Where does Richmond v Collingwood rank among the great 'missed' Grand Finals?

BillyBrainless

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Two powerhouse Victorian teams who haven't met in a Grand Final in 40 years.
Collingwood's shot at GF redemption up against Richmond's chance at a dynasty.

I'd say it's up there with North v West Coast in the '90's (the two best teams of that era, Carey v Jakovich).
All WA Grand Final with Freo v West Coast in '15 when Freo had a home prelim.
Hawthorn and Geelong missing a rematch after '08 when they were both experiencing golden eras.
 

romeohwho

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Would have been fun but actually hoping for a better contest between tigers and gws. Pies wouldn’t have beaten tigers although I would have been supporting them.
 
Oct 9, 2003
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Two powerhouse Victorian teams who haven't met in a Grand Final in 40 years.
Collingwood's shot at GF redemption up against Richmond's chance at a dynasty.

I'd say it's up there with North v West Coast in the '90's (the two best teams of that era, Carey v Jakovich).
All WA Grand Final with Freo v West Coast in '15 when Freo had a home prelim.
Hawthorn and Geelong missing a rematch after '08 when they were both experiencing golden eras.
In terms of build up, inner city rivalry, huge fan base, etc, it's absolutely up there clearly.
But let's not forget that the Pies lucked into 4th, and couldn't beat an undermanned 6th at home in a prelim. So they clearly weren't one of the 2 best teams for the year to justify any pity for a "missed" GF.

Unlike say Essendon who should have played North in 99, or North who should have played WC in 94.
In those cases and more though, those teams just weren't good enough to get there.
 

2006_Eagles

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Right up there. No disrespect to GWS who deserve to be there, but there’s a bit of a flat feeling about next weeks GF now..

Agreed.

I'm happy that it will be easier for my bro to get a ticket now, but it could have been one for the ages
 
Jun 27, 2010
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Richmond is clearly a dominant side of this era but nothing about this Collingwood side suggests powerhouse and there's no analogy here whatsoever to Hawks v Cats. On the contrary Collingwood had every possible advantage against a weakened Giants yesterday on their home ground and failed the test. GWS are like Bulldogs in 2016, having scrapped their way through the finals to make it to the big one. Fantastic to see a brave young team win their way into the decider and great for footy to have another strong team in the biggest state.
 

Benny78

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Lol it's not the 1980's anymore half those people are dead and supporters of the "big 4" and Elvis Presley need to get with the times. 4th v 11th so it's not even a missed big grand final. Every Grand Final fills out to 100k seat wise

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4
 
The build-up would've been intense, but I don't think Collingwood would've given Richmond much of a fight if they made it (though had the Mayne "goal" not been referred....that kind of momentum from a win like that would've been irrestible to stop)
 
Feb 5, 2018
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I actually prefer these random grand final match ups we've been enjoying since 2012 (not including 2015).

Geelong vs GWS would have only added to that, but I'm okay with Richmond instead.

I feel there may be more neutral supporters invested in next weeks game now that it's a serious underdog vs the rampaging Tigers. Collingwood vs Richmond would have been an amazing spectacle, but you could argue no one outside the competing teams supporters would give a crap about who won.
 
Sep 22, 2011
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I don’t think it does at all. People are just getting carried away by media wank about supporter numbers. That doesn’t mean anything once the series blows.

1st vs 2nd is theoretically the best GF - that’s established over 23 rounds. Neither of Collingwood or Richmond were top 2.

People talk about 1999 for example - Essendon and North were first and second and clearly the dominant teams.
 
Collingwood vs Richmond is as interesting to me as Port Adelaide vs Fremantle.

This Grand Final matchup is as fantastic as any other. Hope the Giants get up and win their first.
 

dean33

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Pies only got past their QF by 10 pts and won their penultimate game by 11 pts before losing the Prelim. I think Richmond would’ve easily beat Collingwood similar to 1980.
That’s the exact reason I was sad to see the pies get beaten yesterday. We would have feasted on their carcass and it would have been football nirvana... oh well.
 

Craze

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Would have loved Fitzroy to have got to the GF in the mid-80's. Fitzroy v.'s Essendon or Hawthorn, perhaps 1983.

Geelong were unlucky not to have played in a GF in the 1980/1981 period.

Carlton played a couple of epic matches against West Coast in the early-mid 90's, before the North era started. So, with all due respect to Geelong, Carlton v.'s West Coast in 1994-95 might have proved better for neutrals.

Going back a little further, Richmond's golden era of '67 - '74 coincided with the great Hawthorn teams of the early-mid 70's. They never even played off in a final, let alone a GF. 1971 would have been the obvious year, but the Saints spoiled the party (and then almost knocked off the Hawks in the GF).
 

dean33

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Lol it's not the 1980's anymore half those people are dead and supporters of the "big 4" and Elvis Presley need to get with the times. 4th v 11th so it's not even a missed big grand final. Every Grand Final fills out to 100k seat wise

3-DF3-FD54-3-BE2-4731-A7-A7-54-FF1-ED24-A33.jpg


4
If you believe that graph you also believe Elvis is still alive.
 

lamby

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Right up there. No disrespect to GWS who deserve to be there, but there’s a bit of a flat feeling about next weeks GF now..

Even when you add to that GWS side an All-Australian Forward/mid (Greene), an AA back/mid (Whitfield) and a $1m a year Midfielder (Coniglio)?

This has the makings of a classic!
 
Apr 18, 2005
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Good thread. I go back into the nineties onwards to find these;

1994 - WC v North
1995 - Carlton v Richmond
1997 - St Kilda v WB
1998 - Melbourne v WB
1999 - Essendon v North
2002 - Adelaide v Port
2011 - Hawthorn v Geelong
2015 - WC v Fremantle
2016 - GWS v Sydney
2017 - Richmond v Geelong
2018 - Collingwood v Melbourne / Richmond v Melbourne

The reason I’ve included so many is the potential I feel for some huge GF appearances in terms of longevity and rivalry and also non appearance in GF; St kilda v WB, Melbourne v WB.

Of that list, my top 5 ‘almost GF’ would be;

1. WC v Fremantle
2. Adelaide v Port
3. Sydney v GWS
4. Essendon v North
5. WC v North
 
May 8, 2007
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I think with the way Grand final week has developed over the last 10-20 years, a Richmond-Collingwood GF would have been absolutely huge. At least in Melbourne. I'm a little bit sad we have missed it.

The GF Parade has become a real event, there is so much more media, so many more events. We do so much associated activity with the actual event (think of the social activities associated with the GP, the Melbourne Cup or the Tennis). Except this time, everyone has a personal interest - you either barrack for one of the teams, seriously hate one, or hate both. You wouldn't have the same 'theatre-goer' ambience you get at the other big-ticket items. It would be far more passionate and interesting.
Now that we block off local streets in the suburbs involved, they would have blocked off everything down Hoddle St/Punt Rd from the Eastern Freeway to the Yarra from the Thursday Training on.

However the BIG one will be when we get a Freo-WC or Port-Crows Grand Final. I'd even think about going to the town for a few days just to feel the atmosphere. Those will be amazing.
 
Apr 18, 2005
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I think with the way Grand final week has developed over the last 10-20 years, a Richmond-Collingwood GF would have been absolutely huge. At least in Melbourne. I'm a little bit sad we have missed it.

The GF Parade has become a real event, there is so much more media, so many more events. We do so much associated activity with the actual event (think of the social activities associated with the GP, the Melbourne Cup or the Tennis). Except this time, everyone has a personal interest - you either barrack for one of the teams, seriously hate one, or hate both. You wouldn't have the same 'theatre-goer' ambience you get at the other big-ticket items. It would be far more passionate and interesting.
Now that we block off local streets in the suburbs involved, they would have blocked off everything down Hoddle St/Punt Rd from the Eastern Freeway to the Yarra from the Thursday Training on.

However the BIG one will be when we get a Freo-WC or Port-Crows Grand Final. I'd even think about going to the town for a few days just to feel the atmosphere. Those will be amazing.
We missed that in 15
 
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