Which clubs are really the big four of the AFL?

Which clubs are really the big four of the AFL?

  • Essendon, Collingwood, Carlton & Richmond.

    Votes: 261 72.5%
  • Sydney, Essendon, Crows & Collingwood.

    Votes: 20 5.6%
  • Sydney, Essendon, Crows & West Coast.

    Votes: 79 21.9%

  • Total voters
    360
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Have you polished the prelimanaryship cup today?, last time we beat you we got a shiny little bauble, how did last year work out for you?

oh you wanted to match the saints number with another grand final choke

You went away so proud of yourself thinking I am going to sledge him, I am really going to make him feel bad yet you worked so hard for such little result. Trolling doesn’t work with me. C’mon surely you can do better then this. I will give you 24 hours to go away and try and think up a better troll. Please, give me your best because to be frank so far I am disappointed in your efforts.
 
Jan 3, 2012
43,324
87,972
From the interview room
AFL Club
Richmond
Other Teams
Chelsea FC, Victory, All Blecks,
You went away so proud of yourself thinking I am going to sledge him, I am really going to make him feel bad yet you worked so hard for such little result. Trolling doesn’t work with me. C’mon surely you can do better then this. I will give you 24 hours to go away and try and think up a better troll. Please, give me your best because to be frank so far I am disappointed in your efforts.
You were the one quoting haven’t beaten us in 40 years, and by my reckoning in the last 40 it’s 1-1 and we both have a shiny little bauble to show for our win, let’s go back say 50 years whats the finals tally between outer two great clubs, let’s go back say in our lifetimes?, and I’m not 120
 

Coaster2012

Norm Smith Medallist
Jul 10, 2012
7,499
9,218
AFL Club
West Coast
Other Teams
Manchester City, Lakers
There is no big 4, there is only a big 1

There is Richmond and big gap Collingwood and West Coast, a big gap and the whoever out of Sydney, Carlton, Essendon is actually performing on the field, and then the rest

Lol what? How on earth can there be a big gap when both those clubs make more money than Richmond? (West Coast is the richest sporting club across all codes in the country. Big gap? hahah) You do realize there are more metrics than simply members to judge the size of a club? If that was the case, lets just give out $1 memberships to everybody and get 200,000 members.
 
You were the one quoting haven’t beaten us in 40 years, and by my reckoning in the last 40 it’s 1-1 and we both have a shiny little bauble to show for our win, let’s go back say 50 years whats the finals tally between outer two great clubs, let’s go back say in our lifetimes?, and I’m not 120

Head to Head Premierships 4-2 Collingwood lead. Pretty simple really. I didn’t realise clubs only existed for a part of the history that suits you. 4-2 is the stat
 

blaisee

Norm Smith Medallist
Aug 11, 2004
9,106
13,343
Punt Road
AFL Club
Richmond
Other Teams
None
Lol what? How on earth can there be a big gap when both those clubs make more money than Richmond? (West Coast is the richest sporting club across all codes in the country. Big gap? hahah) You do realize there are more metrics than simply members to judge the size of a club? If that was the case, lets just give out $1 memberships to everybody and get 200,000 members.

Oil money doesn’t make man city bigger than united or liverpool

Mining $ doesn’t make the west coast franchise bigger than richmond

That’s because Richmond is a bigger city, has more members, and bigger crowds
 

Didak_attack

All Australian
Sep 27, 2005
961
638
Victoria
AFL Club
Collingwood
Other Teams
Collingwood
That’s because Richmond is a bigger city, has more members, and bigger crowds

richMCGd can't break Collingwood's 2010 or 2011 H&A crowds though? Surely a club that was blueballed in regards to a sniff of the back end of September (almost finals In general for virtually the AFL era) surely your crowds should be breaking these records? Maybe the bandwagon isn't as strong as the dustytrain. Atleast the WC miners have genuine excuses with capacity.....
 

Coaster2012

Norm Smith Medallist
Jul 10, 2012
7,499
9,218
AFL Club
West Coast
Other Teams
Manchester City, Lakers
Oil money doesn’t make man city bigger than united or liverpool

Mining $ doesn’t make the west coast franchise bigger than richmond

That’s because Richmond is a bigger city, has more members, and bigger crowds

Firstly, Richmond isnt a city. It's a suburb of Melbourne. WC is an entire region.

Secondly, how much of the natural resources of WA contribute to the yearly WC profit and loss? I would be very interested to know because this is major news to me and I think to the AFL too.

If you cant prove that then basically your argument is dead in the water.

You got more members sure. Pretty easy I would have thought when you have a 100,000 seater stadium down the road. Our members are capped because it exceeds the capacity of our stadium. A 10 year waiting list is just too long as it is.

Basically, WC is a juggernaut of a club. Anyone who says their club is daylight over them in size is just ignorant.
 
Last edited:

Muh Village

Debutant
Aug 18, 2019
54
34
AFL Club
Port Adelaide
Firstly, Richmond isnt a city. It's a suburb of Melbourne. WC is an entire region.

Secondly, how much of the natural resources of WA contribute to the yearly WC profit and loss? I would be very interested to know because this is major news to me and I think to the AFL too.

If you cant prove that then basically your argument is dead in the water.

You got more members sure. Pretty easy I would have thought when you have a 100,000 seater stadium down the road. Our members are capped because it exceeds the capacity of our stadium. A 10 year waiting list is just too long as it is.

Basically, WC is a juggernaut of a club. Anyone who says their club is daylight over them in size is just ignorant.
Indeed, I first struggled to grapple with the idea that West Coast may be the biggest, or near the biggest club in Australia. But the evidence continues to compile in their favor. It'll be interesting to see their financial results for this year.

People also underestimate the Crows and Swans significantly. Usually Victorians whom are stuck in the VFL days of old.
 

Pessimistic

Cancelled
30k Posts 10k Posts HBF's Milk Crate - 70k Posts TheBrownDog
Sep 13, 2000
86,852
42,951
Melbourne cricket ground. Australia
AFL Club
Hawthorn
Other Teams
Horks
Hawks werent a big club even through the eighties. Would need a decade or two more of the same success to declare permanent big x membership. Have a guest pass right now though
This alone speaks volumes cos certain clubs remain popular with vastly inferior success rates.

This is not to say i think the hawks bandwaggon would drop off. The membership surge started in 1996 after the near death merger event. 9000 to 27000 in one season. The galvanising event was that

Collingwood and west coast the only permanent members of big x
 

blaisee

Norm Smith Medallist
Aug 11, 2004
9,106
13,343
Punt Road
AFL Club
Richmond
Other Teams
None
Firstly, Richmond isnt a city. It's a suburb of Melbourne. WC is an entire region.

Secondly, how much of the natural resources of WA contribute to the yearly WC profit and loss? I would be very interested to know because this is major news to me and I think to the AFL too.

If you cant prove that then basically your argument is dead in the water.

You got more members sure. Pretty easy I would have thought when you have a 100,000 seater stadium down the road. Our members are capped because it exceeds the capacity of our stadium. A 10 year waiting list is just too long as it is.

Basically, WC is a juggernaut of a club. Anyone who says their club is daylight over them in size is just ignorant.

I don’t need too prove anything

Membership and crowds is my proof, you want to flash your balance sheet lol
 
Head to head finals it’s 9-8. Our way.

But as Tigers fans have told us many times in this thread ............... finals are irrelevant. It is only Premierships that count so according to your own fan base the 4-2 Grand Final count in our favour is all that matters.
 
Apr 13, 2006
32,868
77,028
The Bitter End
AFL Club
Port Adelaide
Far Out Tigers fans, I understood why you guys went on about the VFL Big 4 when you were terrible and hadn't achieved anything, clinging to the last bastion of legitimacy, relevance and former glories, but you've won 2 of the last 3 flags, give it a rest.

Fact is, you've still got a long way to go before you get to Collingwood's status. Why? Because the Melbourne Centric AFL still firmly believes in the notion what's good for Collingwood is good for the AFL. Look at the Fixture last year. Collingwood got 13, yes 13 Nationally Broadcast, Free To Air, STAND ALONE games. No club gets looked after like Collingwood do. It is basically mandated. It is doubtful you'll ever get to those levels. The Collingwood myth essentially is self perpetuating.

West Coast still are miles in front of everyone, but they don't reside in Victoria, so are given scant regard by AFL House and don't have much of an influence there, they just go on about their business of making truckloads of cash, winning stuff and keeping their million parochially deranged Sandgroper fans happy.
 

Coaster2012

Norm Smith Medallist
Jul 10, 2012
7,499
9,218
AFL Club
West Coast
Other Teams
Manchester City, Lakers
I don’t need too prove anything

Membership and crowds is my proof, you want to flash your balance sheet lol

Well you do in a thread that is about proving why your opinion is right. If not, why bother even posting? So in that regard, you have failed miserably and no on agrees with you.

Game over rookie.
 

COOGRE

Cancelled
Oct 1, 2019
84
256
AFL Club
St Kilda
Other Teams
Southampton FC, New Orleans Saints
The big 4 is made up bullshit marketing strategy Collingwood, Carlton, Essendon and Richmond use. Collingwood and tigers play at the G and use it as an indicator for big crowds yet most clubs are selling out games at smaller stadiums such as west coast, crows and saints... attendance is a bullshit indicator for a club. Essendon and Carlton are cheats and have no integrity the teams have been dying since the 90s/early 00s and will be merged or relocated in the next 20 years
 

Guju

Debutant
Mar 18, 2019
104
176
AFL Club
Hawthorn
All I see in this thread is about 20 Richmond supporters constantly arguing with afew Collingwood supporters about whose dick is bigger. Wonder which group of supporters have a greater inferiority complex.

For me, WCE and Collingwood are the only 2 lock ins for the "AFL Big 4".
 

blaisee

Norm Smith Medallist
Aug 11, 2004
9,106
13,343
Punt Road
AFL Club
Richmond
Other Teams
None
Well you do in a thread that is about proving why your opinion is right. If not, why bother even posting? So in that regard, you have failed miserably and no on agrees with you.

Game over rookie.


It’s cute that you think that your franchise is even relevant in our league . Just remember it’s a privelage that you are even allowed in it .

Now run along and keep whining about having to come back to our home ground for Grand finals . It’s my favourite tyoe of salt 👍
 
Last edited:
Oct 3, 2007
16,084
17,344
Perth
AFL Club
West Coast
Other Teams
West Perth
Far Out Tigers fans, I understood why you guys went on about the VFL Big 4 when you were terrible and hadn't achieved anything, clinging to the last bastion of legitimacy, relevance and former glories, but you've won 2 of the last 3 flags, give it a rest.

Fact is, you've still got a long way to go before you get to Collingwood's status. Why? Because the Melbourne Centric AFL still firmly believes in the notion what's good for Collingwood is good for the AFL. Look at the Fixture last year. Collingwood got 13, yes 13 Nationally Broadcast, Free To Air, STAND ALONE games. No club gets looked after like Collingwood do. It is basically mandated. It is doubtful you'll ever get to those levels. The Collingwood myth essentially is self perpetuating.

West Coast still are miles in front of everyone, but they don't reside in Victoria, so are given scant regard by AFL House and don't have much of an influence there, they just go on about their business of making truckloads of cash, winning stuff and keeping their million parochially deranged Sandgroper fans happy.

And the Eagles have done it without the help of AFL house putting them in the spotlight. The Eagles don't need to have their name put in lights to be relevant, they are simply a huge club. No matter their opposition they get big crowds to all their home games, not just the so called big games.
Who is the biggest of them all? Thats an opinion based answer but anyone who thinks the Eagles are not in the top 3 are quite simply deluded and ignorant to the real world.
I think the Eagles are the biggest club in the country by quite some distance but thats just my opinion.
 

blaisee

Norm Smith Medallist
Aug 11, 2004
9,106
13,343
Punt Road
AFL Club
Richmond
Other Teams
None
The big 4 is made up bullshit marketing strategy Collingwood, Carlton, Essendon and Richmond use. Collingwood and tigers play at the G and use it as an indicator for big crowds yet most clubs are selling out games at smaller stadiums such as west coast, crows and saints... attendance is a bullshit indicator for a club. Essendon and Carlton are cheats and have no integrity the teams have been dying since the 90s/early 00s and will be merged or relocated in the next 20 years

105.000 members
 

blaisee

Norm Smith Medallist
Aug 11, 2004
9,106
13,343
Punt Road
AFL Club
Richmond
Other Teams
None
And the Eagles have done it without the help of AFL house putting them in the spotlight. The Eagles don't need to have their name put in lights to be relevant, they are simply a huge club. No matter their opposition they get big crowds to all their home games, not just the so called big games.
Who is the biggest of them all? Thats an opinion based answer but anyone who thinks the Eagles are not in the top 3 are quite simply deluded and ignorant to the real world.
I think the Eagles are the biggest club in the country by quite some distance but thats just my opinion.

Compared to richmond they are irrelevant
 
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