Carlton finished top of the 1972 VFL ladder with 74 points and 134.3%, two points clear of Richmond. Carlton won the premiership from 1st, beating Richmond by 27 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 | CarltonCAR🏆 | 22 | 74 | 134.3 | 18 | 3 | 1 | 2237 | 1666 | WWWWW | Premiers |
| 2 | RichmondRIC | 22 | 72 | 117.7 | 18 | 4 | 0 | 2469 | 2098 | WWWWW | Runner-up |
| 3 | CollingwoodCOL | 22 | 58 | 133.8 | 14 | 7 | 1 | 2338 | 1747 | WWLWL | Lost Finals Week 3 |
| 4 | St KildaSTK | 22 | 56 | 115.6 | 14 | 8 | 0 | 1989 | 1721 | LLWWW | Lost Finals Week 4 |
| 5 | EssendonESSTOP 5 | 22 | 56 | 108.3 | 14 | 8 | 0 | 2317 | 2140 | WWLWW | Lost FW1 |
| 6 | HawthornHAW | 22 | 52 | 111.1 | 13 | 9 | 0 | 2277 | 2050 | WLWLL | – |
| 7 | Western BulldogsWBD | 22 | 44 | 94.7 | 11 | 11 | 0 | 1930 | 2038 | WLWLL | – |
| 8 | MelbourneMEL | 22 | 40 | 105.9 | 10 | 12 | 0 | 2043 | 1929 | LWLWW | – |
| 9 | FitzroyFIT | 22 | 36 | 96.8 | 9 | 13 | 0 | 1997 | 2062 | LWLLL | – |
| 10 | GeelongGEE | 22 | 28 | 84.2 | 7 | 15 | 0 | 1994 | 2369 | LLWLW | – |
| 11 | SydneySYD | 22 | 8 | 65.1 | 2 | 20 | 0 | 1513 | 2323 | LLLLL | – |
| 12 | North MelbourneNTH | 22 | 4 | 62.9 | 1 | 21 | 0 | 1628 | 2589 | LLLLL | – |