Essendon moved back into the top three with a 13.13 (91) to 9.8 (62) win over Richmond at the MCG on Saturday night.
Essendon coach James Hird has no plans to follow chief executive Ian Robson in quitting the club, saying he plans to stick around for a long time.
Essendon AFL coach James Hird says he plans to stay in the job for a long time.
| Rank | Team | Won | Lost | Points |
| 1 | Geelong Cats | 8 | 1 | 32 |
| 2 | Essendon | 7 | 2 | 28 |
| 3 | Hawthorn | 7 | 1 | 28 |
| 4 | Sydney Swans | 6 | 2 | 26 |
| 5 | Fremantle | 5 | 2 | 22 |
| 6 | West Coast Eagles | 5 | 4 | 20 |
| 7 | Carlton | 5 | 4 | 20 |
| 8 | Port Adelaide | 5 | 4 | 20 |
| 9 | Richmond | 5 | 4 | 20 |
| 10 | Collingwood | 5 | 4 | 20 |