List of VFL/AFL minor premiers
Introduction This page is a complete chronological listing of VFL/AFL minor premiers. The Australian Football League (AFL), known as the Victorian Football League (VFL) until 1989, is the elite national competition in men's Australian rules football.The team that finishes the home-and-away season on top of the premiership ladder is known as the "minor premier". Unlike many other sports and competitions, in Australian rules football culture, minor premierships have far less significance than the premiership; finishing on top of the ladder provides seeding benefits during the AFL finals series, while the main league award is the AFL premiership, which is awarded to the winner of the AFL Grand Final. Between 1991 and 2022, the McClelland Trophy was also awarded to the minor premier.As of 2023, 67 minor premiers have won the VFL/AFL premiership, 43 have finished as runners-up, and 17 have finished third, failing to qualify for the grand final. The success rate of minor premiers winning the major premiership has reduced greatly since 1994, when the finals series was expanded to eight clubs and the benefits enjoyed by the minor premier in bye weeks and double-chances during the finals were reduced and diluted.
List of minor premiers The following is a list of minor premiers, ladder details and results. Season Minor premier  Percentage Second place Margin Final result Premiers 1897    44  184.3      Runners-up   1898    44  202.1      Runners-up   1899    44  153.3      '''Premiers''' 1900   (2)  44  168.0      Runners-up   1901   (2)  56  142.9      Third   1902    60  199.5      '''Premiers''' 1903   (2)  60  159.4      '''Premiers''' 1904   (3)  48  128.2      '''Premiers''' 1905   (3)  60  175.0      Runners-up   1906    56  153.5      '''Premiers''' 1907   (2)  52  155.7      '''Premiers''' 1908   (3)  68  169.4      '''Premiers''' 1909    56  168.9      '''Premiers''' 1910   (4)  60  160.1      Runners-up   1911   (2)  62  178.3      '''Premiers''' 1912   (2)  56  157.0      Runners-up   1913   (4)  64  144.3      '''Premiers''' 1914   (5)  56  129.7      '''Premiers''' 1915   (4)  56  166.1      Runners-up   1916   (6)  40  137.2      Runners-up   1917   (5)  42  133.4      '''Premiers''' 1918   (3)  52  143.1      '''Premiers''' 1919   (6)  52  162.3      '''Premiers''' 1920    56  146.4      '''Premiers''' 1921   (7)  56  142.0      Runners-up   1922   (7)  48  127.8      Runners-up   1923   (3)  52  135.8      '''Premiers''' 1924   (4)  46  131.6      '''Premiers''' 1925   (3)  60  152.7      '''Premiers''' 1926   (8)  60  149.3      Runners-up   1927   (9)  60  150.6      '''Premiers''' 1928   (10)  60  134.6      '''Premiers''' 1929   (11)  72  171.7      '''Premiers''' 1930   (12)  60  144.3      '''Premiers''' 1931   (4)  60  151.4      '''Premiers''' 1932   (8)  60  137.8      Runners-up   1933   (2)  60  141.1      Runners-up   1934   (3)  60  121.3      '''Premiers''' 1935   (4)  64  137.6      Runners-up   1936   (5)  64  118.5      Runners-up   1937   (5)  60  135.3      '''Premiers''' 1938   (9)  56  116.1      '''Premiers''' 1939    60  128.4      '''Premiers''' 1940   (2)  56  125.8      '''Premiers''' 1941   (10)  56  120.3      Third   1942   (5)  52  127.1      '''Premiers''' 1943   (4)  44  123.1      '''Premiers''' 1944   (5)  54  131.1      Runners-up   1945   (6)  64  131.8      Runners-up   1946   (6)  60  140.7      '''Premiers''' 1947   (11)  60  134.0      '''Premiers''' 1948   (7)  66  137.2      Runners-up   1949    56  119.1      Third   1950   (8)  68  162.2      '''Premiers''' 1951   (6)  56  135.4      '''Premiers''' 1952   (7)  66  134.7      '''Premiers''' 1953   (8)  60  143.3      Runners-up   1954   (9)  52  133.1      Third   1955   (3)  60  150.5      '''Premiers''' 1956   (4)  64  146.0      '''Premiers''' 1957   (5)  50  138.8      '''Premiers''' 1958   (6)  60  123.7      Runners-up   1959   (7)  54  142.7      '''Premiers''' 1960   (8)  56  143.1      '''Premiers''' 1961    56  125.1      '''Premiers''' 1962   (9)  64  130.4      '''Premiers''' 1963   (2)  54  130.6      Runners-up   1964   (9)  56  138.1      '''Premiers''' 1965    56  136.3      Runners-up   1966   (13)  60  157.2      Runners-up   1967   (6)  60  145.9      '''Premiers''' 1968   (10)  66  130.3      Runners-up   1969   (14)  60  129.0      Third   1970   (15)  72  136.5      Runners-up   1971   (3)  76  153.7      '''Premiers''' 1972   (12)  74  134.3      '''Premiers''' 1973   (16)  76  125.5      Third   1974   (7)  68  129.3      '''Premiers''' 1975   (4)  68  137.3      Runners-up   1976   (13)  66  132.8      Third   1977   (17)  72  130.7      Runners-up   1978   (2)  64  120.9      Runners-up   1979   (14)  76  139.6      '''Premiers''' 1980   (10)  68  125.1      Third   1981   (15)  68  130.3      '''Premiers''' 1982   (8)  72  126.2      Runners-up   1983   (3)  64  127.8      Third   1984   (11)  72  128.2      '''Premiers''' 1985   (12)  76  138.4      '''Premiers''' 1986   (5)  72  141.6      '''Premiers''' 1987   (16)  72  138.0      '''Premiers''' 1988   (6)  76  142.3      '''Premiers''' 1989   (7)  76  153.2      '''Premiers''' 1990   (13)  68  139.2      Runners-up   1991    76  162.2      Runners-up   1992   (11)  64  145.6      Runners-up   1993   (14)  54  119.1      '''Premiers''' 1994   (2)  64  132.2      '''Premiers''' 1995   (17)  80  137.8      '''Premiers''' 1996   (7)  66  123.9      Runners-up   1997   (2)  60  119.6      Runners-up   1998   (4)  64  117.4      Runners-up   1999   (15) 72  126.0       Third   2000   (16)  84  159.1      '''Premiers''' 2001   (17)  68  134.5      Runners-up   2002    72  132.4      Third   2003   (2)  72  127.2      Third   2004   (3)  68  132.4      '''Premiers''' 2005    68  136.5      Third   2006   (3)  68  120.4      '''Premiers''' 2007   (12)  72  152.8      '''Premiers''' 2008   (13)  84  161.8      Runners-up   2009   (3)  80  155.7      Runners-up   2010   (18)  70  141.7      '''Premiers''' 2011   (19)  80  167.7      Runners-up   2012   (8)  68  154.6      Runners-up   2013   (9)  76  135.7      '''Premiers''' 2014   (8)  68  142.9      Runners-up   2015    68  118.7      Third   2016   (9)  68  158.8      Runners-up   2017   (2)  62  136.0      Runners-up   2018   (9)  72  136.1      Third   2019   (14)  64  135.7      Third   2020   (4)  56  136.4      Third   2021   (10)  70  130.8      '''Premiers''' 2022   (15)  72  144.3      '''Premiers''' 2023   (20)  72  127.0      '''Premiers'''
Minor premiership wins  Club Years incompetition Minorpremierships Minor premiers andpremiers in same year Most recentminor premiership   1897–present  20  10  2023   1897–present  17  11  1995   1897–present  17  11  2001   1897–present  15  7  2022   1897–present  10  9  2021   1925–present  9  6  2013   1908–present  9  5  2018  /   1897–present  9  2  2016   1897–1996  4  3  1913   1997–present  4  1  2020  /   1925–present  4  0  1998   1987–present  3  2  2006   1897–present  3  0  2009   1991–present  2  0  2017   1995–present  1  0  2015  /   1925–present  0  —  —   1997–present  0  —  —   2011–present  0  —  —   2012–present  0  —  —   1908–1914  0  —  —   1987–1996  0  —  —
Minor premiership records * Most consecutive minor premierships: 6 (, 1955–1960)* Longest minor premiership drought:  years ( / ; never won a minor premiership)
See also * List of VFL/AFL premiers* List of AFL Women's minor premiers
References
External links *  VFL/AFL season summaries