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With AFL Season 2014 ending today with Hawthorn giving the Sydney Swans a 63-point thrashing in the Grand Final, I thought it would be interesting to list out the longest current droughts in the AFL. Will they be broken in Season 2015? When will they be broken?
PREMIERSHIP - The Bulldogs won their first, and 60 years later their only premiership to date, when they trounced Melbourne in the 1954 Grand Final. At this time, Elvis Presley worked as a truck driver, Bill Hayley and the Comets were putting the finishing touches to 'Rock Around the Clock' and 'Shake, Rattle & Roll' and the Penguins were keeping their fingers crossed that 'Earth Angel' would be a hit.
GRAND FINAL APPEARANCE - The Bulldogs second GF appearance took place on a hot day in 1961, where Hawthorn won by 43-points. Since then the Hawks have taken home 11 more premierships, while the Bulldogs have developed a Preliminary Final hoodoo, and have not returned to the Grand Final 53 years since then.
MINOR PREMIERSHIP - Another for the Bulldogs, who have never topped the ladder in 90 seasons. Of sides to have headed the ladder Melbourne has the longest drought of 50 years, dating back the Demons' last premiership season in 1964.
FINALS APPEARANCE - Melbourne has not played finals since 2006.
WINNING FINAL - Richmond, courtesy of a finals absence of more than a decade and humiliating Elimination Final eliminations in 2013 & 2014, last won a finals game, a Semi final, in 2001, defeating Carlton in a poor standard game in a tumultuous time in world history.
FINALS MATCH-UP - Season 2014 was the 8th time that Hawthorn and Richmond played in the same finals series (1971, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1982, 2001, 2013, 2014) , but in 90-years, they have never played a final. The only September game between Carlton and the Bulldogs would be a match in the last round of the season that happened to encroach into the 9th month, despite numerous finals series featuring these teams. Richmond and the Bulldogs have also never played a final, but finals series featuring both clubs are few and far between (1944, 1974 & 1995).
When considering teams that have actually played a final, Melbourne and Richmond last played the 1940 Grand Final, and have not met since. Essendon and the Bulldogs have not played a final since the 1953 first semi final.
TEAMS IN SAME FINALS SERIES - Not only have Melbourne and Richmond not played in a final since Melbourne's 1940 premiership win, but they have not been in the same finals series since 1941!
GRAND FINAL MATCH UPS - Of the 7 1897 foundation teams remaining in their own right, the following GF Match-Ups have never taken place: Carlton v Melbourne, Carlton v St Kilda, Geelong v Melbourne, Geelong v Swans, Melbourne v St Kilda, Melbourne v Swans, St Kilda v Swans.
Richmond, which entered in 1908 with University, has met 7 of the 8 existing clubs at the time (even Fitzroy) in a Grand Final, with the exception being St Kilda.
Taking into account teams that have actually played a GF, the longest drought is Essendon v Swans, which played in the 1912 Grand Final, the same year the Titanic sank.
NIGHT PREMIERSHIP - This competition has taken many different forms over the years, but whichever way you look at it, 1962 is a long time ago, and was the last time Richmond added this trophy to their cabinet.
WOODEN SPOON - Essendon last finished bottom of the ladder in 1933, the year the Sydney Harbour Bridge opened.
BROWNLOW MEDAL - No Richmond player has claimed a Brownlow Medal since Ian Stewart in 1971. Remarkably, Stewart is the only Tiger player to win the award in 50 years.
LEADING GOAL-KICKER - Simon Beasley is the last Bulldog to lead the goal-kicking, in a stellar 1985 season for the club.
CENTURY GOAL-KICKER - Melbourne has the player to kick the highest number of goals in a game (Fred Fanning 1947), and the player to kick the fastest century (Allen Jakovich 1991-1992). What they do not have is a player to kick 100 goals in one season. Taking into account players that have kicked 100 goals, not since Michael Roach in 1981 has a Richmond Tiger kicked a century of goals in a season.
10 OR MORE GOALS IN A GAME - Simon Beasley kicked 10 goals as the Bulldogs demolished the Brisbane Bears late in 1987, and no Bulldog has kicked this number since then.
NORM SMITH MEDAL - Neither a Bulldogs nor Melbourne player have won a Norm Smith medal, but the drought should go to Melbourne, as the Bulldogs have not played a GF when the award was available. Richmond's last Norm Smith medalist was the late Maurice Rioli in 1982.
RISING STAR - Since its inception in 1993, 3 teams in existence at the time have not produced a player to win this; Carlton, Collingwood & Bulldogs. The West Coast Eagles have not claimed it since 1996, when a young rookie named Ben Cousins won.
WINNING AGAINST AN OPPONENT - Carlton last defeated Hawthorn in Round 6 2005.
CENTURY WIN - Melbourne last won by a century in 2004, when they beat Carlton by 105-points.
CENTURY LOSS - The Sydney Swans last went down by a century in 1998, by 101 points to the Saints
200 POINT SCORE - Melbourne have never kicked a 200-point score, with the Demons' highest score 28.14-182 against North Melbourne in 1986 & 1991. St Kilda and the Bulldogs have only kicked 200-points once, both in 1978; the Saints against Melbourne and the Bulldogs against St Kilda.
DRAWN GAME - In very wet, cold and gloomy conditions at Waverley Park in Round 14 1994, the Adelaide Crows drew with St Kilda. Twenty long years have come and gone since that day, and the Crows have not drawn another game to date.
PREMIERSHIP - The Bulldogs won their first, and 60 years later their only premiership to date, when they trounced Melbourne in the 1954 Grand Final. At this time, Elvis Presley worked as a truck driver, Bill Hayley and the Comets were putting the finishing touches to 'Rock Around the Clock' and 'Shake, Rattle & Roll' and the Penguins were keeping their fingers crossed that 'Earth Angel' would be a hit.
GRAND FINAL APPEARANCE - The Bulldogs second GF appearance took place on a hot day in 1961, where Hawthorn won by 43-points. Since then the Hawks have taken home 11 more premierships, while the Bulldogs have developed a Preliminary Final hoodoo, and have not returned to the Grand Final 53 years since then.
MINOR PREMIERSHIP - Another for the Bulldogs, who have never topped the ladder in 90 seasons. Of sides to have headed the ladder Melbourne has the longest drought of 50 years, dating back the Demons' last premiership season in 1964.
FINALS APPEARANCE - Melbourne has not played finals since 2006.
WINNING FINAL - Richmond, courtesy of a finals absence of more than a decade and humiliating Elimination Final eliminations in 2013 & 2014, last won a finals game, a Semi final, in 2001, defeating Carlton in a poor standard game in a tumultuous time in world history.
FINALS MATCH-UP - Season 2014 was the 8th time that Hawthorn and Richmond played in the same finals series (1971, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1982, 2001, 2013, 2014) , but in 90-years, they have never played a final. The only September game between Carlton and the Bulldogs would be a match in the last round of the season that happened to encroach into the 9th month, despite numerous finals series featuring these teams. Richmond and the Bulldogs have also never played a final, but finals series featuring both clubs are few and far between (1944, 1974 & 1995).
When considering teams that have actually played a final, Melbourne and Richmond last played the 1940 Grand Final, and have not met since. Essendon and the Bulldogs have not played a final since the 1953 first semi final.
TEAMS IN SAME FINALS SERIES - Not only have Melbourne and Richmond not played in a final since Melbourne's 1940 premiership win, but they have not been in the same finals series since 1941!
GRAND FINAL MATCH UPS - Of the 7 1897 foundation teams remaining in their own right, the following GF Match-Ups have never taken place: Carlton v Melbourne, Carlton v St Kilda, Geelong v Melbourne, Geelong v Swans, Melbourne v St Kilda, Melbourne v Swans, St Kilda v Swans.
Richmond, which entered in 1908 with University, has met 7 of the 8 existing clubs at the time (even Fitzroy) in a Grand Final, with the exception being St Kilda.
Taking into account teams that have actually played a GF, the longest drought is Essendon v Swans, which played in the 1912 Grand Final, the same year the Titanic sank.
NIGHT PREMIERSHIP - This competition has taken many different forms over the years, but whichever way you look at it, 1962 is a long time ago, and was the last time Richmond added this trophy to their cabinet.
WOODEN SPOON - Essendon last finished bottom of the ladder in 1933, the year the Sydney Harbour Bridge opened.
BROWNLOW MEDAL - No Richmond player has claimed a Brownlow Medal since Ian Stewart in 1971. Remarkably, Stewart is the only Tiger player to win the award in 50 years.
LEADING GOAL-KICKER - Simon Beasley is the last Bulldog to lead the goal-kicking, in a stellar 1985 season for the club.
CENTURY GOAL-KICKER - Melbourne has the player to kick the highest number of goals in a game (Fred Fanning 1947), and the player to kick the fastest century (Allen Jakovich 1991-1992). What they do not have is a player to kick 100 goals in one season. Taking into account players that have kicked 100 goals, not since Michael Roach in 1981 has a Richmond Tiger kicked a century of goals in a season.
10 OR MORE GOALS IN A GAME - Simon Beasley kicked 10 goals as the Bulldogs demolished the Brisbane Bears late in 1987, and no Bulldog has kicked this number since then.
NORM SMITH MEDAL - Neither a Bulldogs nor Melbourne player have won a Norm Smith medal, but the drought should go to Melbourne, as the Bulldogs have not played a GF when the award was available. Richmond's last Norm Smith medalist was the late Maurice Rioli in 1982.
RISING STAR - Since its inception in 1993, 3 teams in existence at the time have not produced a player to win this; Carlton, Collingwood & Bulldogs. The West Coast Eagles have not claimed it since 1996, when a young rookie named Ben Cousins won.
WINNING AGAINST AN OPPONENT - Carlton last defeated Hawthorn in Round 6 2005.
CENTURY WIN - Melbourne last won by a century in 2004, when they beat Carlton by 105-points.
CENTURY LOSS - The Sydney Swans last went down by a century in 1998, by 101 points to the Saints
200 POINT SCORE - Melbourne have never kicked a 200-point score, with the Demons' highest score 28.14-182 against North Melbourne in 1986 & 1991. St Kilda and the Bulldogs have only kicked 200-points once, both in 1978; the Saints against Melbourne and the Bulldogs against St Kilda.
DRAWN GAME - In very wet, cold and gloomy conditions at Waverley Park in Round 14 1994, the Adelaide Crows drew with St Kilda. Twenty long years have come and gone since that day, and the Crows have not drawn another game to date.