Best sides that didnt win a flag

[Furn]

Not sure if this has been done before, probably has, but along the same lines as the greatest sides of all time, who are the best teams that didn't win the flag in that year?

With Geelong going within 5 points of losing in the prelim, it shows that a straight kick, a poster or a dodgy free here or there can take a team from one of the greats to being forgotten.

My nominations are in order:

West Coast 91 - Totally dominated in the home and away season had a percentage of over 160 and just ran into a very experienced Hawks team(who they hammered twice ) that knew how to win big games. Won 2 flags with the same basic side in the next 3 years but the 91 team was probably better than those sides.

Geelong 89 - A great side with the great man at his best. Again ran into Hawthorn ( im Not just picking these teams because they lost to the hawks btw) got within a kick of what i rate as the Hawks best side during that dynasty. this geelong team would have won the flag in most years.

Essendon 99 - lost by a point in the prelim and would have most likely beaten the Roos. The core of this side should have won 3 straight but just could'nt quiet finish it off. We saw their potential in 2000.

 

[Verbeek]

For mine definitely Eagles of 91, an awesome team! Closely followed by Essendon 99 which was also a great side. Geelong of 89 a distant 3rd compared to those other 2.

Being a bit biased here but I was very disapointed with Carlton 94. By around round 20-21 I was certain they'd go all the way only to go out in straight sets

 

[NimChief]

North Melbourne - 98

 

[TheGhostOfJohnBelushi]

A lot of people forget that in 1991, the Eagles dominated early, but by season's end they were really out of steam and lost to the wooden spooners before blowing their first home final. Hawthorn stormed home in the 2nd half of that season, winning something like 12 or 13 games out of 14 to take out the flag.

Essendon in 1999 are the one. They were so dominant that it seemed like they'd inevitably win, until they stumbled against Carlton and made the flag easy pickings for North.

Carlton were barnstorming through late 1994 also, as mentioned, until Essendon (who were having a crap season) upset them and they lost top spot and then got jumped by Melbourne in the finals.

 

[The Zebra]

1998 North was probably the best North team of the 90s.
And this team dominated the decade.

Devastating.

 

[Carlton Kid]

Crows 2005-2006.
Power 2001-2003
Sants 2004-2006.

These were all great sides. Especially the first two.

 

[Fabulous]

Essendon 1990
Essendon 1999
Essendon 2001

 

[krisholio14]

Not sure if this has been done before, probably has, but along the same lines as the greatest sides of all time, who are the best teams that didn't win the flag in that year?

With Geelong going within 5 points of losing in the prelim, it shows that a straight kick, a poster or a dodgy free here or there can take a team from one of the greats to being forgotten.

My nominations are in order:

West Coast 91 - Totally dominated in the home and away season had a percentage of over 160 and just ran into a very experienced Hawks team(who they hammered twice ) that knew how to win big games. Won 2 flags with the same basic side in the next 3 years but the 91 team was probably better than those sides.

Geelong 89 - A great side with the great man at his best. Again ran into Hawthorn ( im Not just picking these teams because they lost to the hawks btw) got within a kick of what i rate as the Hawks best side during that dynasty. this geelong team would have won the flag in most years.

Essendon 99 - lost by a point in the prelim and would have most likely beaten the Roos. The core of this side should have won 3 straight but just could'nt quiet finish it off. We saw their potential in 2000.

Our 89 and 92 sides were the best two, but I reckon the years we screwed up were 91 and 93.

 

[RandB]

Our 89 and 92 sides were the best two, but I reckon the years we screwed up were 91 and 93.

Was it '93 when your boys beat West Coast in Perth then you needed the Pies to beat Adelaide in order for Geelong to make the finals? Big shame you missed out, the Cats certainly were coming home with a wet sail that year and given that '93 was a nothing year you probably could have won it. I feel the same about the Dees in 1990, we had a great start to the season and then got an extra week off (in the finals) due to the WCE Collingwood rematch and then we stuffed it anyway.

 

[Troy Wingate]

Port Adelaide in 2002 and 2003.

 

[Football Invective]

In 1993 Geelong had tried to change its game plan to a more 'defensive' one after losing the 92GF despite being the highest scoring team of all time. However, the new style of play ran counter to the instincts of both the coach and the players and never worked. After getting belted by St Kilda by about 12 goals in Round 16, Blighty and the senior players sat down and decided to abandon their new game plan and 'go for broke' with their natural attacking style.

It was always going to be tough for the Cats as they had 5 games to go and they were against 5 of the (then) top 6 - Collingwood-North-Hawthorn-Essendon-West Coast.

Despite the tough draw, Geelong managed to beat all of them convincingly (including beating the then-top placed North by 94 points on the day The Great Man kicked his first ton). They ended up missing the finals by percentage in a year in which 6 premiership points separated first (Essendon) and seventh (Geelong).

In a year which was - let's face it - one of the softest flags ever, Geelong had proven that by the business end of the year they were the best team in the comp. Too bad they buggered up the first two-thirds of the season. If they'd played their natural game all year (as they did in '07) who knows what might have happened.

 

[Farmy]

Definately Adelaide 2005-2006.

Lot of what ifs though.

What if Roo didn't get suspended for the Saints game.
What if Adelaide won the Saints game and didn't have to travel to Perth for the Prelim.
If Adelaide made the Grandfinal they probably would have smashed Sydney, because they Adelaide play a game that Sydney don't like.
Same would have happened 2006 if Adelaide made it.
But no, Rhett Biglands had to go down during the Prelim and Matthew Clarke was left to Ruck the rest of the game which is why Adelaide lost the game, because WC started winning more clearances due to Clarke being tired.

 

[Howard Littlejohn]

In a single season, clearly Essendon 1999. Utterly dominant, but fell to a far inferior team; much like North the year before.

Over a longer period, Geelong of 1989 to 1995. Great side, up against a super side each time they made the GF.

 

[erical]

If they didn't win a flag they certainly weren't the best sides were they?
During 2001-2004 Port Adelaide won more games then Brisbane but not where it counts, in the finals.
Thats where the better sides are.

 

[wotdude25]

Dogs in 97. Led Adelaide by 5 goals at three quarter time in the preliminary final and lost by three points. Would have been better than the Saints the next week so very unlucky not to win in 1997.

 

[Strapping Young Lad]

Hawthorn 1990. Injuries killed our chances of 4 flags in a row.

 

[ClarkeM]

Collingwood in 2002

 

[sherb]

As much as I hate to say it o), Collingwood in 1970.

 

[September_Glory]

Definately Adelaide 2005-2006.

Lot of what ifs though.

What if Roo didn't get suspended for the Saints game.
What if Adelaide won the Saints game and didn't have to travel to Perth for the Prelim.
If Adelaide made the Grandfinal they probably would have smashed Sydney, because they Adelaide play a game that Sydney don't like.
Same would have happened 2006 if Adelaide made it.
But no, Rhett Biglands had to go down during the Prelim and Matthew Clarke was left to Ruck the rest of the game which is why Adelaide lost the game, because WC started winning more clearances due to Clarke being tired.

Amazing run of injuries to finish the season. I still remember Trent Henschel's knee injury.

 

[The Zebra]

Collingwood in 2002

Um, no.

Great on the day, but definitely not the best team of 2002

 

[stmookeyj]

Dogs 1985. We were amongst the only teams to have broken down the brilliant Essendon combination that year, yet bloody Leigh Matthews stood in our way.

 

[boulos]

Collingwood 1991-2007

 

[CAS79]

The Geelong era of 89-94.

It was a good team over the era and fell short.

 

[BK Eaglesfan]

Essendon 99' very close over the years I have watched footy.

For me 1993 was the missed opportunity. The Eagles won in 92', won the GF by 80 odd points in 94' yet fell over early in the finals in 93' and the Baby Bombers won a flag I'm not sure even they thought they were ready for until it happened. 91' was a great start, but in reality we weren't strong through the second half of the year and built nicely towards 92 - 94. How we buggered 93' in between the two flags still has me beat.

 

[roo9699]

Dogs 1985. We were amongst the only teams to have broken down the brilliant Essendon combination that year, yet bloody Leigh Matthews stood in our way.

Kidding yourself

Dogs were the 3rd best side that year - granted,but were well off Hawthorn & Essendon's pace that year
Essendon finished 3 games clear on top.
Hawthorn although finished 3rd to Footscray by half a game because of a draw - had a massive 10% percentage gap over Footscray as well,and not to mention Hawthorn beat Footscray in 3 of the 4 times they meet that year.
While Essendon & Footscray meet twice for a 1-1 record.
You couldnt possibly say that Footscray of 1985 fits what the thread asks for "the best side that didnt win a flag"