Who would you rate as the strongest premiership side in the AFL era?

[Isaac Cumming No 1]

Hawks actually played 5 Grand Finals. We lost one to Syndey, one of 4 in a row. We also beat a Vic team in their Prime in Geelong. So 4/5.

Whereas Geelong beat 1 interstate, beat 2 Vic teams, and lost one to a Vic team (us).

Not really much to hang your hat on there to support your argument.

I voted for the Hawks three peat, withthelions second. To me the ability to get the job done when it mattered has to rank the most valuable trait in a team.

The Cats 2007 and 2008 sides were very dominant in attacking power though. I wouldn't knock someone voting Cats 2007. Like the Bombers in 2000 they didn't last long but they were awesome in their moment.

 

[doppleganger]

Geelong 2011.

There were four outstanding teams that year.

WC finished 4th with 17 wins...that can get you minor premiership some years!!

Collingwood of 2011 were amazing, only lost to Geelong.

Hawthorn of 2011 were great, their 18-4 record was better than their premiership years in 14-15...they could beat everyone except Collingwood & Geelong.

In years like 2000, Essendon had no opposition...especially after Kouta went down, Melbourne 2018 finished with a better H&A record than Melbourne 2000.

The 2011 season had four great teams going at it. The 2011 GF, for the first 3/4 anyway, was some of the best footy you could see. It didn’t have the grandstand finish because the Pies hit the wall, so isn’t remembered as fondly as the ‘close’ GFs though.

2011 Cats were best of the best for mine.

 

[doppleganger]

I voted for the Hawks three peat, withthelions second. To me the ability to get the job done when it mattered has to rank the most valuable trait in a team.

The Cats 2007 and 2008 sides were very dominant in attacking power though. I wouldn't knock someone voting Cats 2007. Like the Bombers in 2000 they didn't last long but they were awesome in their moment.

Cats didn’t last long??

07 GF - premiership
08 GF
09 GF - premiership
10 PF
11 GF - premiership

That is a dominant run, especially considering that for mine 2011 was best individual win considering how good their opposition was.

 

[footyfan1978]

Carlton 1995. Won 16 straight games, lost only two all season. Mauled us on the big stage and had champions the ilk of Kernahan, Bradley, Diesel, Ratten, Silvagni, Christou, Madden, Dean, Kouta, Hanna and many more. Kouta, Clape, Camporeale and Pearce really emerged that year. SOS imo and in many others is the greatest Full Back ever to grace our game. Held '' GOD '' Goalless on Grand Final day. Greg Williams is an all time great and won two Brownlow medals, one the year before and claimed the Norm Smith snagging 5 majors.

******* crazy lineup. IMO, that 95 team is the strongest, best lineup of all time. Dons 2000 after them.

Brisbane Lions between them.
Better again, Carlton 1981 and 82 teams and Essendon 84 and 85 teams.

 

[Isaac Cumming No 1]

Cats didn’t last long??

07 GF - premiership
08 GF
09 GF - premiership
10 PF
11 GF - premiership

That is a dominant run, especially considering that for mine 2011 was best individual win considering how good their opposition was.

Fair enough. It's subjective but I rate the 07 and actually the 08 side as a level above.

 

[doppleganger]

Fair enough. It's subjective but I rate the 07 and actually the 08 side as a level above.

Absolutely subjective.

For mine, the 2008 Geelong side was amazing probably the peak of that Geelong era, but obviously flopped in the big dance.

The 11 side had a better H&A record compared to their other premiership seasons of 07 & 09.

And the 11 side actually had to compete against four other great teams, for mine making a 19-3 H&A season and eventual premiership even greater!

 

[SwampCreature]

Nope, I have a memory that spans further than three years and bullshit AFL manufactured fairytales

Ah, so you’re offended about the result, rather than passing judgement objectively. Makes sense I guess but still wrong.

Anyway not the best but very underrated, proven side, Dogs 16. Best finals series by a team ever.

 

[Tarkyn_24]

Ah, so you’re offended about the result, rather than passing judgement objectively. Makes sense I guess but still wrong.

Anyway not the best but very underrated, proven side, Dogs 16. Best finals series by a team ever.

Nope, I don’t rate the finals series.

Impressive to do it from seventh but lacked the quality of almost every other premier since the turn of the millennium.

 

[Captain_Bender]

Did it get really weak or really strong in 2018?

Strongish but still overall weaker than 2017

 

[Macpotata]

Geelong 2011.

There were four outstanding teams that year.

WC finished 4th with 17 wins...that can get you minor premiership some years!!

Collingwood of 2011 were amazing, only lost to Geelong.

Hawthorn of 2011 were great, their 18-4 record was better than their premiership years in 14-15...they could beat everyone except Collingwood & Geelong.

In years like 2000, Essendon had no opposition...especially after Kouta went down, Melbourne 2018 finished with a better H&A record than Melbourne 2000.

The 2011 season had four great teams going at it. The 2011 GF, for the first 3/4 anyway, was some of the best footy you could see. It didn’t have the grandstand finish because the Pies hit the wall, so isn’t remembered as fondly as the ‘close’ GFs though.

2011 Cats were best of the best for mine.

Very good post indeed. Good knowledge and very well said.


edited - Re WCE though, they couldn't beat the best teams away. Twice they lost to the Pies, once in the finals. They lost to us in the prelim, and I think the Hawks at York park. Beat us and the Pies on their home deck, but weren't good enough where and when it mattered. Did boast a very good record finishing 17-5 however.

 

[Tarkyn_24]

Fair enough. It's subjective but I rate the 07 and actually the 08 side as a level above.

2008 side?

You mean that shitty mob we thrashed by 86 points?

 

[Gethelred]

I still maintain that absolutely no-one could've beaten that Geelong side in 2007. On that day, they clicked on every line, every player combined perfectly in pressure, attack; everyone kept their feet, hit their targets.

'08 Geelong was still very good, but their best footy was played in patches, like the Lions was; a flurry of goals in 10 minutes, combined with efficiency throughout. '08 Hawthorn was absolutely amazing to watch in their effervescent bubbling brutality, their exultation in just discovering they were strong, in their determination. s**t that was a good year for footy!

 

[Gethelred]

2008 side?

You mean that shitty mob we thrashed by 86 points?

Due to a single change; you had Cloke drag Scarlett up to the wing. Playing your match-winning CHF as a dummy full is such a risky move, yet you can't argue with the result.

They were probably due a loss, though.

 

[Tarkyn_24]

Due to a single change; you had Cloke drag Scarlett up to the wing. Playing your match-winning CHF as a dummy full is such a risky move, yet you can't argue with the result.

They were probably due a loss, though.

Yeah for sure, I’m being facetious. They were an immense side.

Still can’t argue with results. Clokey got Scarlett a ripper with all the talking smoke and shadows behind the windows.

 

[doppleganger]

Very good post indeed. Good knowledge and very well said.


edited - Re WCE though, they couldn't beat the best teams away. Twice they lost to the Pies, once in the finals. They lost to us in the prelim, and I think the Hawks at York park. Beat us and the Pies on their home deck, but weren't good enough where and when it mattered. Did boast a very good record finishing 17-5 however.

But that is normal for good teams, Eagles finished 17-5 each year in 05-06, lost a few games to other good teams along the way, but enough to get minor premiership and two home finals. Even this year the Eagles went 16-6 but still got the home finals.

In 2011, they were good enough to go 17-5 but then they still had to play much better teams in Coll and Geelong in finals!!

Outrageous, that there were 3 teams in 2011 who were better than a 17-5 Eagles team.

 

[Masher]

1 off best team Essendon 2000

Long term best - Brisbane 2001-2003

 

[owen87]

That 2000 Essendon team seriously underachieved in the 1999/2001 seasons.

Also a touch unlucky that 2001 is up against probably the strongest team of the modern era.

2000 would be my pick for best season, 2001-2003 best overall team.

The Lions were brutes, but that midfield was also stacked with class. I wonder how those sides would go with modern coaching tactics.

 

[Sprout]

Brisbane’s regular season record in 01-03 was 48 wins and 17 losses (1 draw) with an average percentage of 128.76%.

Geelong’s regular season record in 07-09 was 57 wins and 9 losses with an average percentage of 147.33%.

Performance in finals can make a big difference when assessing a side’s quality, but when looking at the above I’m comfortable in picking Geelong as the most dominant side of the AFL era.

 

[Andre]

As a single season you can't go past Essendon 2000.

The poll is the strongest premiership side, which you can take as the team across the season, not which club had the best era so far since it became the AFL. If a club won 1 or 15 premierships in a row, it for this question makes zero difference.

By that measure Essendon 2000 by a fair margin. A single loss during the Home & Away season (that had other reasonable clubs, not like 2007 where outside Geelong the rest of the competition was bog average at best), with that only due to unconventional opposition tactics that they quickly countered when others tried to replicate against them. Finished off by good wins in all their finals. Short of a side not losing a single game all year it's unlikely to be topped.

If you want to talk era's, then Brisbane 2001-2003, Geelong 2007-2011, Hawks 2013-2015 in that order.

 

[Sttew]

None of the teams listed would beat Richmond in 2017 if they brought that pressure again. Unplayable.

How do you know? If Geelong of 2007 played the kamikaze, play on at all costs game that made it so slick and so dominant over several years I don't think Richmond of 2017 would get a look in. Just too many stars in that Geelong team

 

[Sttew]

The league was at it's weakest from 1981 to 2016 only in 2017 did it return the the level it was between 1967 to 1980

And it reverted to its "old" ways in 2018?

 

[Sttew]

I put the 1991 Hawks as first.

The team was stacked with stars. They beat the WA State team of the WC Eagles. The 1991 grand final is so underrated as a demonstration of elite football. But of course a lot of those Hawthorn players were close to retirement, so they are hard to score.

Otherwise, my order would be:

3 Peat Lions (lost 1)
3 Peat Hawks (lost 1)
91-94 West Coast
1990's North Melbourne
Cats of 07-11
Essendon 2000
Carlton 95
Richmond 2017
Port Adelaide of 2004
Adelaide 97-98
Collingwood 2010

How do you rationalise having WCE & North, both of who won 2 premierships & not successive ones, above Geelong that won 3?

Just curious to hear your explanation. FWIW, Geelong's wins over St Kilda (2009) and Collingwood (2011) elevate the team to the top. St Kilda was about as dominant as any team has played in 09 but got pipped in the dying minutes of the last quarter. Collingwood in 2011 was odds on favourite to go back to back. Only stumbling block was Geelong.

 

[HTT]

How do you know? If Geelong of 2007 played the kamikaze, play on at all costs game that made it so slick and so dominant over several years I don't think Richmond of 2017 would get a look in. Just too many stars in that Geelong team

Nope. Geelong’s game plan became outdated, then the game plan that beat them became outdated and so on until eventually Richmond brought their own to the table and already parts of that have become outdated. A few extra stars won’t overcome 10 years of development. Richmond 17 would similarly stand no chance against whoever wins the flag in 2027.

That doesn’t take away from Geelong 07 though. Wonderful team, simply dominant and when people call other sides from that year ‘average’ it’s only because the cats were so much better they made everyone look average.

 

[captain cotch 9]

Hawthorn. 3-peat. Shut it down.

Brisbane was a better team.
The Hawks got lucky playing WCE & Freo
Dont get me wrong. They were still a very good team

 

[Jedi Tiger]

Brisbane was a better team.
The Hawks got lucky playing WCE & Freo
Dont get me wrong. They were still a very good team

Agreed, vote changed - have the benefit of being far fresher in my memory. Very much enjoyed watching the Hawks in their years of dominance though.