Rate the best performing clubs of the AFL era (1990-). Looking beyond number of premierships and at overall performance

[PonsfordMagpie]

This is based on the best W-L % records since 1990.

1. Geelong
2. West Coast
3. Hawthorn
4. Collingwood
5. Adelaide
6. North Melbourne
7. Sydney
8. Essendon
9. Port Adelaide
10. Western Bulldogs
11. St Kilda
12. Brisbane Lions
13. GWS
14. Richmond
15. Carlton
16. Fremantle
17. Melbourne
18. Gold Coast

Doesn't factor in the number of Premierships won.

 

[hilly]

This is the correct one. Ranked in terms of flags, with the tie breaker being GF appearances, and the last tie breaker being finals appearances I assume?

Correct on premierships. From there my recollection of finals etc to split them.

 

[AuntyBlindEye]

Seems most everyone agrees with Hawks/West Coast as 1 and 2.

 

[philohk]

OP, are you by any chance putting together some power rankings?

 

[Carringbush2010]

if you were a saints supporter you would be fuming at Zero Premierships and rate yourself very low because of the lack of ability to finish the job, like I was in 2017

Like I am all the time.

 

[threesixpio]

Has to be Haw-WC 1-2.

Flags > GF appearances > finals appearances > H&A wins.

Haw: 5 flags, 6 GFs, 18 finals series, 39 finals, 22 finals wins, 371 H&A wins.

WC: 4 flags, 7 GFs, 23 finals series, 53 finals, 26 finals wins, 384 H&A wins.

Geel: 3 flags, 7 GFs, 21 finals series, 53 finals, 26 finals wins, 419 H&A wins.

BL/BB: 3 flags, 4 GFs, 11 finals series, 27 finals, 17 finals wins, 276 H&A wins.

Interestingly Hawthorn aren't #1 for anything except GF wins. But they do have the highest conversion rate of GFs to flags, and a better finals win percentage than WC and Geelong. Brisbane have the highest finals winning percentage of all of them including 2009 and 2019 when they were 1 from 4. They really were around for a good time and not a long time. 1999-2004 was 18 finals for 14 wins, 4 GFs and 3 flags. Not much since and best not to focus on the before.

Sydney pretty good from 1996 onward but weighed down by the early 90s.

The GF appearance tally for Geelong and WC makes me think about a team that beat the former once and the latter twice in three of those combined appearances to ultimately achieve a higher number of flags

 

[threesixpio]

Gotta say, WC’s win at the G in 2018 was stellar. Beat a Vic team on the G with a great come back. Sign of a very good club.

Respect

 

[threesixpio]

1. Geelong
2. West Coast
2. St Kilda
3. Collingwood
4. Hawthorn
5. Brisbane
6. Sydney
7. Adelaide

9. North
10. Richmond

11. Essendon

I recommend you seek help

 

[Herne Hill Hammer]

All teams play to get a flag

Best performing team has to be the one with most flags. Dumb/hilarious to say otherwise

WCE had a fairly tougher road than any of the other topped ranked teams.

WCE
Hawthorn
Geelong
Brisbane
Sydney
North
Collingwood
Essendon

Adelaide
Richmond
Bulldogs
Port Adelaide
St Kilda
Carlton
Melbourne
Fremantle
Giants
Fitzroy
Gold Coast

 

[threesixpio]

WCE had a fairly tougher road than any of the other topped ranked teams.

WCE
Hawthorn
Geelong
Brisbane
Sydney
North
Collingwood
Essendon

Adelaide
Richmond
Bulldogs
Port Adelaide
St Kilda
Carlton
Melbourne
Fremantle
Giants
Fitzroy
Gold Coast

The only slightly good counter argument

 

[Herne Hill Hammer]

1. Geelong
2. West Coast
2. St Kilda
3. Collingwood
4. Hawthorn
5. Brisbane
6. Sydney
7. Adelaide

9. North
10. Richmond

11. Essendon

Essendon won 2 flags were runners up twice and have played in 16 finals series, they are ahead of at least St Kilda, Richmond and Adelaide

 

[Herne Hill Hammer]

The only slightly good counter argument

WCE have played 32 interstate finals in the AFL era, the majority at the MCG and quite a few at Waverley. They've won 10, drawn 1 and lost 21.

Hawthorn have played 6 interstate finals in the AFL era, they have won 2 and lost 4.

WCE in the first 5 years of the AFL travelled every 2nd week plus the majority of finals. With the introduction of Freo they still travelled at least 10 times during the h&a.

To win 4 flags they've done it tougher than anyone else in the AFL era.

 

[Dazzler9]

OK, so the OP is obviously trolling Hawthorn fans here, clear as day.

What might be an interesting topic of debate, is whether a team is "better performing" over a thirty year period, if they:

a) are consistently challenging, consistently appearing in the 8, and walk away with 2 flags like Sydney, or
b) are pretty much t*rd for the bulk of those 30 years, but have a stretch where they burn like the brightest of stars but blazes through its fuel all in one big hit, like the Lions of 1999-2004.

 

[Simon_Nesbit]

The rest of the rankings don't really matter when Hawthorn have been the clear dominant team for nearly the last 30 years. in your lifetime

FIFY.

 

[Forward Press]

FIFY.

If you were born in 1992 the Eagles and Hawks have won the same amount of flags in your lifetime.

 

[deanc]

If you were born in 1992 the Eagles and Hawks have won the same amount of flags in your lifetime.

And if you were born in 1960. Hawthorn have won more flags than any other VFL/AFL club in your lifetime...

 

[Sonny Bonds]

My team is s**t. I have no gratification rights in this thread

Hawks
Brisbane
Geelong
Pies
North

West Coast were mostly drug cheating in this era*

** oath they were.

 

[Forward Press]

And if you were born in 1960. Hawthorn have more flags than any other VFL/AFL club in your lifetime...

And if you were born in 1900 the Hawks don't even make the placings.

 

[Forward Press]

My team is s**t. I have no gratification rights in this thread

Hawks
Brisbane
Geelong
Pies
North

West Coast were mostly drug cheating in this era*

*fu** oath they were.

 

[threesixpio]

WCE have played 32 interstate finals in the AFL era, the majority at the MCG and quite a few at Waverley. They've won 10, drawn 1 and lost 21.

Hawthorn have played 6 interstate finals in the AFL era, they have won 2 and lost 4.

WCE in the first 5 years of the AFL travelled every 2nd week plus the majority of finals. With the introduction of Freo they still travelled at least 10 times during the h&a.

To win 4 flags they've done it tougher than anyone else in the AFL era.

I will still say Hawthorn from my VERY objective standpoint but no doubt WC has been super impressive and their 2018 win showed the spirit the club has

Cats are their bunnies in GFs I’ll add

Hawthorn has boiled more bunnies than this woman

 

[threesixpio]

Richmond are still not that good really

 

[deanc]

And if you were born in 1900 the Hawks don't even make the placings.

Correct, even though the Hawks didn't enter the league until 1925, thereafter we were a joke club with a joke name for 30 years! - whereas the Eagles played in their first grand final after just 4 years in the league, which was/is a remarkable achievement...

 

[threesixpio]

Correct, even though the Hawks didn't enter the league until 1925, thereafter we were a joke club with a joke name for 30 years! - whereas the Eagles played in their first grand after just 4 years in the league, which was/is a remarkable achievement...

Yeah and we can all say they got a leg up as an expansion club but FFS look at GWStupid by comparison

Agree

 

[threesixpio]

If we talk about “the road travelled” like Herne has for WC maybe GWS should be at the bottom.

I’m actually serious. Flag on a platter

 

[deanc]

Yeah and we can all say they got a leg up as an expansion club but FFS look at GWStupid by comparison

Agree

As the great Alan Jeans used to say; "A team of Champions will rarely defeat a Champion team"...