This set contains full home and away team ratings and scoring cards for the 16 clubs who took part in the season.
The centenary season of the league saw heartbreak and ecstasy in different parts of inner Melbourne, with North Melbourne scoring the most points in the home-and-away season before coming through from second to lift the premiership; while for Fitzroy, their one win season would be their last in the first grade, as they would end up merging with the original Brisbane club at the end of the season.
North Melbourne's premiership was their first in 19 years, and they had to overcome minor premiers Sydney, who were looking for their first title since leaving Melbourne, and in over 60 years. But despite trailing by three goals at quarter-time, there was no doubt by the end, with North winning by 43 points.
There were two other interstate clubs in the final eight, with Brisbane finishing third and West Coast fourth. Brisbane also won its first two finals in their short history, before losing to North Melbourne in the preliminary final, while also helping to eliminate West Coast, as they were forced to play their semi-final with Essendon at the MCG, under the 'guaranteed one finals match per week' covenant.
Fitzroy's modern history had matched the Brisbane club's struggles, and 1996 saw them only win once - in Round 8 to the expansion club Fremantle. They also played them in their final first grade match in Perth - this time losing by 86 points. It had been 52 years since their last premiership for the originally fabled club, and there had been plans to merge with North, before the league proposed one with Brisbane, which would eventually allow that club to become a juggernaut in the coming years.
Fremantle had received the 16th license in and second in Western Australia in 1994, and won seven matches in their debut season, with their inaugural win a shocking one in Sydney against the eventual Grand Finalists. Having also won a license to be the second South Australian club - subject to a merger between current clubs - Port Adelaide would then become the 16th club in 1997.