North Melbourne finished top of the 1949 VFL ladder with 56 points and 119.1%, four points clear of Carlton. Essendon won the premiership from 4th, beating Carlton by 73 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 | North MelbourneNTH | 19 | 56 | 119.1 | 14 | 5 | 0 | 1471 | 1235 | WWLWW | Lost PF |
| 2 | CarltonCAR | 19 | 52 | 126.4 | 13 | 6 | 0 | 1679 | 1328 | LLWWL | Runner-up |
| 3 | CollingwoodCOL | 19 | 52 | 123.5 | 13 | 6 | 0 | 1616 | 1308 | WWLWL | Lost FW1 |
| 4 | EssendonESS🏆TOP 4 | 19 | 52 | 120.7 | 13 | 6 | 0 | 1649 | 1366 | WWWWW | Premiers |
| 5 | MelbourneMEL | 19 | 48 | 113.0 | 12 | 7 | 0 | 1516 | 1341 | WLWLW | – |
| 6 | RichmondRIC | 19 | 40 | 116.7 | 10 | 9 | 0 | 1733 | 1485 | LLWWW | – |
| 7 | FitzroyFIT | 19 | 40 | 97.8 | 10 | 9 | 0 | 1488 | 1521 | LWLLW | – |
| 8 | GeelongGEE | 19 | 36 | 111.8 | 9 | 10 | 0 | 1722 | 1540 | WLLLL | – |
| 9 | Western BulldogsWBD | 19 | 28 | 83.9 | 7 | 12 | 0 | 1211 | 1444 | LWWLL | – |
| 10 | SydneySYD | 19 | 24 | 80.5 | 6 | 13 | 0 | 1343 | 1669 | LLLWL | – |
| 11 | St KildaSTK | 19 | 16 | 73.5 | 4 | 15 | 0 | 1272 | 1730 | WWLLW | – |
| 12 | HawthornHAW | 19 | 12 | 61.1 | 3 | 16 | 0 | 1153 | 1886 | LLWLL | – |