Has the era of the era ended?

[Heeney2Franklin]

Im certain Hardwick and Barmy knew that Richmond intense pressure style will not be sustainable it got them a flag which is all that matters.

 

[caspian]

I think the 18 team has kinda changed the top 8 a bit. Suddenly you can be a very good team and still only finish 5th. It does mean that there’s more legitimately contending teams in finals.

So there’s less bludgers in the top 8. But that doesn’t mean dynasties are over. Just that there’s more chances for upsets/dynasty Enders etc in the finals.

 

[ManOfClay]

Geelong in 16 would’ve smashed the Dogs in the GF (if you’re into hypotheticals).

It’s no surprise they were the only team we didn’t beat in 2016.

Thank you Isaac Smith

 

[Paul P Mark]

You

The AFL has long sought equalisation in the sense that any team can plausibly beat any other team on the day.

An English Premier League set up where only four or five teams can realistically win the comp, and money differences mean some teams are hugely stronger than others, is its worst nightmare.

We're seeing this come to pass in the home and away more and more every year, and the last three premiers all being different indicates that is playing through to September as well.

Crucially though, the Bulldogs dropped off after their 2016 flag, Richmond didn't go back to back and don't appear to a realistic premiership threat this year and the Eagles don't seem unbeatable this year.

Was the Hawthorn threepeat the last of the great eras?

Have all the changes the AFL brought in, especially free agency, meant that the days of one team being noticeably stronger than the others, or one team having an extended run of genuine premiership contention (North's seven prelims in a row in the 90s/00) gone for good?

And is that a good thing?

You just never know, good talent scouts/list managers combined with a great coach could still assemble a team that will be freaky enough to win a few flags over the course of a 5-7 year 'era'. Don't want to hijack your thread, but I actually wrote a piece on the great dynasties/eras here: https://www.bigfooty.com/forum/threads/a-look-at-the-most-dominant-eras-in-vfl-afl-history.1191256/ Hard to see any club matching Melbourne's effort of five flags in seven years including seven consecutive GF appearances, or Collingwood's four flags in a row.

 

[kranky al]

Couple of injuries and any team is derailed

A lot has to go right come september

 

[legend166]

You could have said that at the end of 2008 when the previous five flags were won by five different teams (all teams that hadn't won flags in a long time, or ever in Port's case).

Then the last two premiers from that period won five of the next seven flags.

 

[demondavey]

What relevance is that to current WC team? 1. It's in finals when the post said not worried about that style in finals
2. Mitchell and Priddis were in the midfield then

I simply answered the question. The question was when did GWS last beat WC? I couldn’t give a hoot about the current team, I simply answered a question.

Chill the **** out....

 

[Lance Uppercut]

The AFL has long sought equalisation in the sense that any team can plausibly beat any other team on the day.

An English Premier League set up where only four or five teams can realistically win the comp, and money differences mean some teams are hugely stronger than others, is its worst nightmare.

We're seeing this come to pass in the home and away more and more every year, and the last three premiers all being different indicates that is playing through to September as well.

Crucially though, the Bulldogs dropped off after their 2016 flag, Richmond didn't go back to back and don't appear to a realistic premiership threat this year and the Eagles don't seem unbeatable this year.

Was the Hawthorn threepeat the last of the great eras?

Have all the changes the AFL brought in, especially free agency, meant that the days of one team being noticeably stronger than the others, or one team having an extended run of genuine premiership contention (North's seven prelims in a row in the 90s/00) gone for good?

And is that a good thing?

As I've illustrated repeatedly, Hawthorn's threepeat was less an era than it was an accident of history. Still the best team of the time, but clearly on the rails of the competion expansion

 

[kaiserchief13]

I simply answered the question. The question was when did GWS last beat WC? I couldn’t give a hoot about the current team, I simply answered a question.

Chill the **** out....

Yeah but that's the reason I asked the question. I knew the answer but it was a rhetorical question

 

[demondavey]

As I've illustrated repeatedly, Hawthorn's threepeat was less an era than it was an accident of history. Still the best team of the time, but clearly on the rails of the competion expansion

Ah yeah, no......