Amazing teams that could have been...

[Ron The Bear]

Richmond in 1981 were pretty unlucky not to play finals finished 13-9, lost David Cloke and Mervyn Keane for most of the year and lost 4 games by under a goal

That was an incredibly frustrating year. Blitz Hawthorn one week, think "we're back", go down to Fitzroy the next...

We lost the last game against Carlton when everyone tipped us to win and play finals, but meanwhile Collingwood was laying down at Victoria Park to keep us out.

13-9 sounds OK now, but back then the finals bar was set higher.

 

[Captain_Bender]

That was an incredibly frustrating year. Blitz Hawthorn one week, think "we're back", go down to Fitzroy the next...

We lost the last game against Carlton when everyone tipped us to win and play finals, but meanwhile Collingwood was laying down at Victoria Park to keep us out.

Richmond lost twice to Fitzroy both times under a goal, Richmond finished 13-9, Fitzroy 14-8 win just one of those games Richmond would have made finals

 

[Toump Ass]

Wonder what teams would look like without GCS and GWS.

 

[Ron The Bear]

Richmond lost twice to Fitzroy both times under a goal, Richmond finished 13-9, Fitzroy 14-8 win just one of those games Richmond would have made finals

In the 1-point game Bartlett claimed he was being "crucified" by the umpires, which made headlines. Harry Beitzel investigated and found that three of the six frees paid against him were wrong. And a dodgy goal umpiring decision went against us v Collingwood, late in a game we lost by 5 points, when Peter Moore was awarded a mark well behind the goal line. Terry Smith ran into an open goal to put us in front and somehow missed in that game. Not a good year.

 

[PerthBoy86]

Eagles could have quite easily won a three-peat in 05, 06, 07 if we'd pinched the first GF and we didn't basically implode and lose our two best midfielders (and arguably the two best in the comp). Not saying they would have definitely won in 07, Geelong were pretty fearsome, but would've been a fair chance. Would've been talked about along with Brisbane, Geelong and Hawthorn as the best team of the century. Oh well.

Of course the best teams in recent years to not win a flag would've been Geelong 1989-1995 and St Kilda of 2005-2010.

 

[Milanista28]

Hard to say how we would look in regards to trades/draft had we kept, Hibberd, Melksham, Ryder and Carlisle but it could've been interesting.

 

[PerthBoy86]

Not really a team that 'could have' been, but Geelong could have very plausibly achieved a 5-peat from 2007-2011. Scary to think about. That is, if they weren't Collingwood's biatches in '10 I guess...

 

[demondavey]

I was only a teenager and obviously don't know all the ins and outs. There was a bit of "new toy" about Rioli and he was instantly loved by the supporters and most of the public; reigning club champion "Pretty Boy" was suddenly playing second fiddle, although Raines has denied there was any tension between him and Rioli. There were money issues also, Rioli was earning a lot more. Read somewhere that Raines wanted the club to pay for the painting of his house, Graeme Richmond said no, and he walked.

He's on record as saying if he had his time over again, he would've stayed. A brilliant player, but four clubs means his legacy is not as shiny as it might've been.

Didn’t realise he played for 4 clubs. Interesting.

 

[demondavey]

Hard to say how we would look in regards to trades/draft had we kept, Hibberd, Melksham, Ryder and Carlisle but it could've been interesting.

Half your posters were paying out on Melksham like no ones business when he left, and serving it to us because we gave pick 25....

 

[PhatBoy]

Put a silvagni or Langford in the Cats side from 89-95 and we probably win 3 flags.

 

[demondavey]

Bombers of 99-01. Definitely missed out on back to back in 99-00. 2001 May have gone begging as well, the Bombers were up by a bit at half time I believe.

 

[demondavey]

Put a silvagni or Langford in the Cats side from 89-95 and we probably win 3 flags.

Surely a moment in 1989 that you look back on and think, ‘imagine if......’

 

[PhatBoy]

Surely a moment in 1989 that you look back on and think, ‘imagine if......’

Lol the entire first quarter I think mate.

We showed for the rest of the game that we matched up really well with them, just another 15-20 minutes of playing the game rather than trying to belt them probably would have made the difference. No shame in losing to such a mighty side, but a little bit in probably costing yourself victory through something we could actually control

 

[demondavey]

Lol the entire first quarter I think mate.

We showed for the rest of the game that we matched up really well with them, just another 15-20 minutes of playing the game rather than trying to belt them probably would have made the difference. No shame in losing to such a mighty side, but a little bit in probably costing yourself victory through something we could actually control

Did you have a big lead and try and be too physical?

 

[Milanista28]

Half your posters were paying out on Melksham like no ones business when he left, and serving it to us because we gave pick 25....

Yep, Hindsight is magical isn't it.

 

[SSSSSS]

Hawthorn if they were able to land O'Keefe.

Could we have started our run earlier than 2013? 2012 would have been a certainty at least.

 

[Timmy from Thomastown]

Of course the best teams in recent years to not win a flag would've been Geelong 1989-1995 and St Kilda of 2005-2010.

Collingwood 1977-81 were a very good team with four GF losses. Should have won two of them at least.

 

[Jcpdragonx]

Saints the biggest under achievers in 09-10. Adelaide needed Pavlich in 05-06. Port should have won at least another flag during Brisbane’s 3peat.

 

[Scotland]

2005: pick 3 Xavier Ellis, pick 6 Beau Dowler
2006: pick 6 Mitch Thorp

2010s Hawthorn could've conceivably had Pendlebury and Selwood in the middle and Ryder in the ruck at the expense of really just Ellis who played two full seasons his whole career.

Melbourne haven't achieved anything yet but their drafting was awful until about 3-4 years ago. Could've had Wines over Toumpas and potentially Josh Kelly and others depending on picks and trades.

 

[caloschwaby]

Instead he went to a bottom 3 side (Spoon in 1999) in his most dynamic years through the mid-late 90's.

Instead he made 2 grand final appearances

 

[demondavey]

Saints the biggest under achievers in 09-10. Adelaide needed Pavlich in 05-06. Port should have won at least another flag during Brisbane’s 3peat.

Crows of 05-06 definitely missed the boat

 

[Darkyprotector]

Not many replays from pies fans

Plenty of history with this topic

30s
LEETER collier rubbed out for not showing richmonds president enough respect on a trumped up charge , goes to Tasmania and wins two flags

Best player in country at the time
Harry collier rubbed out half a year ( Richmond again)
Sydney Coventry rubbed out for 6 after first and only report
Recent
Robert Hyde knee injury ( best back pocket in game b and f winner)
John greening bashed when starting his prime certainly was a super star
McKenna run through by tuddy
Carmen squirmed and retaliates and gets rubbed out
Bob rose going to coach wang

Recruitment of Quinlan lockett being knocked back both signed and delivered

Probably another 4 flags there and that's being modest

 

[Dave]

Carlton in 2000. Kouta, the best player in the competition, does his knee vs Essendon in Round 20 early on in front of the biggest crowd in H&A history for a Carlton v Essendon game. His knee clashed with Jason Johnson's during a ruck contest. The two teams were pretty much neck and neck until the final quarter where Essendon kicked away after Bradley did his hamstring, so Carlton were two down on the bench. The next week, the Bulldogs beat them. Carlton didn't resort to flooding tactics though and had were even stevens with them for most of the game. Kouta IMO would've made the difference at the end, they were the only team in the competition that had the class and ability to thwart an Essendon flag but it all came undone with injuries to some very important players Losing Kouta at full flight hurt - a lot - there wasn't a thing Essendon could've done to stop him at full flight.

I have no doubt we would have made Essendon s**t their pants in the GF with a fully fit team with Koutoufides, anything could've happened on that day. Just look at Geelong in 2008 as a great case example of how a seemingly invincible team can be beaten (at that point Geelong had a greater dominant year than Essendon's 2000 until the Hawks spoiled it) It would've been a hell of a lot more competitive than what Melbourne dished up. Memories of him single-handedly taking the PF away from them would've been on their minds I'm sure. I remember the year after in 2001 they deliberately tanked the Richmond game in Round 22 so we wouldn't finish top 4 and face them. In fact, The Old Dark Navy's made an epic thread about that as it happened... remember it from such a long time ago.

Despite Essendon comfortably disposing of a kouta-led carlton during the season. Kouta or no Kouta you were no match for us in 2000, but keep dreaming you were.

 

[PerthBoy86]

Collingwood 1977-81 were a very good team with four GF losses. Should have won two of them at least.

And some people say the Colliwobbles isn't a thing .

 

[Cuzz09]

West Coast 1991.



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