Best 5 sides you've ever seen

[timokane]

Its a tie between hawks of the mid late 1980s and lions early 00s.

Carlton was great in the 1980s and 1990s but never really strung flags together like the hawks and lions did.

both hawks and lions eras there was so much competition at the time making the flags even better

my collingwood in the early 00s were handy and around 2010 same in 1990

but best in 2023 the way they played in that year

again like the blues never strung together flags

thats about it in my lifetime

not too sure nowadays even tho lions went back to back i still think its an open field

its anyones game nowadays

but if there was 2 teams hawks 1980s and lions early 00s are my top 2

cant spilt them to be honest

 

[timokane]

Also what are our favourite era of footy.

Mine has to be late 1980s into the 1990s as well

to me was and still is the golden age of footy.

was best

peak footy times

ill say 1990s for mine

1980s was great but 1990s went up another level

something else the 1990s footy just something about it back then

 

[Golumless]

Geelong 2007
North 2025 (AFLW)
Essendon 2000
Hawthorn 2014
Brisbane 2001.

The first two get there because they're the only two seasons I can remember where a team is so stupidly dominant that they even outclassed the other powerhouses (and I do feel like this is determined against league quality, and that class differential). Richmond 2019 could also fall into this category, but I feel nothing positive about that side. Brisbane 2025 could have also fallen here but they came off as bored half the time.

Essendon was an amazing season. I don't think Hawks '14 had that class differential, but that one did seem inevitable. Brisbane '01 were also amazing.

 

[SSSSSS]

Geelong 2008, St. Kilda 2009 and Collingwood 2011 would still be in my top 10 of the 21st Century.

They would have been premiers in most other seasons.

It was such a great era for amazing sides.

I might be alone in this opinion but I still think our 2012 side was some of the best footy we played in our dynasty. It doesn't get rated as highly as we kicked ourselves out of the Grand Final but we absolutely demolished sides that year.

We finished with a percentage in the 155ish range. Just for context Essendon in 2000 and Geelong 2008 finished in the high 150s low 160s but they had 4 more wins than us.

We were an absolute joy to watch. Just a shame we couldn't finish it off as if we did I think that side would be rated much higher.

 

[Partridge]

I might be alone in this opinion but I still think our 2012 side was some of the best footy we played in our dynasty. It doesn't get rated as highly as we kicked ourselves out of the Grand Final but we absolutely demolished sides that year.

We finished with a percentage in the 155ish range. Just for context Essendon in 2000 and Geelong 2008 finished in the high 150s low 160s but they had 4 more wins than us.

We were an absolute joy to watch. Just a shame we couldn't finish it off as if we did I think that side would be rated much higher.

Funny you say that, I reckon the 2012 combination was your best as well. For some reason that side tripped up Grand final day but the later ones didn't.

 

[SSSSSS]

Funny you say that, I reckon the 2012 combination was your best as well. For some reason that side tripped up Grand final day but the later ones didn't.

We won more H&A games in 2013 but we absolutely battered sides in 2012.

Our average winning margin was 62 points.

Essendon's 2000 winning margin was 50 points.
2008 Geelong's winning margin was 52 points.

When we were on we were ruthless in 2012. Just a shame (for us anyway) that we couldn't keep it going til the most important game.

 

[timokane]

Used to like the Carlton of the 1990s myself

 

[RonnieRaven]

I can only name 3 teams that stick out to me, these teams a joy to watch in full flight and embodied the best of football.
I Remember football from 1991

Kangaroos 1995-1999

Lions 2001-2004

Cats 2007-2011

 

[Altum Volantes]

Carlton in 1995, Geelong in 2007, West Coast in 1994, Essendon in 2000.

Brisbane from 2001-2003 are the hardest to pin down when they were at their peak because they weren't a dominant H&A team but I think they probably played their best footy in 2003.

 

[srobbo]

Essendon 1985
Hawthorn 1988
Carlton 1995
Essendon 2000
Geelong 2007

As above.

 

[Worm4]

As above.

I still reckon Essendon 99 should be on this list. Bit stiff at the end, but were simply brilliant to watch

 

[srobbo]

I still reckon Essendon 99 should be on this list. Bit stiff at the end, but were simply brilliant to watch

Generous coming from a fan of the very team that stopped us winning a likely flag that year & little do people remember it was a side without Hird, Lucas & J Johnson.

Still 26 years on, a very tough pill to swallow dropping that prelim.

 

[Wallaby]

Carlton 95. Better than everyone else - and they knew it. Okay - maybe not the best collection of individual players, but that's not the criteria. As a team, they all knew their roles, knew everyone else's roles, trusted each other and were brilliantly coached by Parkin who knew how to create the classic 'greater than the sum of its parts' team.

 

[Worm4]

Carlton 95. Better than everyone else - and they knew it. Okay - maybe not the best collection of individual players, but that's not the criteria. As a team, they all knew their roles, knew everyone else's roles, trusted each other and were brilliantly coached by Parkin who knew how to create the classic 'greater than the sum of its parts' team.

Pretty confident walking into the MCG that day. No nerves whatsoever.

 

[Strapping Young Lad]

Funny you say that, I reckon the 2012 combination was your best as well. For some reason that side tripped up Grand final day but the later ones didn't.

It started in the prelim.

 

[RUNVS]

To me to even be in contention for this a team needs to finish on the top of the ladder for that year and win the flag. Without both they can't be considered.

 

[RUNVS]

So with my above post in mind

2000 - Essendon
2004 - Port Adelaide
2006 - West Coast
2007 - Geelong
2010 - Collingwood
2013 - Hawthorn
2018 - Richmond
2021 - Melbourne
2022 - Geelong
2023 - Collingwood

 

[PowerfulPies2023]

So with my above post in mind

2000 - Essendon
2004 - Port Adelaide
2006 - West Coast
2007 - Geelong
2010 - Collingwood
2013 - Hawthorn
2018 - Richmond
2021 - Melbourne
2022 - Geelong
2023 - Collingwood

Richmond? No

 

[Meteoric Rise]

Tigers for a 4 year period 2017-20 anywhere near their best, no team was even close to having an answer to them.

 

[Angus Young]

Essendon 2000
Brisbane 3 peat
Hawthorn 3 peat
Geelong 2007 etc

Those 4

 

[Mr.X]

St Kilda from 2004 - 2011 very underrated, one of the best sides seen in recent memory, down on luck

Melbourne's 2021-2022 run was absolute domination, way ahead of everyone else

The Bulldogs teams of the late 90's were also very, very good. Similar to Saints, just a little unlucky

 

[Rich01]

I know the OP mentioned only one year, but the hawks of the 80s were the powerhouse of the last 50 years.

7 grand finals in a row, winning 4 of them. Ridiculous.

And if you count 1991, 8 grand finals in 9 years, winning 5.

Incredibly well coached with stars on every line.

 

[PowerfulPies2023]

Mentioned already but Cats 2011 were class. No one got near them in the finals. They beat the best there was.

 

[RUNVS]

Mentioned already but Cats 2011 were class. No one got near them in the finals. They beat the best there was.

I personally think the 2007 Geelong team was better. They were untouchable during the H&A season too, basically winning every match by large amounts (after around round 4 from memory). Everyone knew who was going to win the flag halfway through the season.

 

[Corn Cobbers]

Carlton 1979
Essendon 1985
North Melbourne 1996
Geelong 2007
Melbourne 2021