Great grand final matchups we were robbed of

[Always Ballin]

Some off the top of my head:

• 2007: West Coast vs. Geelong

Really felt we were robbed of this one. The best team of the 2005/2006 period vs. the one for 2007-2011. WCE imploded with the scandals. Both teams had similar styles: a low kick-to-handball ratio. Lots of handballs and overlap running through the middle of the ground, making for entertaining football. They played once in round 7 or 8; it was at Skilled; WCE was undefeated, while Geelong was demolishing teams. The Cats won by 5 goals or so; it got down to 20 points with 8 minutes left.

A healthy, firing WCE was the best foil to Geelong in 2007. It's a shame we never saw them square off, both 100%, at the MCG.

• 1994: West Coast vs. North Melbourne

Two best teams of the '90s. Would've been awesome to have seen Jackovich vs. Carey on the grandest stage of them all.

• 1999: North Melbourne vs. Essendon

The last hurrah of North, up against Essendon, the next one up.

• 2018: Richmond vs. West Coast

The two best teams all year. Was a shame we never saw this matchup.

 

[Fountain Springs]

Geelong vs Collingwood 2010
Freo vs West Coast 2015
Richmond vs Collingwood 2019

 

[Xtreme]

1994: West Coast vs. North Melbourne
Two best teams of the '90s. Would've been awesome to have seen Jackovich vs. Carey on the grandest stage of them all.

WrestleMania ?

 

[cAsEy_18]

West Coast vs "Insert team here" I feel would've been incredible in "Insert year here"

 

[CakeEater]

Freo vs Geelong 2013

 

[GoldStandard]

West Coast vs Geelong 1993
West Coast vs Carlton 1995
West Coast vs Collingwood 2011
West Coast vs Hawthorn 2012

 

[Xtreme]

Freo vs Geelong 2013

Freo would have belted them

 

[CakeEater]

Freo would have belted them

Why do you think im saying we were robbed of it?

 

[Gordon Farkas]

In four successive years, 1997-2000, the long-expected and highly-desired Grand Final match up failed to materialise:

1997: St Kilda v Bulldogs - Finished 1st and 2nd; the two downtrodden battler clubs with huge droughts to break
1998: North v Bulldogs - Clearly the two best H&A teams; played the Game of the Year in Round 22; Dogs spent the entire season either 1 or 2 on the ladder
1999: North v Essendon - You know the rest...
2000: Essendon v Carlton - 1 and 2 on the ladder; huge winning streaks during the H&A; traditional rivals; and the ultimate re-match for the 1999 PF

A few more:

2019: Richmond v Collingwood - Oh what might have been. And oh dear what actually was.

2013: Hawthorn v Geelong - Would have been the ultimate denouement after 2008 and the Geelong dominance thereafter ("And if it had been half as good as the Prelim...")

1981: Carlton v Geelong - Not suggesting it would have been a good game, but one bloke missing a bus made a hell of a difference in determining the actual GF matchup that year

 

[Xtreme]

Why do you think im saying we were robbed of it?

It's ok we pulled their pants down in the preliminary final so everyone was a winner in 2013

 

[CakeEater]

It's ok we pulled their pants down in the preliminary final so everyone was a winner in 2013

Then the umps pulled our pants down in 13 &15 to gift you guys the flag

 

[emuboy]

An NRL one - in the early-mid 1990s a Grand Final between superpowers and big time rivals the Brisbane Broncos and Canberra Raiders seemed inevitable. Yet the finals series results of this era never fell the right way to allow a Brisbane/Canberra Grand Final, and when first the Raiders and then the Broncos faded away as powerhouses, there still has never been a premiership decider between these two teams.

 

[Underarm]

2019: Richmond v GWS.

 

[MisterMarcus]

Brisbane v Port in 2002 or 2003: Port the best H&A team in both years vs that Brisbane team.

 

[BF Tiger]

A St Kilda-Footscray GF in 97 would have had the best build-up. Result would have been irrelevant.

 

[Catsnlakers]

West Coast vs Carlton from the 93-96 period would of been pretty epic, both won premierships & played out great H&A matches in them years!

 

[Gordon Farkas]

A St Kilda-Footscray GF in 97 would have had the best build-up. Result would have been irrelevant.

And all their dreams were foiled by this man.

 

[Whiskers]

Freo would have belted them

You could only beat us without Chapman and Enright. Freo were cooked by grand final day.

Out of all the preliminary finals and Grand Finals between 2012-2015 you lost the free kick count only once.
Amazing stuff from a side that played on the edge.
How much did you pay the umpires?

 

[Xtreme]

You could only beat us without Chapman and Enright. Freo were cooked by grand final day.

Out of all the preliminary finals and Grand Finals between 2012-2015 you lost the free kick count only once.
Amazing stuff from a side that played on the edge.
How much did you pay the umpires?

Oh please like 2012, Fremantle had Geelong's measure in 2013

 

[Whiskers]

Oh please like 2012, Fremantle had Geelong's measure in 2013

That old 1st week of finals is a big issue for us but what wasn’t an issue was beating Hawthorn.
You needed key injuries to us to get over the line. Not just Chapman and Enright but Linc McCarthy, Menzel and Cowan all who were be best 22.

 

[Xtreme]

That old 1st week of finals is a big issue for us but what wasn’t an issue was beating Hawthorn.
You needed key injuries to us to get over the line. Not just Chapman and Enright but Linc McCarthy, Menzel and Cowan all who were be best 22.

Biggest belly laugh since "I do not recall". Hawthorn had way more scoring shots than Geelong on the night and would have still beaten Geelong regardless of the team line up.

 

[port_adelaide_1870]

Port Adelaide v Sydney 2014

 

[Tyler Hodges]

Pies v Tigers in 19. Richmond would have won regardless but the pies would have put up more of a fight than GWS.

 

[BEEG]

Nth vs Essendon - 1999
Cats vs Hawks - 2013
Freo vs WC - 2015
Tigers vs Pies - 2018
Tigers vs Pies - 2019

 

[PhatBoy]

Freo would have belted them

Well hawthorn didn’t so what does that tell you