The Longest Droughts at the End of Season 2014

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emuboy

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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.
 

RogersResults

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Excellent stuff.

A few more:
The Dogs haven't won four quarters vs the Cats since 1973.
The Swans haven't won four quarters vs the Magpies since 1959.
The Eagles have only kicked 20 goals once vs the Magpies - in 1991.
The Dockers have never beaten the Swans by 60 points and Richmond
and West Coast haven't since 1990.
The Demon's and the Dogs have only played in a 'top of the table' clash once
(round 3 1955.)
The Swans last kicked 6 goals in the first quarter vs the Hawks in 1949.
The last time the Dogs doubled the Magpie's score was in 1962 and the last
time the Demons did was in 1964.
The last time the Cats won less than 20% of their matches in a season was 1945,
every other team has at least once 1994-2014 except the Kangaroos - last in 1972.
The Bombers haven't come from behind at 3/4 time to defeat the Magpies since 1981.
 

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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.
I was thinking this was a typo, but no, Melbourne's HAS kicked that exact same score against North twice. Incredible.
 

North park

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Melbourne has lost its last 18 games played at Etihad Stadium with its last win there being against the Western Bulldogs in Round 19 of 2007. With Melbourne playing games at Etihad in 2015 against St.Kilda (Round 11), Western Bulldogs (Round 20) and GWS (Round 23), this drought may extend for another season.
 

emuboy

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Melbourne has lost its last 18 games played at Etihad Stadium with its last win there being against the Western Bulldogs in Round 19 of 2007. With Melbourne playing games at Etihad in 2015 against St.Kilda (Round 11), Western Bulldogs (Round 20) and GWS (Round 23), this drought may extend for another season.

That is a long drought of winning at that venue, but these games are all winnable for the Dees, so it would not be a surprise if the final siren sounded on at least one of these games and the sounds of "It's A Grand Old Flag" filled Etihad Stadium.
 

RogersResults

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Melbourne has lost its last 18 games played at Etihad Stadium with its last win there being against the Western Bulldogs in Round 19 of 2007. With Melbourne playing games at Etihad in 2015 against St.Kilda (Round 11), Western Bulldogs (Round 20) and GWS (Round 23), this drought may extend for another season.

The 'drought' is actually 20 matches. Figures to the end of 2014 for all teams are here: http://www.users.on.net/~rogersresults/Rogers_Results/longest_winning_streak_venues.htm
 

emuboy

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Twelve months after posting this thread, the longest droughts are still in place at the end of the 2015 season.

Despite improvement that few if anybody saw coming, the Bulldogs did not capture a premiership, GF place or minor premiership, nor did they have a player win the Coleman Medal or kick 10 goals in a game.

Melbourne, another improver, did not make the finals to break the longest current finals drought, so there was no finals series containing the Demons and Tigers for the first time since Japan's attack on Pearl Harbour in 1941. Melbourne's improving side did not kick a 200-point score, win by a century nor boast a 100-goal player for the first time. Melbourne's Jesse Hogan won the 2015 Norwich Rising Star, so this award eluded the Blues, Magpies and Bulldogs for another season at least.

Richmond put up only limited resistance to a fierce North Melbourne side in the Elimination Final so the Tigers' last September triumph occurred as the world reeled from September 11. Richmond took part in the same finals series as the Hawks (common) and Bulldogs (rare) and again failed to meet either of these teams in a finals game. There was no night premiership, so the Tigers did not get a chance to end this drought that dates back to 1962, when America and the USSR locked horns over the Cuban missile crisis and astronaut John Glenn observed the lights of Perth from space; while Ian Stewart's 1971 Brownlow remains the only triumph of this kind for the Tigers since Roy Wright in 1954.

Carlton took the wooden spoon, and as Hawthorn vs. Carlton was premier vs. wooden-spooner, the Blues did not break a winless record against the Hawks dating back to 2005 when Youtube was introduced to the world and obviously there was no final between the Blues and Bulldogs for the first time in 90-years.

Essendon were abysmal for much of the year, but avoided the wooden spoon for the first time since 1933 when the world struggled in the Great Depression. Sydney, although a finalist, received some heavy defeats this year, but none by a century or more for the first time since 1998. Adelaide again failed to draw, a tie against St Kilda in 1994 the Crows' only such result to date, although interestingly when considering draws, the Saints and Cats drew for the first time since the league began in 1897.

Of the GF match-ups that have not occurred between founding teams in 1897 (see OP) none obviously happened this year; a Richmond vs. St Kilda GF seems an impossibility; while the last Essendon vs. Swans GF remains in 1912, when the Titanic had its first and only voyage and it was announced that an obscure place called Canberra would become Australia's capital.
 

North park

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Melbourne managed to end its drought at Etihad Stadium when it beat GWS in the last round after 22 straight losses there. Incredibly, Melbourne were the home team that day, as they were in their last win there against the Western Bulldogs in Round 19 of 2007. So effectively Melbourne are still on a 22 game losing streak as the away team at Etihad, with their last "away" win against Essendon in Round 12 of 2006.

Melbourne also broke its drought at Kardinia Park, beating Geelong there for the first time since 2005 after 6 losses and 1 draw.

The drought Melbourne didn't break was its losing streak at Subiaco - it now stands at 16 losses since its last win there in 2004, the year that Athens hosted the Olympic Games and the Boxing Day tsunami killed thousands.
 

emuboy

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Finally, one of the longest droughts on this list has broken, with Essendon taking out the wooden spoon for the first time since 1933 after the high-scoring St Kilda vs. Brisbane game this afternoon. The fact that this match turned into a shoot-out was the only thing that prevented the Lions, which can take little credit for the 58-point thrashing from St Kilda, from winning the 2016 wooden spoon. A similar margin in a low scoring game would have put the Brisbane Lions on the bottom of the ladder.
 

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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.
Good stuff. These 2 may need to be amended. Wooden Spoon has gone which you posted . The Brownlow may or may not be decided on a report to the commission
 

benji2

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Finally, one of the longest droughts on this list has broken, with Essendon taking out the wooden spoon for the first time since 1933 after the high-scoring St Kilda vs. Brisbane game this afternoon. The fact that this match turned into a shoot-out was the only thing that prevented the Lions, which can take little credit for the 58-point thrashing from St Kilda, from winning the 2016 wooden spoon. A similar margin in a low scoring game would have put the Brisbane Lions on the bottom of the ladder.
Think Geelong now have the longest Wooden Spoon drought now at 58 years, followed by Hawthorn (51) and North (44). The two Adelaide teams have never won a wooden spoon.
 

emuboy

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Think Geelong now have the longest Wooden Spoon drought now at 58 years, followed by Hawthorn (51) and North (44). The two Adelaide teams have never won a wooden spoon.

Adelaide have never been in any danger of collecting a wooden spoon in any season, however Port Adelaide came very close to the 2011 wooden spoon, where only a win over Melbourne in the final round lifted the Power from the bottom of the ladder and put new team the Gold Coast Suns into last position.

Interestingly, in the SANFL Port Adelaide Magpies have not finished last since 1900, when the Australian states were still colonies and Victoria was the Queen of England. While Carlton went 105 years (1897-2001) without finishing last before collecting the 2002 wooden spoon (the Blues' first), and WAFL club East Fremantle also 105 years (1899-2003), with the 2004 wooden spoon the Sharks' first bottom place finish since 1898, the Magpies 116 year wooden spoon drought must be one of the longest droughts in any of the major competitions.
 

emuboy

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Good stuff. These 2 may need to be amended. Wooden Spoon has gone which you posted . The Brownlow may or may not be decided on a report to the commission

If Jobe Watson is stripped of the 2012 Brownlow Medal, wouldn't it be a situation like the NRL where the Melbourne Storm's 2007 and 2009 premierships were removed? The 2007 and 2009 NRL premierships were not retrospectively awarded to the runners up in those seasons, respectively Manly and Parramatta, so I thought that the AFL would apply the same principle to the 2012 Brownlow Medal should this arise.
 
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If Jobe Watson is stripped of the 2012 Brownlow Medal, wouldn't it be a situation like the NRL where the Melbourne Storm's 2007 and 2009 premierships were removed? The 2007 and 2009 NRL premierships were not retrospectively awarded to the runners up in those seasons, respectively Manly and Parramatta, so I thought that the AFL would apply the same principle to the 2012 Brownlow Medal should this arise.
From what I have read Sam Mitchell and Trent Cotchin will be awarded the Medal retrospectively. The AFL have not definitively said this but I believe this will happen.
 

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Adelaide have never been in any danger of collecting a wooden spoon in any season, however Port Adelaide came very close to the 2011 wooden spoon, where only a win over Melbourne in the final round lifted the Power from the bottom of the ladder and put new team the Gold Coast Suns into last position.

Interestingly, in the SANFL Port Adelaide Magpies have not finished last since 1900, when the Australian states were still colonies and Victoria was the Queen of England. While Carlton went 105 years (1897-2001) without finishing last before collecting the 2002 wooden spoon (the Blues' first), and WAFL club East Fremantle also 105 years (1899-2003), with the 2004 wooden spoon the Sharks' first bottom place finish since 1898, the Magpies 116 year wooden spoon drought must be one of the longest droughts in any of the major competitions.
Cheers for pointing this one out.

I remember when Melbourne were coming back hard at Adelaide Oval in 2011...I thought it was all over.
 

emuboy

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Another drought breaks, with the Western Bulldogs making the Grand Final for the first time since 1961. It now gives Richmond the longest GF drought, with the Tigers not appearing in the GF since 1982. After such an abysmal season and with the Tigers having little hope for a bright future in the short-medium term, it is not what Richmond wanted.

Hopefully the Bulldogs will break the longest premiership drought next Saturday.
 

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Another drought breaks, with the Western Bulldogs making the Grand Final for the first time since 1961. It now gives Richmond the longest GF drought, with the Tigers not appearing in the GF since 1982. After such an abysmal season and with the Tigers having little hope for a bright future in the short-medium term, it is not what Richmond wanted.

Hopefully the Bulldogs will break the longest premiership drought next Saturday.

With Richmond moving into first place for longest Grand Final drought, its second place has been taken by Adelaide which has not played in a Grand Final since 1998 - 18 years. Next on the list are North Melbourne and Carlton at 17 years, Melbourne at 16 years and Essendon at 15 years.

The Western Bulldogs also broke their streak of 7 consecutive Preliminary Finals losses. It means the longest losing streak is now 4, held jointly by North Melbourne (2000, 2007, 2014, 2015) and Adelaide (2002, 2005, 2006, 2012). Richmond is next on the list with 3 (1975, 1995, 2001) as it made the 1980 and 1982 Grand Finals via the Second Semi Final.
 

emuboy

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can things get any worse for Richmond?

Well given that now the Bulldogs have qualified for this years GF, it now leaves the Tigers as the only team in the AFL aside from newcomers the Gold Coast and GWS (and I have no doubt the Giants will change this sooner rather than later) to have not played in a Grand Final in the past 20 years.
 
From what I have read Sam Mitchell and Trent Cotchin will be awarded the Medal retrospectively. The AFL have not definitively said this but I believe this will happen.
I think it should be not awarded in that case. There were 22 games that season where votes were not given to players due to guilty players taking them.
 

emuboy

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Another drought breaks, with the Western Bulldogs making the Grand Final for the first time since 1961. It now gives Richmond the longest GF drought, with the Tigers not appearing in the GF since 1982. After such an abysmal season and with the Tigers having little hope for a bright future in the short-medium term, it is not what Richmond wanted.

Hopefully the Bulldogs will break the longest premiership drought next Saturday.

And they did!

The Bulldogs are premiers for the first time since 1954 in one of the best Grand Finals of all time.

Congratulations Bulldogs, and hopefully the side now with the longest drought, Melbourne's 52 years dating back to 1964, will break soon.
 

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