North Melbourne finished top of the 1978 VFL ladder with 64 points and 120.9%, ahead of Hawthorn on percentage. Hawthorn won the premiership from 2nd, beating North Melbourne by 18 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 | North MelbourneNTH | 22 | 64 | 120.9 | 16 | 6 | 0 | 2407 | 1991 | WWLWW | Runner-up |
| 2 | HawthornHAW🏆 | 22 | 64 | 117.7 | 16 | 6 | 0 | 2496 | 2120 | WWLWW | Premiers |
| 3 | CollingwoodCOL | 22 | 60 | 113.3 | 15 | 7 | 0 | 2347 | 2072 | LWWWW | Lost PF |
| 4 | CarltonCAR | 22 | 56 | 116.8 | 14 | 8 | 0 | 2329 | 1994 | WWWWL | Lost SF |
| 5 | GeelongGEETOP 5 | 22 | 48 | 102.3 | 12 | 10 | 0 | 2153 | 2104 | WWWLW | Lost FW1 |
| 6 | St KildaSTK | 22 | 46 | 93.1 | 11 | 10 | 1 | 2330 | 2503 | WWWLW | – |
| 7 | RichmondRIC | 22 | 42 | 102.9 | 10 | 11 | 1 | 2459 | 2389 | LLLLW | – |
| 8 | SydneySYD | 22 | 36 | 100.3 | 9 | 13 | 0 | 2390 | 2383 | WLLLL | – |
| 9 | FitzroyFIT | 22 | 32 | 96.5 | 8 | 14 | 0 | 2258 | 2339 | LLWWL | – |
| 10 | EssendonESS | 22 | 32 | 94.3 | 8 | 14 | 0 | 2203 | 2337 | LLLLL | – |
| 11 | Western BulldogsWBD | 22 | 28 | 90.6 | 7 | 15 | 0 | 2272 | 2508 | LLLLL | – |
| 12 | MelbourneMEL | 22 | 20 | 69.1 | 5 | 17 | 0 | 2025 | 2929 | LLWWL | – |