From Freo's Fall To Lloyd's Unforgettable Goal: The Highs (And Lows) Of The 2016 AFL Season

With the 2016 AFL Finals fast approaching, let's reflect on the very best and worst moments of the 2016 AFL season, both on and off the field.

(The less said about the Port Adelaide ‘banana-thrower’, the better.)

From dramas such as the Eagles one-point thriller over the GWS Giants to the rise of Essendon’s cult hero Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti (and his electric speed), it’s been one of the most unpredictable and exciting seasons in football history.

The most undoubtedly disappointing low of the season would be Fremantle’s fall from grace. They went from winning 18 of 24 matches (and the minor premiership) in 2015 to having the biggest collapse in football history, with 18 losses and just four wins in 2016.

Most pundits had Fremantle winning the flag, or a finish in the top four (at least the top eight). Even though injury has plagued them throughout the year, it cannot be solely blamed on as the main cause of their "annus horribilis" year (as Ross Lyon would call it).

But if there was a positive to take out of this year, it would be their club’s greatest player, Matthew Pavlich, passing the 350 game milestone and kicking 700 AFL goals, ahead of retirement.

Another low point of the season was North Melbourne’s decision to not give their veterans Drew Petrie, Michael Firrito, Nick Dal Santo and the AFL's games record holder Brent ‘Boomer‘ Harvey contracts to play for next year and beyond. Even though they are all determined to play for next season at North, they were declined and told they do not have a future at North Melbourne Football Club. In total, the four players have racked up more than 1000 games in experience. I wouldn’t be surprised if North Melbourne finds itself in the bottom eight next year.

A massive positive of the 2016 AFL season has been the performance of the game, overall. Fast, unpredictable, high-scoring and with an emphasis on attack, you could lodge an argument to say it’s rarely been this attractive in AFL history. Scores are up and stoppages are down and any of the top eight teams are massive threats to win the premiership.

From what we have seen of season 2016, these finals are going to be one of best finals season yet; maybe even the best in AFL history.

However, we're unlikely to see a better moment than Sam Lloyd’s kick after the siren to give Richmond the win over Sydney at the MCG back in May.

After not triumphing for six weeks, Richmond was itching to get a win back in their club - and that’s precisely what happened. To top it all off was the now-legendary commentary from Channel 7's Brian Taylor.

“The mark’s been taken by Lloyd, 5 seconds… LLLOOOOOYDD is going to a have kick after the siren! A goal is the only thing that matters... Every kid dreams of this opportunity. Lloyd from 45m to win the game… He’s got it! The Tigers have won by a point! A kick after the siren! They’ve gone bananas at the G!””

Gives me shivers down my spine every time.

Overall, 2016 was one of the best season in VFL/ AFL history. There were many close games, many legends farewelled and some great footy played throughout the whole season. Let hope season 2017 is even better.

Congratulations to Toby for winning this writing challenge, answering: The Highs (And Lows) Of The 2016 AFL Season. Toby wins a $50 Westfield gift card for his submission. For your chance to win, check out our latest writing challenges in our Comps section. Also, be sure to follow this guide on how to win the writing challenge!

Photo: Twitter / @freodockers.