Carlton finished top of the 1938 VFL ladder with 56 points and 116.1%, four points clear of Geelong. Carlton won the premiership from 1st, beating Collingwood by 15 points in the Grand Final.
Final VFL ladder · Updated Mon 21 Nov 2022, 4:27pm (Melbourne time)
| Pos | Club | P | Pts | % | W | L | D | PF | PA | Last 5 | Finals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CarltonCAR🏆 | 18 | 56 | 116.1 | 14 | 4 | 0 | 1827 | 1574 | WWLLW | Premiers |
| 2 | GeelongGEE | 18 | 52 | 129.2 | 13 | 5 | 0 | 1897 | 1468 | WWWWW | Lost PF |
| 3 | Western BulldogsWBD | 18 | 52 | 124.3 | 13 | 5 | 0 | 1723 | 1386 | WLWLW | Lost FW1 |
| 4 | CollingwoodCOLTOP 4 | 18 | 48 | 117.6 | 12 | 6 | 0 | 1942 | 1652 | LWWWW | Runner-up |
| 5 | MelbourneMEL | 18 | 44 | 106.0 | 11 | 7 | 0 | 1776 | 1676 | WWLWL | – |
| 6 | RichmondRIC | 18 | 40 | 111.8 | 10 | 8 | 0 | 1747 | 1563 | WLWLL | – |
| 7 | EssendonESS | 18 | 36 | 102.3 | 9 | 9 | 0 | 1801 | 1760 | LLLWW | – |
| 8 | St KildaSTK | 18 | 36 | 91.8 | 9 | 9 | 0 | 1474 | 1606 | WWLWL | – |
| 9 | North MelbourneNTH | 18 | 24 | 74.7 | 6 | 12 | 0 | 1384 | 1852 | LWWLL | – |
| 10 | FitzroyFIT | 18 | 20 | 88.6 | 5 | 13 | 0 | 1543 | 1742 | LLLLW | – |
| 11 | HawthornHAW | 18 | 16 | 82.4 | 4 | 14 | 0 | 1414 | 1717 | LLLWL | – |
| 12 | SydneySYD | 18 | 8 | 71.8 | 2 | 16 | 0 | 1353 | 1885 | LLWLL | – |