| Competition: | sanfl |
| Year: | 2012 |
| Teams: | 9 |
| Count: | 28 |
| Mpcount: | 17 |
| Matches: | 96 |
| Attendance: | 311551 |
| Highattend: | 29,661 (Grand Final, vs.) |
| Top Goal Scorer: | Justin Hardy (59 goals) |
| Magarey Medal: | Joel Cross (18 votes) Brad Symes (18 votes) |
| Prevseason: | 2011 |
| Nextseason: | 2013 |
The 2012 South Australian National Football League season was the 133rd season of the top-level Australian rules football competition in South Australia.The season opened on Friday 23 March with a night match between Woodville-West Torrens and Port Adelaide, and concluded on Sunday 7 October with the Grand Final in which Norwood (minor premiers) won its 28th premiership by defeating West Adelaide (third at the end of the minor rounds).
Central District, North Adelaide and Woodville-West Torrens also made the top (final) five teams and participated in the finals matches, with Central District failing to make the Grand Final for the first time since 2000. Glenelg, Port Adelaide, South Adelaide and Sturt all missed the top five, with the latter finishing last to win its 20th wooden spoon.
See main article: 2012 SANFL Grand Final.
| Club | Home ground | Minor Round ladder position | Final ladder position | Best Home Attendance | Membership | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elizabeth Oval | 2nd | 4th | 4,026 (Rd 2) | 2,230 | ||
| Glenelg Oval | 6th | 6th | 6,047 (Rd 2) | 3,218 | ||
| Prospect Oval | 4th | 3rd | 4,134 (Rd 11) | 2,107 | ||
| Norwood Oval | 1st | 1st | 6,353 (Rd 15) | 2,888 | ||
| Alberton Oval | 7th | 7th | 4,796 (Rd 4) | 4,351 | ||
| Hickinbotham Oval | 8th | 8th | 4,219 (Rd 3) | 1,450 | ||
| Unley Oval | 9th | 9th | 3,510 (Rd 9) | 2,948 | ||
| Richmond Oval | 3rd | 2nd | 2,890 (Rd 3) | 1,851 | ||
| 5th | 5th | 4,054 (Rd 6) | 3,643 |
| Club | Nickname | Entered competition | Premierships (as of 2012) | Most Recent Premiership | Home Ground | Capacity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Central District | Bulldogs | 1964 | 9 | 2010 | Elizabeth Oval | 18,000 | |
| Glenelg | Tigers | 1921 | 4 | 1986 | Glenelg Oval | 15,000 | |
| North Adelaide | Roosters | 1888 | 13 | 1991 | Prospect Oval | 20,000 | |
| Norwood | Redlegs | 1878 | 28 | 2012 | Norwood Oval | 22,000 | |
| Port Adelaide | Magpies | 1877 | 36 | 1999 | Alberton Oval | 17,000 | |
| South Adelaide | Panthers | 1877 | 11 | 1964 | Hickinbotham Oval | 12,000 | |
| Sturt | Double Blues | 1901 | 13 | 2002 | Unley Oval | 15,000 | |
| West Adelaide | Bloods | 1897 | 8 | 1983 | Richmond Oval | 16,500 | |
| Woodville-West Torrens | Eagles | 1991 | 3 | 2011 | Woodville Oval | 15,000 |