The wooden spoon is the imaginary and ironic "award" which is said to be won by the team finishing in last place in the Australian Football League. No physical wooden spoon award exists, other than those brought by opposition fans to taunt struggling teams, nor is such an award officially sanctioned by the VFL/AFL. However, most betting agencies will take wagers on the wooden spoon. Port Adelaide remains the only team who has not obtained a wooden spoon record.
Criteria The team which finishes on the bottom of the ladder wins the wooden spoon. This is determined by: Fewest premiership points (four points for a win, two points for a draw) Lowest percentage (the ratio of points for to points against if on same numbers of points) No countback exists if teams finish equal on points but with a different number of wins.
1901–1907 From 1901 to 1907, the VFL season was set up such that each team played fourteen regular season games: two games against each opponent. Based upon regular season ladder positions, teams were divided into pools A (1st, 3rd, 5th and 7th) and B (2nd, 4th, 6th and 8th), and each team played the opponents from its pool once each in the "sectional round."
Following the sectional round, the results of these matches were added to the ladder to give a final ladder based on seventeen matches per team. As such, the wooden spooner is considered to be the team which finishes last after all seventeen matches.
The three sectional games changed the outcome of the wooden spoon twice in the seven seasons of this format: in 1905, St Kilda beat Geelong in their last game, relegating Melbourne to last, and in 1907, Fitzroy won all three of their games, relegating Essendon to last.
1916 In 1916, only four teams (Carlton, Collingwood, Fitzroy and Richmond) competed due to World War I. Fitzroy finished last after the home-and-away season with a record of 2–9–1 (10 pts), and Richmond finished third with a record of 5–7–0 (20 pts).
All four teams competed in the finals under the amended Argus system in place at the time. Richmond lost their semi-final and finished in overall last place as the lowest placed semi-final loser, while Fitzroy won their semi-final, the final and the grand final to win the premiership. This has created uncertainty to some extent regarding which club won the 1916 wooden spoon: by analogy with the minor and major premierships, it could be said that Fitzroy won the "minor wooden spoon" and Richmond won the "major wooden spoon".
The official AFL Season Guide recognises Richmond as the wooden spooners for the 1916 VFL season, and likewise contemporary Football Records listed Fitzroy's position as first and Richmond's as fourth. However, finals have never in any other season changed the outcome of the wooden spoon, and it is commonly said that Fitzroy won both the premiership and the wooden spoon in the same season.
Wooden spoons by season
Season Wooden spoon Wins Losses Draws Percentage Points 1897 St Kilda 0 14 0 29.1 0 1898 St Kilda (2) 0 14 0 33.5 0 1899 St Kilda (3) 0 14 0 28.0 0 1900 St Kilda (4) 1 13 0 39.1 4 1901 St Kilda (5) 1 16 0 – 4 1902 St Kilda (6) 0 17 0 – 0 1903 South Melbourne 2 15 0 – 8 1904 St Kilda (7) 3 14 0 – 12 1905 Melbourne 3 14 0 – 12 1906 Melbourne (2) 1 16 0 – 4 1907 Essendon 5 12 0 – 20 1908 Geelong 2 16 0 – 8 1909 St Kilda (8) 2 15 0 59.3 8 1910 St Kilda (9) 1 17 0 62.3 4 1911 University 1 17 0 52.1 4 1912 University (2) 1 17 0 57.0 4 1913 University (3) 0 18 0 57.6 0 1914 University (4) 0 18 0 47.0 0 1915 Geelong (2) 3 13 0 68.0 12 1916 Minor1916 Major1916 season FitzroyRichmond 25 97 10 81.689.9 1020 1917 Richmond (2) 3 11 1 – 14 1918 Essendon (2) 3 11 0 64.2 12 1919 Melbourne (3) 0 16 0 43.0 0 1920 St Kilda (10) 2 14 0 57.2 8 1921 Essendon (3) 3 11 2 80.8 16 1922 South Melbourne (2) 4 11 1 91.3 18 1923 Melbourne (4) 3 13 0 80.4 12 1924 St Kilda (11) 4 12 0 75.7 16 1925 Hawthorn 3 14 0 66.1 12 1926 North Melbourne 0 17 1 73.7 2 1927 Hawthorn (2) 1 17 0 63.1 4 1928 Hawthorn (3) 0 18 0 61.6 0 1929 North Melbourne (2) 1 17 0 60.2 4 1930 North Melbourne (3) 1 17 0 51.8 4 1931 North Melbourne (4) 0 18 0 50.8 0 1932 Hawthorn (4) 3 15 0 64.1 12 1933 Essendon (4) 2 16 0 77.1 12 1934 North Melbourne (5) 0 18 0 66.4 0 1935 North Melbourne (6) 1 17 0 65.1 4 1936 Fitzroy (2) 2 16 0 68.9 8 1937 North Melbourne (7) 3 15 0 64.2 12 1938 South Melbourne (3) 2 16 0 71.8 8 1939 South Melbourne (4) 3 15 0 70.8 12 1940 North Melbourne (8) 4 14 0 75.1 16 1941 Hawthorn (5) 3 15 0 68.2 12 1942 Hawthorn (6) 1 14 0 65.6 8 1943 St Kilda (12) 1 8 1 73.9 10 1944 Geelong (3) 1 17 0 58.6 4 1945 St Kilda (13) 2 18 0 62.2 8 1946 Hawthorn (7) 3 16 0 70.5 12 1947 St Kilda (14) 1 17 1 58.7 6 1948 St Kilda (15) 2 17 0 59.9 8 1949 Hawthorn (8) 3 16 0 61.1 12 1950 Hawthorn (9) 0 18 0 49.8 0 1951 Melbourne (5) 1 17 0 70.5 4 1952 St Kilda (16) 2 17 0 68.1 8 1953 Hawthorn (10) 3 15 0 68.5 12 1954 St Kilda (17) 4 13 1 72.7 18 1955 St Kilda (18) 1 17 0 45.4 4 1956 North Melbourne (9) 3 16 0 69.5 12 1957 Geelong (4) 5 12 1 88.2 22 1958 Geelong (5) 4 14 0 73.8 16 1959 Footscray 3 15 0 73.3 12 1960 Richmond (3) 2 14 2 65.1 12 1961 North Melbourne (10) 4 13 1 79.1 18 1962 South Melbourne (5) 3 15 0 74.4 12 1963 Fitzroy (3) 1 17 0 57.5 4 1964 Fitzroy (4) 0 18 0 59.7 0 1965 Hawthorn (11) 4 14 0 68.9 16 1966 Fitzroy (5) 1 17 0 53.8 4 1967 Footscray (2) 4 14 0 71.8 16 1968 North Melbourne (11) 3 17 0 74.3 12 1969 Melbourne (6) 3 17 0 83.1 12 1970 North Melbourne (12) 4 18 0 79.1 16 1971 South Melbourne (6) 3 19 0 69.9 12 1972 North Melbourne (13) 1 21 0 62.9 4 1973 South Melbourne (7) 4 18 0 79.0 16 1974 Melbourne (7) 3 19 0 77.1 12 1975 South Melbourne (8) 2 20 0 75.0 8 1976 Collingwood 6 16 0 86.4 24 1977 St Kilda (19) 3 17 2 73.5 16 1978 Melbourne (8) 5 17 0 69.1 20 1979 St Kilda (20) 3 19 0 65.0 12 1980 Fitzroy (6) 4 17 1 86.0 18 1981 Melbourne (9) 1 21 0 63.5 4 1982 Footscray (3) 3 19 0 68.1 12 1983 St Kilda (21) 5 17 0 79 20 1984 St Kilda (22) 5 17 0 76 20 1985 St Kilda (23) 3 19 0 64.7 12 1986 St Kilda (24) 2 20 0 71.9 8 1987 Richmond (4) 5 17 0 83 20 1988 St Kilda (25) 4 18 0 82 16 1989 Richmond (5) 5 17 0 71 20 1990 Brisbane Bears 4 18 0 71 16 1991 Brisbane Bears (2) 3 19 0 70 12 1992 Sydney (9) 3 18 1 74 14 1993 Sydney (10) 1 19 0 63 4 1994 Sydney (11) 4 18 0 78 16 1995 Fitzroy (7) 2 20 0 58.2 8 1996 Fitzroy (8) 1 21 0 49.5 4 1997 Melbourne (10) 4 18 0 60.8 16 1998 Brisbane Lions 5 16 1 75 22 1999 Collingwood (2) 4 18 0 84.8 16 2000 St Kilda (26) 2 19 1 70.5 10 2001 Fremantle 2 20 0 72.0 8 2002 Carlton 3 19 0 73.1 12 2003 Western Bulldogs (4) 3 18 1 74.8 14 2004 Richmond (6) 4 18 0 69.2 16 2005 Carlton (2) 4 17 1 75.5 18 2006 Carlton (3) 3 18 1 74.2 14 2007 Richmond (7) 3 18 1 77.2 14 2008 Melbourne (11) 3 19 0 62.6 12 2009 Melbourne (12) 4 18 0 74.7 16 2010 4 18 0 77.1 16 2011 3 19 0 56.27 12 2012 2 20 0 46.17 8 2013 (2) 1 21 0 50.97 4 2014 (27) 4 18 0 60.8 16 2015 (4) 4 18 0 64.8 16 2016 (5) 3 19 0 61 12 2017 (2) 5 17 0 74.3 20 2018 (5) 2 20 0 59.3 8 2019 (2) 3 19 0 60.5 12 2020 3 14 0 64.4 12 2021 (14) 4 17 1 70.3 18 2022 (15) 2 20 0 55.8 8 2023 (2) 3 20 0 53.0 12 2024 Richmond (8) 2 21 0 63.7 8 2025 West Coast (3) 1 22 0 60.1 4 2026 (6) 2 21 0 64.6 8
Wooden spoons by club
Club TotalWoodenSpoons Years of Wooden Spoon St Kilda 1897, 1898, 1899, 1900, 1901, 1902, 1904, 1909, 1910, 1920, 1924, 1943, 1945, 1947, 1948, 1952, 1954, 1955, 1977, 1979, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1988, 2000, 2014 North Melbourne 1926, 1929, 1930, 1931, 1934, 1935, 1937, 1940, 1956, 1961, 1968, 1970, 1972, 2021, 2022 Melbourne 1905, 1906, 1919, 1923, 1951, 1969, 1974, 1978, 1981, 1997, 2008, 2009 Hawthorn 1925, 1927, 1928, 1932, 1941, 1942, 1946, 1949, 1950, 1953, 1965 Sydney 1903, 1922, 1938, 1939, 1962, 1971, 1973, 1975, 1992, 1993, 1994 Richmond 1916, 1917, 1960, 1987, 1989, 2004, 2007, 2024 Fitzroy 1936, 1963, 1964, 1966, 1980, 1995, 1996 Essendon 1907, 1918, 1921, 1933, 2016, 2026 Geelong 1908, 1915, 1944, 1957, 1958 Carlton 2002, 2005, 2006, 2015, 2018 University 1911, 1912, 1913, 1914 Western Bulldogs 1959, 1967, 1982, 2003 West Coast 2010, 2023, 2025 Brisbane Bears 1990, 1991 Collingwood 1976, 1999 Greater Western Sydney 2012, 2013 Brisbane Lions 1998, 2017 Gold Coast 2011, 2019 Fremantle 2001 Adelaide 2020 Port Adelaide N/A
Bold indicates clubs currently playing in the AFL.
Longest wooden spoon droughts Note: This is a ranking of individual drought streaks, not a ranking of clubs by their longest drought. ClubTime periodYears1897–20021051933–2016831897–1976791958–present691965–present621972–2021491917–1960431897–1936391925–1959341994–present331997–present301991–2020291915–1944291923–1951281999–present281960–1987271936–1963272001–present262003–present241987–2010231976–1999231939–1962231955–1977221982–200321
Active wooden spoon droughts ClubLast wonYears since195869196562199433Never3019992820012620032420091820131420141320171020189201982020720225202432025220261
Consecutive wooden spoons ClubYears spanningNumber1897, 1898, 1899, 1900, 1901, 19026
AFL Women's Season Wooden spoon Wins Losses Draws Percentage Points 2017 1 5 1 51.8 6 2018 2 5 0 54.1 8 2019 No single last-placed finisher due to conferences; the lowest overall record was , 1–6 2020 No single last-placed finisher due to conferences; the lowest overall record was , 0–6 2021 0 9 0 36.5 0 2022 (S6) 1 9 0 42.9 4 2022 (S7) 0 10 0 35.9 0 2023 1 9 0 53.8 4 2024 1 10 0 44.3 4 2025 (2) 2 10 0 41.3 8
See also
Australian rugby league wooden spooners
Notes
References
External links AFL Wooden Spoon Awardees