The AFL Eras Biggest Underachievers- My Top 5

[Fourthawn]

West Coast in 2019/20 have to be in contention as great underperformers. They won a grand final in 2018 and then added Naitanui, Gaff and Kelly to that team (with no significant losses) but have done two thirds of stuff all since. Either they massively over-performed in 2018 or have massively under-performed since.

 

[PCORF]

St Kilda
Adelaide 2002-2017
Geelong 2012-present

 

[Cash is King]

St Kilda
Adelaide 2002-2017
Geelong 2012-present

Adelaide we’re 14-2 in 2006 with an incredible percentage and we’re beem compared to Essendon 2000 at the time. Things went pear shaped after that for them.

 

[Captain_Bender]

West Coast in 2019/20 have to be in contention as great underperformers. They won a grand final in 2018 and then added Naitanui, Gaff and Kelly to that team (with no significant losses) but have done two thirds of stuff all since. Either they massively over-performed in 2018 or have massively under-performed since.

Weren't a a top 4 side in 2016 or 2017 either, more a average side who got lucky one year and haven't been close that that both before and after

 

[telsor]

Geelong 2012-present

Agreed.

During that time they've always been thereabouts, but never saluted. They won a lot of respect from me for their fight in this years GF, but looked at over the long term, a single honourable loss in a GF isn't much to show for 9 years which have mostly been top 4 finishes.

 

[Fadge]

My top 3:
1. Richmond 1990-2016
2. Carlton 2002-present
3. Essendon 2003-present

 

[Bungeye]

Collingwood 2002-2020 Making finals most years with only one premiership to show for it.

 

[Catsnlakers]

Collingwood 2002-2020 Making finals most years with only one premiership to show for it.

This is true, but you’ve only finished on top twice during that whole period....I see the Pies as a constant finals team who have only ever been the best for about a 14 month period, mid 2010-end of H&A 2011.....The same thing applies for my team, through Scott’s entire reign we’ve only finished on top once (2019) & even then the majority of the competition didn’t see us as the yardstick as the Tigers were (rightly so) seen as that.

 

[Bungeye]

This is true, but you’ve only finished on top twice during that whole period....I see the Pies as a constant finals team who have only ever been the best for about a 14 month period, mid 2010-end of H&A 2011.....The same thing applies for my team, through Scott’s entire reign we’ve only finished on top once (2019) & even then the majority of the competition didn’t see us as the yardstick as the Tigers were (rightly so) seen as that.

I don't think finishing top really matters because of the inadequacy of the draw. I always thought the Brisbane lions were the team to beat in the early 2000s, despite never finishing on top in the H&A season.

 

[PJays]

Has anyone mentioned Gold Coast in this thread?

When you consider all their draft concessions, Gold Coast not even making finals yet is pretty abysmal.

 

[adelaide_crows]

IIRC Spider Everitt was injured in 97 - if he plays, St Kilda win that flag.

crows were missing 2 All Australians in Modra and Riccuito

 

[iameviljez]

Has anyone mentioned Gold Coast in this thread?

When you consider all their draft concessions, Gold Coast not even making finals yet is pretty abysmal.

aaaand if anything, this comment has become more and more pertinent.

 

[iameviljez]

crows were missing 2 All Australians in Modra and Riccuito

Completely true, but I think the bigger issue was that StKilda lost both of their senior ruckmen (Everitt and Vidovic), and couldn't replace that, whereas Adelaide was able to cover the loss of Roo, and if Modra had played, no Jarman to full-forward.

1997 was a hugely even season, and IIRC there were five clubs who really could have won it (Saints, Adelaide, Geelong, Bulldogs, North). All were flawed in some way, but with some great coaching, some brilliant individual performances, and more than a bit of luck, Adelaide fought their way through.

 

[iameviljez]

1. St. Kilda (04-10)
Multiple brownlow, Coleman and norm Smith medallists, yet... no premiership. Incredible winning streaks, minor premierships and all australians... with no premiership.

(...)

4. Geelong (1989-1995)
They werent up to it in the Grand Finals. Mostly blow-out losses and even the 1989 Grand Final provided the history books a flattering scoreline. However, 89, 92, 94 and 95 all losses stings severely.

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).

 

[Grand Uncle Horace]

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).

oh dear.

 

[BigVic]

GWS had a great squad from 2016-19. How did they not win a flag is beyond me. Their best shot was in 2016 with a strong core of Kelly, Cameron, Taranto, Himmelberg, Hopper etc

 

[BigVic]

Sydney Swans 2014-22 with Buddy. Best forward of our generation, 1000 goals, made 3 grand finals and lost them all including 2 blowouts in 2014 and 2022 which turned out to be Buddy's first and last grand finals as a Swan.

 

[iameviljez]

GWS had a great squad from 2016-19. How did they not win a flag is beyond me. Their best shot was in 2016 with a strong core of Kelly, Cameron, Taranto, Himmelberg, Hopper etc

I think the sheer amount of personnel turnover really hurt them. Even in the year where they really came good (2016), they still lost Hoskin-Elliott, Steele and McCarthy. 2017 they lost Devon Smith and Nathan Wilson. 2018, Scully, Lobb and Shiel.

 

[MadMundy]

I'd argue that Fremantle from 2003-2007 should have performed much better than they did, they made finals twice when they realistically should have been there every year.

Missed out in 2004 and 2005 by one game and less than a game, finish 5th in 2003 and 3rd in 2006, we had beaten West Coast both times in 2006 when they were the best team in the competition by far, had we met them in the Grand Final I imagine our boys would have been confident enough to beat them.

2007 everything just fell apart, still only missed finals by 2 games though.

A forward line that has the likes of Pavlich, Farmer, Medhurst and Headland should have performed much better.

 

[Thuggee_Cult]

Sydney Swans 2014-22 with Buddy. Best forward of our generation, 1000 goals, made 3 grand finals and lost them all including 2 blowouts in 2014 and 2022 which turned out to be Buddy's first and last grand finals as a Swan.

Agree that we underachieved from 2012-2016. We should have walked away with at least 2 outta 3 flags with that group. Ironically the ‘12 team was the weakest out of the 3 GF sides in this era but we got the chocolates.

2022 is a totally different and new squad, plus we were poo in the latter half of 2018-20 as we were rebuilding.

 

[GoldbergsGold]

St Kilda's 2004-2010 team are definitely the biggest underachievers of all time. The teams they lost to in a Preliminary final or Grand final in 2004, 2005, 2008, 2009, 2010 all went onto win premierships.

 

[Thuggee_Cult]

I still think Carlton 93-95 should have netted at least 2 flags instead of one.

93 was a pretty wide open year. How they lost to Essendon is still a mystery, that was one that certainly got away.

In 94 the Eagles where still far and away the best team but Carlton where a threat to them.

The Cats , like Pies of 80 and GWS of 19 , did unbelievably well just to make the 94 GF but they helped knock out two genuine contenders in North and the Blues to get there. Irks me when people say the Cats choked that one.

 

[iameviljez]

Agree that we underachieved from 2012-2016. We should have walked away with at least 2 outta 3 flags with that group. Ironically the ‘12 team was the weakest out of the 3 GF sides in this era but we got the chocolates.

Yes, but... it's also about a bit of luck, and who you play.

Hawthorn was a generational side, and everything that could go wrong, did go wrong, in 2016. Buddy played hurt, you got a shocking run from the umps, and a couple of Good Ordinary Players in JJ, Picken and Boyd absolutely pulled one out of their arses.

 

[GoldbergsGold]

Another team that underachieved is Sydney. Since 1996, they've made the finals an incredible 23 times out of 28 but only won 2 premierships from 7 Grand Final appearances.

 

[iameviljez]

Another team that underachieved is Sydney. Since 1996, they've made the finals an incredible 23 times out of 28 but only won 2 premierships from 7 Grand Final appearances.

How many did they start favourites, though? Probably just 2014 and 2016 AFAIR. 1996, 2012 and 2022 they started as pretty rank outsiders.