Moved Thread Best runner up side from 2013-15 - Fremantle, Sydney or West Coast?

[kane249]

Was pretty comfortable for them at half time thanks to the team having collective stage fright in front of goals, iirc the main difference in the game at that point was simply that the Hawks finished their chances and the Dockers didn’t

You could make the same argument about opponents not converting with the Eagles as well

2013
Freo 0.3 1.6
Hawks 2.3 5.5

2015
Eagles 1.5 3.8
Hawks 5.0 9.3

The Hawks just knew how to execute when it mattered most

 

[Numero Uno]

Eagles
finished higher than the Hawks in home and away and then bent them over in the QF
but because of the staggering advantages Vic sides are gifted, had to play the Gf on their home ground..A privilege they didn't earn or deserve

 

[RUNVS]

Eagles
finished higher than the Hawks in home and away and then bent them over in the QF
but because of the staggering advantages Vic sides are gifted, had to play the Gf on their home ground..A privilege they didn't earn or deserve

Would have been a very interesting game if it was played at Subiaco.

 

[kane249]

Would have been a very interesting game if it was played at Subiaco.

We thumped them in the qualifying final a few weeks earlier, but they also beat us at Subi late in the season.

 

[00Stinger]

Fremantle from 13-15 definitely deserved a premiership

 

[Lsta062]

THe 2014 Sydney team was amazing on its day, but really f’ed up in the Grand Final. I still remember that 2014 team absolutely humiliating Geelong by something like 107 points. It was the most complete and perfect display I have ever seen from a Swans team.

That game shocked me so much. Geelong were a top 4 side, so I was really confused as to what was going on. Great performance by Sydney.

 

[Ok Boomer]

Sydney 2014. No idea what happened to them that day.

West Coast 2015 had no big match experience which was fine at Subiaco but was exposed at the MCG against a side who had unmatched experience.

 

[Roddy]

Good discussion, and highlights what a big, fat pile of utter BOLLOCKS the 'Hawthorn's dynasty was not as good because of the weaker opposition' argument is. The Clarkson dynasty's opposition was:
2008 - Cats: arguably the greatest runners-up in history
2014 - Swans, finished top, had an extraordinarily powerful side that was premiers two years prior, a side that Mick described as something like 'unbeatable'.
2015 - A strong weagles side that beat us a few weeks earlier and won a flag a few years later.
And the side that got the closest to us on the day was Freo!
So bollocks to that argument....

 

[BF Tiger]

Freo for mine. IIRC they were deers in the headlights in the first half. 1.6.12 to half time with some easy misses in there. Came back well in the third quarter, closed the gap to three points but then Hawthorn did what Hawthorn did.

 

[cherrypie]

Adelaide: Rory Laird
Brisbane: Allen Christensen
Carlton: Paddy Dow
Collingwood: Brayden Maynard
Essendon: Michael Hurley
Fremantle: Rory Lobb
Geelong: Mark Blicavs
Gold Coast: Peter Wright
GWS: Jeremy Finlayson
Hawthorn: Chad Wingard
Melbourne: Jack Viney
North: Jack Ziebell
Port: Ollie Wines
Richmond: Josh Caddy
St Kilda: Jake Carlisle
Sydney: Isaac Heeney
West Coast: Dom Sheed
Bulldogs: Bailey Williams

 

[RUNVS]

Adelaide: Rory Laird
Brisbane: Allen Christensen
Carlton: Paddy Dow
Collingwood: Brayden Maynard
Essendon: Michael Hurley
Fremantle: Rory Lobb
Geelong: Mark Blicavs
Gold Coast: Peter Wright
GWS: Jeremy Finlayson
Hawthorn: Chad Wingard
Melbourne: Jack Viney
North: Jack Ziebell
Port: Ollie Wines
Richmond: Josh Caddy
St Kilda: Jake Carlisle
Sydney: Isaac Heeney
West Coast: Dom Sheed
Bulldogs: Bailey Williams

Was this post meant to be in the thread about overrated players?

 

[jsdsgn]

Fremantle was the most competitive on the day but I think the Swans were definitely the best outfit - they had a bad day though.
Swans were consistent throughout that 2012-17 period, always a top 4 side. Unlucky not to have 2 or possibly even 3 flags.

 

[juss]

They werent flashy but Freo for me. Just really disciplined and effective, if they kicked better and didn't miss a lot of gettable shots early (1.6 to half time 8.14 for the match), they could have easily won that.

Despite the poor kicking they were still in the match til very late, 10 down at 3 quarter time and 15 down by the end.

Edit: over the seasons though Swans probably the best outfit on paper.

 

[emuboy]

Option 4 - None of the above.

Fremantle, Sydney and the West Coast Eagles were all soundly beaten by Hawthorn in these Grand Finals and never did any of them look a chance of winning.

 

[MinerBoy]

Sydney. They were raging favourites for the 2014 GF. Best team that year, just not on the day.

Hawks were the best team that year and proved it GF day. We finished equal on wins as the Swans and marginally behind on % - of which both teams had a high %.

Having played the season with long stretches of injury to the likes of Mitchell, Gibson, Lake, Rioli and others and with Clarko himself having missed 5 weeks through illness, to still have finished equal with the Swans was huge. By finals time, the full squad was back from the extended lay offs and had enough footy together to be rolling.

With both sides up and running with their best sides, Hawks were always the best team.

Edit - having said that I agree with you that Sydney were the best of the 3 opponents that we faced. A high quality side. They just copped the biggest pummeling of the 3 as they faced us at our absolute best with the added incentive of 2012 and the Buddy defection.

 

[eth-dog]

Fremantle

 

[Blackas87]

West Coast. Finished higher on the ladder than Hawthorn and beat them in the qualifying final.

 

[Stratton_Gun]

Sydney started 1.30 favourites and at one point in the year, there were articles asking if they were the best team ever. Definitely them. They just had a poor game. If there was a replay a week later would likely have been a coin toss.

 

[kranky al]

1) freo
2) sydney
3) daylight
4) west coast

 

[ioppolo]

1) freo
2) sydney
3) daylight
4) west coast

Is that because Priddis was our number one midfielder at the time?

 

[kranky al]

Is that because Priddis was our number one midfielder at the time?

We fluked 2015 on the back of a novel gameplan forced because we lost 2 key backs to season ending injuries.

we were good at home but pretty ordinary away. That gameplan suited skinny grounds and fell apart on wide expanses.