Essendon finished top of the 1985 VFL ladder with 76 points and 138.4%, 12 points clear of Western Bulldogs. Essendon won the premiership from 1st, beating Hawthorn by 78 points in the Grand Final.
Final VFL ladder · Updated Thu 17 Nov 2022, 9:53am (Melbourne time)
| Pos | Club | P | Pts | % | W | L | D | PF | PA | Last 5 | Finals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | EssendonESS🏆 | 22 | 76 | 138.4 | 19 | 3 | 0 | 2755 | 1991 | WWWWW | Premiers |
| 2 | Western BulldogsWBD | 22 | 64 | 120.8 | 16 | 6 | 0 | 2417 | 2000 | WWWWL | Lost PF |
| 3 | HawthornHAW | 22 | 62 | 130.8 | 15 | 6 | 1 | 2647 | 2024 | WWLWW | Runner-up |
| 4 | CarltonCAR | 22 | 60 | 115.5 | 15 | 7 | 0 | 2430 | 2104 | WWWLW | Lost FW1 |
| 5 | North MelbourneNTHTOP 5 | 22 | 54 | 97.9 | 13 | 8 | 1 | 2379 | 2431 | LWWWL | Lost SF |
| 6 | GeelongGEE | 22 | 48 | 100.6 | 12 | 10 | 0 | 2277 | 2263 | WLWLW | – |
| 7 | CollingwoodCOL | 22 | 40 | 100.8 | 10 | 12 | 0 | 2197 | 2180 | LLWLL | – |
| 8 | RichmondRIC | 22 | 36 | 91.2 | 9 | 13 | 0 | 2362 | 2590 | LLLWW | – |
| 9 | FitzroyFIT | 22 | 28 | 93.8 | 7 | 15 | 0 | 2301 | 2452 | WLLLL | – |
| 10 | SydneySYD | 22 | 24 | 94.5 | 6 | 16 | 0 | 2219 | 2349 | LLLWL | – |
| 11 | MelbourneMEL | 22 | 24 | 77.8 | 6 | 16 | 0 | 1965 | 2527 | LWLLL | – |
| 12 | St KildaSTK | 22 | 12 | 64.7 | 3 | 19 | 0 | 1899 | 2937 | LLLLW | – |