| Round | Opponent | Venue | Date | Home / Away | Result |
| 1 | Essendon | MCG | Thursday 25 March (N) | Away | Lost by 39 points |
| 2 | Collingwood | MCG | Monday 5 April | Home | Won by 29 points |
| 3 | Western Bulldogs | Optus Oval | Sunday 11 April | Away * | Won by 2 points |
| 4 | Fremantle | Optus Oval | Saturday 17 April | Home | Won by 29 points |
| 5 | Geelong | Optus Oval | Saturday 24 April | Home | Lost by 50 points |
| 6 | St Kilda | MCG | Friday 30 April (N) | Away | Lost by 41 points |
| 7 | Richmond | MCG | Friday 7 May (N) | Home | Won by 20 points |
| 8 | Port Power | Football Park | Saturday 15 May | Away | Lost by 39 points |
| 9 | Melbourne | Optus Oval | Saturday 22 May | Home | Won by 33 points |
| 10 | West Coast Eagles | Subiaco | Sunday 6 June | Away | Won by 17 points |
| 11 | Brisbane | Optus Oval | Saturday 12 June | Home | Lost by 16 points |
| 12 | Sydney | Optus Oval | Sunday 20 June | Home | Lost by 27 points |
| 13 | Nth Melbourne | MCG | Saturday 26 June | Away | Lost by 36 points |
| 14 | Hawthorn | Waverley | Sunday 4 July | Away | Won by 34 points |
| 15 | Adelaide | Optus Oval | Saturday 10 July | Home | Won by 48 points |
| 16 | Essendon | MCG | Sunday 18 July | Home | Lost by 76 points |
| 17 | Collingwood | MCG | Sunday 25 July | Away | Won by 57 points |
| 18 | Western Bulldogs | Optus Oval | Sunday 1 August | Home | Won by 5 points |
| 19 | Fremantle | WACA | Saturday 7 August | Away | Won by 69 points |
| 20 | Geelong | MCG | Sunday 15 August | Away | Lost by 9 points |
| 21 | St Kilda | Optus Oval | Saturday 21 August | Home | Lost by 61 points |
| 22 | Richmond | MCG | Friday 27 August (N) | Away | Lost by 11 points |
| QF | Brisbane | Gabba | Saturday 4 September | Away | Lost by 73 points |
| SF | West Coast Eagles | MCG | Saturday 11 September | Home | Won by 54 points |
| PF | Essendon | MCG | Saturday 18 September | Away | Won by 1 point |
| GF | Nth Melbourne | MCG | Saturday 25 September | Away | Lost by 35 points |
Note: the Round 3 clash at Optus Oval would be an away game for Carlton. Western Bulldogs was to become a co-tenant at Optus Oval and play its home games there from 1997 up until the end of the 1999 season. The Western Bulldogs would relocate their home games to the newly built Docklands Stadium from 2000 onwards.