Richmond finished top of the 1982 VFL ladder with 72 points and 126.2%, four points clear of Hawthorn. Carlton won the premiership from 3rd, beating Richmond by 18 points in the Grand Final.
Final VFL ladder · Updated Thu 17 Nov 2022, 9:54am (Melbourne time)
| Pos | Club | P | Pts | % | W | L | D | PF | PA | Last 5 | Finals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | RichmondRIC | 22 | 72 | 126.2 | 18 | 4 | 0 | 2682 | 2125 | WWLWW | Runner-up |
| 2 | HawthornHAW | 22 | 68 | 131.6 | 17 | 5 | 0 | 2828 | 2149 | WWWWW | Lost PF |
| 3 | CarltonCAR🏆 | 22 | 66 | 127.5 | 16 | 5 | 1 | 2561 | 2008 | WLWWW | Premiers |
| 4 | EssendonESS | 22 | 64 | 125.2 | 16 | 6 | 0 | 2576 | 2057 | LWWWW | Lost FW1 |
| 5 | North MelbourneNTHTOP 5 | 22 | 56 | 109.6 | 14 | 8 | 0 | 2693 | 2458 | WWWLL | Lost SF |
| 6 | FitzroyFIT | 22 | 50 | 102.5 | 12 | 9 | 1 | 2614 | 2550 | WWWWL | – |
| 7 | SydneySYD | 22 | 48 | 103.3 | 12 | 10 | 0 | 2621 | 2537 | WWLLL | – |
| 8 | MelbourneMEL | 22 | 32 | 90.4 | 8 | 14 | 0 | 2488 | 2752 | LLWLW | – |
| 9 | GeelongGEE | 22 | 28 | 90.4 | 7 | 15 | 0 | 2073 | 2293 | LLLLL | – |
| 10 | CollingwoodCOL | 22 | 16 | 85.5 | 4 | 18 | 0 | 2201 | 2575 | LLLLW | – |
| 11 | St KildaSTK | 22 | 16 | 71.7 | 4 | 18 | 0 | 2188 | 3052 | LLLWL | – |
| 12 | Western BulldogsWBD | 22 | 12 | 68.1 | 3 | 19 | 0 | 2066 | 3035 | LLLLL | – |