AFL live ladder 2021: Follow across the weekend to find out where your side will finish

Essendon has not won a final in more than 6000 days but it will enter September in red-hot form. See what every Round 23 result means and the final ladder after 396 home-and-away games.

Chris Cavanagh, Al Paton and Matt Turner

4 min read

August 22, 2021 - 8:38PM

News Corp Australia Sports Newsroom

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Essendon has defied the critics to return to finals action, and will enter September as one of the form teams of the competition.

The Bombers disposed of Collingwood in the final round to finish eighth on the ladder on 11 wins, a game clear of three teams who also were also way behind the Dons on percentage.

The pressure was off against the Pies after St Kilda ended Fremantle’s season with a thumping win in Hobart.

The Dockers could have jumped the Bombers with a victory but were overrun by the rampant Saints, who ended their season on a high by overtaking Fremantle on the ladder.

And North Melbourne’s wooden spoon was confirmed with a loss to Adelaide in the 396th and last game of the home-and-away season.

Here’s how the ladder looks with two games to play in the home-and-away season.

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Demons get to Max Gawn who wins them the game after the siren. Picture: Getty Images

1. MELBOURNE 70

Record: 17-1-4, 130.8%

The Dees first minor premiership since 1964. By beating the Cats in an after-the-siren thriller, Melbourne now face Brisbane — but get to play the Lions away from the Gabba. Most likely to play their qualifying final in Adelaide and the double chance gives them possibly their best chance at ending a 57-year premiership drought.

2. PORT ADELAIDE 68

Record: 17-5, 126.3%

A huge win for the Power against fellow top-four side the Bulldogs. Port Adelaide has now locked in a home final in front of fans at Adelaide Oval against Geelong.

3. GEELONG 64

Record: 16-6, 126.7%

The Cats looked home against the Demons on their home turf but fell after the siren. It was a costly lapse, setting up the tough task of tackling Port Adelaide in Adelaide next week.

4. BRISBANE LIONS 60

Record: 15-7, 133.3%

Snuck into the top four by the barest of margins — perhaps with some help from the timekeeper — and now play a qualifying final against Melbourne. A Lincoln McCarthy behind followed by a Charlie Cameron goal — both coming in the final 20 seconds of the game — took the Lions’ percentage past the Western Bulldogs.

5. WESTERN BULLDOGS 60

Record: 15-7, 132.8%

Losing to Port has cost the Dogs a top-four spot after Brisbane jumped them on percentage. They’ll head into an elimination final against the Bombers on back of three consecutive losses to Port, Essendon and Hawthorn. Will the AFL take this final to Queensland?

The Bulldogs need results to go their way to remain in the top-four. Picture: Quinn Rooney/Getty Images

6. SYDNEY 60

Record: 15-7, 119.9%

The Swans will play an elimination final against their cross-town rival GWS Giants, possibly in Tasmania. Sydney had no trouble demolishing Gold Coast, but it mattered little to their ladder position.

7. GWS GIANTS 46

Record: 11-1-10, 99.7%

The Giants have hit finals in some good form with a third-straight win over the Blues this weekend. Now for the big Sydney derby.

8. ESSENDON 44

Record: 11-11, 109.1%

The Bombers didn’t need to win in the final round to play finals but they did anyway, cruising to a six-goal victory to enter the finals in red-hot form. Now for an elimination final showdown with the out-of-form Bulldogs — can they end that dreaded finals curse after 6196 days?

Will Essendon break its finals drought? Picture: Darrian Traynor/AFL Photos/via Getty Images

9. WEST COAST 40

Record: 10-12, 93.2%

A disappointing season for the Eagles ends without finals for the first time since 2014 after their epic loss to Brisbane at the Gabba on Saturday evening.

10. ST KILDA 40

Record: 10-12, 91.5%

Saints fans will be frustrated their team couldn’t produce performances like this on a more consistent basis, but St Kilda finished on a high with a 58-point demolition that lifted them to 11th spot and even made their percentage a little more respectable.

11. FREMANTLE 40

Record: 10-11, 86.5%

Would have had to rely on Essendon losing but surrendered any hope of a finals appearance in disappointing style, never really looking a chance against the Saints.

12. RICHMOND 38

Record: 9-12-1, 97.9%

The pain of a disappointing season which has seen the Tigers go from premiers to missing finals will be numbed slightly by a strong draft hand that sees the Tigers holding six picks in the top 45. After four successive finals appearances, Richmond did look tired in the back end of the season and injuries never helped. But it is capable of bouncing back next year and a draw to finish the year beats a loss.

Richmond needs a miracle to jump into the top eight. Picture: Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images

13. CARLTON 32

Record: 8-14 88.5%

Had some final magic moments from Eddie Betts but ended the season with losses to Gold Coast, Port Adelaide and the Giants. A big post-season awaits.

14. HAWTHORN 32

Record: 7-13-2 85.2%

The Hawks didn’t quite get the win they wanted to send out Alastair Clarkson and Shaun Burgoyne, but a draw is better than a loss. The finish to the season hasn’t exactly helped the side going forward, though. Hawthorn had been a chance to secure the wooden spoon and the No.1 draft pick a month ago, but now holds pick 5 after three wins and a draw to finish the year.

15. ADELAIDE 28

Record: 7-15 82%

So much for the wooden spoon. The Crows jumped two spots on the ladder with victory over the Kangaroos in the final game of the season.

16. GOLD COAST 28

Record: 7-15 76.8%

It was over against the Swans after a six-goal-to-none opening term. The loss made for five defeats from the Suns’ last six matches in another disappointing finish to the season. A seven-win season is their best since 2014, but it’s still not enough. Three picks in the top-25 at this year’s draft will help, but meaningful progress is lacking for a perennial cellar dweller.

The Giants hold Collingwood’s first round pick. Picture: Daniel Pockett/Getty Images

17. COLLINGWOOD 24

Record: 6-15 85.6%

A disappointing season ends with a 38-point loss to the Bombers, resulting in a lowest ladder position since 2005. Collingwood’s first-round pick this year is tied to GWS after a trade last period but getting father-son gun Nick Daicos will soften the blow of a horror 2021.