Adelaide

Letting Hawthorn off the hook
The Crows would have top spot sewn up if they could have held on in the dying stages of the round five clash with the Hawks at the MCG. Leading by 15 points at the 18-minute mark of the fourth quarter, the Crows conceded three unanswered goals – the last of those from Paul Puopolo with 18 seconds left – to fall to a three-point loss. Several contentious umpiring decisions didn't help, but the Crows were left lamenting a huge win that went begging. 

Crouch drives up bargaining power with delayed re-signing
The Crows got their man in midfielder Brad Crouch, but not before he produced several stellar games to drive up his asking price. Crouch penned a four-year extension with the Crows believed to be worth about $600,000 per season after spending six weeks in the reserves. The Victorian attracted interest from several clubs including Hawthorn, but stayed with the Crows after a couple of huge games that would have pushed up his value. 

Menzel fails to deliver while Kerridge shines
Carlton has definitely got the better of the trade that sent Troy Menzel to the Crows. Menzel hasn't played a senior game this year after being told he needed to get fitter to play in the midfield. Meanwhile, Sam Kerridge has been a handy addition for the Blues, who used the 28th pick that belonged to the Crows as part of the package that delivered Jed Lamb, Andrew Phillips, Lachie Plowman and Liam Sumner from Greater Western Sydney. - Lee Gaskin

Brisbane

Extending Justin Leppitsch's contract prior to the season
The Lions wanted to show solidarity and commitment with an early extension of Leppitsch's deal until the end of 2017, but it was always fraught with danger. After three off-seasons of list upheaval, and a brutal early season draw, what was the harm in waiting to see if Leppitsch had helped the club progress before locking yourself in? 

The insipid round eight performance against Collingwood
Despite the tough draw, the Lions had performed admirably early in the season, beating Gold Coast and pushing the Kangaroos and Swans. But when they had their first chance to ease the pressure on Leppitsch, they laid an egg against the struggling two-win Magpies. It was 61-0 during the second quarter and spiraled to an embarrassing 78-point loss. They never recovered. 

Management of players
A number of senior players finished 2015 disgruntled, and the club went too far to get them back onside this season. They offered unnecessarily long contracts to Stefan Martin, Daniel Rich, Pearce Hanley and Dayne Zorko and then failed to keep them accountable at the selection table. Rich and Hanley in particular should have been dropped at some stage rather than younger teammates who were playing closer to their expectations. - Michael Whiting

Carlton

Trying to bring the skipper back against Geelong
After Marc Murphy injured his ankle during the first quarter in round 10 against the Cats, the Blues’ medical staff worked frantically to ascertain if there was any way he could return. After attempting a few run-throughs in the rooms it became obvious Murphy was done for the day. Just how serious the injury was became apparent later and he would not play again this season.

Lethargy and inaccuracy leads to Gabba upset
The Blues were flat after being thumped by St Kilda in round 20 and the Lions thrived in the warm conditions, leading by 41 points early in the third quarter. Carlton mounted a strong comeback in the second half and had its chances to break an eight-game losing streak, but its inaccuracy proved costly – booting 8.12 to the Lions’ 3.6 for the half.

Harry McKay’s long-term stint on the sidelines
Ideally the Blues would have played all of their 2015 draftees by now, with Jacob Weitering, Charlie Curnow, David Cuningham and Jack Silvagni being given opportunities at the elite level. The only one who hasn't played is Harry McKay, who was grounded by a stress fracture in his back before returning through the VFL. His chance is likely to come this Saturday against the Bombers. - Howard Kotton

Collingwood

Sluggish starts with season on the line
Against Adelaide and North Melbourne in rounds 17 and 18 respectively, when the Pies' finals hopes were still alive, they trailed the Crows 31-3 and the Kangaroos 40-6. Fought back strongly in both contests only to be overwhelmed again late. The Magpies have had to play catch-up footy all season after winning just two of their opening seven games.

Witts over Grundy in round one
It was something of a surprise when Collingwood settled on the taller Witts as the No. 1 ruck option for the season-opener against the Sydney Swans at the SCG. The Pies went down without the kind of raw aggression Grundy provides. Witts suffered a hand injury that night, opening the door for Grundy, who grabbed his chance with a vice-like grip.

A crippling casualty list
This is more a lament than a regret, and every team needs to be able to absorb a certain amount of injuries, but were the Pies any realistic chance of living up to the lofty expectations without their two most dangerous small forwards in Jamie Elliott (back) and Dane Swan for the entire season, and their next-best option Alex Fasolo for half the season? And there have been plenty of other niggles besides. - Ben Collins

The first-round injury eventually led to Dane Swan's retirement. Picture: AFL Photos

Essendon

Its goalkicking accuracy
Essendon struggled to kick goals this year – it has been the lowest-scoring side in the competition – so when it had its opportunities it needed to make the most of them. Unfortunately, the Bombers' poor conversion (they have booted 185.224 this season) cost them the chance to pick up another couple of wins throughout the season. Essendon coach John Worsfold has identified the need to work on the club's goalkicking issues over summer and it has to be a priority.

Not tagging Daniel Rich
The Bombers and Brisbane Lions met in round 18, with the game going a long way to deciding the wooden spoon. Essendon chose to go without a hard tag on Daniel Rich, who had been shut down for most of this season when on the end of close attention. It was an error, because Rich pieced together perhaps the best game of his year with 27 disposals and a goal. Essendon lost the game and missed its chance to jump off the bottom of the ladder and clear of the Lions.

Injuries to the top-up players
It was probably always bound to happen given their lack of preparation for the season, but Essendon didn't really get much out of most of its 10 'replacement' players. Matt Dea was very good out of defence and looks a good chance to get into the AFL system again full-time, while James Kelly was solid off half-back. But Mathew Stokes, Nathan Grima, Mark Jamar, Jonathan Simpkin and Ryan Crowley all succumbed to injury issues and had very minimal impact on the field. - Callum Twomey

Fremantle

A pre-season of kicking
It seemed like a good idea at the time. Improve the Dockers' ball movement and spread to be more lethal offensively. Unfortunately it has not worked as the Dockers' players have failed to grasp what the coaches have been trying to teach. What's worse is the kicking focus cost them valuable miles in the legs that led to calf issues across the squad and a drop in the team's defensive running. 

The management of Harley Bennell
The jury is still out on the recruitment of Bennell given he has two years to run on his contract. Relinquishing this year's second-round pick in the process will have significant ramifications. But the fact he has not played a single home and away game due to calf problems is staggering. The club would manage his pre-season very differently if given a mulligan.

Not locking in Nat Fyfe long-term
The Dockers re-signed Ross Lyon until 2020. Despite the question marks on his ability to rebuild they won't regret that because it has afforded them the opportunity to commit to a rebuild without much pressure on his position. But Fyfe must be part of the rebuild as a package deal. There's uncertainty among the playing group about who is staying and who is going. Signing Fyfe would have been a firm statement on where their future is headed. - Alex Malcolm

The Dockers missed Nat Fyfe throughout 2016 and maybe will in the future. Picture: AFL Photos

Geelong

Losing to teams outside the eight
Losses to Collingwood, Carlton and St Kilda came as a surprise and potentially at a cost. The consecutive losses to the Magpie and Blues exposed some problems that would have needed rectifying in any event, but the three-point loss to the Saints, after leading late in the last quarter was a shock that could cost the Cats a home final. 

The Jimmy Bartel debate
Once the trigger point had been achieved, it should have been a discussion that could wait. Instead the prospect of triple premiership player Jimmy Bartel being surplus to needs in 2017 was played out publicly. All Bartel appeared to want was an honest conversation at the appropriate time about the selection criteria going forward. It seemed a reasonable enough expectation. 

Not appealing Tom Hawkins' suspension
The club's reluctance to do so was understandable but the Match Review Panel's decision to suspend Hawkins for striking Greater Western Sydney's Phil Davis was worth challenging. No-one knows what the outcome would have been, but subsequent incidents suggest he had a better than even money chance of receiving a favourable tribunal decision. - Peter Ryan

Gold Coast

Steven May's hit on Stefan Martin
Perhaps it was just symbolic, but May's round four howler effectively ended the Suns' season. It started a Brisbane Lions comeback that halted Gold Coast's three-game winning streak, and more importantly, suspended the star fullback for five matches. The Suns were hammered in all five, suffered a stack of injuries, and really never recovered. 

Last quarter against Richmond
With something resembling its best team back on the park, Gold Coast was looking to snap an eight-game losing streak when they made a rare trip to the MCG to take on the Tigers. Coach Rodney Eade was still dreaming of finals – even if just mathematically – and his men built a 15-point lead by the final change. But they capitulated in the last term to lose by 17, with Eade conceding his players "froze". 

The chairman's dig at Guy McKenna
Although McKenna made plenty of mistakes in his four-year tenure as the club's inaugural coach, he was axed by the Suns almost two years ago, and chairman Tony Cochrane's mid-season dig was uncalled for. Cochrane is a big personality and has an absolute passion to fly the flag for his club, but in saying there is "no way" the Suns should have hired a junior coach, is kicking a guy well and truly once he's out the door. - Michael Whiting

GWS

Not taking Fremantle's offer for Cam McCarthy
The Giants stood firm when the trouble forward wanted out at the end of last season and refused to do a deal with the Dockers, despite the lure of landing two first round draft selections. History will say it was the wrong move, but it's hard to criticise a club for hoping a contracted player would honour his end of the bargain. 

Conceding Nic Nat's last-gasp match-winner
With eight seconds on the clock the Giants had four points, fourth spot, and an important double chance in the bag, until Nic Naitanui stole all three with one left foot snap. The GWS players failed miserably at the stoppage and will now be on the road if they get past the first week of the finals.

Letting the Magpies get on a roll
GWS led Collingwood by 24 points at quarter-time at Spotless Stadium, but went missing after the first change, giving up 11 of the next 13 goals, including eight in a row either side of half time. The Giants' effort was woeful all over the ground and they eventually lost by 32 points. - Adam Curley

Hawthorn

Not winning by enough
Percentage has been an issue for the Hawks all year and they're paying the price for not putting away teams such as St Kilda and Melbourne earlier in the season and Carlton later on. Poor kicking arguably cost them the return Melbourne game in round 20. The hefty loss to Greater Western Sydney in round six also wreaked havoc with their percentage.

Losing ground in the contest
The Hawks have got away with relatively average contested possession and clearance numbers for years because their forward line has been so powerful. But they're averaging about two goals a game fewer than last year, so when the midfield is down the reduced scoring power becomes an issue. Contested ball beasts Will Langford and Liam Shiels have had injury-interrupted seasons.

Absence of their best forward
That they didn't have Jarryd Roughead all year. First it was a PCL and then the recurrence of his melanoma. Bad luck for the Hawks, and more to the point dreadful for Roughead, but his absence has left a gaping hole and it speaks to the resolve of the playing group and the genius of the coach that they're still in contention for the flag. - Ashley Browne

Melbourne

The horror loss
There have been some horror losses over the journey for Melbourne and the club's round two defeat by Essendon was reminiscent of the bad old days. How the Bombers – minus 12 of their best players – could cause such an upset is mystifying. Despite going into the game as red-hot favourites, Melbourne wilted under the expectation. Coach Paul Roos even described his players as "big-headed". 

The players leave the MCG dejected after losing to Essendon in round two. Picture: AFL Photos

The season stopper
With the potential of playing finals on the cards, the Demons' 20-point loss to Carlton in round 22 killed off any hope the club had of featuring in September for the first time since 2006. Paul Roos' men were outhunted around the footy from the outset and, once the young team fell behind, they could not muster the strength to produce a season-saving comeback. 

Impatience in selecting Brayshaw
After missing round one with a medial ligament knee injury suffered in the NAB Challenge, the Demons rushed Angus Brayshaw back into the team for round two. Coach Paul Roos identified he hadn't had the appropriate conditioning and missed the following week, before returning in rounds four and five. Back at VFL level, he then sustained two concussions in three weeks forcing the Demons to give him an extended rest. Brayshaw did not come back into the team until round 17 as Melbourne was careful with his recovery and learnt from its previous mistake. - Ben Guthrie

North Melbourne

Not putting Hawthorn away in round 13
The Roos were defending top spot and threw absolutely everything at the Hawks in a Friday night blockbuster. North's ferocity had the champs on the back foot for long periods, but Brad Scott's men booted 11.18 (84) to 14.9 (93). It was a dispiriting setback and the Roos slid to three more losses in a row as they tumbled to eighth on the ladder. 

Brad Scott's outburst after that Hawks loss
The North coach made the extraordinary claim umpires had told his players they wouldn't pay Lindsay Thomas free kicks because he's a 'ducker', in his post-match press conference after round 13. But Scott didn't double-check the incorrect claim and it cost him a $30,000 fine and the Roos an additional $50,000. 

Persisting with a struggling Jarrad Waite
The star forward was on All Australian pace in the Kangaroos' flying start to the year, but played through a hip injury during the middle part of the season and paid the price. Waite admitted he shouldn't have played against Geelong in round 12 and has missed seven of the next nine games – with two short-lived comebacks – since then. – Travis King

Port Adelaide

Star recruit should have been put in cotton wool
Charlie Dixon kicked 30 goals in 16 games before injuring his ankle in the round 17 win over North Melbourne. He missed two weeks before coming back for games against the Sydney Swans and Melbourne. Dixon didn't kick a goal in either game and the Power lost by 67 and 40 points respectively. Dixon's importance to the Power, and the fact they were only a slim finals chance when he was injured, meant he should have had more time to rest. 

Fremantle defeat puts major dent in finals aspirations
Any chances the Power had of returning to the finals hit a major hurdle with their round 13 loss to the struggling Dockers at Domain Stadium. The Power were in control of the game before the Dockers kicked the last four goals for a 17-point victory. That loss left the Power two games out of the eight and ended any momentum they had. 

Schulz fails to deliver after signing one-year extension
Veteran forward Jay Schulz has been a disappointment for the Power this season. The 31-year-old was close to a move to Fremantle at the end of last year before re-signing with the Power on a one-year deal. Schulz missed the first half of the season with back surgery and has kicked just seven goals in six senior games this year. - Lee Gaskin

Richmond

Committing to Damien Hardwick for a year too long
While the Brisbane Lions and Collingwood chose to extend their coaches' deals for one year until the end of 2017, Richmond committed to Hardwick until the end of 2018. The coach deserved the opportunity to see if he could take the next step with this team, but immediate finals exits in 2013-15 did not warrant such a commitment and left the club's hands tied in a full-scale review.

An 'unintelligent' two minutes against the Pies
The Tigers will look back on round two as the loss that prompted their downfall. With an 11-point lead in the dying minutes, poor decisions let their opponents back in the game, and Magpie Brodie Grundy kicked the match-winner with four seconds left. Ty Vickery will rue a decision to centre the ball, rather than take a shot and soak up time with three minutes to play.    

Not playing Oleg Markov sooner
The Tigers kept their first-year half-back in the VFL for the first five weeks before he was selected as an AFL emergency. He didn't make the final cut and then had to wait until round 16 to make his debut. On the evidence of the past six weeks, Markov will be a star. He has relished the responsibility he has been given in defence and who knows what more he could have achieved in his debut season if given a chance earlier? - Nathan Schmook

St Kilda

Interstate performances
The Saints' last three performances outside of Victoria were very poor, with meek efforts against West Coast, Adelaide and Gold Coast. The loss to the Suns was particularly poor – St Kilda had come off a thrilling three-point win against Geelong but didn't come close to reproducing that form versus the Suns. If St Kilda recorded one more win, or had a healthier percentage, it would still be in finals contention. 

The last two minutes against North Melbourne in round seven
A (relatively soft) free kick Tom Hickey conceded in the ruck set up a Todd Goldstein behind, and Sam Gilbert made a mistake from the kick-out by not sending the ball up the middle, but rather to a pocket. St Kilda would lose that match by seven points, and victory that day would have had the Saints sitting eighth.

Not giving more time for Jack Billings to recover from his ankle injury
The 21-year-old hurt his ankle against Essendon in round nine and finished the game, but missed next week. He returned versus Adelaide in round 11, but after a week in the VFL, he didn't play for another four weeks. Billings is too valuable a talent to not have fit and firing. - Dinny Navaratnam

Sydney Swans

Last-minute brain fades  
It's been an outstanding season but it could have been even better if the Swans hadn't blown three games with horrendous meltdowns. Against Richmond in round eight (one point), the Western Bulldogs in round 15 (four points), and Hawthorn a fortnight later (five points), the Swans' failure to ice the contest when they had the footy in their hands, cost them three vital wins.

Leaving the door open for Tom Mitchell's exit 
One of the side's most important midfielders is out of contract at season's end and from all reports was set to extend his time in Sydney mid-year, until he shut up shop and put negotiations on hold. Massive interest, and likely big offers from the likes of Hawthorn and Carlton weren't or haven't been matched, and the Swans might have missed the boat. 

Tom Mitchell may be lost to the Swans after they failed to re-sign him. Picture: AFL Photos

Offering Michael Talia a spot on the senior list ahead of Tom Papley
Talia was recruited as an insurance policy with veteran Ted Richards nearing the end of his career, while Papley was taken as a mature-aged rookie, but the roles could have been reversed. Papley was promoted in round one and has been a revelation inside 50, while Talia suffered a serious foot injury in the season opener and hasn't played since, and was also charged with drug possession in July.  - Adam Curley

West Coast

Nic Nat's knee buckle
Luck is a fortune. There is simply no way you can prevent Nic Naitanui's anterior cruciate ligament from rupturing at any given moment. But if you could turn back time and send the runner out forewarning Naitanui of the consequences of jumping at that particular marking contest against the Hawks, the Eagles would do it.  

The Jack Redden, Lewis Jetta and Callum Sinclair trades
Knowing what they know now, the Eagles would rethink these trades. They were certain they would get a first-round compensation pick for Scott Selwood leaving as a restricted free agent and sold their first pick to the Brisbane Lions for Redden ahead of time. When the compensation came back as a second-round pick it forced the Eagles to relinquish Sinclair to get the Jetta deal done. Neither recruit has fired yet and they have been forced to be creative with the rucks in Naitanui's absence.

Two last-quarter fadeouts
The Eagles led at the start of the last quarter against Adelaide in round 12 and Collingwood in round 19 and lost both games. Had they won both of those games they would be a game clear on top of the ladder with one round to go, assured of a top-four finish and in line to host another qualifying final. - Alex Malcolm

Western Bulldogs

Trying to cover up Boyd and Cordy's drunken fight
For a player already under immense scrutiny for his output not matching his massive salary, Tom Boyd's off-field scuffle with teammate Zaine Cordy was an incident the club was keen to hide from the media. But like most stories, it got out and became a circus for several weeks, putting even more pressure on Boyd. 

Not winning by bigger margins
For a club that wins more footy than anyone else in the AFL this season, the Dogs will be kicking themselves they haven't been able to find a way to kick bigger scores. They sit 10th for scoring and have the second worst percentage (117.4) in the eight. 

Recruiting rookie ruckman Luke Goetz
With the No.1 ruck position a revolving door during Luke Beveridge's tenure, it was disappointing to see the club part ways with Goetz before the end of his first season at Whitten Oval. The 18-year-old has some ability, but was sacked after failing to come to grips with the demands of AFL football. - Ryan Davidson