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I remember the Port vs Sydney final in 2003 - what a great win by the Swans.

Strangely enough, with Geelong and Sydney themselves when they met in the 2005 semi-final, it was the first Swans vs. Cats final in 71 years since South Melbourne trounced Geelong in the 1934 finals series. They are also the most recent foundation clubs to play each other in a GF for the first time, this in 2022.

One of the oddest finals records is that of Richmond and St Kilda. After 1913, the Saints played just 4 finals in 3 finals appearances (1918, 1929, 1939) in 48 years up to 1961, their only finals win in this time against the Tigers in the 1939 first semi final. Both teams were completely missing from the finals for the entire decade of the 1950s (along with the Swans), but would play in the same finals series in a number of years in the early 1970s, the Saints beating the Tigers in the 1971 PF, and the Tigers over the Saints in the 1973 FS. However they never played in a Grand Final, the Saints the only one of the existing teams at Richmond's 1908 admission that the Tigers have never played in a Grand Final. There was also no Richmond vs. St Kilda GF in the Reserves or Under 19s either, this along with North Melbourne vs St Kilda the only GF combination that never came up at any level.

After 1973 Richmond and St Kilda were not in the same finals series for 47 years, until 2020 when the Tigers beat the Saints in a semi-final, the Saints narrow win a week earlier preventing the first ever Richmond vs. Bulldogs final. But since then, the Saints and Tigers have again not been in the same finals series.
Richmond and the Bulldogs have never met in a final? I thought Carlton vs Bulldogs was the only Victorian combination left that hadn't happened.
 
Richmond and the Bulldogs have never met in a final? I thought Carlton vs Bulldogs was the only Victorian combination left that hadn't happened.

Richmond and the Bulldogs have also never met in a final, but finals series containing both the Tigers and Dogs have been few and far between. The teams aren't big rivals, and when they have been in the same finals series together only once in 2020 did a meeting between the pair seem a strong possibility. With Carlton and the Bulldogs they have been in the same finals series so many times, yet anomalies like upsets in other games, small ladder position changes caused by percentage or draws and even changes in finals formats have prevented this final. On other occasions the Blues and Bulldogs have made the finals at each other's expense, there seems something almost supernatural about it.

Some other finals anomalies over the years include:

  • Hawthorn and Richmond did not meet in a final until 2018, despite being in the same series finals a number of times.
  • St Kilda and Fitzroy were never in the same finals series after 1913
  • Footscray and Fitzroy were only in the same finals series once (1944) and did not meet
  • It took 72 years until North Melbourne and St Kilda played in the same finals series in 1997
  • Richmond and St Kilda did not play in the same finals series for 47 years - 1973 to 2020
  • Melbourne has not played Richmond in a final since the 1940 GF, and the Demons and Tigers have only been in the same finals series three times - 1941, 2018 and 2022- since then.
  • Port Adelaide and the Bulldogs have been regular finalists for the past 27 years, yet from 1997-2019 inclusive only one finals series contained the Dogs and Power - 1999 - and they did not meet. They were in the same finals series in 2020 and met in a final for the first time in 2021 (although Power fans wished they hadn't).
  • Often in the same finals series Essendon and the Bulldogs went an amazing 68 years (1953-2021) before playing a finals match against each other.
  • Hawthorn and Collingwood had three finals meetings in the 1970s, but would go 33 years from 1978-2011 before the power clubs met in a final again. The Hawks and Magpies have never met in a GF, and have become more known for the way they tend to miss each other in the finals, with no more finals between them since 2012.
  • Besides Hawthorn, Collingwood has played few finals matches against its traditional rivals for some time. It has not played Carlton in a final since 1988 or Essendon since 1990 (the GF). Finals against Richmond and Melbourne in 2018 and 2023 were the Magpies first September encounters against these clubs since 1980 and 1989 respectively.
  • Melbourne and the Swans have only played three finals - 1936, 1987 and 2022.
  • St Kilda and Geelong were the last of the eight 1897 foundation clubs to 'get off the mark' so to speak, with the Cats and Saints not meeting in a final for 71 years until the 1968 First Semi Final.
  • Melbourne and Geelong are traditional rivals that were powerful teams at the same time in the mid 1920s, late 1930s, mid 1950s, early 1960s and early 2020s, with the teams also appearing in the same finals series many times around the late 1980s, early-mid 1990s and the mid 2000s. Yet no finals series has ever fallen the right way to allow a Demons vs. Cats Grand Final.
  • The West Coast Eagles have been in the position to meet Richmond, Brisbane and St Kilda in quite a few finals series, yet the results have never fallen the correct way to allow this, so to date the Eagles have never played a final against the Tigers, Lions, the former Bears team or the Saints.
  • Hawthorn seem to avoid meeting Brisbane (as either the Bears or Lions) in the finals, while coveted Sydney vs. Brisbane finals have also proven elusive with only one in 2003. Prior to 2021, Melbourne had not played any of Fitzroy, the Brisbane Bears or the Brisbane Lions since Fitzroy in the 1960 Second Semi Final.

Discounting the Gold Coast which has never made the finals, I'm not sure what the current longest drought is for teams appearing in the same finals series is? Please reply if you know the answer.
 

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Teams going from bottom four to top four in one season? Pies 2021-22, Lions 2018-9, Eagles 2010-11. Many others?

Western Bulldogs 1996-1997, Melbourne 1997-1998, Brisbane Lions 1998-1999, Melbourne 1999-2000, Port Adelaide 2000-2001, North Melbourne 2006-2007, Western Bulldogs 2007-2008 are the others. I presume you are referring to the final-8 era only which would exclude Collingwood from 1976-1977.
 
Western Bulldogs 1996-1997, Melbourne 1997-1998, Brisbane Lions 1998-1999, Melbourne 1999-2000, Port Adelaide 2000-2001, North Melbourne 2006-2007, Western Bulldogs 2007-2008 are the others. I presume you are referring to the final-8 era only which would exclude Collingwood from 1976-1977.

Yep reckon it becomes a different stat then. Thanks mate! Pretty impressive if the Hawks can do it.
 
Yep reckon it becomes a different stat then. Thanks mate! Pretty impressive if the Hawks can do it.

Hawthorn finished seventh on the ladder at the end of at the end of the home and away season. This is what I thought you were asking. Port from 2000-2001 would be excluded in this case. Port finished 3rd after the 2001 home and away but 5th after bowing out of the finals.
 
Hawthorn finished seventh on the ladder at the end of at the end of the home and away season. This is what I thought you were asking. Port from 2000-2001 would be excluded in this case. Port finished 3rd after the 2001 home and away but 5th after bowing out of the finals.

Ah right, nah was thinking after finals. So finishing bottom four then making a prelim year after.
 
So since 2000, bottom four to prelim year following its:

2022-2023 GWS
2021-2022 Collingwood
2011-2012 Adelaide
2010-2011 West Coast
2007-2008 Western Bulldogs
2006-2007 North Melbourne
2005-2006 Collingwood
1999-2000 Melbourne

Any I'm missing? Cheers
 
So since 2000, bottom four to prelim year following its:

2022-2023 GWS
2021-2022 Collingwood
2011-2012 Adelaide
2010-2011 West Coast
2007-2008 Western Bulldogs
2006-2007 North Melbourne
2005-2006 Collingwood
1999-2000 Melbourne

Any I'm missing? Cheers
Collingwood didn't prelim in 2006. Doggies knocked them out week 1 in an elimination final.
 

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There were 41 points scored in the first half and only 7 scored in the second half in the Round 4 AFLW match between North Melbourne and Port Adelaide, due to torrential rain falling after the main break, which made scoring almost impossible.

Would someone be able to tell me what is the biggest differential in aggregate points scored in each half of a VFL/AFL match? Was the differential caused by bad weather, or one team being outclassed and the opposition piling on the points?
 
There were 41 points scored in the first half and only 7 scored in the second half in the Round 4 AFLW match between North Melbourne and Port Adelaide, due to torrential rain falling after the main break, which made scoring almost impossible.

Would someone be able to tell me what is the biggest differential in aggregate points scored in each half of a VFL/AFL match? Was the differential caused by bad weather, or one team being outclassed and the opposition piling on the points?
Have a look thru this page on AFL Tables. What you are looking for is probably here, although unlike the AFLW match the big scoring differential will most likely happen in the second half.


 
There were 41 points scored in the first half and only 7 scored in the second half in the Round 4 AFLW match between North Melbourne and Port Adelaide, due to torrential rain falling after the main break, which made scoring almost impossible.

Would someone be able to tell me what is the biggest differential in aggregate points scored in each half of a VFL/AFL match? Was the differential caused by bad weather, or one team being outclassed and the opposition piling on the points?
This 1961 Rd. 5 game should be the "winner", with a differential in aggregate points scored in each half of a staggering 119 points (28/147)!:
1728372146528.png
There's 6 games in total with a differential in aggregate points scored between the two 1/2s of 100 points or more:
1989 Rd. 8 - 112 points (60/172):
1728372580753.png
1942 Rd. 15 - 111 points (51/162):
1728372710958.png
1991 Rd. 15 - 105 points (83/188):
1728372811951.png
1996 Rd. 2 - 104 points (65/169):
1728372909319.png
1937 Rd. 18 - 101 points (60/161):
1728372988200.png
Interestingly enough, in all of the above games the bulk of the scoring came in the second half. This game has the biggest differential where the scoring was greater in the first half:
1991 Rd. 6 - 98 points (210/112):
1728373200071.png
Here's the match report from The Age for the 1961 game:
1728374703014.png
And also for the 1991 North vs. Sydney game:
1728374975190.png
 

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