The 2026 AFL home-and-away season has come to an end, so it's time to start taking stocks of every team's year. We take a look back at our preseason expectations to work out if your club passed or failed in 2026.
This will be updated as every team's season finishes, or every preseason question has been answered.
READ: Our preseason pass marks - catch up on what we said here
Adelaide
2026 pass mark: Avoid regression and WIN a final
Record: 15-8 (6th)
TBA
Brisbane
2026 pass mark: Avoid a culture nosedive
Record: 16-7 (3rd)
TBA
Carlton
2026 pass mark: Play in a wildcard final
Record: 12-10-1 (10th)
Pass: This has been a truly remarkable year for Carlton, who started 1-8 (with the club's only win in that time coming against Richmond) and sacked the coach before the halfway point of the season. Since then? Josh Fraser took over as intering, the team went 11-2-1 (the best record in that time of any club), appointed Fraser full-time, and are playing in a wildcard. To say it's one of the most bizarre seasons in recent memory might actually be underselling it! Considering our preseason expectations, it's already a 'pass', but there could be more to come for the resurgent Blues.
Collingwood
2026 pass mark: Begin the transition to the next era
Record: 12-9-2 (8th)
TBA
Essendon
2026 pass mark: Have a winning record post the mid-year bye
Record: 2-21 (18th)
FAIL: It's been a dire year for the Bombers, who sacked Brad Scott after 10 games and have been barely treading water since. Unfortunately there hasn't been too much silver lining, except maybe getting crucual games into Sullivan Robey, Dyson Sharp, Nate Caddy, Isaac Kako, and other youngsters. There's a vacuum of on-field leadership at Essendon, and it's something the club needs to address in the offseason. It's going to be a dark few years -- making good choices with list management now could pay off in the long term, and Robey, Sharp, and Caddy look like 'ticks' so far.
Fremantle
2026 pass mark: Win a final
Record: 19-4 (1st)
TBA
Geelong
2026 pass mark: Lock up a top four spot
Record: 15-8 (6th)
TBA -- We'll count a prelim berth as a 'top four spot'.
Gold Coast
2026 pass mark: Reach a preliminary final
Record: 9-14 (13th)
FAIL: Was Gold Coast the most disappointing team in 2026? Yeah, Essendon exists, but the Suns had sky-high expectations after winning a final last season and attracting Christian Petracca to the Coast. Now, star forward Ben King looks certain to leave, the midfield mix isn't working, and Damien Hardwick is under immense pressure in just his third year in charge. The upside is they should have a 'soft' draw in 2027 and bounce straight back into the finals.
GWS
2026 pass mark: Win a final
Record: 10-13 (12th)
FAIL: Adam Kingsley's side had higher expectations in 2026 and failed to deliver. Injuries didn't help the cause, and to be fair, with so many stars sidelined, what can really be expected? That doesn't mean the year isn't a disappointing one, Kingsley even said so in his post-match presser after the loss to the Crows. Particularly when you look at the results more specifically; wins against the Cats, Dockers, Dees, Lions, and Hawks, but losses against the lowly Eagles and wooden spoon-winning Bombers. They were far from healthy, but they were still way too inconsistent.
Hawthorn
2026 pass mark: Don't throw away the season
Record: 15-6-2 (4th)
TBA
Melbourne
2026 pass mark: Avoid re-entering the dark, dark times
Record: 15-8 (7th)
Pass: Melbourne exceeded the expectations of probably all but the nuffiest of Dees fans. Widely tipped to have a regression season after losing stars Christian Petracca and Clayton Oliver in the offseason, the Demons found an attacking edge that made them 'fun and dangerous'. They're back in finals, almost finished top four, and you could mount the case Steven King has been coach of the year. Whatever happens from here, it's a pass, but not securing a top six berth will have stung.
North Melbourne
2026 pass mark: Make a wildcard final
Record: 9-14 (14th)
FAIL: Was this slightly lofty? Maybe. The facts are North won nine games, four more than in 2025, and showed significant statistical improvement. It's a failed season only because they need to have more lofty expectations as a club, but that doesn't mean they haven't taken steps forward. They were largely competitive in more games against tough opponents -- think the recent 15-point loss to the Cats, the 16-point defeat to Hawthorn down in Tassie, four-point loss to the Pies, eight-point loss to the Swans earlier in the year. They were at least in the wildcard hunt for the majority of the season, but the next step is obviously being able to beat more of those sides above them. Their deficiencies are clear; 18th for intercept possessions, 15th for opposition scores per inside 50, 16th for inside 50s but No. 1 for marks when they get it in there. Get another quality key defender, and better conversion, and who knows what they can do in 2027.
Port Adelaide
2026 pass mark: Re-sign Zak Butters or land a record-breaking trade package
Record: 7-16 (15th)
FAIL: Obviously, we'll update this after he makes his call in the exit meeting this week. But it's not looking promising for Port Adelaide fans. It's been a season-long distraction of 'will he, won't he' and it's taken away from some rather encouraging performances from this side. Nine wins last year, and seven wins this year under first-year coach Josh Carr isn't disastrous, and single-digit losses to West Coast (Round 3), Hawthorn (Round 6), Adelaide (Round 8), Western Bulldogs (Round 9), and Sydney (Round 14) showed they had opportunities to win even more games. Their percentage was a tick off 100 with six weeks to go in the season, a good sign of a competitive group. A harsh 'fail', but given the criteria...
Richmond
2026 pass mark: Build on last year's semi-successful season
Record: 3-20 (17th)
FAIL: Five wins in 2025, three wins in 2026 (two over West Coast). In terms of rebuilding teams, it's not the end of the world, but you simply cannot say they built on last year's result. Fans are also starting to get a bit restless with Adem Yze, whose 10-59 record (14.5%) at Richmond is objectively very poor. What we will ask is this: would Norm Smith, Leigh Matthews, and peak Clarko combined have been able to squeeze more wins out of the list? We doubt it. Rebuilding coaches always get the short end of the stick, but everyone knew this would be a tough slog. It's a clear fail, but stick with them.
St Kilda
2026 pass mark: Give Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera a reason to stay
Record: 10-13 (11th)
FAIL: Hmm... Ross, this was supposed to be the year to convince your star St Kilda is the place to be. You splashed the cash, brought in a host of experience from other clubs in the hopes to rise at least into an (expanded!) finals with a wildcard spot, and instead you're left in the land of mediocrity, again. Same old, same old. That doesn't mean you don't have time, but a lot's going to need to change for the better before Wanganeen-Milera's head gets turned. In fairness, injuries haven't helped, but players want flags. They want to contend. They want to be there in September. If I were Nas' agent, I'd be telling him to put the pen away and start listening to other offers...
Sydney
2026 pass mark: Be alive during preliminary final week
Record: 18-5 (2nd)
TBA
West Coast
2026 pass mark: Avoid the wooden spoon
Record: 4-19 (16th)
PASS: There's still pressure on Andrew McQualter and the club to start winning more games, but broadly, this has been a stepping stone season in the rebuild. Getting crucial games into Willem Duursma, Cooper Duff-Tytler, Bo Allan, Josh Lindsay, and Tom Gross among others has been a big tick, while Jobe Shanahan (29 goals) has taken enough of a step to suggest he'll be a long-term No. 1 key forward and partner for Jake Waterman for the Eagles. Four wins, 16th on the ladder? Not great, but a reluctant 'pass' nonetheless. The expectations will rise in 2027.
Western Bulldogs
2026 pass mark: Finish the home and away season in the top four
Record: 13-9-1 (9th)
FAIL: Another year, another middle of the road finish for the Bulldogs, who, like Carlton, play finals by virtue of the wildcard. Had it been a top eight? A big fail. But, considering our preseason expecations, they've still fallen short. Sure, there have been injuries to key players throughout the year, but all clubs face similar hurdles, and the Bulldogs have shown again they're just a middle-of-the-road side that lacks quality depth. Were our expectations too high? Very possibly, but we weren't alone in hoping the Dogs could finally finish top four after the home-and-away season under Luke Beveridge.