The domination of Collingwood, Geelong, Hawthorn, West Coast and Sydney

Fadge

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Mar 4, 2007
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We like to lull the other clubs into a false sense of security by losing a bunch of grand finals, then when everyone is least suspecting it we go BANG and win a prelim.
Best post I've read on this board in a long, long time!

I reckon we should change our theme song to 'for the Prelims are a cakewalk'...
 
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Sep 15, 2007
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It was a dominant wooden spoon though.

Come last get pick 4, cool. Win 4 games get a 'priority' pick 26, cool.

Turn 4, 26, 29 into Gaff, Darling, Lycett.

Dominant.
Jees what a brillaint haul.

Especially given the circumstances. Pick 4 finishing last lol, its easy to forget just how much talent gc and gws got handed to the..
 

Capriati

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Aug 25, 2019
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there was an era when CAR/COL/RIC/NM/HAW dominated GFs. swings and roundabouts.

you want to hear of dominance, then look at NRL. Melbourne and/or Sydney have featured in 15 GFs since 1999. Add Brisbane, North Queensland, and Manly, then you have every GF for last 20 years covered by 5 clubs


Yeah, the era you are talking about is called the VFL era. i.e. no equalisation measures in place, and not a national comp so great players and great teams from WA/SA were not included. Not really the same level in terms of being impressive.
 
May 5, 2006
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Jees what a brillaint haul.

Especially given the circumstances. Pick 4 finishing last lol, its easy to forget just how much talent gc and gws got handed to the..

Lycett took a while to get going but was important last year and left for a better pick than what he cost as FA compo.

Gaff and Darling debuted Rd 1 in their first season and have barely been out of the team since. I'd take Gaff over any of the top 3 and the rest of the top 10. Sometimes you get lucky in that regard. Port got Wingard at 6 in 2011 after a few GWS players who turned out worst then the Bulldogs got Stringer and Macrae at 5 and 6 in 2012 after O'Rourke/Plowman/Toumpas.

Tom Lynch should end up the best player of the 2010 draft by the time his career is over.
 

Catters 070911

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Oct 13, 2017
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The domination of Collingwood, Geelong, Hawthorn, West Coast and Sydney

Just thought I would share but believe it or not since 1990 there has only been 8 Grand Finals where one of these teams hasn’t featured in (only three since 2000).

Collingwood v Essendon
Hawthorn v West Coast
West Coast v Geelong
Carlton v Essendon
West Coast v Geelong
Carlton v Geelong
North Melbourne v Sydney
Adelaide v St.Kilda
Adelaide v North Melbourne
North Melbourne v Carlton
Essendon v Melbourne
Essendon v Brisbane

Brisbane v Collingwood
Brisbane v Collingwood
Brisbane v Port Adelaide
Sydney v West Coast
Sydney v West Coast
Geelong v Port Adelaide
Geelong v Hawthorn
Geelong v St.Kilda
St.Kilda v Collingwood
Collingwood v Geelong
Hawthorn v Sydney
Hawthorn v Fremantle
Hawthorn v Sydney
Hawthorn v West Coast
Bulldogs v Sydney
Richmond v Adelaide
West Coast v Collingwood

Within that they have played each other in a Grand Final on 12 occasions and won 16 Grand Finals out of a possible 29 (more than half)

With three of the teams Geelong, Collingwood and West Coast featuring in the top 5 this year it’s likely that one of them will be in the Grand Final again and perhaps win it.

West Coast, Geelong and Sydney have hardly missed the finals since 2000. These 5 clubs hold the records in the AFL era for most either Grand Final wins, most Grand Final appearances, most top 4 and 8 appearances, and Geelong have never finished in the bottom 4.

Does this prove an in balance within or are these clubs just great at recruiting the right players and building their clubs back up quicker than the other teams?


This has been happening for time in memorium.

In the 70's, there was no Grand Final that didn't feature Carlton, Collingwood, Hawthorn, North Melbourne or Richmond.

In the 80's, it was Carlton, Hawthorn, Richmond and Essendon winning flags, and up until 1988, the GF featured either one or both of these teams or Collingwood.

West Coast, Adelaide and North Melbourne dominated parts of the 1990s.

It happens all the time. Three or four teams dominate an era, and often play off in the big one. Some teams rise and some fall. Who knows, in ten years time, it might be a different four teams who do this (I mean, who would have guessed that Carlton and Richmond would have periods at the bottom).

In fact, this decade has seen SEVEN different premiers, and if Brisbane or GWS win it, it will be eight, which is more than most decades, meaning that the season is more even now.

Not only that but in the last 20 years (1999-2018), every team, other than GWS or GC, have played in a Grand Final (go look it up). That was unheard of in the 70's and 80's eras.

Richmond is starting to establish itself, and Collingwood could play in its second GF in a row, so new teams are emerging to start playing in GFs. It is a never-ending cycle, and only bothers people when it is their team not part of the winning "group".
 
you want to hear of dominance, then look at NRL. Melbourne and/or Sydney have featured in 15 GFs since 1999. Add Brisbane, North Queensland, and Manly, then you have every GF for last 20 years covered by 5 clubs
That’s not right because 2014 was South Sydney and Canterbury. I might’ve picked the eyes out of the exception but as a Bunnies supporter this much was very clear to me about your post.
 

CD Xbow

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Oct 1, 2014
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It’s like any job really. If the management and administrators in place are stable and good at their job, that trickles down. With all those clubs, barely hear anything bad about their board, they all run a tight ship, coaching tends to be well supported, etc etc.
Absolutely, one of the trinity of good admin, good list management and good coaches. You are right, it all starts at the top, but the other pieces have to be put in place.
 

saints_333

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Feb 16, 2018
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This has been happening for time in memorium.

In the 70's, there was no Grand Final that didn't feature Carlton, Collingwood, Hawthorn, North Melbourne or Richmond.

In the 80's, it was Carlton, Hawthorn, Richmond and Essendon winning flags, and up until 1988, the GF featured either one or both of these teams or Collingwood.

West Coast, Adelaide and North Melbourne dominated parts of the 1990s.

It happens all the time. Three or four teams dominate an era, and often play off in the big one. Some teams rise and some fall. Who knows, in ten years time, it might be a different four teams who do this (I mean, who would have guessed that Carlton and Richmond would have periods at the bottom).

In fact, this decade has seen SEVEN different premiers, and if Brisbane or GWS win it, it will be eight, which is more than most decades, meaning that the season is more even now.

Not only that but in the last 20 years (1999-2018), every team, other than GWS or GC, have played in a Grand Final (go look it up). That was unheard of in the 70's and 80's eras.

Richmond is starting to establish itself, and Collingwood could play in its second GF in a row, so new teams are emerging to start playing in GFs. It is a never-ending cycle, and only bothers people when it is their team not part of the winning "group".


The 70's and 80's consisted of a league that had only 12 teams. Of course you are going to get the same teams represented in the Finals and top of the ladder. Yes it is true that more teams are making the Grand Final, but this isn't a thread just about domination by a couple of teams completely but just showing how well they are doing compared to the rest of the league and how they continue to pop up, Also this is a list taken from over 30 years. It's not taken from a 10 year era which you are pointing to.

Collingwood could play in its second GF in a row??- Collingwood are on the list.
 
Jul 5, 2012
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Kidding, right?
15 - 2 - 27 is the current embarrassing number.

Sure you'll have the argument "gotta be in it to win it and Collingwood get there" or "I'd rather my team get there and lose than be perpetual cellar dwellars". Ok fair enough but those figures aren't really a measure of success. Teams like yours, Hawks, Swans and Cats have TRUE measure of success over that time. All of them same amount of GF's or more and more flags.
We haven't been in nearly as many GFs as you but our win/loss ratio is much worse.
 

HurleyHepsHird

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What they all have in common is that in the main during that period of time they have been stable, professional well run clubs who strive for sustained excellence. Get the off field right and the on field will inevitably follow.

Other clubs need to aspire to be like these clubs, no grand galactic secret to what they are doing right, kudos to them.
Stability is maybe the biggest factor.
 
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Bit similar to the five clubs dominating 1966 to 1991 where Carlton, Collingwood, Hawthorn, North Melbourne or Richmond would feature in all those years Grand Finals. Only three times an outside team (St.Kilda 1966, Essendon 1984-85) claimed a Premiership from this period).

Amazingly only once (1975) was the Final 5 these sides. I remember my dad saying at the time that these are the best clubs in the Finals.
 
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Jun 28, 2013
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In a 16 team league there theres only a 45% of at least one of these teams not being in the GF (11/16 x 10/15) meaning there is a 55% chance of one of them being there. One of those teams being there about 70% of the time doesn't seem significantly out of whack given real life never follows the 'exactness' of maths.
Yeah I was thinking the same thing. The stats are not that mind blowing nor are evidentiary of anything significant
 

roacheee

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Aug 25, 2015
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Bit similar to the five clubs dominating 1966 to 1991 where Carlton, Collingwood, Hawthorn, North Melbourne or Richmond would feature in all those years Grand Finals. Only one outside team (St.Kilda 1966 claimed a Premiership from this period).

Amazingly only once (1975) was the Final 5 these sides. I remember my dad saying at the time that these are the best clubs in the Finals.
ahem,,,,essendon
 
Apr 10, 2017
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Hawthorm - Cheated
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there's your answer
2 weeks for a reply - go back to sleep
744531
 
Sadly I didn’t take it - someone else here had posted it.
I probably couldn’t take it anyway, i would have been crying with laughter...

I could understand if it were a collingwood or port supporter but I didn't realise the tigers had these types as well
 

Taper

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Jun 9, 2023
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It's no surprise that Brian Cook was CEO at two of those clubs, he not only builds clubs but also builds the mechanisms to keep those clubs great
Carlton could be looking at sustained success with Brian Cook as CEO.
 
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