Essendon finished top of the 2001 AFL ladder with 68 points and 134.5%, ahead of Brisbane Lions on percentage. Brisbane Lions won the premiership from 2nd, beating Essendon by 26 points in the Grand Final.
Final AFL ladder · Updated Tue 25 Jan 2022, 11:07am (Melbourne time)
| Pos | Club | P | Pts | % | W | L | D | PF | PA | Last 5 | Finals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | EssendonESS | 22 | 68 | 134.5 | 17 | 5 | 0 | 2548 | 1895 | LWWWL | Runner-up |
| 2 | Brisbane LionsBRI🏆 | 22 | 68 | 127.6 | 17 | 5 | 0 | 2538 | 1989 | WWWWW | Premiers |
| 3 | Port AdelaidePTA | 22 | 64 | 128.9 | 16 | 6 | 0 | 2473 | 1918 | WWWWW | Lost SF |
| 4 | RichmondRIC | 22 | 60 | 107.8 | 15 | 7 | 0 | 2126 | 1973 | WLWWW | Lost PF |
| 5 | CarltonCAR | 22 | 56 | 128.6 | 14 | 8 | 0 | 2311 | 1797 | WLWWW | Lost SF |
| 6 | HawthornHAW | 22 | 52 | 105.3 | 13 | 9 | 0 | 2149 | 2041 | LWLLL | Lost PF |
| 7 | SydneySYD | 22 | 48 | 115.7 | 12 | 10 | 0 | 2121 | 1833 | WLLWL | Lost FW1 |
| 8 | AdelaideADETOP 8 | 22 | 48 | 102.9 | 12 | 10 | 0 | 2085 | 2026 | LWWWL | Lost FW1 |
| 9 | CollingwoodCOL | 22 | 44 | 106.9 | 11 | 11 | 0 | 2232 | 2088 | LWLLW | – |
| 10 | Western BulldogsWBD | 22 | 40 | 93.8 | 10 | 12 | 0 | 2305 | 2458 | LLWLL | – |
| 11 | MelbourneMEL | 22 | 40 | 90.4 | 10 | 12 | 0 | 2136 | 2364 | WLWWW | – |
| 12 | GeelongGEE | 22 | 36 | 93.8 | 9 | 13 | 0 | 1926 | 2054 | LLLLL | – |
| 13 | North MelbourneNTH | 22 | 36 | 91.1 | 9 | 13 | 0 | 2161 | 2371 | LWLLL | – |
| 14 | West CoastWCE | 22 | 20 | 65.9 | 5 | 17 | 0 | 1708 | 2590 | WWLLL | – |
| 15 | St KildaSTK | 22 | 16 | 72.6 | 4 | 18 | 0 | 1917 | 2642 | LLLLW | – |
| 16 | FremantleFRE | 22 | 8 | 72.0 | 2 | 20 | 0 | 1794 | 2491 | WLLLW | – |