Hawthorn finished top of the 1961 VFL ladder with 56 points and 125.1%, six points clear of Melbourne. Hawthorn won the premiership from 1st, beating Western Bulldogs by 43 points in the Grand Final.
Final VFL ladder · Updated Mon 21 Nov 2022, 4:28pm (Melbourne time)
| Pos | Club | P | Pts | % | W | L | D | PF | PA | Last 5 | Finals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | HawthornHAW🏆 | 18 | 56 | 125.1 | 14 | 4 | 0 | 1467 | 1173 | WWWWW | Premiers |
| 2 | MelbourneMEL | 18 | 50 | 131.2 | 12 | 5 | 1 | 1510 | 1151 | LLWWW | Lost PF |
| 3 | St KildaSTK | 18 | 44 | 117.1 | 11 | 7 | 0 | 1373 | 1173 | LWWLW | Lost FW1 |
| 4 | Western BulldogsWBDTOP 4 | 18 | 44 | 109.7 | 11 | 7 | 0 | 1334 | 1216 | WWWLW | Runner-up |
| 5 | FitzroyFIT | 18 | 42 | 116.8 | 10 | 7 | 1 | 1469 | 1258 | LWWLW | – |
| 6 | GeelongGEE | 18 | 42 | 100.4 | 10 | 7 | 1 | 1367 | 1362 | WLLWL | – |
| 7 | EssendonESS | 18 | 38 | 109.5 | 9 | 8 | 1 | 1462 | 1335 | WWLWD | – |
| 8 | CarltonCAR | 18 | 36 | 96.5 | 9 | 9 | 0 | 1279 | 1325 | LWWWL | – |
| 9 | CollingwoodCOL | 18 | 22 | 84.8 | 5 | 12 | 1 | 1166 | 1375 | LLLLD | – |
| 10 | RichmondRIC | 18 | 20 | 78.9 | 5 | 13 | 0 | 1126 | 1428 | LLLLL | – |
| 11 | SydneySYD | 18 | 20 | 72.2 | 5 | 13 | 0 | 1187 | 1644 | WLLLL | – |
| 12 | North MelbourneNTH | 18 | 18 | 79.1 | 4 | 13 | 1 | 1133 | 1433 | WLLWL | – |