Collingwood finished top of the 1973 VFL ladder with 76 points and 125.5%, eight points clear of Richmond. Richmond won the premiership from 2nd, beating Carlton by 30 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 | CollingwoodCOL | 22 | 76 | 125.5 | 19 | 3 | 0 | 2356 | 1878 | WWLWW | Lost PF |
| 2 | RichmondRIC🏆 | 22 | 68 | 117.6 | 17 | 5 | 0 | 2301 | 1957 | WWWWL | Premiers |
| 3 | CarltonCAR | 22 | 60 | 126.6 | 15 | 7 | 0 | 2342 | 1850 | LWWLW | Runner-up |
| 4 | EssendonESS | 22 | 52 | 104.4 | 13 | 9 | 0 | 2443 | 2341 | WWLLL | Lost FW1 |
| 5 | St KildaSTKTOP 5 | 22 | 48 | 105.3 | 12 | 10 | 0 | 2024 | 1922 | WLWWL | Lost SF |
| 6 | North MelbourneNTH | 22 | 46 | 97.6 | 11 | 10 | 1 | 1938 | 1986 | LWWLW | – |
| 7 | HawthornHAW | 22 | 44 | 109.6 | 11 | 11 | 0 | 2194 | 2002 | LLLLW | – |
| 8 | FitzroyFIT | 22 | 36 | 90.7 | 9 | 13 | 0 | 1990 | 2194 | LLWWW | – |
| 9 | Western BulldogsWBD | 22 | 30 | 88.2 | 7 | 14 | 1 | 1860 | 2109 | LLWWW | – |
| 10 | MelbourneMEL | 22 | 28 | 91.8 | 7 | 15 | 0 | 1938 | 2111 | LLLLL | – |
| 11 | GeelongGEE | 22 | 24 | 78.4 | 6 | 16 | 0 | 1903 | 2426 | WWLWL | – |
| 12 | SydneySYD | 22 | 16 | 79.0 | 4 | 18 | 0 | 1932 | 2445 | WLLLL | – |