Geelong finished top of the 1897 VFL ladder with 44 points and 183.8%, ahead of Essendon on percentage.
Final VFL ladder · Updated Mon 21 Nov 2022, 4:08pm (Melbourne time)
| Pos | Club | P | Pts | % | W | L | D | PF | PA | Last 5 | Finals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GeelongGEE | 14 | 44 | 183.8 | 11 | 3 | 0 | 704 | 383 | WWWWW | – |
| 2 | EssendonESS🏆 | 14 | 44 | 158.7 | 11 | 3 | 0 | 706 | 445 | WWWWL | Premiers |
| 3 | MelbourneMEL | 14 | 40 | 144.8 | 10 | 4 | 0 | 685 | 473 | WWWLW | – |
| 4 | CollingwoodCOLTOP 4 | 14 | 36 | 114.4 | 9 | 5 | 0 | 509 | 445 | LLWWW | – |
| 5 | SydneySYD | 14 | 34 | 138.4 | 8 | 5 | 1 | 595 | 430 | WWLLW | – |
| 6 | FitzroyFIT | 14 | 18 | 104.9 | 4 | 9 | 1 | 509 | 485 | LLLLL | – |
| 7 | CarltonCAR | 14 | 8 | 51.0 | 2 | 12 | 0 | 376 | 737 | LLLWL | – |
| 8 | St KildaSTK | 14 | 0 | 29.0 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 280 | 966 | LLLLL | – |