AFLM 1996 Ladder
| Pos | Team | P | W | L | D | F | A | % | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Sydney | 22 | 16 | 5 | 1 | 2152 | 1737 | 123.9 | 66 |
| 2 |  Nth Melb | 22 | 16 | 6 | 0 | 2526 | 1982 | 127.4 | 64 |
| 3 |  Brisbane Bears | 22 | 15 | 6 | 1 | 2174 | 1731 | 125.6 | 62 |
| 4 |  West Coast | 22 | 15 | 7 | 0 | 2201 | 1758 | 125.2 | 60 |
| 5 |  Carlton | 22 | 15 | 7 | 0 | 2116 | 1909 | 110.8 | 60 |
| 6 |  Essendon | 22 | 14 | 7 | 1 | 2209 | 2023 | 109.2 | 58 |
| 7 |  Geelong | 22 | 13 | 8 | 1 | 2353 | 2047 | 114.9 | 54 |
| 8 |  Hawthorn | 22 | 11 | 10 | 1 | 1893 | 1921 | 98.5 | 46 |
| 9 |  Richmond | 22 | 11 | 11 | 0 | 2282 | 1944 | 117.4 | 44 |
| 10 |  St Kilda | 22 | 10 | 12 | 0 | 2053 | 2033 | 101.0 | 40 |
| 11 |  Collingwood | 22 | 9 | 13 | 0 | 2203 | 2142 | 102.8 | 36 |
| 12 |  Adelaide | 22 | 8 | 14 | 0 | 2233 | 2327 | 96.0 | 32 |
| 13 |  Fremantle | 22 | 7 | 15 | 0 | 1830 | 1983 | 92.3 | 28 |
| 14 |  Melbourne | 22 | 7 | 15 | 0 | 1743 | 2463 | 70.8 | 28 |
| 15 |  West Bulldogs | 22 | 5 | 16 | 1 | 1654 | 2139 | 77.3 | 22 |
| 16 |  Fitzroy | 22 | 1 | 21 | 0 | 1452 | 2935 | 49.5 | 4 |