Best team not to win the flag in the last 25 years?

[SuperCats9]

Geelong 2008 by a country mile.

 

[Barry_Badrinath]

1. Geelong 2008
2. St Kilda 2009
3. Collingwood 2011
4. West Coast 1991
5. Essendon 1999
6. Brisbane 2004
7. Hawthorn 2012
8. Geelong 1992
9. Essendon 2001
10. Port Adelaide 2002/2003

 

[Halftimehero]

None, you win them if your good enough. If your not first your last!

 

[Engimal]

Geelong 2008, as many have said. Also, St Kilda 09/10. One of the few teams that I can say were genuinely both a champion team and a team of champions.

 

[Air_Chester]

Geelong 08
St.Kilda 09
Essendon 99
WCE 91
Port 03
North 98

In that order.

 

[bigfarter]

Well, the Premiership is all about being the best on the day, so I'd probably answer this question by nominating the best Grand Final performance by a losing side. In that instance, you'd have to nominate St. Kilda 2009 or West Coast and Sydney from 05/06. Those games were all up in the air until the final siren and if the results were switched, there would be no claims of "Bradbury" premierships or the like.

In terms of best team through the season to not win the flag, Geelong 2008 have the rest covered pretty convincingly. Not that I take any pride in that as a Cats supporter.

 

[hench]

That Bombers side of 1999-2001 was really good. But you only win 1 in a window and you aren't considered a great team.

 

[fabulousphil]

Western Buldogs not in a particular year but just that general team from a few years ago.

My thoughts aswell.

Grant, Smith, Libba, Romero, West etc.

 

[FantasticShirt]

The mid-2000s Crows are worth a mention.

05 finished top of the ladder. Ricciuto suspended for our first finals match which we lost to Saints, flogged Port the week after and then lost to our bogie side in West Coast.

06 finished second. Lost Hentschel, Burton, McLeod, Hart and Ricciuto to injury and were without them for our first final against Freo. Won that game. Week off saw McLeod and Burton back but we still had no Hart or Ricciuto for game at home against West Coast. Biglands went down in Q1 with an ACL and ultimately lost the game by 10 points.

05/06 were certainly frustrating years as a Crows supporter. We had a very good team but but were unlucky. That said, the West Coast and Sydney sides were excellent also.

 

[port_adelaide_1870]

Port 2003 and 2002

 

[Heir_Apparent]

As a Pies fan I have bad memories of 2002/2003 vs Brisbane.

The Buckley vs Voss GF's were pretty epic encounters and the 02/03 team were more hungry imo than our 2011 team, problem was they faced the best AFL team ever two years straight.

25 years is a little shorter than my life so I can sorta remember all of the 25 years.

St.Kilda 1997 were in incredible form leading up to the GF then D. Jarmen and Adelaide spoiled their party.

G. Ablett snr and Geelong in the late 80's early 90's played in multiple GF's, didn't win anything.

So those are some teams that come to mind that really should have won a GF but never did, unlike many other teams that maybe lost one but then won the next year like North, Carlton, Essendon and Geelong of 2000's.

 

[brisbane13]

Some beauties up there. WCE 91, Cats 92, Roos 98 and Bombers 99. Who can forget the Catters 2008.

Best team not to win it in your opinion?

the team of 99 was proven in 2000. even dennis pagan admitted if north had played Essendon in the GF Essendon would have won

 

[General Soreness]

... those Doggies sides that coundn't get past a prelim, and those Port teams that only got the minor premiership.

 

[biggiemediums]

Cats 2008 & Saints 2009.

Nobody else even comes close.

Bullshit. Pies 2011 were just as good. Pull your finger out.

 

[Ambrosia]

If you take into account injuries than Essendon of 1999 would be up there if not Geelong 08/Stkilda 09

 

[Jedstar]

I'm shocked no one has mentioned the 2014 Hawthorn team. Reading the gameday threads this year gives an insight how ravaged they have been with injury.. Even if the Hawks still manage to pull one out of the bag this year for an unlikely, heroic (?), victory, surely the premiership will be attributed to their VFL affiliate Box Hill. Hawthorn's 2013 premiership 22, if fit, clearly would dominate the competition like no other team. It is football's loss that they have had fate cruelly rip this opportunity away. This post is a tribute to what might have been..

Impressive that you've managed to insert a bitter dig at Hawthorn in here, never mind that it was a shocking effort. Kudos.

Also Geelong 2008 and St. Kilda 2009. Easy.

Probably Collingwood 2011 as well.

 

[clogged]

Fremantle 2001

 

[MaddAdam]

Geelong 08 and North 98 equal. People forget how we good North 98 was. The best season by that side.

And I will never not savour Essendon tears over 99./

 

[Sneeky]

Port 02/03, Cats 08 and saints 09

 

[Damon_3388]

Fremantle 2001

Fitzroy 1996 say hi.

 

[Art Corvelay]

Cats 2008.
Pies 2011. Lost to 1 team all year and regularly belted sides.

 

[Handsuper47]

Bullshit. Pies 2011 were just as good. Pull your finger out.

I think that the Saints 2009 were better than both '08 Cats and '11 Pies simply because they had all the other contenders covered leading up to the big dance. Cats kept losing to Hawks, Pies kept losing to Cats while the Saints lost to teams who weren't really even in it.

 

[wcesam]

North 2012

 

[DV2000]

Beyond a shadow of a doubt, the one and only mighty Cats in 2008. They seemed absolutely unbeatable throughout the season, obviously until the GF. Unbeaten in the H&A season, except one loss to Collingwood. And an amazing percentage of above 160%.

Collingwood get an honourable mention for their 2011 season.

 

[DV2000]

And you can't forget st Kilda, who had their chances in 2009 and 2010, finishing high enough on the ladder and making it to the last Saturday in September (and October in 2010), but not clinching the ultimate prize. They played well in both seasons.