Essendon finished top of the 1990 AFL ladder with 68 points and 139.2%, four points clear of Collingwood. Collingwood won the premiership from 2nd, beating Essendon by 48 points in the Grand Final.
Final AFL ladder · Updated Thu 10 Nov 2022, 9:19pm (Melbourne time)
| Pos | Club | P | Pts | % | W | L | D | PF | PA | Last 5 | Finals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | EssendonESS | 22 | 68 | 139.2 | 17 | 5 | 0 | 2526 | 1815 | WWLWW | Runner-up |
| 2 | CollingwoodCOL🏆 | 22 | 64 | 130.2 | 16 | 6 | 0 | 2376 | 1825 | WLLWW | Premiers |
| 3 | West CoastWCE | 22 | 64 | 118.4 | 16 | 6 | 0 | 2274 | 1920 | WWLWW | Lost Finals Week 4 |
| 4 | MelbourneMEL | 22 | 64 | 113.2 | 16 | 6 | 0 | 2339 | 2066 | WWWWW | Lost Finals Week 3 |
| 5 | HawthornHAWTOP 5 | 22 | 56 | 120.6 | 14 | 8 | 0 | 2414 | 2002 | WWWWL | Lost Finals Week 2 |
| 6 | North MelbourneNTH | 22 | 48 | 114.0 | 12 | 10 | 0 | 2519 | 2210 | LWWWL | – |
| 7 | Western BulldogsWBD | 22 | 48 | 99.3 | 12 | 10 | 0 | 2016 | 2031 | LWLLW | – |
| 8 | CarltonCAR | 22 | 44 | 104.1 | 11 | 11 | 0 | 2277 | 2187 | WLWLL | – |
| 9 | St KildaSTK | 22 | 36 | 100.6 | 9 | 13 | 0 | 2328 | 2313 | LLWLL | – |
| 10 | GeelongGEE | 22 | 32 | 93.7 | 8 | 14 | 0 | 2248 | 2398 | LLWLL | – |
| 11 | RichmondRIC | 22 | 28 | 78.6 | 7 | 15 | 0 | 1988 | 2530 | LLLLW | – |
| 12 | FitzroyFIT | 22 | 28 | 78.4 | 7 | 15 | 0 | 1874 | 2389 | WLLLW | – |
| 13 | SydneySYD | 22 | 20 | 70.4 | 5 | 17 | 0 | 1904 | 2704 | LLWWL | – |
| 14 | Brisbane LionsBRI | 22 | 16 | 71.4 | 4 | 18 | 0 | 1733 | 2426 | LWLLL | – |