Who would you rate as the strongest premiership side in the AFL era?

Which premiership team would you rate as the strongest of the AFL era?

  • Collingwood 1990

    Votes: 1 0.2%
  • Hawthorn 1991

    Votes: 3 0.5%
  • West Coast 92-94

    Votes: 15 2.4%
  • Essendon 1993

    Votes: 1 0.2%
  • Carlton 1995

    Votes: 26 4.1%
  • North 96-99

    Votes: 17 2.7%
  • Adelaide 97-98

    Votes: 3 0.5%
  • Essendon 2000

    Votes: 83 13.1%
  • Brisbane 2001-2003

    Votes: 206 32.4%
  • Port 2004

    Votes: 3 0.5%
  • Sydney 2005

    Votes: 1 0.2%
  • West Coast 2006

    Votes: 1 0.2%
  • Geelong 2007-2011

    Votes: 101 15.9%
  • Hawthorn 2008

    Votes: 1 0.2%
  • Collingwood 2010

    Votes: 11 1.7%
  • Sydney 2012

    Votes: 1 0.2%
  • Hawthorn 2013-2015

    Votes: 103 16.2%
  • Bulldogs 2016

    Votes: 14 2.2%
  • Richmond 2017

    Votes: 33 5.2%
  • West Coast 2018

    Votes: 11 1.7%

  • Total voters
    635

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carnaroys08

Cancelled
Sep 4, 2007
939
899
AFL Club
Brisbane Lions
Other Teams
Cowboys, Storm.
Win/loss, Minor Premierships, Premierships, for/against, quarters won vs loss, % time in lead. A random goal stat would be lucky to make my top 15

I have to agree with the other posters, it’s probably the most random stat I’ve seen used to justify dominance.

Okay thanks for that well thought argument. Funny that your “measure” isn’t used by commentators, players, coaches & supporters across the AFL and most other sports as evidence of dominance. But you said case closed so you win

That’s a pretty silly way to measure dominance. No team that loses eight games in a season is dominant in any measure.If we had an extra 10% salary cap and free pickings of the AFL’s worst team, we’d probably have won some premierships in the early 00’s too.

You cannot seriously think that a Brisbane side that lost eight games in one year were one of the most dominant premiership teams of all time, especially based on a stat as ridiculous as the number of times beating a team by six goals in a quarter. That’s the single most cherry picked stat I’ve ever seen in my whole life. How can you even type that with a straight face?

That may be the worst stat I have ever read in my entire life


You two have a rather unsophisticated view of football. I hold you in low esteem as you can only pretend to be smart. You poo poo'd my theory without doing any homework. Imo, that's a pretty dumb thing to do.
My theory of "Powerful Sides" being rated by how many times they can kick 6+ more goals than their opposition in a quarter is a remarkably solid indicator (as I strongly believed). Do you know the science of Power & Torque? If you do, your comments demonstrate that neither of you has the faintest idea of how this can be applied to footy?

I'll give you a glimpse, so it's clear to all & sundry that you two have been owned.
I already knew I had found a worthy indicator, so I spent two hours researching it tonight in order to show you how ignorant you both are & rub some reality in your faces.

We're looking at 1990-2018.
1990 The Dons finished on top 17/5 with the highest % of 139.17. The Pies finished 2nd with the next highest % of 130.79. During the year the Dons dominated (by my definition) a game 3 times & were dominated twice. This stat does not include the game the Dons lost to Carlton where the Blues Dominated the 2nd quarter by 8 goals & the Dons hit back & dominated a later quarter by 6 goals. Being generous one might rate the Dons 4/3 for the season on my scale. In reality I would rate the Dons 3/3. The Pies Domination Rating for that year was 6/1. Coll def Ess by 48pts in the GF. The Pies were a very good value bet @ the over 39.5pts.

1991 The Eagles finished on top 19/3 with the highest % of 162.21. The Hawks finished 2nd with the next highest % of 135.91. The Eagles Domination Rating was 4/1. The Hawks Domination Rating was 7/0 before the granny. The Hawks def the Eagles by 53pts in the GF. The Hawks also scored an extra Domination Point in this GF. The Hawks were a top value bet @ the over 39.5pts.

I'll give you no more, that ought be enough egg on your faces.

I stress this is not an exact science & do not encourage people to bet.

edit*
ps: there are a couple of other of my factors to consider before betting. I do not advise people to bet on AFL, hold on to your money. Follow your team & enjoy what I believe to be The Greatest Show on Earth.
 
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carnaroys08

Cancelled
Sep 4, 2007
939
899
AFL Club
Brisbane Lions
Other Teams
Cowboys, Storm.
The Brisbane Lions won 14 out of its 22 games in the 2003 Home and Away season and lost its first final. Essendon won 21 out of its 22 and won their first final by 125 points and its grand final by ten goals. You tell me which team was more dominant.

There are some other factors which I will not disclose.

*edit : If you actually read what I wrote, I only made the claim the Lions 2003 were the strongest as there were no other well reasoned arguments to the contrary. I gave a "like" to a well reasoned argument for the Dons 2000 and mentioned that my gut feeling was Essendon 2000 & Geelong were also in the running. I was attempting to stimulate intelligent comment.
For what it's worth, now I've properly assessed it, the top six of the 29 years are extremely close and imo they are 1991 Hawks, 1995 Blues, 2000 Bombers, 2003 Lions, 2007 Cats, 2011 Cats & 2015 Hawks. There are quite a few on the next tier who have been underrated which include the Pies 1990 & 2010 end edit*

How about we look at your team in 2003, the hot favourites for the Flag. The bookies must love Collingwood. You finished the H&A 2nd with 15/7 & the 3rd highest % in the comp. The Mighty Lions finished the H&A 3rd with 14/7/1 & the 2nd highest % in the comp. The Lions Domination Rating was 6/0 (including a R19 domination over Collingwood !!!). The Pies "DR" was 5/2. $7 for the Lions over 39.5pts was only possible because we were playing Collingwood.
 
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Free Agent

Norm Smith Medallist
May 25, 2017
5,396
7,237
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Lions three peat better than the Hawks three peat for mine

End of the day it comes down to if you think the COLA concessions was more advantageous than the MCG home ground advantage the Hawks had
Yeah agree. That Lions side is easily the best that I've seen.

Hawks were great but the Lions takes the cake for mine.

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Jun 29, 2006
20,125
22,134
Nthn Beaches
AFL Club
Sydney
Other Teams
BBGFC and LRGC
Brisbane strongest mob overall. Geelong 2009 not far behind.
Geelong 2009 the strongest flag of the AFL era. At their peak in a title fight between two legit contenders. Brilliant flag in a v strong season.
 
Apr 22, 2007
42,076
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Bentleigh
AFL Club
Geelong
How does Hawthorn playing non-Vic teams in their three peat lessen the Hawks’ achievement? Hawthorn were the underdogs of 2/3 of those grand finals, and convincly won three grand finals in a row against the competition’s best challenger of those years.

Would it look better if Hawthorn played a weaker, but Victorian, side in those grand finals?
You werent underdog in 2 of 3

Only the 2014 GF were Swans favourites

Hawthorn went in as favourite v Freo and Eagles
 

carnaroys08

Cancelled
Sep 4, 2007
939
899
AFL Club
Brisbane Lions
Other Teams
Cowboys, Storm.
Yeah agree. That Lions side is easily the best that I've seen.

Hawks were great but the Lions takes the cake for mine.

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Those Eagles were pretty darn good in 92. Geelong were very easily accounting for nearly everyone. They got ya early in the year but you won 3 quarters of footy that day. Late in the year you beat em & did it again in the GF. I think you were the only side in the comp that genuinely had the wood on them. Don't know what happened in 93, but you went alright in 94 too. Underrated era for the Eagles.
 
Richmond have 4 stars.

Lions had 18
I count 7

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Actually freo wasn't.

I seem to recall print and tv media saying all week leading up to it that just like Sydney.... Hawthorn would not be able to stand up to Fremantle's MANIC PRESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSUREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE. There was a lot more support for Fremantle than there was for Hawthorn...... Neutrals wanted Fremantle to win more. Hawthorn of course had to spoil the party :D.

In 2014 the defending premiers would not be able to beat Buddy's Swans (despite beating them convincingly in their previous meeting). Hawthorn shocked everyone by pulling the Swans pants down and pushing them over in convincing fashion.

In 2015 - similar to '91, Hawthorn would be too old and too slow to break through the Weagle's web........... despite being them in Perth late in the regular season. Plus the hot weather would assist the Eagles and make Hawthorn worse off................... But just like '91 Hawthorn were too old, too slow and TOO GOOD :D :D :D.

No wonder why the threepeat was better than the Brisbane Lions ;) :D
 
Apr 22, 2007
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I seem to recall print and tv media saying all week leading up to it that just like Sydney.... Hawthorn would not be able to stand up to Fremantle's MANIC PRESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSUREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE. There was a lot more support for Fremantle than there was for Hawthorn...... Neutrals wanted Fremantle to win more. Hawthorn of course had to spoil the party :D.

In 2014 the defending premiers would not be able to beat Buddy's Swans (despite beating them convincingly in their previous meeting). Hawthorn shocked everyone by pulling the Swans pants down and pushing them over in convincing fashion.

In 2015 - similar to '91, Hawthorn would be too old and too slow to break through the Weagle's web........... despite being them in Perth late in the regular season. Plus the hot weather would assist the Eagles and make Hawthorn worse off................... But just like '91 Hawthorn were too old, too slow and TOO GOOD :D :D :D.

No wonder why the threepeat was better than the Brisbane Lions ;) :D
Hawks went in warm favourites v Freo.

But please go ahead and rewrite history
 

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Pure Pop

Rookie
Mar 24, 2007
37
16
St Kilda
AFL Club
Brisbane Lions
Much as I'd love to say the Lions, I won't as I consider the strongest premiership side reflecting the whole season. We never finished top of the ladder so I'd definitely put the 2001-4 Lions up for consideration as the best finals side of the AFL era. But that's not the question.

I'd have to lean towards Carlton 1995 just edging out the 2000 Bombers.
 
Geelong 2007 to 2011 were the best team and it was over such a long period of time. They were simply brilliant and had stars on every line.
That run probably started in 2004. With a really young side and having the nucleus of that 2007-2011 starting off together, they pushed the all conquering Lions right to the end in the 2004 preliminary final and were a bit unlucky not to win in the end. Then in 2005 up in Sydney, in took a Nick Davis piece of last second magic to prevent another prelim final berth. Sydney were the eventual premiers that year. 2006 we probably got a little but ahead of ourselves and capitulated and then a thorough review was had. Thompson was reinstated and the rest is history.

Over that 5 starting from round 6 2007, Geelong's win/loss record is unrivalled in the history of the game. If not for selfishness from players in the 2008 GF we'd have won 3 in a row and 4 in 5.
 
Must be hard to go back to back then
3 premierships is 3 premierships whether it's consecutive or over a period of 5 years. 3 is equal to 3.

It's actually much harder to stay successful over a period of time than be a flash in the pan as Geelong's win/loss record over a long stretch proves ... it's unrivalled. The Geelong side of that era were virtually unbeatable. 55 wins from 58 games.

104 wins from 121 games between round 5 2007 and the GF of 2011.

That's domination.
 
I go with the great Brisbane team. Not only are they the strongest team that I can remember seeing, they did it against better competition. They did it in an era which overlapped with all time great (and ultimately premiership winning) Port and Essendon teams who both could have had back to backs of their own.

And my view remains that had they not been robbed of a home preliminary final they may well have won four in a row.

I don't want to diminish the Hawthorn achievement too much, but they did it in a historically weak era. There was no all time great challenger against them at the time. The three teams that they played werent competing to set up their own dynasty.

Geelong were great, and perhaps have a better argument on that front- Collingwood is perhaps of that calibre of competitor. But their failure to ever win back to backs diminishes them, as does the 2008 grand final.
 
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