Essendon finished top of the 1948 VFL ladder with 66 points and 137.2%, 14 points clear of Melbourne. Melbourne won the premiership from 2nd, beating Essendon by 39 points in the Grand Final replay, after the Grand Final was drawn.
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 | 19 | 66 | 137.2 | 16 | 2 | 1 | 1838 | 1340 | WWWWW | Runner-up |
| 2 | MelbourneMEL🏆 | 19 | 52 | 124.9 | 13 | 6 | 0 | 1682 | 1347 | LWWWW | Premiers |
| 3 | CollingwoodCOL | 19 | 52 | 118.3 | 13 | 6 | 0 | 1775 | 1500 | LLWWL | Lost PF |
| 4 | Western BulldogsWBDTOP 4 | 19 | 48 | 103.2 | 12 | 7 | 0 | 1499 | 1453 | LWWWW | Lost FW1 |
| 5 | RichmondRIC | 19 | 46 | 125.6 | 11 | 7 | 1 | 1895 | 1509 | WLLWL | – |
| 6 | CarltonCAR | 19 | 40 | 113.1 | 10 | 9 | 0 | 1769 | 1564 | WWLLW | – |
| 7 | FitzroyFIT | 19 | 36 | 112.8 | 9 | 10 | 0 | 1529 | 1355 | LLLLL | – |
| 8 | North MelbourneNTH | 19 | 32 | 83.6 | 8 | 11 | 0 | 1328 | 1589 | WLWWL | – |
| 9 | GeelongGEE | 19 | 28 | 89.7 | 7 | 12 | 0 | 1558 | 1737 | WLLLL | – |
| 10 | SydneySYD | 19 | 28 | 82.8 | 7 | 12 | 0 | 1512 | 1826 | LWLLW | – |
| 11 | HawthornHAW | 19 | 20 | 75.7 | 5 | 14 | 0 | 1280 | 1690 | LWWLL | – |
| 12 | St KildaSTK | 19 | 8 | 59.8 | 2 | 17 | 0 | 1124 | 1879 | WLLLW | – |