58	Melb +61	Syd -47	StK -13	GCS +11	WCE -98	Rich -48	Carl -36	Adel +10	PA +11	WB +67	X	X	X	X	13
	Rich +44	BL +91	Coll +60	Ess -30	Frem +8	GWS +67	StK -24	Adel -69	Melb +58	PA -54	Geel -12	WCE -10	X	Haw -50	Coll +23	NM -53	WB +18	Rich +4	Syd -22	BL +36	Ess +96	GCS -12	StK -15	X	X	X	X	10
	Haw -22	Rich +21	Carl -60	PA +24	Ess +1	WB +21	BL +58	Geel +12	Adel +26	GCS +97	Melb +42	X	WCE +3	Frem +29	Carl -23	Geel +31	Haw -47	GWS +120	StK +6	Syd +8	NM -30	WCE -49	Ess +32	Haw -38	WCE +13	Syd -26	X	4
	NM +2	PA +25	GCS +17	Carl +30	Coll -1	BL +67	WCE +61	Rich +19	GWS +66	Melb -6	Syd -4	X	Frem +24	WB +84	StK -71	PA +50	Geel -67	Haw -94	Adel -4	NM -24	Carl -96	Rich -45	Coll -32	X	X	X	X	11
	Geel +4	Syd -13	BL +29	StK +13	Carl -8	GCS +7	PA +40	Haw -56	WCE -48	Adel -29	Rich +12	X	Ess -24	Coll -29	WB +38	Melb +34	GWS +95	PA +27	WCE +65	Adel -28	Rich +22	NM +53	Melb +61	Geel +16	Adel -10	X	X	7
	Frem -4	Haw +2	NM -17	Rich +10	BL +38	Melb +43	Adel -50	Coll -12	WB +20	GWS +65	Carl +12	X	Syd -6	PA +38	GCS +14	Coll -31	Ess +67	Adel +27	Haw +2	WCE -5	StK +42	WB +34	Syd +34	Frem -16	X	X	X	6
	Adel -69	StK -92	Ess -17	BL -65	NM -34	Frem -7	GWS -27	WB -38	PA -48	Coll -97	StK -95	NM -7	X	WCE -126	Geel -14	Rich +2	BL -11	Syd -72	Melb -42	GWS +30	Haw -64	Carl +12	Adel -91	X	X	X	X	17
GWS Giants	Syd -63	NM -129	WCE -81	Adel -46	WB -42	Carl -67	GCS +27	BL -92	Ess -66	Geel -65	X	Rich -12	Melb -78	Syd -94	Haw -162	Adel -119	Frem -95	Coll -120	PA +34	GCS -30	Melb -25	StK -128	NM -28	X	X	X	X	18
	Coll +22	Geel -2	Adel +56	WCE -5	Syd -37	StK +35	Melb +66	Frem +56	Rich -62	NM +115	PA +46	BL +65	X	Carl +50	GWS +162	WB +72	Coll +47	Ess +94	Geel -2	PA +72	GCS +64	Syd +7	WCE +25	Coll +38	X	Adel +5	Syd -10	1
	BL -41	WCE -108	Rich -59	WB -21	StK -18	Geel -43	Haw -66	Syd -101	Carl -58	Ess +6	Coll -42	X	GWS +78	BL -61	Rich -23	Frem -34	PA -28	NM -54	GCS +42	StK -25	GWS +25	Adel -69	Frem -61	X	X	X	X	16
	Ess -2	GWS +129	Geel +17	Syd -36	GCS +34	WCE -25	WB -18	PA -2	BL +16	Haw -115	X	GCS +7	Adel +32	StK +33	WCE -2	Carl +53	Rich +4	Melb +54	WB +54	Ess +24	Coll +30	Frem -53	GWS +28	WCE -96	X	X	X	8
	StK +4	Ess -25	Syd -22	Coll -24	Adel -19	Rich -37	Frem -40	NM +2	GCS +48	Carl +54	Haw -46	WB -38	X	Geel -38	Adel -58	Ess -50	Melb +28	Frem -27	GWS -34	Haw -72	WCE -48	BL -11	Rich 0	X	X	X	X	14
	Carl -44	Coll -21	Melb +59	Geel -10	WCE -10	PA +37	Syd +29	Ess -19	Haw +62	StK +8	Frem -12	GWS +12	X	Adel -19	Melb +23	GCS -2	NM -4	Carl -4	BL +48	WB +70	Frem -22	Ess +45	PA 0	X	X	X	X	12
	PA -4	GCS +92	WB +63	Frem -13	Melb +18	Haw -35	Carl +24	WCE -30	Syd +28	Rich -8	GCS +95	Adel -4	X	NM -33	Ess +71	BL +13	Syd -29	WB +76	Coll -6	Melb +25	Geel -42	GWS +128	Carl +15	X	X	X	X	9
	GWS +63	Frem +13	PA +25	NM +36	Haw +37	Adel -5	Rich -29	Melb +101	StK -28	WB +92	Ess +4	X	Geel +6	GWS +94	BL +47	WCE +52	StK +29	GCS +72	Carl +22	Coll -8	WB +82	Haw -7	Geel -34	Adel +29	X	Coll +26	Haw +10	3
	WB +49	Melb +108	GWS +81	Haw +5	Rich +10	NM +25	Ess -61	StK +30	Frem +48	BL -2	X	Carl +10	Coll -3	GCS +126	NM +2	Syd -52	Adel -49	BL +98	Frem -65	Geel +5	PA +48	Coll +49	Haw -25	NM +96	Coll -13	X	X	5
	WCE -49	Adel -18	StK -63	Melb +21	GWS +42	Coll -21	NM +18	GCS +38	Geel -20	Syd -92	X	PA +38	BL -58	Ess -84	Frem -38	Haw -72	Carl -18	StK -76	NM -54	Rich -70	Syd -82	Geel -34	BL -67	X	X	X	X	15
Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	F1	F2	F3	GF	Ladder

Bold – Home game
X – Bye
Opponent for round listed above margin

Ladder

Ladder progression

Finals series

See main article: 2012 AFL finals series.

Week four

See main article: 2012 AFL Grand Final.

Awards

• The Norm Smith Medal was awarded to Ryan O'Keefe of, who got 28 disposals.
• The Brownlow Medal was originally awarded to Jobe Watson of, who received 30 votes. On 11 November 2016, Watson relinquished the medal in the wake of the Essendon supplements saga.^[4] It was subsequently re-awarded jointly to Sam Mitchell of and Trent Cotchin of, who received 26 votes each, on 15 November 2016.^[5]
• The AFL Rising Star was awarded to Daniel Talia of, who received 43 votes.
• The Coleman Medal was awarded to Jack Riewoldt of, who kicked 65 goals during the home and away season.
• The McClelland Trophy was awarded to .
• The Wooden Spoon was "awarded" to .
• The AFL Players Association awards were as follows:^[6]
  • The Leigh Matthews Trophy was awarded to Gary Ablett of, for being the Most Valuable Player throughout the premiership season.
  • The Robert Rose Award went to Joel Selwood of and Beau Waters of, for being the Most Courageous Players throughout the premiership season.
  • The Best Captain award went to Jobe Watson of .
  • The Best First-Year Player award was won by Jeremy Cameron of .
• The AFL Coaches Association Awards were as follows:^[7]
  • The Player of the Year Award was given to Trent Cotchin of, who received 107 votes.
  • The Allan Jeans Senior Coach of the Year Award was given to John Longmire of .
  • The Assistant Coach of the Year Award was given to Peter Sumich of .
  • The Best Young Player Award was given to Dyson Heppell of .
• The inaugural Jim Stynes Community Leadership Award was awarded to Daniel Jackson of .^[8]

Coleman Medal

See also: Coleman Medal.

• Numbers highlighted in blue indicates the player led the Coleman that round.
• Underlined numbers indicates the player did not play that round.

width=20 abbr="Position"		width=75px	Player	width=20 abbr="Round 1"	1	width=20 abbr="Round 2"	2	width=20 abbr="Round 3"	3	width=20 abbr="Round 4"	4	width=20 abbr="Round 5"	5	width=20 abbr="Round 6"	6	width=20 abbr="Round 7"	7	width=20 abbr="Round 8"	8	width=20 abbr="Round 9"	9	width=20 abbr="Round 10"	10	width=20 abbr="Round 11"	11	width=20 abbr="Round 12"	12	width=20 abbr="Round 13"	13	width=20 abbr="Round 14"	14	width=20 abbr="Round 15"	15	width=20 abbr="Round 16"	16	width=20 abbr="Round 17"	17	width=20 abbr="Round 18"	18	width=20 abbr="Round 19"	19	width=20 abbr="Round 20"	20	width=20 abbr="Round 21"	21	width=20 abbr="Round 22"	22	width=20 abbr="Round 23"	23	width=20 abbr="Total"	Total
1	Jack Riewoldt	4	0	1	1	2	4	4	1	6	8	1	3	0	3	1	5	3	0	2	5	2	3	6	65
2	Tom Hawkins	4	3	4	1	6	1	0	2	3	0	1	0	1	2	4	1	5	3	6	1	6	4	4	62
	Matthew Pavlich	3	0	1	1	1	1	4	0	0	3	6	0	3	5	6	4	7	2	8	2	3	0	2	62
4	Lance Franklin	5	2	3	1	0	5	3	1	1	13	4	5	0	4	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	4	4	59
5	Drew Petrie	2	2	0	1	3	1	3	5	3	1	0	2	2	4	0	7	7	4	5	0	3	0	2	57
6	Stephen Milne	2	2	3	1	2	1	4	1	3	1	2	3	0	2	5	3	5	1	3	2	4	5	1	56
7	Taylor Walker	5	3	0	1	6	5	3	0	0	4	0	2	3	5	0	0	0	0	4	4	4	4	0	53
8	Travis Cloke	2	3	1	4	3	2	2	2	0	3	2	0	5	2	2	1	1	6	1	3	0	0	5	50
9	Eddie Betts	2	2	5	4	1	0	2	0	5	1	4	0	0	2	4	2	2	4	0	3	2	2	1	48
10	Jonathan Brown	0	0	0	3	1	2	2	5	2	1	0	3	0	4	2	1	1	3	4	2	2	4	5	47

Best and fairest

Club	Award name	Player	Ref.
	Malcolm Blight Medal		^[9]
	Merrett–Murray Medal		^[10]
	John Nicholls Medal		^[11]
	Copeland Trophy		^[12]
	Crichton Medal		^[13]
	Doig Medal		^[14]
	Carji Greeves Medal		^[15]
	Club Champion		^[16]
	Kevin Sheedy Medal		^[17]
	Peter Crimmins Medal		^[18]
	Keith 'Bluey' Truscott Medal		^[19]
	Syd Barker Medal		^[20]
	John Cahill Medal		^[21]
	Jack Dyer Medal		^[22]
	Trevor Barker Award		^[23]
	Bob Skilton Medal		^[24]
	Club Champion Award		^[25]
	Charles Sutton Medal		^[26]

Player milestones

Name	Club	Milestone	Round
		^[27]
		^[28]
		^[29]
		^[30]
		^[31]
		^[32]
		^[33]
		^[34]
		^[35]

Club leadership

Club	Coach	Captain(s)	Vice-captain(s)	Leadership group
^[36]	Brenton Sanderson	Nathan van Berlo	Scott Thompson	Patrick Dangerfield, Rory Sloane, Ben Rutten
	Michael Voss	Jonathan Brown	Daniel Merrett, Tom Rockliff, Jed Adcock, Josh Drummond
	Brett Ratten	Chris Judd		Andrew Carrazzo, Bryce Gibbs, Michael Jamison, Marc Murphy, Jordan Russell, Kade Simpson, Jarrad Waite
	Nathan Buckley	Nick Maxwell	Scott Pendlebury	Luke Ball, Travis Cloke, Harry O'Brien, Heath Shaw, Dale Thomas
	James Hird	Jobe Watson		Mark McVeigh (vc), Heath Hocking, Michael Hurley, Brent Stanton, David Zaharakis
	Ross Lyon	Matthew Pavlich		Hayden Ballantyne, Matt de Boer, David Mundy, Luke McPharlin, Aaron Sandilands
	Guy McKenna	Gary Ablett	Nathan Bock	Karmichael Hunt, Andrew McQualter, Michael Rischitelli, Zac Smith, David Swallow
	Kevin Sheedy	Phil Davis, Luke Power, Callan Ward		Dean Brogan, Chad Cornes, Setanta Ó hAilpín, Rhys Palmer, Tom Scully
	Chris Scott	Joel Selwood	Jimmy Bartel	Joel Corey, Corey Enright, Steve Johnson, James Kelly, Harry Taylor
	Alastair Clarkson	Luke Hodge	Jordan Lewis, Jarryd Roughead	Lance Franklin, Sam Mitchell
	Mark Neeld	Jack Grimes, Jack Trengove		Clint Bartram, Mitch Clark, James Frawley, Colin Garland, Mark Jamar, Nathan Jones
	Brad Scott	Andrew Swallow	Drew Petrie, Jack Ziebell	Brent Harvey, Daniel Wells
	Matthew Primus (Rds 1–19); Garry Hocking (Rds 19–23)	Domenic Cassisi		Travis Boak, Hamish Hartlett, Jay Schulz, Jackson Trengove
	Damien Hardwick	Chris Newman	Trent Cotchin	Brett Deledio, Daniel Jackson, Jack Riewoldt
	Scott Watters	Nick Riewoldt		Nick Dal Santo, Sam Fisher, Brendon Goddard, James Gwilt, Ben McEvoy, Leigh Montagna, Adam Schneider
	John Longmire	Adam Goodes, Jarrad McVeigh		Jude Bolton, Kieren Jack, Jarred Moore, Ryan O'Keefe, Ted Richards, Rhyce Shaw, Nick Smith
	John Worsfold	Darren Glass	Beau Waters	Dean Cox, Andrew Embley, Shannon Hurn, Josh Kennedy, Mark LeCras, Matt Priddis, Matt Rosa, Adam Selwood, Scott Selwood
	Brendan McCartney	Matthew Boyd		Daniel Cross, Daniel Giansiracusa, Robert Murphy, Dale Morris

Club membership

2012 AFL membership figures^[37]

Club	Members	Change from 2011	% change from 2011
	45,105
	20,762
	45,800
	72,688
	47,708
	42,918
	40,205
	11,204
	10,241
	60,841
	35,459
	33,423
	35,543
	53,027
	35,440
	29,873
	57,377
	30,007
Total	707,621	7,937	1.13%

Coach changes

Coach	width=9%	Club	width=9%	Date	Notes	width=13%	Caretaker	width=13%	New coach
			Sacked following the round 19 loss to .^[38]		^[39]
			Sacked following Carlton's elimination from finals contention in round 22, effective at the end of the season.^[40]	N/A	^[41]

External links

• AFL

Notes and References

1. News: Gold Coast to host AFL draft. 20 October 2011. The Age. 26 August 2011. Melbourne.
2. Web site: Twenty-three rounds salute. 19 October 2011. AFL. 19 October 2011.
3. Web site: AFL green-lights goalpost technology. 23 March 2012. 22 October 2020. Australian Football League.
4. News: Jobe Watson to hand back 2012 Brownlow Medal. King. Travis. 11 November 2016. AFL.com.au. Bigpond. 11 November 2016.
5. Web site: Ashley. Browne. Trent Cotchin and Sam Mitchell awarded 2012 Brownlow Medal. AFL BigPond Network. 15 November 2016. 15 November 2016.
6. News: Watson named top captain. https://web.archive.org/web/20120915044618/http://www.afl.com.au/news/newsarticle/tabid/208/newsid/147477/default.aspx. 15 September 2012. Paul . Daffey. dead . 12 September 2012.
7. Web site: Jennifer. Witham. Coaches vote Cotch best. AFL BigPond Network. 25 September 2012. 25 September 2012. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20120925160146/http://www.afl.com.au/news/newsarticle/tabid/208/newsid/148542/default.aspx. 25 September 2012.
8. Web site: Jackson wins community award. AFL BigPond Network. 25 September 2012. 26 September 2012. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20120926120010/http://www.afl.com.au/news/newsarticle/tabid/208/newsid/148341/default.aspx. 26 September 2012.
9. https://web.archive.org/web/20121007023703/http://www.afl.com.au/news/newsarticle/tabid/208/newsid/149253/default.aspx Thompson joins Crow greats
10. Web site: Michael. Whiting. Patfull the pride of Lions. AFL BigPond Network. 7 September 2012. 12 September 2012.
11. http://www.news.com.au/entertainment/heath-scotland-wins-his-first-best-and-fairest-edges-forward-eddie-betts-for-carltons-top-honour/story-e6frfmq9-1226487024931 Heath Scotland wins his first best-and-fairest; edges forward Eddie Betts for Carlton's top honour
12. News: Collingwood midfielder Dayne Beams wins E W Copeland Trophy for Magpies best and fairest in 2012. 5 October 2012.
13. News: Watson named Bombers' best. 4 October 2012.
14. News: Career change . Nathan . Schmook . 6 October 2012. dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20121009060016/http://www.afl.com.au/news/newsarticle/tabid/208/newsid/149294/default.aspx. 9 October 2012.
15. News: All Australian forward Tom Hawkins wins his first Carji Greeves Medal as Geelong's best-and-fairest. Mark . Hayes . Herald Sun . 5 October 2012.
16. Web site: Michael. Whiting. Gazza fairest and best Sun of all. AFL BigPond Network. 8 September 2012. 12 September 2012. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20120910033730/http://www.afl.com.au/news/newsarticle/tabid/208/newsid/147207/default.aspx. 10 September 2012.
17. Web site: Ward a giant among Giants. 7 September 2012. Michael . Cowley.
18. News: Glory for super Hawk Sam Mitchell . Mark . Hayes . Herald Sun . 7 October 2012.
19. Web site: Peter. Ryan. Impassioned Jones named Dees' best. AFL BigPond Network. 13 September 2012. 14 September 2012. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20120915042456/http://www.afl.com.au/news/newsarticle/tabid/208/newsid/147648/default.aspx. 15 September 2012.
20. Web site: Nick. Bowen. Swallow salutes, again . AFL BigPond Network. 14 November 2012. 15 November 2012. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20121116132100/http://www.afl.com.au/news/newsarticle/tabid/208/newsid/151122/default.aspx . 16 November 2012.
21. Web site: Kane wins fourth Cahill Medal. AFL BigPond Network. 7 September 2012. 13 September 2012.
22. Web site: Paul. Daffey. Top Cotch. AFL BigPond Network. 5 September 2012. 12 September 2012. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20121031113837/http://www.afl.com.au/news/newsarticle/tabid/208/newsid/146926/default.aspx . 31 October 2012.
23. Web site: Luke. Holmesby. Hayes top Saint for third time. AFL BigPond Network. 12 September 2012. 13 September 2012. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20121027023030/http://www.afl.com.au/news/newsarticle/tabid/208/newsid/147556/default.aspx . 27 October 2012.
24. News: Sydney Swans midfielder Josh Kennedy emphatically claims first Bob Skilton medal after superb season. 5 October 2012.
25. News: Like Judd, Selwood a young best Eagle. dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20121020212739/https://www.afl.com.au/news/newsarticle/tabid/208/newsid/149249/default.aspx . 20 October 2012 .
26. News: Boyd's triple treat . Ben . Collins . 6 October 2012. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20121021063147/http://www.afl.com.au/news/newsarticle/tabid/208/newsid/149292/default.aspx. 21 October 2012.
27. News: Lyon. Garry. Fletcher a stealth Bomber. 15 April 2012. The Age. 14 April 2012. Garry Lyon. Melbourne.
28. Web site: Whiting. Michael. Ablett hurt in Suns dark night. AFL.com.au. BigPond. 21 April 2012. 21 April 2012. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20120815114654/http://www.afl.com.au/news/newsarticle/tabid/208/newsid/133711/default.aspx. 15 August 2012.
29. News: St Kilda beats Sydney in Lenny Hayes' milestone. Mark . Stevens . Herald Sun . 27 May 2012.
30. News: Milne turns on show in 250th AFL game. 8 July 2012.
31. News: Hawthorn Hawks demolish GWS Giants by 162 points at MCG: Chad Cornes marks 250th with two goals. 8 July 2012. Ben and AAP. McClellan .
32. News: de Kretser. Chris. Greater Western Sydney coach Kevin Sheedy closes in on another milestone. 8 July 2012. Herald Sun. 7 July 2012.
33. News: Geelong Cats crush Adelaide Crows despite injuries to Johnson and Corey . AAP . 28 July 2012 . The Australian.
34. News: Swans keep rolling along. 6 August 2012. Martin. Blake. Melbourne. The Age.
35. News: Eagles annihilate Roos in elimination final. Shayne. Hope. The West Australian. 9 September 2012.
36. News: Gill. Katrina. VB to lead new-look group. 9 February 2012. 26 April 2012. https://archive.today/20120729185102/http://www.afc.com.au/tabid/4417/default.aspx?newsid=128746. 29 July 2012. dead. dmy-all.
37. Web site: Holmesby . Luke . Club memberships hit 700,000 . AFL.com.au . . 6 September 2012 . 6 September 2012 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20121019233016/http://www.afl.com.au/news/newsarticle/tabid/208/newsid/146980/default.aspx . 19 October 2012 .
38. Web site: Power in turmoil as Primus walks, president quits. AFL BigPond Network. 6 August 2012. 6 August 2012. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20121026202923/http://www.afl.com.au/news/newsarticle/tabid/208/newsid/143677/default.aspx. 26 October 2012.
39. Web site: Ken Hinkley wins Port Adelaide coaching job. Herald Sun. 5 October 2012. 6 October 2012.
40. Web site: 'Bloody' Blues. AFL Bigpond Network. 30 August 2012. 30 August 2012. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20121026183904/http://www.afl.com.au/news/newsarticle/tabid/208/newsid/146151/default.aspx. 26 October 2012. Gary . Walsh.
41. Web site: Malthouse joins Blues. AFL BigPond Network. 11 September 2012. 6 October 2012. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20121027161116/http://www.afl.com.au/news/newsarticle/tabid/208/newsid/147375/default.aspx. 27 October 2012. Gary . Walsh. Jason. Phelan.