Melbourne finished top of the 1940 VFL ladder with 56 points and 125.8%, eight points clear of Richmond. Melbourne won the premiership from 1st, beating Richmond by 39 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 | MelbourneMEL🏆 | 18 | 56 | 125.8 | 14 | 4 | 0 | 2110 | 1677 | WLWWW | Premiers |
| 2 | RichmondRIC | 18 | 48 | 120.0 | 12 | 6 | 0 | 1787 | 1489 | LWWWW | Runner-up |
| 3 | EssendonESS | 18 | 48 | 108.2 | 12 | 6 | 0 | 1611 | 1489 | LLWWW | Lost PF |
| 4 | GeelongGEETOP 4 | 18 | 44 | 102.9 | 11 | 7 | 0 | 1645 | 1599 | LLLWL | Lost FW1 |
| 5 | CarltonCAR | 18 | 40 | 111.3 | 10 | 8 | 0 | 1730 | 1555 | WWWWW | – |
| 6 | Western BulldogsWBD | 18 | 36 | 108.9 | 9 | 9 | 0 | 1696 | 1558 | LWWLL | – |
| 7 | FitzroyFIT | 18 | 36 | 92.3 | 9 | 9 | 0 | 1443 | 1563 | WWLLL | – |
| 8 | CollingwoodCOL | 18 | 32 | 100.6 | 8 | 10 | 0 | 1621 | 1611 | LWLLW | – |
| 9 | HawthornHAW | 18 | 28 | 88.0 | 7 | 11 | 0 | 1549 | 1760 | WWLLW | – |
| 10 | SydneySYD | 18 | 28 | 87.3 | 7 | 11 | 0 | 1480 | 1696 | WLWWL | – |
| 11 | St KildaSTK | 18 | 20 | 86.8 | 5 | 13 | 0 | 1418 | 1634 | WLLLL | – |
| 12 | North MelbourneNTH | 18 | 16 | 75.1 | 4 | 14 | 0 | 1381 | 1840 | LLLLL | – |