Great grand final matchups we were robbed of

[The King!]

North vs Essendon in 96 and 99 would have been crackers.

96 Essendon shouldn't have even been in The prelim let alone the granny. West Coast should have got to host the semi in Perth.

 

[iameviljez]

10 years ago we almost got a Port vs Sydney Grand Final and the year after a Derby Grand Final before Hawthorn ruined the day twice. 2013 Hawthorn vs Geelong would've been a ripper if not for Geelong's slip-up in their only home final in the first week

Oh God, I could not take losing to that Hawthorn side twice in GFs.

 

[peetoo]

Any prelim final, officiated by Darren Goldspink. You know the one I mean

 

[raskolnikov]

96 Essendon shouldn't have even been in The prelim let alone the granny. West Coast should have got to host the semi in Perth.

Would have put up more a game than the Swans did.

 

[emuboy]

West Coast vs. Adelaide and Geelong vs. Melbourne all could have happened given these teams were all strong around the same time in a number of different decades but things just never fell the right way in the finals to allow this.

 

[demondavey]

1994 - WC v North
1999 - North v ESS
2002-2003 - Port v Brisbane
2012 - Sydney v Adelaide
2013 - Geelong v Fremantle
2015 - WC v Fremantle
2016 - Sydney v GWS
2019 - Richmond v Collingwood

 

[demondavey]

West Coast vs. Adelaide and Geelong vs. Melbourne all could have happened given these teams were all strong around the same time in a number of different decades but things just never fell the right way in the finals to allow this.

Which years for Melbourne and Geelong?

 

[demondavey]

If Fremantle had beaten Sydney in the 2006 preliminary final they would have played West Coast in the GF. Fremantle won both derbies that year too.

I was at the PF, Fremantle weren’t in it..but agree. Would have been so good.

 

[demondavey]

I know we got this is a prelim, but I reckon it would have been good to see bulldogs vs st kilda in 09 or 10, just a shame both teams peaked when geelong and Collingwood were on top of their game those years. Even 97 would have been great, both teams looking to break their long droughts and win their second flag and a win for the battlers

1997 would have been interesting, WB v St Kilda

 

[demondavey]

Brisbane v St kilda 2004 GF would have been interesting.

That would guarantee Brisbane 4 GF

 

[Soggy2112]

West Coast vs. Adelaide and Geelong vs. Melbourne all could have happened given these teams were all strong around the same time in a number of different decades but things just never fell the right way in the finals to allow this.

Probably should’ve happened in 05, but we bottled the QF. Roo getting himself suspended was probably the deciding factor.

 

[Seeds]

1994 - WC v North
1999 - North v ESS
2002-2003 - Port v Brisbane
2012 - Sydney v Adelaide
2013 - Geelong v Fremantle
2015 - WC v Fremantle
2016 - Sydney v GWS
2019 - Richmond v Collingwood

Lol at 1994. Geelong vastly superior team to north. Beating them 3 times that year. What that year was robbed of was a fit geelong taking on west coast. Our entire midfield of hocking, couch, bairstow was injured that final series, we lost our star centre half foward weeks before the finals started and ablett was hobbling on one leg come finals.

And north still couldnt get over the top of us.

 

[GoldbergsGold]

That would guarantee Brisbane 4 GF

How? Lynch and Brown were playing injured and did nothing, and there was no Hart. St Kilda would have steamed rolled Brisbane. The result a few weeks earlier is irrelevant, teams have overcome massive losses quickly against the same team.

 

[demondavey]

No bias here at all

Can’t argue with 1994. 07 also, would have been a good GF if WC were slightly sharper.

How? Lynch and Brown were playing injured and did nothing, and there was no Hart. St Kilda would have steamed rolled Brisbane. The result a few weeks earlier is irrelevant, teams have overcome massive losses quickly against the same team.

Can’t see them turning around an 80 odd point drubbing from the first week.

 

[demondavey]

Lol at 1994. Geelong vastly superior team to north. Beating them 3 times that year. What that year was robbed of was a fit geelong taking on west coast. Our entire midfield of hocking, couch, bairstow was injured that final series, we lost our star centre half foward weeks before the finals started and ablett was hobbling on one leg come finals.

And north still couldnt get over the top of us.

I’ll take your word

 

[Soggy2112]

Can’t see them turning around an 80 odd point drubbing from the first week.

Hawthorn effectively did that in 2015.

 

[GoldbergsGold]

Can’t argue with 1994. 07 also, would have been a good GF if WC were slightly sharper.

Can’t see them turning around an 80 odd point drubbing from the first week.

Geelong thrashed Essendon by 94 points in the preliminary final in the 1989 finals series, after Essendon thrashed Geelong in the first week of finals by 76 points, 13 days earlier. There's so many cases where there's a reversal of the previous match against two teams in finals. Brisbane had no forward line or Hart. St Kilda would have had the easiest time against them at home in Melbourne.