Yep, and that is like saying Game of Thrones was the best TV show of all time, and it may have been in the conversation if you ignore the final 2 seasons. The final 2 seasons happened though, and they need to be taken into consideration when discussing how good the show was as a whole, and those final 2 seasons bump the show down a lot.
Best grand final of the modern era (since 1998)
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Yep, and that is like saying Game of Thrones was the best TV show of all time, and it may have been in the conversation if you ignore the final 2 seasons. The final 2 seasons happened though, and they need to be taken into consideration when discussing how good the show was as a whole, and those final 2 seasons bump the show down a lot.
Put them into 4 categories: Great. Good. Average. Crap.
GREAT
2002
2005
2006
2009
2010
2018
GOOD
1998
2001
2004
2008
2011
2012
2016
AVERAGE
1999
2013
2017
2020
2021
CRAP
2000
2003
2007
2010 Replay
2014
2015
2019
GREAT
2002
2005
2006
2009
2010
2018
GOOD
1998
2001
2004
2008
2011
2012
2016
AVERAGE
1999
2013
2017
2020
2021
CRAP
2000
2003
2007
2010 Replay
2014
2015
2019
I can’t put the 05 & 06 grand finals down as great tbh.
Yes the Leo Barry mark was possibly the most important and memorable of all time and the margins were so fine in both GFs but the overall spectacle of the entire game was dogshit thanks to the Swans style of play to mitigate the Eagles run and carry and elite midfield.
Effective yes, great to watch no.
Yes the Leo Barry mark was possibly the most important and memorable of all time and the margins were so fine in both GFs but the overall spectacle of the entire game was dogshit thanks to the Swans style of play to mitigate the Eagles run and carry and elite midfield.
Effective yes, great to watch no.
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There is only one Grand Final I have watched more than once.
1999.
1999.
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Voted for 2016 because I watched it in Germany alongside 200 other Aussies, 196 of which were going for the Dogs. Plus it was the greatest football fairytale in the history of the sport.
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WC vs Pies was a great watch. Pies melts the icing
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The rankings (from best to worst) of the 125 VFL-AFL premiership teams
Thanks to everyone for their continued support. This exercise is now in its 20th consecutive year. Two decades! Time to see where the latest premiership team fits in to to the list. I use my own knowledge from the time of have spent watching football combined with anecdotal, statistical, and...
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Good thread, has 2000 1st.
Everyone is going to misread the word best and interpret it as closest.
I have long thought the 2019 Grand Final where GWS just played magnificently but the Tigers played 89 points more magnificently was the greatest of the modern Grand Finals. Thank you for validating that belief.
Agreed. Very over rated
Swans vs eagles gfs were great sport contests.
but they were the lowpoint of afl football.
but they were the lowpoint of afl football.
lionbear
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If you go with best football fairy tail theory would have to vote 2007.
My memories and personal reflections of these GFs (many of which I attended in person) and how I'd rank them:
1998 - North well on top but ineffective in front of goal to half time, different Adelaide side in the second half that steamrolled them in an upset - 7.5/10
1999 - Carlton had played their Grand Final a week earlier and never looked like winning - 3.5/10
2000 - Imperious Essendon victory. Best side all year and I remember being bored by half time - 2.5/10
2001 - Tightly fought with Essendon on top at half time, with Brisbane taking the ascendancy in the second. Two great teams going at each other - 8.5/10
2002 - I remember a very tightly fought game of footy in the wet with Collingwood, who I didn't think had it in them, really taking it up to Brisbane despite the spectacle not being great - 6.5/10
2003 - Probably the game I expected the year before with Brisbane having the game won by half time - 4/10
2004 - I remember this mostly for sitting above Lynch when he decided that he was going to leave with a bang and try and kill a Wakelin. Was a spiteful and tough first half with Port kicking away in the second ending Brisbane's domination - 8/10
2005 - I agree with those that think this was overrated. Being at the ground I was surprised that it had been spun into 'an all time classic' by 10 given that the Barry highlight mark largely contrasted a lack of other highlights with low scoring and the Eagles mercurial midfield being dragged into the Sydney mire - 6/10
2006 - Think underrated when compared with the previous year. Eagles managed to get to the front and just ground out the win to stop the Swans who looked set to steal it at the death 7/10
2007 - Port were insipid, the game was won by half time and was in general pretty terrible watching for anyone who wasn't a Geelong supporter 2.5/10
2008 - Has a lot of parallels with 1998 in my mind. Geelong absolutely on top and ineffective. Should have been 5 goals up, similar to North in 98 and then Hawthorn came out and absolutely mugged them. 7.5/10
2009 - Terrific game with Geelong running over the top of the Saint. High quality game of footy and extremely absorbing - 9/10
2010 - Great game, hard fought and phenomenal finish - 9/10 (replay gets a 2)
2011 - Closely fought game all day until Geelong just ran over the top of Collingwood in the last quarter - 8.5/10
2012 - Terrific game of footy with the Swans coming back against all odds. I remember Hodge having to go off with a cut and that costing Hawthorn dearly along with Goodes just somehow willing the Swans over the line - 8/10
2013 - Fremantle were insipid before half time and clearly their nerves had gotten the better of them, they came back in the second half and I was surprised by looking at the score card that they were within 10 points at 3/4 time but from memory I can't remember thinking they were ever a likely chance - 5/10
2014 - Hawthorn on top early and just absolutely took it from there. 4.5/10
2015 - Gee I remember Will Langfield who can't kick dobbing goals from the boundary line. One of those days where everything goes right for one team. West Coast were disgusting - 3/10
2016 - It wasn't just the Sydney supporters bemused about the umpiring! My best mate is a dogs fan and I remember not giving them much of a chance going in. Superb game of footy and an absolute fairytale - 9/10
2017 - So I'll try and be objective as possible with the Richmond run of Grand Finals, I didn't think we were much of a chance against Adelaide after getting dealt with earlier in the year at Adelaide Oval. Tightly fought first half with Richmond then just starting to run away with it. Adelaide had no answers after half time - 6.5/10
2018 - I must admit I was still seething from getting turned over the week before and even more so when Collingwood mugged the Eagles early. Absorbing how the Eagles firstly got a foothold in the game and ultimately came back from there. A game for the ages. - 9/10
2019 - I personally enjoyed not having any anxiety whatsoever from about half time and being able to enjoy the event. Would have been excruciating for the neutral and GWS were beaten up and were out of petrol tickets - 3.5/10 (personal experience 10/10)
2020 - Thought this was a hard fought and good grand final. Two teams who had been good all year in what was an upside down year. Geelong threw everything at Richmond and looked like they had them only for Richmond to once again come at them in the second half and overcome - 7.5/10
2021 - Great game. Just when I thought Melbourne were cooked they turn the tables and just go to a completely different level leaving the dogs in their wake - 8.5/10
1998 - North well on top but ineffective in front of goal to half time, different Adelaide side in the second half that steamrolled them in an upset - 7.5/10
1999 - Carlton had played their Grand Final a week earlier and never looked like winning - 3.5/10
2000 - Imperious Essendon victory. Best side all year and I remember being bored by half time - 2.5/10
2001 - Tightly fought with Essendon on top at half time, with Brisbane taking the ascendancy in the second. Two great teams going at each other - 8.5/10
2002 - I remember a very tightly fought game of footy in the wet with Collingwood, who I didn't think had it in them, really taking it up to Brisbane despite the spectacle not being great - 6.5/10
2003 - Probably the game I expected the year before with Brisbane having the game won by half time - 4/10
2004 - I remember this mostly for sitting above Lynch when he decided that he was going to leave with a bang and try and kill a Wakelin. Was a spiteful and tough first half with Port kicking away in the second ending Brisbane's domination - 8/10
2005 - I agree with those that think this was overrated. Being at the ground I was surprised that it had been spun into 'an all time classic' by 10 given that the Barry highlight mark largely contrasted a lack of other highlights with low scoring and the Eagles mercurial midfield being dragged into the Sydney mire - 6/10
2006 - Think underrated when compared with the previous year. Eagles managed to get to the front and just ground out the win to stop the Swans who looked set to steal it at the death 7/10
2007 - Port were insipid, the game was won by half time and was in general pretty terrible watching for anyone who wasn't a Geelong supporter 2.5/10
2008 - Has a lot of parallels with 1998 in my mind. Geelong absolutely on top and ineffective. Should have been 5 goals up, similar to North in 98 and then Hawthorn came out and absolutely mugged them. 7.5/10
2009 - Terrific game with Geelong running over the top of the Saint. High quality game of footy and extremely absorbing - 9/10
2010 - Great game, hard fought and phenomenal finish - 9/10 (replay gets a 2)
2011 - Closely fought game all day until Geelong just ran over the top of Collingwood in the last quarter - 8.5/10
2012 - Terrific game of footy with the Swans coming back against all odds. I remember Hodge having to go off with a cut and that costing Hawthorn dearly along with Goodes just somehow willing the Swans over the line - 8/10
2013 - Fremantle were insipid before half time and clearly their nerves had gotten the better of them, they came back in the second half and I was surprised by looking at the score card that they were within 10 points at 3/4 time but from memory I can't remember thinking they were ever a likely chance - 5/10
2014 - Hawthorn on top early and just absolutely took it from there. 4.5/10
2015 - Gee I remember Will Langfield who can't kick dobbing goals from the boundary line. One of those days where everything goes right for one team. West Coast were disgusting - 3/10
2016 - It wasn't just the Sydney supporters bemused about the umpiring! My best mate is a dogs fan and I remember not giving them much of a chance going in. Superb game of footy and an absolute fairytale - 9/10
2017 - So I'll try and be objective as possible with the Richmond run of Grand Finals, I didn't think we were much of a chance against Adelaide after getting dealt with earlier in the year at Adelaide Oval. Tightly fought first half with Richmond then just starting to run away with it. Adelaide had no answers after half time - 6.5/10
2018 - I must admit I was still seething from getting turned over the week before and even more so when Collingwood mugged the Eagles early. Absorbing how the Eagles firstly got a foothold in the game and ultimately came back from there. A game for the ages. - 9/10
2019 - I personally enjoyed not having any anxiety whatsoever from about half time and being able to enjoy the event. Would have been excruciating for the neutral and GWS were beaten up and were out of petrol tickets - 3.5/10 (personal experience 10/10)
2020 - Thought this was a hard fought and good grand final. Two teams who had been good all year in what was an upside down year. Geelong threw everything at Richmond and looked like they had them only for Richmond to once again come at them in the second half and overcome - 7.5/10
2021 - Great game. Just when I thought Melbourne were cooked they turn the tables and just go to a completely different level leaving the dogs in their wake - 8.5/10
Still talked about in almost meat loaf proportions
The bat mobile was such a success the Grand Final was never played at Waverley again and the stadium decommissioned a mere 8 years later.
Also in retrospect the Angry Anderson choice…… has not aged well.
2011 was a classic
Am i the only one who doesnt get why people still talk about a plastic car from 1991? Its no more memorable then any of the other pre match entertainment. Why do people keep talking about it?
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Hawthorn had won 5 of their last 6 h&a games including wins against Geelong their qf opponents at the MCG and a win against Sydney, their gf opponent at the MCG.
4 of those 6 games were at the MCG
1 was at York Park in Launceston
1 was at Subiaco
Guess which one they lost?
All 3 finals at the MCG, 7 of their last 9 games of the season at the MCG.
eth-dog
Tier 1 WW Player
I loved 05/06, 2012 another cracker.
2008.
It had the story (Geelong 21-1 against the plucky underdog noone rated all year)
It had memorable moments
- Hodge exposing his ribs
-croad breaking his foot but still putting in one final act
- mooney missing on half time
-one-legged fat man dew turning the game
-rioli 3-on-1 on the wing
-Williams and Dew 3-on-2
-the 21 rushed behinds (of which only 2 would have been punished)
No other grand final has all of that and more
It had the story (Geelong 21-1 against the plucky underdog noone rated all year)
It had memorable moments
- Hodge exposing his ribs
-croad breaking his foot but still putting in one final act
- mooney missing on half time
-one-legged fat man dew turning the game
-rioli 3-on-1 on the wing
-Williams and Dew 3-on-2
-the 21 rushed behinds (of which only 2 would have been punished)
No other grand final has all of that and more
You are missing all the hawthorn sniping behind the play, droping players whenever they handballed and a dozen deliberate rushed behinds. the sportsmanship of hawthorn was that bad they had two introduce too new rules the next season to stop it.
and then ofcourse you missed that the only reason the game wasnt over at half time was cos geelong bradburied in front of goal. Numerous occassions where multiple geelong players coming straming into the foward fifty in waves only to miss sitters from 30m directly in front with no hawk player near them or handballing to a player not looking in the goal square or missing a set shot from 10ms out.
the football was completely one side For the first half. hawthorn only played well for a qtr. hawthorn didnt win the flag Against all odds, geelong lost it against all odds.
love how you guys talk about hodge playing with a slight injury when his opponent (geelongs last player picked) was far more injured and should never have played.
