Hawthorn finished top of the 1989 VFL ladder with 76 points and 153.2%, eight points clear of Essendon. Hawthorn won the premiership from 1st, beating Geelong by 6 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 | 153.2 | 19 | 3 | 0 | 2678 | 1748 | WWLWW | Premiers |
| 2 | EssendonESS | 22 | 68 | 131.4 | 17 | 5 | 0 | 2240 | 1705 | WWWLW | Lost PF |
| 3 | GeelongGEE | 22 | 64 | 146.8 | 16 | 6 | 0 | 2916 | 1987 | WWLWW | Runner-up |
| 4 | MelbourneMEL | 22 | 56 | 96.5 | 14 | 8 | 0 | 1876 | 1944 | LLWLL | Lost SF |
| 5 | CollingwoodCOLTOP 5 | 22 | 52 | 112.8 | 13 | 9 | 0 | 2216 | 1964 | LLWWW | Lost FW1 |
| 6 | FitzroyFIT | 22 | 48 | 97.4 | 12 | 10 | 0 | 2069 | 2125 | WWLLW | – |
| 7 | SydneySYD | 22 | 44 | 100.1 | 11 | 11 | 0 | 1959 | 1958 | WWLWW | – |
| 8 | CarltonCAR | 22 | 38 | 92.4 | 9 | 12 | 1 | 1921 | 2079 | LWWLL | – |
| 9 | North MelbourneNTH | 22 | 36 | 89.6 | 9 | 13 | 0 | 2061 | 2301 | LWLLL | – |
| 10 | Brisbane LionsBRI | 22 | 32 | 78.8 | 8 | 14 | 0 | 1792 | 2274 | WLWWW | – |
| 11 | West CoastWCE | 22 | 28 | 86.7 | 7 | 15 | 0 | 1948 | 2247 | WLWWL | – |
| 12 | St KildaSTK | 22 | 28 | 84.3 | 7 | 15 | 0 | 2108 | 2502 | LLLWL | – |
| 13 | Western BulldogsWBD | 22 | 26 | 87.0 | 6 | 15 | 1 | 1614 | 1855 | LLWLL | – |
| 14 | RichmondRIC | 22 | 20 | 70.9 | 5 | 17 | 0 | 1725 | 2434 | LLLLL | – |