Have you evee gotten over your team losing a Grand Final?

TRP1996

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Apr 20, 2018
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2017 is kinda dull when you have so many close finals losses to fixate on (chiefly the 2012 and 2006 Prelims; maybe chuck in the 2005 QF and 2009's famous ''it was right in front of me'' Semi too; 93 is before my time).
 

Rowan18

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Feb 20, 2018
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West Coast have lost 3 Grand Finals. I am very very fortunate as a supporter that they have followed up 2 of those losses with a win the following year, with the 3rd loss being cancelled out just 3 years later with a win. So personally I have a feeling that things have balanced themselves out and feel no hurt about our losses.

I agree strongly with this. I was only 6 in 1991, so don't really remember it.

2005 was bad but 2006 made up for it. I look back on the rivalry between the two teams and think it has worked out nicely that both won a flag by under a goal.

2015 was just a poor effort. I was upset but even by that night I was starting to move on. It's a lot easier if you lose one you were never in. 2018 also made amends.
 

Rowan18

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2006 - No hard feelings, it was fair for both Sydney and West Coast to split them one each.

2014 - Was over it pretty quickly, we were outplayed on the day by one of the greatest sides of all time.

2016 - I don't think I will ever be truly over this game, from the build up (All AFL media was focused on the Dogs), the free kick count and non-paid free's on the day which peaked with the non free to Hanners when he stuffed his knee and finally walking out of the ground at the end of the day just to be jumped by two bulldogs fans who shoved me to the ground and gave my nephew a black eye.

It's funny cause I actually know a lot of dogs fans who are actually very reasonable, but even in the aftermath of both 2014 and 2016 I got given a lot more crap by dogs fans than I did by Hawks fans (In which I received none), find it a tad strange as if you have just won a grand final wouldn't you rather just go out and celebrate the win rather than trying to create trouble?
I don't really like Sydney but that 2016 GF left a bad taste in my mouth. All week the media carried on as if the dogs had won it, so I decided to back the Swans as they felt like the true underdogs.

I couldn't believe some of the non-calls in the game and it was so bad that the AFL formally acknowledged it in a letter to the swans at the start of 2017 season (this seemed to get very little media coverage). It really felt like the whole world had already decided who the winner was before the first bounce.
 

saints_333

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Feb 16, 2018
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As a Saints fan I always take heart that we have at least played in 3.5 grand finals since I've been alive unlike some teams but I will never get over them until we actually win one.

What makes it even worst is that all three of the Grand Finals we were actually in front or close enough to win which makes it harder to take. We got outplayed in the end by Adelaide unfortunately, should've beat Geelong and had it not been for them losing the year before we probably would have and then we all know what happened with Collingwood.

The problem is with St.Kilda, it could be years and years now before we get another chance and the bigger the league becomes imo the smaller and smaller chance we will be lucky enough to build up a good side to actually contest.
 

Bedi

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Mar 8, 2014
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2012 still hurts. By all the KPI's won the battle but lost the war.

Pulsating match, but inaccurate, and not hard enough for long enough. And bloody Morton!

Possibly cost us the 4-peat, although Buddy's defection gave us extra motivation in the 2014 GF.
84 and 2012 are equally gutting given they are both games we should have won. I felt like our 2013 premiership was more of an act of healing rather than moment of sheer jubilation. I guess some Cats supporters felt this way for their 2009 flag?
 

JPetro83

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Least you not in denial. Well done on seeing where your club is at right now. One of the very few it seems.
Dont worry.. i cop it from so many crows fans for being "negative" but alls that i am is a realist. i originally had the Crows finishing 5th or 6th this year bu now have us finishing 10th or 11th and the nail in the coffin will be when North pump us tomorrow night. Now im hoping for Carlton to finish bottom 2 so at least we can get a decent kid in the draft.. but knowing the Crows they will use it on another Geelong Falcons kid or VIC Metro kid that will head home in 4 years.
Least you not in denial. Well done on seeing where your club is at right now. One of the very few it seems.
Its been 20 long years sonce our last flag.. i guess i was lucky to see back to back flags as a 14 and 15 year old teenager.. but i would have loved to have seen a flag in 2006 as a 23 year old (then to have choked in a home prelim after being 4 goals up at half time) and then 2017.. i was 34. could have celebrated hard. The waiting games continues.. maybe in 2037
 

Catsnlakers

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People saying no take footy way too seriously. It's just entertainment.
Not true....To some people ( myself included ) it is the one time of the week you can escape from daily life, & to be part of a common interest shared with others. That’s why people say footy is their religion.
 
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84 and 2012 are equally gutting given they are both games we should have won. I felt like our 2013 premiership was more of an act of healing rather than moment of sheer jubilation. I guess some Cats supporters felt this way for their 2009 flag?
That was my reading at the time too. I was going for Freo, but if the Hawks had lost 2013 (after the close loss in 2012, and also a worthy 2011), I would've felt very sorry for them. Definitely came across as a relief flag. Hindsight shows they had more opportunities (and greater performances ahead), but who knows what a 2013 loss might have done to a team verging on overdue.
 
Apr 28, 2008
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The 2012 Grand Final is also just a very good game of football, a heap of momentum changes, some great highlights and a grandstand finish.

I have actually watched 2006 on a fair few occasions as well, simply because it was a good game of football to watch (Actually a better game of football than the 2005 Grand Final (With the exception of the final result of course)).
Same, I've rewatched the 2005 GF a couple times over the years. I think every club could do with at least one appreciable losing GF in their personal canon as an emotional counterpoint. Some of our wins have been utter bangers (1992, 2006, 2018), so we can certainly afford a result that tipped the other way, kind of share in a great moment for another club, and losing a thriller (whilst awful in affect) doesn't demean a season like a GF flogging does. 2005 is no 2006 in terms of objective quality, but it is still gripping.

No doubt helped by my lifelong Swans connection. Despite the personal darkness of losing that match as your first GF (started following them in '95), more holistically it was great to experience as someone who largely grew up in NSW watching the Swans every week.
 
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08 obviously is the one that stands out. 08 was Geelong’s best year but we fluffed our lines in the GF. Congratulations to hawks for that day. 09 big relief and 11 helps ease the pain. Even when we won our 3rd in 5 years you still realize they are bloody hard to win. So losing one still carries some pain.
 

Ichabod Noodle

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It’s sport - there’s always next year. Gotta be philosophical about it. What goes around comes around.

89 and 90 made up for 87 - and 94 made up for 91
Similarly 01 and 04 made up for 97 and 00 (I’m waiting for the one that makes up for 13 - but we weren’t expected to win that one anyway - maybe this year, but I doubt it)

ahh well, there’s always next year to look forward to.
 

PAFC_1870

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If you aren't disappointed when your team loses a flag you're probably not a fan...
You can spot the club stereotypes a mile off.

I know a vast majority of Collingwood and Port fans will never ever ever get over it. Some other clubs fit this, like Richmond.

Some other clubs, well they just don't care... And two of them showed their face
 

MadMundy

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2013 was a little bit tough to get over, considering the hype going into the game being our first GF and us missing our opportunities. But at the end of it, it's still just a game. I've slept perfectly fine for years, and at the end of it, the better team were the winners, and you can't be mad at that. We'll get our chance again one day
 
It’s sport - there’s always next year. Gotta be philosophical about it. What goes around comes around.

89 and 90 made up for 87 - and 94 made up for 91
Similarly 01 and 04 made up for 97 and 00 (I’m waiting for the one that makes up for 13 - but we weren’t expected to win that one anyway - maybe this year, but I doubt it)

ahh well, there’s always next year to look forward to.
Who do you go for? GWS, West Coast, Brisbane, St. Kilda, Fremantle or Port Adelaide? I can't quite get a gauge...
 
Our 1999 semi final loss to Carlton burns more than our GF losses. We finished 5th and had a stirring win over the 4th placed Dogs first week of the finals. We then had to play Carlton who finished 6th, who lost 1st week of the finals - at the MCG. That pathetic MCC clause screwed us out of a home semi-final. Was farcical and everyone knew it.

So when Carlton supporters talk about the pain of losing the 1999 GF to North Melbourne i have no sympathy at all.
 
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