Hawthorn finished top of the 1986 VFL ladder with 72 points and 141.6%, eight points clear of Sydney. Hawthorn won the premiership from 1st, beating Carlton by 42 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 | HawthornHAW🏆 | 22 | 72 | 141.6 | 18 | 4 | 0 | 2698 | 1906 | LWWWW | Premiers |
| 2 | SydneySYD | 22 | 64 | 118.4 | 16 | 6 | 0 | 2470 | 2087 | LLWWL | Lost SF |
| 3 | CarltonCAR | 22 | 60 | 141.8 | 15 | 7 | 0 | 2566 | 1809 | WWLWW | Runner-up |
| 4 | FitzroyFIT | 22 | 52 | 100.2 | 13 | 9 | 0 | 2068 | 2063 | WWLWW | Lost PF |
| 5 | EssendonESSTOP 5 | 22 | 48 | 120.3 | 12 | 10 | 0 | 2379 | 1978 | WWWLL | Lost FW1 |
| 6 | CollingwoodCOL | 22 | 48 | 109.2 | 12 | 10 | 0 | 2261 | 2070 | LLLWW | – |
| 7 | North MelbourneNTH | 22 | 48 | 98.6 | 12 | 10 | 0 | 2324 | 2356 | WWWLW | – |
| 8 | Western BulldogsWBD | 22 | 44 | 97.7 | 11 | 11 | 0 | 1963 | 2010 | WLWLL | – |
| 9 | GeelongGEE | 22 | 28 | 82.1 | 7 | 15 | 0 | 2133 | 2599 | LLWLW | – |
| 10 | RichmondRIC | 22 | 28 | 78.4 | 7 | 15 | 0 | 2151 | 2745 | LLLLL | – |
| 11 | MelbourneMEL | 22 | 28 | 74.9 | 7 | 15 | 0 | 2003 | 2673 | WWLWL | – |
| 12 | St KildaSTK | 22 | 8 | 71.9 | 2 | 20 | 0 | 1846 | 2566 | LLLLL | – |