Your club’s best non-premiership year

[MC Extra Dollop]

2008 immediately comes to mind for a Geelong supporter, as we were arguably the best team ever that didn't win the premiership.

But I think it's 1989. People can talk about how any grand final loss is devastating, but 1989 was Geelong's first finals appearance in eight years and people probably don't realise that only like three of the 1989 squad had played in a final before, I think it was Yeats, Bos and Bruns. It was the first finals campaign for Ablett, Couch, Bairstow, the Hockings, Bews, Brownless, Stoneham, Bourke...

Without any recent finals appearances at all and a premiership drought of 25+ years it was a pretty amazing season. After throwing away a 171-163 game against Hawthorn, Geelong went on to win each of the next three games by 20+ goals.

Beyond that, Couch was Geelong's first Brownlow Medallist in about 25 years and we were on the wrong side of perhaps the greatest grand final ever. It's probably important to compare the 1989 and 2008 seasons here. As enjoyable as the 1989 season must have been for Geelong people, it was played with the knowledge that there was clearly a better team than us. Given Hawthorn's dominance and our mediocrity over the previous 6-7 years, there were probably quite a few Cats who'd never played in a winning team against Hawthorn.

There's enough talking down of 2008, it was a great ride, one of the best teams ever and we just lowered our colours on the biggest day. The disappointment is tempered somewhat by the fact that every Geelong player in that grand final went on to play in at least one more premiership team in 2009 or 2011 (whereas none of the 1989 team became a Geelong premiership player). But there's still disappointment there. With 1989, what a ride that was. A novelty for us to make the finals and then nearly pinched the flag from one of the best teams ever.

If you were looking for an equivalent you'd need a club where only supporters of a certain age would have any memories of a premiership (for Geelong in 1989, it'd be supporters around their early 30s) and nothing better than mid-table finishes for the better part of a decade. So it'd be like if Carlton, St Kilda or North Melbourne made the grand final this year and lost on one of the greatest games ever. I think those respective clubs' supporters would think that was one of the best non-premiership years they'd had as a supporter.

 

[Cuzz09]

For some reason I always loved our 11 game winning streak in 1996.

We looked flat by rd 5 after a close loss to Carlton at Princes Park where Williams was given a dodgy goal late then we smashed the Dees and Kangas and were suddenly going.

The year faded late as a lot of our late 90s seasons tended to but that winning streak was exciting and was Benny Cousins first year, a rising star and future premiership and Brownlow champion

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[footyfan1978]

For some reason I always loved our 11 game winning streak in 1996.

We looked flat by rd 5 after a close loss to Carlton at Princes Park where Williams was given a dodgy goal late then we smashed the Dees and Kangas and were suddenly going.

Sounds like in your imagination. Had a look and can only find late goal to Spalding and some wonderful intercept marks by Kouta to hold on to one point lead and win.

 

[TRP1996]

Holding together in 2015, culminating in an away finals win, was pretty special.

 

[BF Tiger]

2016 - the year we needed to undertake the transformation the club needed.

 

[Chinacats]

2008 was dominant before the rushed behind debacle…1989 also… liked 1993 for Gaz Ablett 124 goals in 17 games!

 

[Lingsface]

2008

 

[Coach_Required]

2018 for us, we just ran out of steam at the wrong time.

 

[JackOutback]

1991... finished the season on top of the ladder 19-3, lost the qualifying final to Hawthorn, but then had to play the next two finals away even though we were the higher ranked team. Who knows what could have happened if we had played those two at home. But either way, there was a lot of excitement around the first grand final appearance and it laid the groundwork for 1992.

Other than that, 2015, we were coming off missing the finals, had a new coach, kept copping injuries, but just kept winning when we weren't expected to, finished top two along with Freo, lots of hype in WA, sadly came up against Hawthorn again.

 

[Rotayjay]

2017 was fun at times, ending in a losing grand final, but 2005 (our only other minor premiership year) was more fun.

There were some stretches where we looked unbeatable, like Neil Craig had reinvented football. It culminated in 'the Ultimate Showdown', the one and only Showdown in finals and we smashed our rivals, the then-reigning premiers, into submission.

We lost the preliminary final the following week, but it was still a good year. It was less of a tease than losing the granny (as fun as a GF appearance was).

 

[Footy_Fan2007]

2013 for me.
We were ‘too old too slow’ in 2011 and somehow proved everyone wrong but by 2012 I thought we looked it and by 2013 we hadn’t really progressed IMO with much quality new blood. Duncan was still on the up, that was about it - Hawkins came out and had a superb year. We got mocked for picking up Rivers from Melbourne, playing an athlete in Blicavs, Caddy wasn’t what we’d hoped, Murdoch was average, Guthrie started slow.

We went 18-4 and took an all time great side to within an offline Travis Varcoe kick in a prelim and while shattered about the result I was as proud of that season as probably any of our flags

I can’t see how it’s not 2008.
2013 was definitely a wasted year but 2008 was a different level.

I still think we lose that prelim if Varcoe kicks the goal. Just would have levelled the scores and the players were out on their feet.
We will never know though.

 

[PhatBoy]

I can’t see how it’s not 2008.
2013 was definitely a wasted year but 2008 was a different level.

I still think we lose that prelim if Varcoe kicks the goal. Just would have levelled the scores and the players were out on their feet.
We will never know though.

In terms of the actual level we played at of course 2008 was better but that’s not what I mean.

 

[Forward Press]

Sounds like in your imagination. Had a look and can only find late goal to Spalding and some wonderful intercept marks by Kouta to hold on to one point lead and win.

Round 5 1996

West Coast's losing run continued, falling by a point to the Blues. The visitors' cause was not helped in the third quarter when Tony Evans rushed the ball over the defensive goal-line for a behind, only to have his soccered kick wrongly credited as a goal to Carlton's Greg Williams. Peter...

eaglepedia.fandom.com

The visitors' cause was not helped in the third quarter when Tony Evans rushed the ball over the defensive goal-line for a behind, only to have his soccered kick wrongly credited as a goal to Carlton's Greg Williams

Round 5, 1996 | Blueseum - History of the Carlton Football Club

Blueseum: History of the Carlton Football Club

www.blueseum.org

But it was perhaps a goal claimed by Greg Williams that would be the difference in this match – despite it coming from the feet of Eagle Tony Evans. Evans soccered the ball through the Blues' goals at the Lygon St End of the ground to try to concede a behind, only for Williams to raise his hands to try to claim it as a goal, to which the Goal Umpire agreed.

 

[rfctigerarmy]

Brett Deledio

 

[Forward Press]

On topic - it's easy to pick 1991, 2005 or 2015 but outside of those years 2011 was definitely enjoyable for the rise from wooden spoon to prelim.

 

[footyfan1978]

Brett Deledio

Someone is drunk early.
It is about a year, not a player.

 

[Cuzz09]

Round 5 1996

West Coast's losing run continued, falling by a point to the Blues. The visitors' cause was not helped in the third quarter when Tony Evans rushed the ball over the defensive goal-line for a behind, only to have his soccered kick wrongly credited as a goal to Carlton's Greg Williams. Peter...

eaglepedia.fandom.com

Round 5, 1996 | Blueseum - History of the Carlton Football Club

Blueseum: History of the Carlton Football Club

www.blueseum.org

cheers.

Not late in the game but crucial

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[NetworkNerd]

I enjoyed 1999 even though we didnt even make the finals.

• Crawford Brownlow
• Last game at Waverley
• Pre-season cup
• Had a completive season winning the last 5 games, finishing 9th and setting up for 2 finals appearances including a prelim in 01

 

[Dazb86]

97 for me. I know it ended in heartbreak but we went from 2nd last and on the brink of folding to losing a prelim by 2 points.

 

[Roobs321]

GWS - 2019. GWS were an elite side in 2019 and made the Grand Final. 2016 was also another good year. They were unlucky not to make the Grand Final that year. Had GWS played in the 2016 Grand Final, I they would have won the flag and not Sydney.

I'd have to go for 2016 there. 2019 was a plucky finals series but it otherwise wasn't the most memorable season. 2016 backed up on the 2015 rise and they actually looked like they could win it, was much more a vibe.

 

[Roobs321]

For West Coast, I'm too young to remember 1991 which would be the obvious answer (my fandom started in 1995), but of the three most obvious ones (2005, 2011, 2015), I'd have to say 2011 was the most heartening. In 2005 & 2015 our best was typically beyond the competition, we were too good. In 2011 that wasn't really the case, we were just right, we won so many clutch thrillers and maximised our potential for that season, from last to 4th, with three scary sides ahead of us. Couple older guys resurging, Nicoski lol, Shuey/Darling/Gaff, Priddis getting some respect, 123, and like in 2015 there were some grim injuries at the dawn of the season that we defied.

I'm also not sure I'd still be an Eagles fan today if 2005 didn't come along when it did, and given the lose-win-to-win-one trope, it feels an earlier trial & tribulation tied up in a destined flag as well. And the agony mixed with growing up in a Swans family means it is an unforgettable season to me. If my AFL lifestory was written Homeric, they'd probably choose 2005 as the folkloric season to poetically tell it through (recounted from a few years later in 2008 or something).

 

[L_W_P]

On paper it's probably 2009 but the anxiety I had through the finals that year means I definitely didn't enjoy it as I should have.

I'll go 2004.

That was a season with no expectations and full of potential. Gehrig kicks 100 goals. Riewoldt puts his name down as one of the best in the comp. We pushed the premier to the absolute limit at their home ground. Pinch that and we would have had an unreal shot at beating the Lions on GF day.

 

[qman]

1999

Yeah that's a standout I have been watching some of our matches from 1981. Almost seems criminal that we only finished 5th that season!

 

[JPetro83]

2006.. once again luck wasnt with us... think we cruising at 15-2 after Round 17? then we got smacked with injuries.. Ricciuto, Burton, Mcleod and Hentchel all went down in that final month. We were up by 4 goals at half time of the prelim too only to be over-run by Judd, Cousins and Kerr. Pretty sure Biglands did his knee or ankle during the game to. up until Round 17 that year we were unstoppable. That was the year we blew it big time... oh and then there was 2017.

 

[Rusty Brookes]

One right out of left field for Hawthorn is 1998. Nowhere near the finals. But we won the last five games of the year and we had a record membership that solidified our ability to stay as a standalone club.