1994
1992
2018
2006
1991
2015
2005
2007
1996
2011
1992
2018
2006
1991
2015
2005
2007
1996
2011
Rank these WCE teams: 1991, 1992, 1994, 1996, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2011, 2015, 2018
- Thread starter Always Ballin
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- Mar 25, 2003
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Also depends on whether you describe to the theory of the premiership team automatically being the best team for the season. I don't subscribe to that theory, but more than happy to recognise that being the best team at the right time of the year is more important. And I'm happy for the competition to be decided that way - living in the UK and having a passing interest in the PL here, the backend of most seasons are mightily boring as the champions pull away from the peleton the majority of the time.
It's also folly just to simply state the a team with a better W/L record in a given season is better by default over a team in another season. For instance Bomber's fans want to harp on about that 2000 team being the best of all time thanks to a phenomenal W/L record, percentage and blowing away teams in the final series... But anyone clued in to footy can see the competition hit a bit of a weak spot that year with the Kangaroos not the force they were and the Brisbane Lions still a year away from liftoff and Essendon took absolute full advantage of the season as it presented itself. And fair play to them for doing so - they were a very good side that was hellbent on making up for not making the decider in 99 and had some great players, particularly James Hird and Matthew Lloyd, but there is just simply no way the best team of all time has a starting centre square of John Barnes, Justin Blumfield, Jason Johnson and Joe Misiti.
Like passenger I don't subscribe that the premiers are automatically the best team.
I cannot buy the Bulldogs as the best team in 2016.
Similarly, the best team of 2015 was either WCE or (vomit) Freo. And neither ended up as premiers.
WCE were the best team of 1991, again not premiers. And that was in a year of some pretty good teams.
And again, Passenger is right. Like Essendon in 2000, sometimes the stars align.
Or as was the case in 2016, sometimes the stars and umpires align.
I cannot buy the Bulldogs as the best team in 2016.
Similarly, the best team of 2015 was either WCE or (vomit) Freo. And neither ended up as premiers.
WCE were the best team of 1991, again not premiers. And that was in a year of some pretty good teams.
And again, Passenger is right. Like Essendon in 2000, sometimes the stars align.
Or as was the case in 2016, sometimes the stars and umpires align.
Goalski14
Debutant
- Sep 19, 2018
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2007 makes me shudder, two heartbreaking losses to be knocked out of the finals, letting Essendon creep back into our final H&A game to kill off our percentage and chance of finishing 2nd. Injuries galore. Judd hitting the eject button and struggling through the QF with his groin. Ben’s hammy brought me to tears and then we all know what happened in the off season.
2011 was some of the most joy I’ve had as a supporter, couldn’t believe we turned it around like that, the win against Geelong, beating Carlton at the dome and giving us incredible belief. Even the QF against Collingwood was fun to watch, I genuinely felt like we could win that, LeCras’ goal from the pocket was unreal. Then the semi final, one of my favourite games ever.
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2011 was some of the most joy I’ve had as a supporter, couldn’t believe we turned it around like that, the win against Geelong, beating Carlton at the dome and giving us incredible belief. Even the QF against Collingwood was fun to watch, I genuinely felt like we could win that, LeCras’ goal from the pocket was unreal. Then the semi final, one of my favourite games ever.
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2011 was definitely one of the best seasons as a fan. So much fun.
That Semi Final
Will never forget the crowd spontaneously busting out the club song as we walked under the bridge to the crappy old West Leederville train "station" after knocking off Geelong at Subi too. Was epic. Is one of my fondest memories.
That Semi Final
Will never forget the crowd spontaneously busting out the club song as we walked under the bridge to the crappy old West Leederville train "station" after knocking off Geelong at Subi too. Was epic. Is one of my fondest memories.
I was there for that song! So good.2011 was definitely one of the best seasons as a fan. So much fun.
That Semi Final
Will never forget the crowd spontaneously busting out the club song as we walked under the bridge to the crappy old West Leederville train "station" after knocking off Geelong at Subi too. Was epic. Is one of my fondest memories.
2018 only side to go undefeated in Victoria (unless a team did it during a covid-****ed season, which doesn't count haha)
Us destroying north in the Elim final in 2012 was great too. Was surrounded by north supporters with one lonely bleeding heart eagle next to me. I think the seats surrounding us were all empty by 3/4 time.
Arguably the two most dominant sides on regular season form were 1991 and 2015. Both resulted in a GF pounding.
I'm not too sad over 2015, it was unexpected, we played superb footy but we were beaten by a battle hardened dynasty side. It is what it is.
I'm not too sad over 2015, it was unexpected, we played superb footy but we were beaten by a battle hardened dynasty side. It is what it is.
Kapowie1
Team Captain
- Oct 15, 2016
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That was the first game I had ever seen the Eagles play in the flesh. Watching those highlights gave me goosebumps
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I think there were a few factors here.
1. The 1991 season ended later than it ever had before for us, and those few weeks do change things if you haven't the systems in place to manage it.
2. We deliberately had a slower start with build through the season rather than start on fire and run out of puff around round 20. Learnt the 1991 lesson.
3. First GF hangover for some players.
RookiePick
Brownlow Medallist
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These are the exact reasons I gave for it being a tremendous season. To come back and win from that position was huuuuge
1. 1992 - think we were a little better structurally than '91 and White, Harding, Evans were all good additions along with Langdon who made some good contributions. Plus they did what the '91 side didn't do and won our first.
2. 1991 - Under rating flags here I know, but did run into the tail of a very experienced GF squad. Rate it better than '94 as I think some of the power sides of the late 80's / early 90's had fallen away slightly by '94 and Carlton / Carey's North were coming up. The ins in the '94 GF compared to '91 were Ball, Bond, Hynes, Turnbull and Banfield - hardly upgrades on Lockyer, Hart, Watters, Irving, Lamb and Turley from the '91 team as a collective.
3. 2018 - really well balanced team, especially when considering who was missing in the GF. We had intercept marking in the back six and run and penetrating kicks, one of the better midfields in the competition and a good mix of tall, small and mid sized, strong marking forwards.
4. 1994 - Covered a lot of the rational here in the '91 spiel.
5. 2006 - Find it hard to love this team given what followed, so to be fair I may be under rating them. One of the best midfields ever assembled and while I don't like the disrespect many pay the rest of this team, it is probably the least balanced of my top five. I will give them props as possibly one of the mentally toughest of West Coast teams, a couple of their comebacks that year were superb. Even if we were several goals down you still believed.
6. 2015 - hard with this one and 2005. '05 midfield has an edge but '15 better balanced at either end of the ground and as good as the '05 midfield was NicNat, Priddis, Shuey, Yeo and Gaff aren't exactly B graders.
7. 2005
8. 2007 - still feels like one of the flags we've left on the table. 2% in it between us playing Port at home or away in the QF, we drop it by 3 points and play Collingwood minus Cousins, Judd and Kerr and lose in OT. Maybe Geelong would have got us, but they still had some demons with us and hadn't broken their drought. Were certainly happier to be playing Port than us.
9. 1996
10. 2011
2. 1991 - Under rating flags here I know, but did run into the tail of a very experienced GF squad. Rate it better than '94 as I think some of the power sides of the late 80's / early 90's had fallen away slightly by '94 and Carlton / Carey's North were coming up. The ins in the '94 GF compared to '91 were Ball, Bond, Hynes, Turnbull and Banfield - hardly upgrades on Lockyer, Hart, Watters, Irving, Lamb and Turley from the '91 team as a collective.
3. 2018 - really well balanced team, especially when considering who was missing in the GF. We had intercept marking in the back six and run and penetrating kicks, one of the better midfields in the competition and a good mix of tall, small and mid sized, strong marking forwards.
4. 1994 - Covered a lot of the rational here in the '91 spiel.
5. 2006 - Find it hard to love this team given what followed, so to be fair I may be under rating them. One of the best midfields ever assembled and while I don't like the disrespect many pay the rest of this team, it is probably the least balanced of my top five. I will give them props as possibly one of the mentally toughest of West Coast teams, a couple of their comebacks that year were superb. Even if we were several goals down you still believed.
6. 2015 - hard with this one and 2005. '05 midfield has an edge but '15 better balanced at either end of the ground and as good as the '05 midfield was NicNat, Priddis, Shuey, Yeo and Gaff aren't exactly B graders.
7. 2005
8. 2007 - still feels like one of the flags we've left on the table. 2% in it between us playing Port at home or away in the QF, we drop it by 3 points and play Collingwood minus Cousins, Judd and Kerr and lose in OT. Maybe Geelong would have got us, but they still had some demons with us and hadn't broken their drought. Were certainly happier to be playing Port than us.
9. 1996
10. 2011
