2004 VFL season

Premiership season

Ladder

Finals Series

Grand Final

Awards

• The Jim 'Frosty' Miller Medal was won for the sixth consecutive year by Nick Sautner, who kicked 60 goals.
• The J. J. Liston Trophy was won by Julian Field, who polled 16 votes. Field finished ahead of Adam Fisher, who was second with 13 votes, and Jeremy Clayton, Daniel Harford and Trent Bartlett, who were equal-third with 11 votes.
• The Fothergill-Round Medal was won by Adam Fisher.
• Port Melbourne won the reserves premiership. Port Melbourne 19.13 defeated Williamstown 8.15 in the Grand Final, held as a curtain-raiser to the Seniors Grand Final on 19 September.

  Notable events

• Early in the preseason, announced its intention to terminate its affiliation with the Northern Bullants after one season, intending to resume fielding its own reserves team in the VFL. However, after a couple of months of uncertainty, the clubs revived their affiliation, with Carlton assuming greater control over the Bullants' operation and installing a Carlton assistant coach, Barry Mitchell, as Bullants senior coach.