home and away ladder
| LP | Club | P | W | L | D | For | Agn | % | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hawthorn | 22 | 18 | 4 | 0 | 2698 | 1906 | 141.55 | 72 |
| 2 | Sydney | 22 | 16 | 6 | 0 | 2470 | 2087 | 118.35 | 64 |
| 3 | Carlton | 22 | 15 | 7 | 0 | 2566 | 1809 | 141.85 | 60 |
| 4 | Fitzroy | 22 | 13 | 9 | 0 | 2068 | 2063 | 100.24 | 52 |
| 5 | Essendon | 22 | 12 | 10 | 0 | 2379 | 1978 | 120.27 | 48 |
| 6 | Collingwood | 22 | 12 | 10 | 0 | 2261 | 2070 | 109.23 | 48 |
| 7 | North Melbourne | 22 | 12 | 10 | 0 | 2324 | 2356 | 98.64 | 48 |
| 8 | Footscray | 22 | 11 | 11 | 0 | 1963 | 2010 | 97.66 | 44 |
| 9 | Geelong | 22 | 7 | 15 | 0 | 2133 | 2599 | 82.07 | 28 |
| 10 | Richmond | 22 | 7 | 15 | 0 | 2151 | 2745 | 78.36 | 28 |
| 11 | Melbourne | 22 | 7 | 15 | 0 | 2003 | 2673 | 74.93 | 28 |
| 12 | St. Kilda | 22 | 2 | 20 | 0 | 1846 | 2566 | 71.94 | 8 |
fitzroy v essendon
lions end dons 3 peat hopes by 1 they will play swans in a semi final.
| Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Score | Date / Result | Ground | Crowd | ||
| Essendon | 2.1 | 4.3 | 7.5 | 8.9 | 57 | Sat 6-Sep-1986 2:30 pm | VFL Park | 59,420 | |
| Fitzroy | 4.2 | 4.4 | 6.8 | 8.10 | 58 | Fitzroy won by 1 point | |||
sydney v carlton
blues beat swans by 16 breaking a 4 game finals losing streak. blues will play hawks and swans play lions in semi finals.
| Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Score | Date / Result | Ground | Crowd | ||
| Carlton | 5.1 | 12.7 | 17.12 | 18.12 | 120 | Sun 7-Sep-1986 2:30 pm | M.C.G. | 66,016 | |
| Sydney | 5.1 | 7.6 | 12.8 | 15.14 | 104 | Carlton won by 16 points | |||
semi finals
minor
sydney v fitzroy
major
hawthorn v carlton