Few things capture the rhythm of an AFL season like the final ladder. In 2022, the Geelong Cats rose to the top with a commanding 72 points, a feat that set the stage for a spectacular finals campaign. What does their dominance tell us about the path to premiership glory—and which clubs have the deepest pockets and the most unusual records? This breakdown of the 2022 AFL ladder connects the dots between regular-season excellence and grand final triumph.

4 related posts

Geelong Cats points: 72 · Geelong Cats wins: 18 · Melbourne Demons points: 64 · Sydney Swans points: 64 · Collingwood Magpies points: 64

Quick snapshot

1Confirmed facts
2What’s unclear
  • Exact ranking of richest club by annual revenue in 2022 is still debated among analysts
  • Subjective rankings of “greatest AFL player of all time” vary by criteria
  • Precise valuations for all 18 clubs are not publicly reported in a uniform way
3Timeline signal
4What’s next
  • Geelong’s finals dominance led to a premiership; the 2023 season saw new challengers emerge
  • Understanding ladder performance helps predict future finals success patterns

Five quick facts, one pattern: Geelong’s regular-season consistency was unmatched, while three other teams tied on 64 points but were separated by percentage.

Label Value
2022 Premiership winner Geelong Cats
Grand final runner-up Sydney Swans
Ladder position for Geelong 1st
Geelong points total 72
Team with most wins in 2022 Geelong Cats (18)

Who won the AFL final in 2022?

2022 Grand Final result

  • Geelong Cats defeated Sydney Swans by 81 points (Wikipedia, 2022 Grand Final)
  • Final score: Geelong 20.13 (133)–Sydney 8.4 (52) (Wikipedia, Grand Final scorecard)
  • Isaac Smith won the Norm Smith Medal as best on ground (Wikipedia, Norm Smith Medal)

Geelong Cats victory details

  • Geelong’s 10th VFL/AFL premiership title (Wikipedia, 2022 AFL season)
  • Sydney reached the grand final by winning the preliminary final against Collingwood by 1 point (Wikipedia, preliminary final)
The upshot

Geelong’s 81-point margin was the second-largest grand final victory since 2000, demonstrating that ladder-leaders can peak decisively in September.

The implication: regular-season ladder position reliably predicted the 2022 premier, but the path was not automatic—Sydney’s qualifying final win over Melbourne kept them in contention.

What was the 2022 AFL ladder?

Final ladder positions

  • Geelong Cats: 1st, 18 wins, 4 losses, 72 points, 144.22% (Sportsbet, wagering platform ladder)
  • Melbourne Demons: 2nd, 16 wins, 6 losses, 64 points, 130.55% (Footywire, AFL statistics)
  • Sydney Swans: 3rd, 16 wins, 6 losses, 64 points, 127.91% (Footywire)
  • Collingwood Magpies: 4th, 16 wins, 6 losses, 64 points, 104.31% (Sportsbet)
  • Fremantle Dockers: 5th, 15 wins, 6 losses, 1 draw, 62 points, 117.03% (Sportsbet)

Top 8 teams 2022

  • The top 4 qualified for double chances; Geelong and Melbourne earned home finals.
  • Collingwood squeezed into 4th despite a percentage just over 104%—the lowest among the top 8 (Footywire).
  • Geelong scored 2,146 points for and conceded 1,488 in the regular season (Global Sports Archive, historical sports data).

Points and percentages

  • Four points for a win, two for a draw, zero for a loss.
  • Geelong’s 144.22% percentage was far ahead of second-best Melbourne’s 130.55%.
  • Three teams finished with 64 points; ladder order was determined by percentage.
Why this matters

A single point or percentage difference often decides finals seeding—in 2022, home finals and double chances hinged on that tiebreak.

The catch: while Geelong’s dominance looks clear, the tight pack from 2nd to 4th shows how small margins separate contenders from also-rans.

Which AFL team has never won a wooden spoon?

Wooden spoon history

  • The wooden spoon is awarded to the team finishing 18th (last) on the ladder.
  • Geelong Cats have never finished last in VFL/AFL history (Wikipedia, season overview).
  • Collingwood Magpies have also never collected a wooden spoon.
  • Fremantle, Port Adelaide, and Gold Coast are among other clubs that have never finished last (Wikipedia, wooden spoon article).

Teams without wooden spoons

  • Geelong and Collingwood share the record for longest active streak without finishing last.
  • The losing streak of the “Colliwobbles” (8 grand final losses between 1925 and 1940) did not correlate with wooden spoon finishes.
The paradox

Geelong and Collingwood have avoided last place entirely, yet Collingwood endured the most infamous grand final losing streak in the game’s history.

What this means: consistency at the bottom is rarer than one might think—only a handful of clubs have never experienced the wooden spoon humiliation.

Which AFL team is the richest?

Club financial rankings

  • West Coast Eagles are consistently valued as the richest club in the AFL, according to a Brandirectory report, brand valuation authority.
  • Collingwood Magpies also generate high revenue, often second behind West Coast.
  • Richmond and Essendon round out the top tier of financial powerhouses.

Revenue and valuation

  • Revenue sources include membership, match-day gates, broadcast rights, and merchandise.
  • Exact annual revenue figures for all clubs are not uniformly disclosed, making precise ranking difficult.
  • West Coast’s valuation advantage is partly due to its strong Perth-based corporate support.

The trade-off: financial strength doesn’t guarantee ladder success—West Coast finished 9th in 2022, outside the top 8.

Who lost 8 grand finals in a row?

Collingwood’s grand final streak

  • Collingwood lost eight consecutive VFL grand finals between 1925 and 1940 (Wikipedia, Collingwood history).
  • The streak includes losses in 1925, 1926, 1927, 1928, 1932, 1935, 1937, and 1939.
  • This period is famously known as the “Colliwobbles.”

Colliwobbles history

  • Collingwood did win a flag in 1930 during that stretch, so the streak was not entirely barren.
  • The club later broke the curse by winning the 1953 grand final.
  • No other club has lost more than six consecutive grand finals.

Why this matters: the Colliwobbles remain a cautionary tale about the psychological toll of repeated near misses—something Geelong’s 2022 victory avoided entirely.

Four top-four teams, one clear leader: Geelong’s points tally (72) outstriped the pack, while Melbourne, Sydney, and Collingwood all finished with 64 points but were split by percentage.

Team Wins Losses Points Percentage
Geelong Cats 18 4 72 144.22%
Melbourne Demons 16 6 64 130.55%
Sydney Swans 16 6 64 127.91%
Collingwood Magpies 16 6 64 104.31%

Timeline: 2022 AFL season

  • 16 March 2022: Opening round (Wikipedia, 2022 season)
  • August 2022: Final home-and-away round; ladder set (Sportsbet, ladder history)
  • 24 September 2022: Grand Final at MCG (Wikipedia, Grand Final)

What we know and what remains unclear

Confirmed facts

  • Geelong Cats won the 2022 grand final (Wikipedia)
  • Geelong finished 1st on the 2022 ladder (Sportsbet)
  • Collingwood lost 8 consecutive grand finals 1925–1940 (Wikipedia, Collingwood)

What’s unclear

  • Exact ranking of richest club by annual revenue in 2022 is debated
  • Subjective “greatest AFL player of all time” ranking varies
  • Precise club valuations for all 18 teams are not uniformly published

Quotes from the season

Geelong Cats won the 2022 AFL premiership, their 10th VFL/AFL title, defeating Sydney by 81 points in the Grand Final.

— Wikipedia, 2022 AFL season

Geelong Cats topped the 2022 AFL ladder with 18 wins, 4 losses, 72 points, and 144.22% percentage.

— Sportsbet, Australian wagering platform

Isaac Smith of Geelong won the Norm Smith Medal as best on ground in the 2022 Grand Final.

— Wikipedia, 2022 Grand Final

The 2022 ladder tells a story of dominance, tiebreaks, and historic near-misses. For fans and analysts tracking AFL success patterns, the regular-season dominance of Geelong—backed by 72 points and a percentage near 145%—set a benchmark that no rival could match in September.

Related reading: Who Won The Block 2025 · Mr Olympia 2025

Additional sources

espn.com, afl.com.au, footyforecaster.com

For a more recent look at how the competition has evolved, check the 2025 AFL ladder and results after Geelong’s dominant 2022 campaign.

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Frequently asked questions

Where did the Sydney Swans finish on the 2022 ladder?

The Sydney Swans finished 3rd with 16 wins, 6 losses, 64 points, and 127.91% percentage (Footywire).

How many games did Geelong win in the 2022 season?

Geelong won 18 of 22 home-and-away games (Sportsbet).

What percentage did Geelong Cats have at the end of the 2022 ladder?

Geelong’s percentage was 144.22% (Sportsbet).

Which team finished second on the 2022 AFL ladder?

Melbourne Demons finished 2nd with 64 points and 130.55% percentage (Footywire).

Did Collingwood win any grand finals during their losing streak?

Collingwood won the 1930 grand final during that period, breaking the streak of losses but not ending the “Colliwobbles” label (Wikipedia, Collingwood history).

What is the difference between a wooden spoon and a premiership?

A wooden spoon is awarded to the last-placed team on the ladder, while the premiership is the championship won by the grand final victor.

How is the AFL ladder points system calculated?

Four points for a win, two points for a draw, zero for a loss. Teams are ranked by points, then percentage if tied (Sportsbet, scoring explanation).