The best teams at NOT going back to back

[PonsfordMagpie]

The two that instantly come to mind.

Geelong (2007-2011) = Won in 2007, 2009 and 2011. Lost the 2008 Grand Final.

Carlton (1968-1972) = Won in 1968, 1970 and 1972. Lost the 1969 Grand Final.

 

[Liam Boy]

North from 1974-1979 could be considered unlucky not to have gone back to back at least once considering we were in 5 straight Grand Finals (6 if you count the 77 replay) and then finished 2nd but lost the prelim in 79. But then again, 2 North flags and 2 Hawthorn flags over the period is probably about right, they'd be unlucky not to have won one of theirs.

 

[Meteoric Rise]

Tigers had a shocking run of 51 years 1922-1972 without B2B.

Then another very embarrassing period of 45 years 1974-2019 without a flag playing part of a b2b sequence.

Still, I guess it could be worse.

Collingood 88 years will soon crack 100 years without b2b.

Geelong 72 years will soon raise the bat for the 3/4 century without going b2b.

Bombers & Blues a relatively short 39 & 42 years respectively since last going b2b, they will be comfortable enough with those levels for now.

 

[Hoops]

St Kilda 09/10 should have won both but came away with nothing.

Saints are gonna ain't

 

[Lunchtime]

So 2019 has an asterix because we got to play too many games at the MCG, and 2020 where we played almost the entire season (including every final) interstate also gets to have an asterix.

What is interesting is that in 2020 two Victorian teams made the Grand Final (Richmond & Geelong) after being on the road for 100+ consecutive days. Whilst the season wasn't normal due to COVID you have to admire Richmond & Geelong for making the Grand Final that year. Tough season that was. Only the toughest prevailed.

Good teams win anywhere & anytime.

 

[PhatBoy]

What is interesting is that in 2020 two Victorian teams made the Grand Final (Richmond & Geelong) after being on the road for 100+ consecutive days. Whilst the season wasn't normal due to COVID you have to admire Richmond & Geelong for making the Grand Final that year. Tough season that was. Only the toughest prevailed.

Good teams win anywhere & anytime.

Honestly - and this is NOT a shot at the Tigers so before any of the usual suspects jump in and take it that way, please don’t bother because I have made it abundantly clear I don’t think it’s an asterisk premiership/Covid Cup/whatever else you want to call it etc.

It holds as much merit as the other wins.

But I never felt any more pride in making that GF over any of the others we made in modern times because we were in the bubble or hub or whatever you want to call it. Many other sides were in a similar situation and at least we weren’t travelling week to week etc.

It would have been an uncomfortable reality to handle to begin with but by the time finals rolled around I think it was just business as usual for all teams involved

 

[Mr Meow]

Honestly - and this is NOT a shot at the Tigers so before any of the usual suspects jump in and take it that way, please don’t bother because I have made it abundantly clear I don’t think it’s an asterisk premiership/Covid Cup/whatever else you want to call it etc.

It holds as much merit as the other wins.

But I never felt any more pride in making that GF over any of the others we made in modern times because we were in the bubble or hub or whatever you want to call it. Many other sides were in a similar situation and at least we weren’t travelling week to week etc.

It would have been an uncomfortable reality to handle to begin with but by the time finals rolled around I think it was just business as usual for all teams involved

Brisbane and Port were choke artists during the pandemic.

They had it laid out on a plate for them but come knockout finals time, they folded.

Brisbane finally learned how to play knockout finals in 2022 and have been reliable since.

Port never learned.

 

[PhatBoy]

Brisbane and Port were choke artists during the pandemic.

They had it laid out on a plate for them but come knockout finals time, they folded.

Brisbane finally learned how to play knockout finals in 2022 and have been reliable since.

Port never learned.

They did have it there for them most definitely. But to me I just saw it as how the interstate teams probably see every other finals series with the added bonus that we weren’t really charged with the worry of travel aside from week 1

 

[Mr Meow]

They did have it there for them most definitely. But to me I just saw it as how the interstate teams probably see every other finals series with the added bonus that we weren’t really charged with the worry of travel aside from week 1

True that.

It's like when Geelong finally got a real home final in 2013 but then blew it. Bitter irony.

 

[Blues177]

North from 1974-1979 could be considered unlucky not to have gone back to back at least once considering we were in 5 straight Grand Finals (6 if you count the 77 replay) and then finished 2nd but lost the prelim in 79. But then again, 2 North flags and 2 Hawthorn flags over the period is probably about right, they'd be unlucky not to have won one of theirs.

1978 was their best chance. There was not much difference in form between Hawthorn and North. It was an even season with the top 4 teams.

In 1976 no team was going to beat Hawthorn in the finals due to Peter Crimmins and the hawks avenging the previous year’s grand final defeat. North did well to make the grand final after the retirements of Randall, Davis and Wade.

North had great wins in 1974 and had the best percentage but inexperience in the grand final cost them the premiership.

 

[Freomaniac]

Carlton 1980 and 1983.
Should have won 79-80 back to back but Jezza left for political reasons so a clown stepped in as coach called Percy, like out of Blackadder comedy show and a year went to waste.
1982-83 but suspensions to Bosustow and others right before finals and a few injuries saw us fall well short.

Cats 2008 would have been 2007 and 2008 but bad kicking is bad football.

Could you also throw Carlton in 1986? They were a good side. Lost the grand final in 86 but won the flag in a very hot day in 1987.

One of the rare games Michael tuck didn't wear his long sleeve shirt

 

[BigVic]

Pies 2010 and 2011. We won 2010 but 2011 we did everything right only to lose the one that matters most

 

[Captain_Bender]

1978 was their best chance. There was not much difference in form between Hawthorn and North. It was an even season with the top 4 teams.

In 1976 no team was going to beat Hawthorn in the finals due to Peter Crimmins and the hawks avenging the previous year’s grand final defeat. North did well to make the grand final after the retirements of Randall, Davis and Wade.

North had great wins in 1974 and had the best percentage but inexperience in the grand final cost them the premiership.

Injuries really hurt North in 78

 

[SurreyBlue]

The two that instantly come to mind.

Geelong (2007-2011) = Won in 2007, 2009 and 2011. Lost the 2008 Grand Final.

Carlton (1968-1972) = Won in 1968, 1970 and 1972. Lost the 1969 Grand Final.

Carlton in 1979-1982. If it wasn’t for their 1980 implosion, they would have completed the quadruple. Made up for it though.

Best side other than the Brisbane three peat team.

 

[LuckyBounce!]

St. Kilda 09/10

 

[Freomaniac]

Wtf.
Hawthorn were a game clear on top of the ladder at Round 18 of 2016, but were lucky to make finals?

To be honest hawks 2016 side was similar to the cats 2014 side.

I remember hawks winning some close games in 2016. Crows at the MCG was one of them. Hawks kicked 3 goals in 2 minutes to win that game.

Cats in 2014 finished 3rd. They got 17 wins and 5 losses. 7 of those wins were by 2 goals or less. Cats percentage was like 111 percent.

Sydney was top in 2014, hawks were 2nd. Both sides got 17 wins and 5 losses.

Sydney percentage was like 132 to hawks 130 or around that.

 

[Freomaniac]

Yes, Geelong are excellent at not backing it up, they’ll always find a way. No one better.

Cats won back to back flags in 1951-52.

 

[Freomaniac]

St. Kilda 09/10

I know it's a long way back, you might as well add 1965-66

 

[Freomaniac]

Aw Roos in the 90s. There’s a good one

Stop being a troll. North at least were good from 1994 to 2000.

But specifically 1996-1999 North were good.

1996: won a flag vs the Tony Lockett lead Sydney swans.

1997: North had injuries. Wayne Carey misses half the season with a shoulder injury. Lost a preliminary final to the Saints.

1998: North sprayed their shots in that 1998 grand final vs the crows.

1999: they were lucky to win the 1999 flag vs Carlton. Had Essendon beaten Carlton, Essendon was likely to win that 1999 flag

 

[Freomaniac]

Unless you have players that need a poo badly

Xtreme , Vince McMahon and poo jokes are not a good combination lol

 

[Freomaniac]

2017: 11 points at the MCG
2018: 47 point loss in Perth
2019: 6 points at the G

Stagger over the line at home, smashed away. Maybe we should call Richmond the lucky premiers to get to play 80 per cent of their games, finals an all, at home.

Richmonds 2017 was weird. Actually it was a tale of 2 halves.

Richmond in the 1st half of 2017 was average. 2nd half they were a contender.

If you want a good example. Look at the 2 games vs Freo.

The dockers beat the tigers at the MCG with a David Mundy goal after the siren.

Rematch at Subiaco oval late in the season. Tigers belted the dockers by 104 points

 

[GoldbergsGold]

Think we can take some of the 'blame' for their behinds.

Lol blaming the loss on the winning team giving up 2 goals to the losing team is of Bizarroworld logic.

 

[GoldbergsGold]

Essendon should have won 99,00,01

2001 they weren't the best team, Brisbane wanted it more. Even 1999 I think North would have steam rolled Essendon had they faced off in the grand final, North were more hungry after their 98 GF disaster. 2000 Essendon were leagues ahead of everyone else, so I think people think of 2000 when thinking of Essendon's 1999 and 2001 seasons, when those 2 seasons Essendon weren't the best team in finals.

 

[GoldbergsGold]

With the 2008 Grand Final people say it is one the biggest upsets of all time, but I tend to disagree and wasn't at all surprised when Hawthorn comfortably beat Geelong to win the premiership that year.

The warning signs were there in the later weeks of the season and throughout the finals. A match between the two in Round 18 was a thriller decided by the Cats over the Hawks by a narrow margin, so evidently Hawthorn were capable of issuing a serious challenge to Geelong. In the last two weeks Hawthorn were much sharper than Geelong in demolishing their opponents, that Cats with the minor premiership secure since May cruising into the finals. Then in the finals first paced Geelong and second placed Hawthorn would meet the same teams - St Kilda and the Western Bulldogs. The Hawks handed out severe hidings to the Dogs in the Qualifying Final and the Saints in the Preliminary, but Geelong were far less convincing in defeating these opponents in the inverse finals.

Still, Geelong went into the Grand Final at 23-1 and many of their supporters could not contemplate that their team could be beaten, and I think this mindset might have been with a number of Cats officials and players too. After rattling the Cats in the first half, the Hawks grabbed the momentum after half time and broke clear, and Geelong simply didn't know what to do on or off the field, with Hawthorn not only out-playing the Cats but more significantly out-smarting them too.

I still think that's the biggest upset in history, because of Geelong's 1 loss for the year, and 4 win gap over Hawthorn, which is almost unheard of to lose from with that much consistency for the season. St Kilda had similar consistency in 2009 with 2 losses, but their gap between Geelong was closer with only a 2 win separation. Even The Crows were slightly more closer to a 6 loss for the 1998 season North Melbourne with a 3 win and 1 draw gap.

 

[LuckyBounce!]

I know it's a long way back, you might as well add 1965-66

Should been back to back then too!