The formula is about scoring, not wins
AFL percentage is calculated as points for divided by points against, multiplied by 100. A team that has scored exactly as many points as it has conceded has a percentage of 100.
Despite the name, this is not the share of matches a team has won. Win percentage divides wins by games played; AFL ladder percentage compares the team's scoring output with the scoring it has allowed.
A worked example
Imagine a team has scored 1,200 points and conceded 1,000. Dividing 1,200 by 1,000 gives 1.2, and multiplying by 100 produces a percentage of 120.
If the totals are reversed, 1,000 divided by 1,200 produces 0.8333, or about 83.3 percent. The formula preserves the relationship between attack and defence across all completed matches.
Premiership points come first
The ladder awards four premiership points for a win and two for a draw. Percentage does not replace those points; it helps separate clubs that have the same premiership-points total.
A team with a beautiful percentage but fewer premiership points remains below a team with more premiership points. The ratio becomes most visible when several clubs are tied in the race for a finals position.
Why a large margin can move the number
A big win adds strongly to points for while adding relatively little to points against. A heavy loss does the reverse, so either result can move the ratio more than a narrow finish.
The effect depends on the season totals already accumulated. Early rounds are volatile because each match forms a large share of the data, while one late result usually has to move much larger totals.
Points difference would tell a different story
A points-difference system subtracts points against from points for. AFL percentage instead forms a ratio, which adjusts the gap according to the amount of scoring in the denominator.
Two teams can have the same positive difference but different percentages if their total scoring environments differ. That is one reason an NRL ladder and an AFL ladder should not be read as though their tie-breaking columns are interchangeable.
How to read it without overreading it
A percentage above 100 means the team has scored more than it has conceded; below 100 means the opposite. It is a useful season summary, but it does not reveal injuries, opponent strength or when the margins occurred.
For the current ladder, use the official AFL page because every new match changes the totals. For understanding the number, remember one formula: for divided by against, multiplied by 100.
Sources and further reading
This article was written for Curiosity Desk. We do not copy other publishers or invent quotes. If a material error is found, we correct it openly.
Read the full standards →One answer should lead to a better question
Bring your curiosity to the group
Curious Minds is our public Facebook community for surprising science, strange history, Australian wildlife and everyday questions. No copied posts, no personal-friend invitations and no link dumping.
