Analysis The Premierships that could have been.

[Supreme_Chancellor]

From about halfway thru 2015 to halfway thru 2016 we won something like 22 games out of 25. It was a dominant period of footy. Just typical of Bard that he couldn't have done it during one season.

A 19-3 season plus 3 finals wins sounds good to me.

 

[Kimbo]

From about halfway thru 2015 to halfway thru 2016 we won something like 22 games out of 25. It was a dominant period of footy. Just typical of Bard that he couldn't have done it during one season.

I don’t think ‘typical of Bard...’ applies to 2016 wrt injuries.

I tend to think ‘it’s a shame...’

 

[ferball]

I don’t think ‘typical of Bard...’ applies to 2016 wrt injuries.

I tend to think ‘it’s a shame...’

Typical of him in that (IMO) he was an unlucky coach.

Nothing ever seemed to go his (or our) way.

Of course its also true that you make your own luck to an extent.

 

[Kimbo]

Typical of him in that (IMO) he was an unlucky coach.

Nothing ever seemed to go his (or our) way.

Of course its also true that you make your own luck to an extent.

Typical for Brad, and yes, some of his shortcomings may have contributed.

 

[desie]

1979 for me.

We'd lost the '78 GF by only three goals and recruited a handful of absolute stars to the club.

It was arguably the greatest list of names to ever grace a football field in the one side and yet we didn't even get to the big day.

 

[Cyber_punk]

The problem with the bard years, in particular 2014-16 is I felt we had the "near enough is good enough" and "We'll get em another day" attitude. Our lack of large wins suggested to me there was a lack of killer instinct under him. We seemed happy enough to coast after getting to about a 5 goal lead in most of our games. This is backed up by the "12 wins is the goal" nonsense by Brad in 2016.

When we get a lead, I don't want us to be content. I want us to crush their throats under our boots. I want to see the light and hope fade from their eyes as they are rendered victims.

 

[Hojuman]

1979 for me.

We'd lost the '78 GF by only three goals and recruited a handful of absolute stars to the club.

It was arguably the greatest list of names to ever grace a football field in the one side and yet we didn't even get to the big day.

Soggy September didn't help..

 

[Marstermind]

From about halfway thru 2015 to halfway thru 2016 we won something like 22 games out of 25. It was a dominant period of footy. Just typical of Bard that he couldn't have done it during one season.

From the disastrous loss against the Suns in Round 14, 2015 to smashing Richmond in Hobart in Round 11, 2016 we won 19 out of 23 games. We then won 6 of the next 33.

 

[ferball]

From the disastrous loss against the Suns in Round 14, 2015 to smashing Richmond in Hobart in Round 11, 2016 we won 19 out of 23 games. We then won 6 of the next 33.

I just looked it up.

11 of the last 16 games and 10 of the next 11, or 9 of 9... There is a stretch of 20 of 25 games.

Then as you say it all fell apart. I think injuries in 2016 counted toward that. Some games we had no forward line. I think we could have won 3 or 4 more games that year without the injuries. Swans, Hawks, Geelong and the Premiers the second time were all games where injuries cost us in game (or in the Doggies game cos we literally had no forward line.)

Of course we did dump over 1000 games of experience. Which does matter. We lost games we should have won in 2017 but didn't have the composure to hold on. But it wouldn't have made much of a difference. Another 3 or 4 wins at most.

Which may have cost us LDU. I've been watching last years games. He'll be something I reckon.

We've done a reasonable job rebuilding the list and footy department (well time will tell) since.

Hopefully in three years time these sort of threads will be about 5 and 6 on the back of that.

 

[Masked Avenger]

1998 for me. By a street.

We played like millionaires in the first half. Wasted so many opportunities and complacency definitely set in.

As the Crows were surging in the last quarter, I just wanted them to kick the bloody thing to Carey. So vivid in my mind to this day. I was utterly convinced he'd pull us out of the fire. No doubt in my mind at all. He was that good. It wasn't to be.

 

[Marstermind]

1983 was another one. No minor premier since has gone out in straight sets. Not only that, we were destroyed. Not so much a premiership that got away because our finals series was so bad, but we finished a game clear on top and totally ballsed it up.

It was another close year. The top 4 teams ended a game apart all with percentages in the 120s. The minor premier (us) had a rather low 16 wins, the wooden spooner (StK) had a rather high 5 wins. We were a bit of an enigma - we beat every side once except for Fitzroy. The Lions beat us by 43 and 150 points during the year. Of the other finalists we beat Carlton by 111 three weeks before the Fitzroy thrashing, Hawthorn by 51 and Essendon late in the year. But we also lost to all three as well, although not badly. We knocked over the Swans by 140 and the Dogs by 115. We broke the club record high score three times. Glendinning won the Brownlow. Aside from playing Fitzroy, it was an excellent season. We got to the finals in good nick. We lost to Hawthorn and Carlton in the last 6 weeks but weren't embarrassed, and won games by 54, 93, 32 and 73. We got the week off, played Hawthorn who were a bit lucky the previous week and......

Probably the worst finals campaign by any minor premier ever. The Hawks got past us easily in the 2nd Semi and were completely taken apart by Essendon by 86 in the Prelim. Didn't fire a shot whatsoever in either game. We didn't have a spate injuries going into the finals. I guess any side who could lose a game by 150pts would have an edge of flakiness about them but it was a total disaster. It then continued on into 1984 where everything fell apart with injuries, retirements and trying to blood some newcomers.

I was 11 at the time so can't recall any stories of what went wrong. I do recall crying on my trampoline listening to the Essendon final. The whole year, aside from the Fitzroy game, was building up so well and it just fell apart quite awfully.

 

[Masked Avenger]

1983 was another one. No minor premier since has gone out in straight sets. Not only that, we were destroyed. Not so much a premiership that got away because our finals series was so bad, but we finished a game clear on top and totally ballsed it up.

It was another close year. The top 4 teams ended a game apart all with percentages in the 120s. The minor premier (us) had a rather low 16 wins, the wooden spooner (StK) had a rather high 5 wins. We were a bit of an enigma - we beat every side once except for Fitzroy. The Lions beat us by 43 and 150 points during the year. Of the other finalists we beat Carlton by 111 three weeks before the Fitzroy thrashing, Hawthorn by 51 and Essendon late in the year. But we also lost to all three as well, although not badly. We knocked over the Swans by 140 and the Dogs by 115. We broke the club record high score three times. Glendinning won the Brownlow. Aside from playing Fitzroy, it was an excellent season. We got to the finals in good nick. We lost to Hawthorn and Carlton in the last 6 weeks but weren't embarrassed, and won games by 54, 93, 32 and 73. We got the week off, played Hawthorn who were a bit lucky the previous week and......

Probably the worst finals campaign by any minor premier ever. The Hawks got past us easily in the 2nd Semi and were completely taken apart by Essendon by 86 in the Prelim. Didn't fire a shot whatsoever in either game. We didn't have a spate injuries going into the finals. I guess any side who could lose a game by 150pts would have an edge of flakiness about them but it was a total disaster. It then continued on into 1984 where everything fell apart with injuries, retirements and trying to blood some newcomers.

I was 11 at the time so can't recall any stories of what went wrong. I do recall crying on my trampoline listening to the Essendon final. The whole year, aside from the Fitzroy game, was building up so well and it just fell apart quite awfully.

That 150 point loss to Fitzroy sealed our fate really. Only one team in the history of the VFL/AFL, that's over 123 seasons, has lost a game by 100 points or more and won a premiership in the same season. To make matters worse, Carlton beat us by 23 goals in Round 1 of the following year and we narrowly avoided the wooden spoon by percentage only. The closest we've been in the last 48 years.

 

[Liam Boy]

That 150 point loss to Fitzroy sealed our fate really. Only one team in the history of the VFL/AFL, that's over 123 seasons, has lost a game by 100 points or more and won a premiership in the same season. To make matters worse, Carlton beat us by 23 goals in Round 1 of the following year and we narrowly avoided the wooden spoon by percentage only. The closest we've been in the last 48 years.

what's the closest a team that's lost by over 100 points has ever come to the flag? Has anyone else ever lost a game by over 100 and then won the minor premiership?

 

[Hojuman]

what's the closest a team that's lost by over 100 points has ever come to the flag? Has anyone else ever lost a game by over 100 and then won the minor premiership?

We gave Port a pasting in 2004 at Colonial when they had a stack of injuries in rd. 8. At one stage we led by over 100 points, but in true North fashion they kicked maybe the last 2/3 goals of the game.



Port minor premiers & premiers.

 

[Mack Mitchell]

1983 was another one. No minor premier since has gone out in straight sets. Not only that, we were destroyed. Not so much a premiership that got away because our finals series was so bad, but we finished a game clear on top and totally ballsed it up.

It was another close year. The top 4 teams ended a game apart all with percentages in the 120s. The minor premier (us) had a rather low 16 wins, the wooden spooner (StK) had a rather high 5 wins. We were a bit of an enigma - we beat every side once except for Fitzroy. The Lions beat us by 43 and 150 points during the year. Of the other finalists we beat Carlton by 111 three weeks before the Fitzroy thrashing, Hawthorn by 51 and Essendon late in the year. But we also lost to all three as well, although not badly. We knocked over the Swans by 140 and the Dogs by 115. We broke the club record high score three times. Glendinning won the Brownlow. Aside from playing Fitzroy, it was an excellent season. We got to the finals in good nick. We lost to Hawthorn and Carlton in the last 6 weeks but weren't embarrassed, and won games by 54, 93, 32 and 73. We got the week off, played Hawthorn who were a bit lucky the previous week and......

Probably the worst finals campaign by any minor premier ever. The Hawks got past us easily in the 2nd Semi and were completely taken apart by Essendon by 86 in the Prelim. Didn't fire a shot whatsoever in either game. We didn't have a spate injuries going into the finals. I guess any side who could lose a game by 150pts would have an edge of flakiness about them but it was a total disaster. It then continued on into 1984 where everything fell apart with injuries, retirements and trying to blood some newcomers.

I was 11 at the time so can't recall any stories of what went wrong. I do recall crying on my trampoline listening to the Essendon final. The whole year, aside from the Fitzroy game, was building up so well and it just fell apart quite awfully.

For some reason 83 is the year that I remember, apart from f***ing 98! I guess my age at the time, 15. Not aware of the intricacies of footy clubs and knowing we finished on top and for ***** sake we should've just won the premiership!

 

[Masked Avenger]

what's the closest a team that's lost by over 100 points has ever come to the flag? Has anyone else ever lost a game by over 100 and then won the minor premiership?

In 1945. Essendon beat Carlton by a 100 points exactly. Carlton went on to win the premiership that year - beating South Melbourne in the bloodbath grand final. Only time it's ever happened.