Hawthorn finished top of the 1988 VFL ladder with 76 points and 142.3%, 14 points clear of Collingwood. Hawthorn won the premiership from 1st, beating Melbourne by 96 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 | 76 | 142.3 | 19 | 3 | 0 | 2791 | 1962 | WWWWW | Premiers |
| 2 | CollingwoodCOL | 22 | 62 | 112.7 | 15 | 6 | 1 | 1948 | 1728 | WWWLW | Lost SF |
| 3 | CarltonCAR | 22 | 60 | 119.4 | 15 | 7 | 0 | 2342 | 1961 | WLWWL | Lost PF |
| 4 | West CoastWCE | 22 | 52 | 111.9 | 13 | 9 | 0 | 2199 | 1966 | WWWWW | Lost FW1 |
| 5 | MelbourneMELTOP 5 | 22 | 52 | 102.1 | 13 | 9 | 0 | 2003 | 1961 | LLLLW | Runner-up |
| 6 | EssendonESS | 22 | 48 | 108.4 | 12 | 10 | 0 | 2186 | 2017 | LLLWW | – |
| 7 | SydneySYD | 22 | 48 | 99.7 | 12 | 10 | 0 | 2169 | 2176 | LWWLW | – |
| 8 | Western BulldogsWBD | 22 | 44 | 104.3 | 11 | 11 | 0 | 1880 | 1803 | WWWLL | – |
| 9 | GeelongGEE | 22 | 40 | 104.9 | 10 | 12 | 0 | 2356 | 2246 | WWLWL | – |
| 10 | RichmondRIC | 22 | 32 | 85.1 | 8 | 14 | 0 | 2161 | 2540 | WWLLW | – |
| 11 | North MelbourneNTH | 22 | 30 | 89.5 | 7 | 14 | 1 | 2361 | 2638 | LLLWL | – |
| 12 | FitzroyFIT | 22 | 28 | 83.8 | 7 | 15 | 0 | 2128 | 2538 | LLLWL | – |
| 13 | Brisbane LionsBRI | 22 | 28 | 74.6 | 7 | 15 | 0 | 1806 | 2421 | LLWLL | – |
| 14 | St KildaSTK | 22 | 16 | 82.1 | 4 | 18 | 0 | 1708 | 2081 | LLLLL | – |