<P> The 2016 AFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football match contested between the Sydney Swans and the Western Bulldogs . It was the 120th annual Grand Final of the Australian Football League ( formerly the Victorian Football League ) , staged to determine the premiers of the 2016 AFL season . It was the Swans ' fifth grand final appearance since 2005 , while the Bulldogs were competing in their first grand final since 1961 . The match , played at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in front of 99,981 spectators , was won by the Bulldogs by a margin of 22 points , marking their second VFL / AFL premiership victory and first since 1954 , breaking a 62 - year premiership drought . It was also the first time in VFL / AFL history that a team won the premiership from seventh place on the ladder . Jason Johannisen of the Bulldogs was awarded the Norm Smith Medal as the best player on the ground . </P>
<P> The 2016 AFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football match contested between the Sydney Swans and the Western Bulldogs . It was the 120th annual Grand Final of the Australian Football League ( formerly the Victorian Football League ) , staged to determine the premiers of the 2016 AFL season . It was the Swans ' fifth grand final appearance since 2005 , while the Bulldogs were competing in their first grand final since 1961 . The match , played at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in front of 99,981 spectators , was won by the Bulldogs by a margin of 22 points , marking their second VFL / AFL premiership victory and first since 1954 , breaking a 62 - year premiership drought . It was also the first time in VFL / AFL history that a team won the premiership from seventh place on the ladder . Jason Johannisen of the Bulldogs was awarded the Norm Smith Medal as the best player on the ground . </P>
who played in the 2016 afl grand final
who played in the 2016 afl grand final
Sydney Swans Western Bulldogs
Sydney Swans Western Bulldogs