North Melbourne finished top of the 1998 AFL ladder with 64 points and 117.4%, four points clear of Western Bulldogs. Adelaide won the premiership from 5th, beating North Melbourne by 35 points in the Grand Final.
Final AFL ladder · Updated Thu 10 Nov 2022, 9:14pm (Melbourne time)
| Pos | Club | P | Pts | % | W | L | D | PF | PA | Last 5 | Finals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | North MelbourneNTH | 22 | 64 | 117.4 | 16 | 6 | 0 | 2486 | 2117 | WWWWW | Runner-up |
| 2 | Western BulldogsWBD | 22 | 60 | 116.5 | 15 | 7 | 0 | 2353 | 2019 | WLWWL | Lost PF |
| 3 | SydneySYD | 22 | 56 | 106.5 | 14 | 8 | 0 | 2283 | 2143 | WWLLW | Lost SF |
| 4 | MelbourneMEL | 22 | 56 | 102.7 | 14 | 8 | 0 | 2009 | 1956 | WWWWW | Lost PF |
| 5 | AdelaideADE🏆 | 22 | 52 | 123.2 | 13 | 9 | 0 | 2172 | 1763 | WWWLW | Premiers |
| 6 | St KildaSTK | 22 | 52 | 102.1 | 13 | 9 | 0 | 2148 | 2104 | LLLWL | Lost SF |
| 7 | West CoastWCE | 22 | 48 | 109.4 | 12 | 10 | 0 | 1940 | 1773 | WLWLL | Lost FW1 |
| 8 | EssendonESSTOP 8 | 22 | 48 | 108.6 | 12 | 10 | 0 | 2250 | 2071 | WWWLL | Lost FW1 |
| 9 | RichmondRIC | 22 | 48 | 104.8 | 12 | 10 | 0 | 2018 | 1926 | LWLWL | – |
| 10 | Port AdelaidePTA | 22 | 38 | 95.6 | 9 | 12 | 1 | 1928 | 2017 | LLLWL | – |
| 11 | CarltonCAR | 22 | 36 | 95.7 | 9 | 13 | 0 | 2018 | 2109 | LLWWW | – |
| 12 | GeelongGEE | 22 | 36 | 90.5 | 9 | 13 | 0 | 1777 | 1963 | LWLLW | – |
| 13 | HawthornHAW | 22 | 32 | 95.6 | 8 | 14 | 0 | 1992 | 2083 | WWWWW | – |
| 14 | CollingwoodCOL | 22 | 28 | 90.8 | 7 | 15 | 0 | 1968 | 2167 | LLLLL | – |
| 15 | FremantleFRE | 22 | 28 | 76.4 | 7 | 15 | 0 | 1739 | 2277 | LLLLL | – |
| 16 | Brisbane LionsBRI | 22 | 22 | 75.8 | 5 | 16 | 1 | 1860 | 2453 | LLLLW | – |