Your club’s best non-premiership year

[BigVic]

Outside of premierships, what was your club’s best non-flag year?

2022 for me. From 17th to prelim, beat Carlton in final game of season, defeated Carlton by under a goal twice and knocking them out of finals

2011 is 2nd. 20-2 season, Brownlow Medallist, winning a prelim by under a kick with the last goal, 6 All-Australians, Minor Premiers. Just not the ultimate prize. Krakouer returns and play in a GF.

 

[BotsMaster]

2008. Enough said.

 

[Corn Cobbers]

So many to choose from...

 

[The Devils Advocate]

2001

 

[What else we can do]

2000 Kouta

 

[The Devils Advocate]

2000 Kouta

Not sure what the bag limit is in Vic, but my god that's a lot of bones.

 

[Warwick]

2004 is the obvious answer. I felt we were better that year than 2003. If only we didn’t have to play our home prelim in Melbourne…

1999 was another great season. Finished 3rd after winning the wooden spoon the year before with a league-leading percentage of 145. We went from having the worst defence in the league (by approx. 200 points) to the best (by approx. 300 points). That kind of turnaround is unparalleled. We were also leading the eventual premiers at half time in the prelim as well.

Lethal came in and turned the club around. Akermanis and Leppitsch were reinvented as defenders (both making the AA side). Voss returned from a career-threatening broken leg to make the AA side. Black and Power emerged. And we selected Jonathan Brown in the draft at the end of the season.

What a year.

 

[footyfan1978]

2000 Kouta

1983 trumps it but 2000 is the runner up for our club.
Last year of Bosustow at club and end of an era of the mosquito fleet in their prime.
Some amazing football played and went most weeks as a kid.



We were slow out of blocks for season after back to back premierships.
Injuries, suspensions and form were all over the shop for first 15 rounds of season. We only on 7 wins and three spots out of the final five after 15 rounds. Fitzroy, North and Hawthorn were the top three spots on ladder and would have the double chances in the finals and we were looking like we would not make it and had the top three teams on ladder in the run to make the finals. Each of those matches we would find ourselves behind by four to six goals at one point in match and produce some brilliant quarters to topple them all to show our best was still better so the remote hope of making finals was still alive and ability to produce more exciting football than those teams was on show in the run to make the finals.


Dominator, Bosustow, Harmes, Ashman, Hunter and the mosquito fleet were playing the best footy in the league as we win the next six in a row which included sensational wins over the those top three teams.
Bosustow got suspended in the big win over top of ladder North in second last round and would never play again.
That would be the end of the run with Buzz suspended. Perovic, Bosustow and Jimmy Buckley and a few others from best team missing again due to injuries and suspensions would see us bow out after that but man, it was a sensational ride until that point as a young kid going to footy nearly every week as a junior member for first time.

 

[JackFlash]

2008....it happens in every league where the best team all year fluffs the Premiership.

I'll go with 1993 as the one that got away.

 

[footyfan1978]

 

[footyfan1978]

1983 continued...

 

[What else we can do]

1983 trumps it but 2000 is the runner up for our club.
Last year of Bosustow at club and end of an era of the mosquito fleet in their prime.
Some amazing football played and went most weeks as a kid.



We were slow out of blocks for season after back to back premierships.
Injuries, suspensions and form were all over the shop for first 15 rounds of season. We only on 7 wins and three spots out of the final five after 15 rounds. Fitzroy, North and Hawthorn were the top three spots on ladder and would have the double chances in the finals and we were looking like we would not make it and had the top three teams on ladder in the run to make the finals. Each of those matches we would find ourselves behind by four to six goals at one point in match and produce some brilliant quarters to topple them all to show our best was still better so the remote hope of making finals was still alive and ability to produce more exciting football than those teams was on show in the run to make the finals.


Dominator, Bosustow, Harmes, Ashman, Hunter and the mosquito fleet were playing the best footy in the league as we win the next six in a row which included sensational wins over the those top three teams.
Bosustow got suspended in the big win over top of ladder North in second last round and would never play again.
That would be the end of the run with Buzz suspended. Perovic, Bosustow and Jimmy Buckley and a few others from best team missing again due to injuries and suspensions would see us bow out after that but man, it was a sensational ride until that point as a young kid going to footy nearly every week as a junior member for first time.

Born in 79 started following in 1984 just missed out in 1983, could have put 1986/1994 both very enjoyable years but chose 2000.

 

[footyfan1978]

Born in 79 started following in 1984 just missed out in 1983, could have put 1986/1994 both very enjoyable years but chose 2000.

Makes total sense if you born then as basically you would only remember late 80's and beyond and miss the early 80's era.

I've seen all those seasons. Started watching on tv replay in 1978 and listen on radio each week from 1978 seasons and started going nearly every week from mid 1982 to the present.
I think you rightly point out 1994 too. It had a little bit of 1983 about it in the sense towards end of home and away season we were the best team in terms of our best was supreme over the eventual premiers but just as the finals about to begin we turned it all off for reasons that will never get over or truly understand why a few injuries should mean all the form went to nothing in the end.

I'd say that is third place after 1983 and 2000 seasons. They are the three clear seasons as a supporter I feel we could and should have won premiership but in the end it just did not happen. 1994 feels the worst becasue we actually went out in straight sets in finals and the loss to Cats was unforgiveable.

1986 and 88 were decent seasons too but not in my top three.

 

[What else we can do]

Makes total sense if you born then as basically you would only remember late 80's and beyond and miss the early 80's era.

I've seen all those seasons. Started watching on tv replay in 1978 and listen on radio each week from 1978 seasons and started going nearly every week from mid 1982 to the present.
I think you righly point out 1994 too. It had a little bit of 1983 about it in the sense towards end of home and away season we were the best team in terms of our best was supreme over the eventual premiers but just as the finals about to begin we turned it all off for reasons that will never get over or truly understand why a few injuries should mean all the form went to nothing in the end.

I'd say that is third place after 1983 and 2000 seasons. They are the three clear seasons as a supporter I feel we could and should have won premiership but in the end it just did not happen. 1994 feels the worst becasue we actually went out in straight sets in finals and the loss to Cats was unforgiveable.

1986 and 88 were decent seasons too but not in my top three.

In 1988 we just could not get over Melbourne they beat us 3 times including the prelim. I enjoyed beating Collingwood in the Qualifying final thought we lose that game as they won the previous two home and away games against us.

 

[timokane]

Collingwood 2022 other worth mentions 1992,2002 and 2011

 

[Piggy Smalls]

In order from best:

2013 really feels like the one that got away. Gave ourselves every chance but just couldn’t the execute the basics on grand final day. This to me was our best season.

2006 made a preliminary final with a team that could have beaten anyone on their day. Finished third with 15 wins and won our first ever final that year

2015 started like a shower of shit but the writing was on the wall by the end of the home and away season.

Off topic but I rate 2014 as the most disappointing season. Started the season as equal flag favourites and went out in straight sets.

 

[Smedts_2]

2008....it happens in every league where the best team all year fluffs the Premiership.

I'll go with 1993 as the one that got away.

Great call on 1993. Seems insane that a team that didn’t make the finals could say that but I always felt we were a strong chance that year if we made the cut (noting that the difference between minor premiers and missing the finals was 8% and 1.5 games.

 

[juss]

2018. Dominant 1st that home and away season compared to everyone else, undid it all in one bad game. Unfortunately it came at the worst possible time for us.

 

[nick1408]

2016 for me. Without that huge step backwards and the end of season turmoil the following four years wouldn't have eventuated.

 

[footyfan1978]

Great call on 1993. Seems insane that a team that didn’t make the finals could say that but I always felt we were a strong chance that year if we made the cut (noting that the difference between minor premiers and missing the finals was 8% and 1.5 games.

1992 and 93 sort of blend together as memory for Cats as super seasons to watch of Cats attacking style but no cigar. 93 Cats not in finals shows what a crazy ride that season was for top ten sides being so even.

 

[Young Redleg]

In recent times it would be 2018. Sure, we finished higher on the ladder in 2022 but in 2018 we played much more attractive football and we could be really unpredictable.

 

[benji2]

I’d go either 1993 (Modra had his best season and was a joy to watch, and we finished within an ace of an unexpected Grand Final berth) or 2012 (finished 14th the previous year, Tex had his best season, and finished within an ace of an unexpected Grand Final berth)


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[CURVE]

1993 for me, it didn't start well with a 140+ thrashing at the hands of Adelaide in the Preseason comp and the sacking of our coach, but we signed up Denis Pagan as coach and played some of the most exciting football I've ever seen, we had four forwards who were almost unstoppable, three of them scoring more than sixty goals for the season (the only time in history that has happened) and the fourth 47. Injuries and suspensions slowed us down late in the season, but the thrashings we inflicted on Collingwood (at Victoria Park), Carlton and Essendon will stay with me forever, they are still some of my favourite victories.

 

[The Devils Advocate]

2008....it happens in every league where the best team all year fluffs the Premiership.

Meanwhile, Essendon in 2000.
It would have been a very boring year for neutrals, unless you're a dogs fan.

 

[smasha]

72 and 2018 then 82 sigh