- Dec 17, 2006
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- South Fremantle, Sturt
There is always the potential for AFL records to be broken every time a match is played, but there are a number of long-standing records that would appear unlikely to ever be equalled or broken, and I nominate the following twelve. What do you think?
1. LOWEST SCORE - In 1899, St Kilda managed a miserable 0.1-1 in a 161 point thrashing by Geelong (ironically, their point was the first score of the game). As this record has not been broken 110 years later, it is reasonable to assume it is staying with the Saints forever.
2. LOWEST PERCENTAGE - With games like the one above, it is little wonder that the Saints winless 1899 team recorded a miserable percentage of just 28.0! Given that just three teams since World War 2 have recorded percentages of less than 50 (Hawthorn in 1950, St Kilda in 1955 & Fitzroy in 1996), with the lowest of these being 45.4% by St Kilda in 1955, it is hard to see a team being so totally uncompetetive as to equal or better St Kilda's 1899 team.
3. MOST SUCCESSIVE WOODEN SPOONS - St Kilda started off life in the then VFL with six successive wooden spoons from 1897-1902 inclusive. No team has come close to this since, and the salary cap and draft should prevent any future team being so totally uncompetetive for so long.
4. LOWEST MATCH AGGREGATE - In 1897, Essendon defeated Melbourne 1.8-14 to 0.8-8, a match aggregate of just 22 points. Given that the most recent match to produce an aggregate of less than 50 points was the 1927 Grand Final, the Bombers and Demons are keeping this one.
5. LOWEST SCORING QUARTER - Neither Collingwood or Fitzroy scored at all in the final quarter of a 1901 match at the Brunswick Street Oval, the only time a game has produced a scoreless quarter. It is hard to see after 108 years another game occurring that will produce a scoreless quarter.
6. MOST SUCCESSIVE LOSSES - After a bright start to its tenure in the VFL from 1908-14, University fell right away, losing its last 51 games from early 1912 to the end of 1914, before leaving the league forever. As with St Kilda's wooden spoon record, the draft and salary cap would prevent such an uncompetetive team in the future.
7. PREMIER & WOODEN SPOONER IN SAME YEAR: In a war affected 4 team competition in 1916, Fitzroy finished last, but won all of its finals to take out the premiership. It is impossible to think of any realistic situation in which this absolutely unique achievement could be replicated.
8. HIGHEST SCORE IN A QUARTER - In 1919, South Melbourne kicked 17.4-106 to St Kilda's 0.0-0 in the final quarter. This is the only time that a side has kicked a century score in a single quarter (and subsequently outscored its opponent by that margin). As this one-off record took place 90 years ago and was in farcical circumstances (a number of St Kilda players walked off the ground in disgust), this record will probably last another 90 years, and then some, much to the delight of the Swans and the despair of the Saints.
9. LONGEST FINALS DROUGHT - When Hawthorn entered the VFL in 1925, the WAGS of the players were wearing flapper dresses and headbands. By the time the Hawks were playing Carlton in their debut finals match in 1957, the Hawthorn WAGS were wearing blouses, poodle skirts and bobby socks. The Great Depression, World War 2 and the Korean War had come and gone in this time, and instead of watching silent black & white movies, one could watch full sound technicolour films, or even a magical box that sat in the corner of one's loungeroom! In modern times, even consistently underperfoming teams such as Richmond and Fremantle have made the occasional visit to the finals before plunging back down the ladder again, and given that half of the teams play finals in any given year, the Hawks 32 year finals drought looks likely to remain the record forever.
10. TEAM WITH HIGHEST PERCENTAGE MISSES THE FINALS - This has happened only once, to Geelong's 1932 team which missed the final four despite having the best percentage. If the AFL had a final five, it would be conceivable that this could happen again (a team that easily beats poor opposition by keeping them to low scores, but loses plenty of close ones to the good teams to finish sixth), but with a final eight, it is inconceivable that a ninth placed team could have a better percentage than the eight finalists.
11. HIGHEST MATCH AGGREGATE - Another record involving St Kilda, but this time the Saints are on the credit side of the ledger, when they beat Melbourne 31.18-204 to 21.15-141 in 1978, for a record match aggregate of 345 points. During the 1980s and early 1990s, high scoring games were very common, and with many good teams who could score quickly and often in this time, it seemed probable that this could be bettered. But the record was never broken, and high scoring games that produce an aggregate of 300 points or more are very rare today. The last time the record looked in serious danger was a Round 6 1993 match between North & Sydney that produced an aggregate score of 334 points; and from 2000 onwards there have been just three games with a 300 point aggregate, the most recent of which was in 2003 between North & the Bulldogs.
12. GREATEST WINNING MARGIN - A 190 point thrashing handed to Melbourne by Fitzroy in 1979 remains the greatest margin of victory. The Lions beat a previous record of 178 points that had been set earlier in the 1979 season by Collingwood over St Kilda; the previous record of 171 points by Sth Melbourne over St Kilda was set in 1919 (see Point 8). In the 60 years between the Swans setting the record, and first the Magpies and then the Lions bettering it, a number of sides had gotten close. But in 30 years since the Fitzroy vs Melbourne game, no team has troubled the Lions' record winning margin. Even in games where teams have looked a chance of winning by 200 (Brisbane Bears over Sydney in Round 8 1993; Geelong over Richmond in Round 6 2007), it has been obvious long before the finish of the game that the record margin would not be reached, and with high scores so rare today, this record is presumably safe.
1. LOWEST SCORE - In 1899, St Kilda managed a miserable 0.1-1 in a 161 point thrashing by Geelong (ironically, their point was the first score of the game). As this record has not been broken 110 years later, it is reasonable to assume it is staying with the Saints forever.
2. LOWEST PERCENTAGE - With games like the one above, it is little wonder that the Saints winless 1899 team recorded a miserable percentage of just 28.0! Given that just three teams since World War 2 have recorded percentages of less than 50 (Hawthorn in 1950, St Kilda in 1955 & Fitzroy in 1996), with the lowest of these being 45.4% by St Kilda in 1955, it is hard to see a team being so totally uncompetetive as to equal or better St Kilda's 1899 team.
3. MOST SUCCESSIVE WOODEN SPOONS - St Kilda started off life in the then VFL with six successive wooden spoons from 1897-1902 inclusive. No team has come close to this since, and the salary cap and draft should prevent any future team being so totally uncompetetive for so long.
4. LOWEST MATCH AGGREGATE - In 1897, Essendon defeated Melbourne 1.8-14 to 0.8-8, a match aggregate of just 22 points. Given that the most recent match to produce an aggregate of less than 50 points was the 1927 Grand Final, the Bombers and Demons are keeping this one.
5. LOWEST SCORING QUARTER - Neither Collingwood or Fitzroy scored at all in the final quarter of a 1901 match at the Brunswick Street Oval, the only time a game has produced a scoreless quarter. It is hard to see after 108 years another game occurring that will produce a scoreless quarter.
6. MOST SUCCESSIVE LOSSES - After a bright start to its tenure in the VFL from 1908-14, University fell right away, losing its last 51 games from early 1912 to the end of 1914, before leaving the league forever. As with St Kilda's wooden spoon record, the draft and salary cap would prevent such an uncompetetive team in the future.
7. PREMIER & WOODEN SPOONER IN SAME YEAR: In a war affected 4 team competition in 1916, Fitzroy finished last, but won all of its finals to take out the premiership. It is impossible to think of any realistic situation in which this absolutely unique achievement could be replicated.
8. HIGHEST SCORE IN A QUARTER - In 1919, South Melbourne kicked 17.4-106 to St Kilda's 0.0-0 in the final quarter. This is the only time that a side has kicked a century score in a single quarter (and subsequently outscored its opponent by that margin). As this one-off record took place 90 years ago and was in farcical circumstances (a number of St Kilda players walked off the ground in disgust), this record will probably last another 90 years, and then some, much to the delight of the Swans and the despair of the Saints.
9. LONGEST FINALS DROUGHT - When Hawthorn entered the VFL in 1925, the WAGS of the players were wearing flapper dresses and headbands. By the time the Hawks were playing Carlton in their debut finals match in 1957, the Hawthorn WAGS were wearing blouses, poodle skirts and bobby socks. The Great Depression, World War 2 and the Korean War had come and gone in this time, and instead of watching silent black & white movies, one could watch full sound technicolour films, or even a magical box that sat in the corner of one's loungeroom! In modern times, even consistently underperfoming teams such as Richmond and Fremantle have made the occasional visit to the finals before plunging back down the ladder again, and given that half of the teams play finals in any given year, the Hawks 32 year finals drought looks likely to remain the record forever.
10. TEAM WITH HIGHEST PERCENTAGE MISSES THE FINALS - This has happened only once, to Geelong's 1932 team which missed the final four despite having the best percentage. If the AFL had a final five, it would be conceivable that this could happen again (a team that easily beats poor opposition by keeping them to low scores, but loses plenty of close ones to the good teams to finish sixth), but with a final eight, it is inconceivable that a ninth placed team could have a better percentage than the eight finalists.
11. HIGHEST MATCH AGGREGATE - Another record involving St Kilda, but this time the Saints are on the credit side of the ledger, when they beat Melbourne 31.18-204 to 21.15-141 in 1978, for a record match aggregate of 345 points. During the 1980s and early 1990s, high scoring games were very common, and with many good teams who could score quickly and often in this time, it seemed probable that this could be bettered. But the record was never broken, and high scoring games that produce an aggregate of 300 points or more are very rare today. The last time the record looked in serious danger was a Round 6 1993 match between North & Sydney that produced an aggregate score of 334 points; and from 2000 onwards there have been just three games with a 300 point aggregate, the most recent of which was in 2003 between North & the Bulldogs.
12. GREATEST WINNING MARGIN - A 190 point thrashing handed to Melbourne by Fitzroy in 1979 remains the greatest margin of victory. The Lions beat a previous record of 178 points that had been set earlier in the 1979 season by Collingwood over St Kilda; the previous record of 171 points by Sth Melbourne over St Kilda was set in 1919 (see Point 8). In the 60 years between the Swans setting the record, and first the Magpies and then the Lions bettering it, a number of sides had gotten close. But in 30 years since the Fitzroy vs Melbourne game, no team has troubled the Lions' record winning margin. Even in games where teams have looked a chance of winning by 200 (Brisbane Bears over Sydney in Round 8 1993; Geelong over Richmond in Round 6 2007), it has been obvious long before the finish of the game that the record margin would not be reached, and with high scores so rare today, this record is presumably safe.
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