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Sport Nation
FIFA World Cup 2026 posterThe AFL Free Kick Ladder - Round 12
Andrew Slevison • June 2nd, 2026 3:49 pm
After Round 12 the Free Kick Ladder has taken shape nicely.
Most of the anomalies are gone and we have a clear indication of which clubs are free kick receivers and which clubs are free kick givers.
Post the weekend, there are four clubs - Adelaide, Gold Coast, North Melbourne and Port Adelaide - who have played 11 games versus the rest of the competition’s 12.
But that shouldn’t impede the differentials too much which of course is the basis for our wonderful FK Ladder.
Our next edition will came after Round 16 when every club has had its mid-season bye.
See the latest numbers below:
Best differentials
1 - St Kilda (+42)2 - Geelong (+36)3 - Sydney (+29)4 - Richmond (+18)5 - Collingwood (+9)
Worst differentials
1 - GWS Giants (-52)2 - Gold Coast (-29)3 - Fremantle (-25)4 - Carlton (-13)5 - Port Adelaide (-12)
Most frees for
1 - Sydney (273)2 - Geelong (257)3 - Richmond (245)4 - St Kilda (241)5 - Western Bulldogs (238)
Least frees for
1 - GWS Giants (196)2 - Fremantle (203)3 - Gold Coast (204)4 - Port Adelaide (205)5 - Melbourne (210)
Most frees against
1 - GWS Giants (248)2 - Sydney (244)3 - West Coast (242)Eq.4 - North Melbourne & Carlton (238)
Least frees against
1 - St Kilda (199)2 - Melbourne (202)3 - Collingwood (207)4 - Brisbane (216)5 - Port Adelaide (217)
The 2026 Free Kick Ladder - Round 12
After sitting second in the earlier editions, St Kilda has moved to top spot with a differential of +42.
That is on the back of the fourth most frees for (241) and least frees against (199).
Geelong (+36) had led the way with differentials of +44 and +47 at the Round 4 and 8 marks. They have fallen back to second having failed to win the free kick count in each of their last four outings.
Sydney (+29) went from 10th to third between Round 4 and 8, and now remain in third due to the most frees for (273), but they've had the second most against (244).
Making up the top five is Richmond (+18) and Collingwood (+9) in a very Victorian-centric handful.
At the other end is the poor old Giants who were bottom in Round 4 and second bottom in Round 8. Their differential has ballooned to -52 on the back of having the fewest frees for (196) AND most frees against (248).
Second bottom is fellow expansion outfit Gold Coast (+29) who have been in the bottom three in all FK Ladder junctures.
The 11-1 Fremantle (-25), top-of-the-table on the real ladder, aren't getting a great run with the match officials with the second least frees for (203).
And rounding out the bottom five is Carlton (-13) and Port Adelaide (-12).
Seven of the bottom eight clubs are non-Victorian.
See the FK Ladder after Round 12 below:
