Essendon finished top of the 1942 VFL ladder with 48 points and 127.1%, four points clear of Richmond. Essendon won the premiership from 1st, beating Richmond by 53 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 | EssendonESS🏆 | 15 | 48 | 127.1 | 12 | 3 | 0 | 1426 | 1122 | LWLWW | Premiers |
| 2 | RichmondRIC | 15 | 44 | 134.5 | 11 | 4 | 0 | 1778 | 1322 | LWWWL | Runner-up |
| 3 | SydneySYD | 15 | 44 | 129.0 | 11 | 4 | 0 | 1513 | 1173 | WLWWW | Lost PF |
| 4 | Western BulldogsWBDTOP 4 | 14 | 40 | 126.0 | 10 | 4 | 0 | 1460 | 1159 | WWLWW | Lost FW1 |
| 5 | CarltonCAR | 14 | 40 | 120.2 | 10 | 4 | 0 | 1361 | 1132 | WWWWW | – |
| 6 | FitzroyFIT | 15 | 32 | 104.9 | 8 | 7 | 0 | 1405 | 1340 | WWLLL | – |
| 7 | St KildaSTK | 14 | 24 | 81.9 | 6 | 8 | 0 | 1076 | 1314 | WLWLL | – |
| 8 | MelbourneMEL | 15 | 20 | 85.2 | 5 | 10 | 0 | 1384 | 1624 | WLWWL | – |
| 9 | North MelbourneNTH | 14 | 16 | 78.2 | 4 | 10 | 0 | 1105 | 1413 | LWLLL | – |
| 10 | CollingwoodCOL | 14 | 8 | 76.0 | 2 | 12 | 0 | 1120 | 1474 | LLLLW | – |
| 11 | HawthornHAW | 15 | 4 | 65.6 | 1 | 14 | 0 | 1058 | 1613 | LLLLL | – |