Who would you rate as the weakest runners up of the last 20 years?

Which runners up do you rate as the weakest?


  • Total voters
    468
Nov 8, 2000
33,295
21,790
South of the river
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Fremantle
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Peel Thunder
Surprised Collingwood last year doesn't get more of a mention. Arsed top 4 thanks to a dream draw, lucky to get over GWS at home in week 2 and played the game of their lives against Richmond in the prelim. Still, i'll reserve some judgement until I see them play in the next couple of years.

Port 07 was clearly the worst performance on the day, but they were a better team throughout the year than that.
 

its free real estate

it's free real estate
Jul 30, 2018
11,782
15,176
AFL Club
Fremantle
Easily Carlton 1999. Finished 6th with a 12-10 record. Were lucky to get through the first week of finals after being belted. Week 2 got to play against the Eagles at the MCG as the away team. Then got the Bombers on a poor day where they couldn't kick straight and were eventually put away comfortably by North in the GF
Yep. Carlton 1999, no contest.
 

Luv_our_club

Norm Smith Medallist
Feb 14, 2017
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Hawthorn
Who TF voted Freo 2013? We weren't great but **** me we performed better than the Hawks next two opponents in their dynasty.

Our two halves, however, were chalk and cheese

First half - yes
Second half - no

I agree, Freo were a good team in 2013. They were favorites to win the grand final after demolishing Sydney in the Preliminary Final. They were also very close to making the 2015 Grand Final as well, but Fyfe got injured. I was more confident about winning in 2012 than 2013.
 

kid_a

Club Legend
Apr 5, 2010
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Perf
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West Coast
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Has to be Carlton 99, finished 6th. Got given an "away" semi v West Coast at the MCG, scraped home against Essendon who absolutely choked.
Port 2007 at least finished 2nd on the ladder and were in Premiership contention talk late in the season, particularly after they beat Geelong at Kardinia late in the year, they just had a god awful GF and were a bit lucky Juddy and Cuz were cooked in the QF.
 

OniAu

Norm Smith Medallist
Sep 4, 2007
8,488
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Bendigo
AFL Club
Collingwood
Surprised Collingwood last year doesn't get more of a mention. Arsed top 4 thanks to a dream draw, lucky to get over GWS at home in week 2 and played the game of their lives against Richmond in the prelim. Still, i'll reserve some judgement until I see them play in the next couple of years.

Port 07 was clearly the worst performance on the day, but they were a better team throughout the year than that.

Who would've thought that a team finishing 13th year before get a "better draw" Are they supposed to cop a harder draw than all the top 8 teams? God the footy publics knowledge is atrociously putrid at times, get caught up in what Ralphy, Caro and Robbo report and repeat it as gospel
 

Milux

Norm Smith Medallist
Sep 29, 2013
8,865
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Brisbane
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Brisbane Lions
Cant see how the 07 port team wouldn't take this title. Geelong were good. But far out port were putrid.
 

HurleyHepsHird

Ghost Stories for the End of the World
Oct 2, 2011
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Between the Lines
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West Coast
West Coast 2015
I don't see how.

They did to Hawthorn in the Qualifying final, what Hawthorn did to them in the GF.

The issue was nerves and the team buckled under pressure at a ground they rarely played at v the best team of the last 20-30 years. If WC were a weak team, they wouldn't have played finals in 16 and 17, then won a flag in 18. Hawthorn were just that good and that experienced on GF day at the MCG. They unnerved and rolled Freo, then Sydney (a very good side) and WC. Sydney had won a flag against Hawthorn only two years earlier and got smashed and WC won a flag 3 years later but were smashed in 2015. The Hawks were just that good and belted genuinely good teams.
 
Voted Port 07, but Carlton 99 have a very good case as under current rules they wouldn't have even made the final that year.

Melbourne 2000 also pretty middling.
Melbourne 2000 was a bloody good team just came up against possibly the greatest team of the AFL era
 

Richo83

Brownlow Medallist
Oct 2, 2005
19,853
7,540
Melbourne
AFL Club
Richmond
Carlton 1999.

- 12-10 record
- 103%, seventh best
- Lost to Brisbane in the QF by 73 points
- Beat West Coast who had won one final at the MCG since their 1994 flag
- Beat Essendon by one point even though Essendon had nine more scoring shots
- Wasn't ever in the top four at any point in the home and away season, which is fairly rare for a contemporary grand final team. In 2016, Footscray were 3rd as recently as round 17 and were second after round five

In reality, Carlton's 2000 team was better, just came across one of the best teams in history.
 

Richo83

Brownlow Medallist
Oct 2, 2005
19,853
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Melbourne
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Richmond
Port is kinda weird. 113.5 percentage isn't high but it was third best. Won 15 games which isn't high but isn't that low either. Won the first final against a gun West Coast by 3 points then beat up a fairly mediocre North side by 87. I didn't expect Geelong to win two finals by 100+ that season. They did finish second and didn't get there either through some weird outdated finals rule or an AFL edict to force non-Victorian teams to play finals at the MCG, so maybe cut them some slack?
 
Sep 28, 2009
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West Coast
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Reading FC
Port is kinda weird. 113.5 percentage isn't high but it was third best. Won 15 games which isn't high but isn't that low either. Won the first final against a gun West Coast by 3 points then beat up a fairly mediocre North side by 87. I didn't expect Geelong to win two finals by 100+ that season. They did finish second and didn't get there either through some weird outdated finals rule or an AFL edict to force non-Victorian teams to play finals at the MCG, so maybe cut them some slack?
The competition was weak though. Yes they beat us but we were weakened (No Kerr, Judd with out a working groin playing mostly in the forward line and Cousins popping his hammy in the second half) and they still only just got over the line against us at their home ground. North and the Hawks were average that year.
 
Jul 12, 2011
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Melbourne
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As mentioned, Port 07 is revisionist history.

If you just take the GF result, we were atrocious
If you take the year, we were clear second best team in the comp.
Based on what? Won by less than a goal vs a team without their starting midfield
 
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