The AFL Eras Biggest Underachievers- My Top 5

[BigVic]

Lions under Chris Fagan 2019-present. The Lions' finals record under Fagan isn't good. 0 Grand Final appearances, 2 prelim losses and 2 straight sets exits after finishing top 4

2019 - straight sets (finished top 4)
2020 - prelim loss to Geelong
2021 - straight sets (finished top 4)
2022 - prelim loss to Geelong

 

[geelong_crazy26]

Saints of the late 00’s win this thread. Riewoldt, Hayes, Goddard, Milne, absolute champions and great finals players. Great game plan and coach. I have them as good as the Cats and Pies even without the flags to show for it. Proof that the bottom 6 probably does get you across the line.

Absolute clash of the titans.... Never seen anything in a HA game like that geelong clash with both coming in undefeated 14-0 into a game.... Bloody insane... Dont think we will see anything like it for quite some time... Then the GF...

 

[Thuggee_Cult]

Lions under Chris Fagan 2019-present. The Lions' finals record under Fagan isn't good. 0 Grand Final appearances, 2 prelim losses and 2 straight sets exits after finishing top 4

2019 - straight sets (finished top 4)
2020 - prelim loss to Geelong
2021 - straight sets (finished top 4)
2022 - prelim loss to Geelong

Not too dissimilar to these terrible finals records tbh:

Tigers 2013-15
Port 2001-3
Brisbane Lions 96-00

You sometimes have to kiss a few frogs before you find your prince

 

[Miller1971]

Hawthorn winning 6 out of their 7 most recent GF's is the stuff us Sainters can only dream of! (Pies as well)

 

[PCORF]

Not too dissimilar to these terrible finals records tbh:

Tigers 2013-15
Port 2001-3
Brisbane Lions 96-00

You sometimes have to kiss a few frogs before you find your prince

Also forgot about Adelaide from 2001-2017.

 

[RichLeMonde]

Melbourne Demons 2021-2023.

One flag for what were, according to their supporters circa October 2021, in the conversation for the greatest team of all time.

 

[Caligo]

Melbourne Demons 2021-2023.

One flag for what were, according to their supporters circa October 2021, in the conversation for the greatest team of all time.

They aren't close to done yet. Oliver/Petracca still have an awful lot of elite years left.

That forward line needs help though.

 

[RichLeMonde]

They aren't close to done yet. Oliver/Petracca still have an awful lot of elite years left.

That forward line needs help though.

True enough. Was a bit tongue in cheek. They have some quality players coming to the back end of their careers though, so will need some good moves to put the pieces around Oliver and Trac.

 

[Caligo]

True enough. Was a bit tongue in cheek. They have some quality players coming to the back end of their careers though, so will need some good moves to put the pieces around Oliver and Trac.

Definitely agree they need to make some good moves. But that is true of everyone who wants to compete.

 

[Mr Meow]

These sides had one thing in common: great top-line players, but let down at the bottom end.

Geelong was probably at its best in 1992, but even then, had guys like Russell Merriman, Geoff Miles, Andrew Rogers, Trevor Poole and Sean Simpson in the GF side, with Tim Darcy playing as a very under-sized fullback.

StKilda should have won the 2009 Grand Final, but even then had Raph Clarke, Zac Dawson, Andrew McQualter, two previously-great-but-ruined-by-injury ruckmen in Gardiner and King, and a lot of Good Ordinary types like Baker, Jones, and Gram (though I'd argue that Gram should have won the Norm that day).

Bingo. Besides playing very strong teams that peaked superbly in those grand finals, the Cats still had too many weaknesses. Most of the Geelong defences 2004 onwards in that side might have been enough to get the job done, or certainly if you then also added one or two great small/medium forwards (Johnson, Chapman etc) to buzz around the feet of the excellent talls. A wingman of the quality of Duncan sending it in wouldn't have gone astray either as a number of our dynamic runners between the arcs (outside of Riccardi) lacked class with that final ball inside 50.

It's very, very difficult to win flags without elite ground ball players in the F50 or a competent defensive group. The flag winning sides of that era were too strong in defence and up forward to expose you in those areas otherwise.

 

[HTPunter]

I don’t consider St Kilda an underachiever - an unlucky side in 09-10 yes, but they were a top 2 side both years and not clearly best.

Pies 2010-2011 were a juggernaut, Cats 07-11 the same.

I think they would have been deserving flag winners in 09 & 10, but the Cats & Pies were too.

I end up with Sydney 2014-2022 as my greatest underachievers. Really should have a flag but are 0-3 in GF, including 2 flogs.
They won one in 2012 but they should have won at least one more with the Buddy/Parker/Kennedy/Reid/Smith/Hannebery/Rampe group.

2014 they should have given a yelp.
2015 they went out in straight sets.
2016 they should have won I think.
2017 they went 0-6 and then 14-2, finished with 3rd best percentage and having only lost to Hawthorn twice after round 6. They should have had a top 4 spot (probably top 2), some rest coming into finals, and home finals (and a double chance). Instead they had to keep going, and ran out of steam.
2018 they meekly went out in an elimination final at home kicking 4 goals.
2021 another elim final loss.
2022 they made a GF and didn’t give a yelp.
2023 they left their run late (albeit injuries to key talls hurt them throughout the year).