Which team was better?

[Jade]

Your incredible underrating of that Essendon team aside, why are you just counting grand final opponents. There were pretty dominant Port Adelaide and St Kilda sides floating around then too that had to be beaten in September.

If we are just counting grand final opponents... how much of a free kick was 119?

Mate, as an Essendon supporter, come the end of 2001 we were cooked.

 

[DTRAIN87]

Your incredible underrating of that Essendon team aside, why are you just counting grand final opponents. There were pretty dominant Port Adelaide and St Kilda sides floating around then too that had to be beaten in September.

If we are just counting grand final opponents... how much of a free kick was 119?

Most of 119 side was able to beat 3peat Brisbane though.

 

[Ambrose Burnside]

Just to confirm why West Coast is in this thread I am trying to get everyone's opinion on who has been the best team this past decade or so. In my opinion the best 3 teams this past decade or so have been the Lions, the Eagles and the Cats. People have turned this thread into what team has had the greater dynasty out of the Lions and the Cats, that is a fair argument to make and it makes for good reading however that was not the original point of the thread. The point was to find the best team and just because the Eagles only won 1 premiership they were still a dominant team for almost as long as the Cats and the Lions were so therefore I put them in

I wanted to make this poll out of 3 teams and I did contemplate Essendon, Sydney and Collingwood as well but I thought Essendon's era was just before the time range of this past decade and in my opinion, West Coast's best team during there era> Sydney and Collingwood's best teams during there time. Once again that is just my opinion!

Sure it's only your opinion, but I think you're smoking something pretty potent. Let's have a look at their period of "dominance". I'll go with six years, because that's what we're looking at with Brisbane and Geelong:

West Coast

2002: 8th (11 wins, 11 losses) - knocked out in Elimination Final
2003: 7th (12 wins, 8 losses, 2 draws) - knocked out in Elimination Final
2004: 7th (13 wins, 9 losses) - knocked out in Elimination Final
2005: 2nd (17 wins, 5 losses) - Beaten in Grand Final
2006: 1st (17 wins, 5 losses) - Premiers (by one point)
2007: 3rd (15 wins, 7 losses) - Knocked out in straight sets

Dominant? Nah. Only if you include 05-06 and even then our win-loss record is pretty much the same as Sydney and Adelaide.

 

[Hollow Knight]

Most of 119 side was able to beat 3peat Brisbane though.

And Brisbane's 2004 side was able to make mincemeat of most of Geelong's 2007 side.

Bit of a silly argument though when you stretch time like that isn't it?

 

[Hollow Knight]

Mate, as an Essendon supporter, come the end of 2001 we were cooked.

Lucky we beat you earlier in that year too.

 

[mufassa]

Back to back is so very hard to achieve. Pies this year - Cats in 08 are recent great examples of how very hard it is.

When you win a flag you are hunted all year from the good teams all the why to the poor teams. Everyone wants to beat the reigning premiers. Now Brisbane went one step further and did it again for a 3 peat!! They are being underated on here by all those that voted against them.

 

[zb14]

Haha, what a riduculous suggestion. Talk about moving the goalposts to suit Geelong.

What does it matter if the finals appearances come directly before or directly after the premerships?

You either count the finals appearances surrounding the premiership sides or you don't.

Hardly moving the goalposts in Geelong's favour. The Cats made a prelim in '04, and were a bees dick away from another in '05.

 

[Hollow Knight]

Hardly moving the goalposts in Geelong's favour. The Cats made a prelim in '04, and were a bees dick away from another in '05.

So you agree that it is stupid to start measuring the dynasty from the first flag? Thanks for the support.

 

[zb14]

And Brisbane's 2004 side was able to make mincemeat of most of Geelong's 2007 side.

I'd hardly say Brisbane's '04 side made "mincemeat" of the Cats. Geelong beat you by five goals at Skilled that year. In the Prelim, you literally fell over the line against an inaccurate Cats side. Whether that game should've been played at the MCG is an entirely different debate.

 

[zb14]

So you agree that it is stupid to start measuring the dynasty from the first flag? Thanks for the support.

I'm not bothered either way. Just disproving your claim that it was shifting the goalposts in the Cats favour.

 

[Hollow Knight]

Whether that game should've been played at the MCG is an entirely different debate.

Not even a debate.

 

[Robert Walls]

Lions every day of the week

 

[Jade]

Lucky we beat you earlier in that year too.

Just pointin' out the obvious. Essendon 2001 < Essendon 2000.

 

[Big Nasty]

Back to back is so very hard to achieve. Pies this year - Cats in 08 are recent great examples of how very hard it is.

When you win a flag you are hunted all year from the good teams all the why to the poor teams. Everyone wants to beat the reigning premiers. Now Brisbane went one step further and did it again for a 3 peat!! They are being underated on here by all those that voted against them.

So by your logic Adelaide '97,'98 were better than Kangaroos of 96-99, or the Eagles 92-94, because the crows went back to back.

 

[mufassa]

So by your logic Adelaide '97,'98 were better than Kangaroos of 96-99, or the Eagles 92-94, because the crows went back to back.

Back to back is a hell of a lot harder than 2 flags in 4 years. Although coming from 5th in 97 not many teams really took them that seriously in 98 - but they did it again - were taken seriously and finished 13th the following year.

They actually went 12th, 1st ,1st, 13th. Incredible. The Roos record over 4 years is better not over 2 as both us and WCE could not win back to back.

 

[Ed_Gein]

hmmmm, it's pretty difficult to split the lions and cats. west coast are worthy of being mentioned, but i would have thought they lacked the depth beyond judd, cousins and kerr compared to the lions and cats of their respective periods.

hmmm still thinking about it. still cant pick. glut of talent in both midfields of cats and lions. might go cats, just. just.

 

[PCORF]

Hard to split Brisbane and Geelong who won 6 premierships in total, 3 each .... I voted Brisbane because of their physical strength and determination.

 

[nickcat0]

I went for the Cats.

Both teams were excellent, but the Cats were more dominant throughout the season.

Lions 2001-04 had 64 wins, 23 losses and 1 draw during the four regular seasons, and were never Minor Premiers. They even lost a Finals game during one of their Premiership seasons.

Cats 2007-11 had 93 wins and only 17 losses during the five seasons, and picked up 2 Minor Premierships. And they won all their Finals games in their 3 Premiership years.

 

[Badtemperedbadger]

Cats

 

[Jcpdragonx]

Surely Geelong. They beat St.Kilda and Collingwood in their grand finals who both looked unstoppable from majority of their years. They also dominated the 2007 and 2008 seasons while Brisbane didn't win a minor premiership.

If it wasn't for Port choking in 2002-03, Brisbane would be forgotten as Port were a superior side, just lacked the finals experience as a club. Brisbane had an easier time then Geelong and Geelong's H&A and finals record shits all over Brisbane's.

 

[RichoLedio]

Had to choose the Cats, they've set and equalled records for scores, games won etc, recovered from losing a grand final to win the next, lost their best player and coach and still gone on to win another premiership, and they've beaten teams like Collingwood and St Kilda who both dominated the respective home and away seasons to achieve it.

 

[themidlandmaster]

Geelong personally

No concessions, no nothing, built a dynasty themselves

 

[MrRockett24]

Geelong...and not because im biased actually.

Awarding 1 point for wins in each category.

Longevity
Brisbane started gearing up in 1999 and finished 11th in 2005 & that was that = 6 Years

Geelong started gearing up in 2004 and have stayed up since with exception to 1 bad year (2006) = 7 Years

Winner: GEELONG, but Brisbane get 0.5 point due to 6 years with no drop. (Brisbane 0.5 / Geelong 1)

Premierships
Brisbane 3
Geelong 3

Winner: 1 Point Each but Brisbane get 1 extra for 3 in a row as this harder
(Brisbane 2.5 / Geelong 2)

Concessions
Brisbane: Additional Salary Cap
Geelong: Nil

Winner: GEELONG but Brisbane -1 Point
(Brisbane 1.5 / Geelong 3)

Minor Premierships
Brisbane: 0
Geelong: 2

Winner: GEELONG = 2x Points
(Brisbane 1.5 / Geelong 5)

GF Opponent Higher On Ladder
BRISBANE:
2001: Played Essendon = 1st = 1 Point
2002: Played Collingwood = 4th = 0 Points
2003: Played Collingwood = 2nd = 1 Point
2004: Played Port = 1st = 1 Point but Lost = -1Point

GEELONG:
2007: Played Port = 2nd = 0 Point
2008: Played Hawthorn = 2nd but Lost = -1Point
2009: Played St.Kilda = 1st = 1 Point
2011: Played Collingwood = 1st = 1 Point

Winner: Brisbane
(Brisbane 3.5 / Geelong 6)

Domination Of Season
BRISBANE
2001: Equal Top but Behind on % = 0.5 Points
2002: 1 Game Behind = 0 Point
2003: 3.5 Games Behind = 0 Points
2004: 1 Game Behind = 0 Points

GEELONG
2007: 3 Games Clear = 1 Point
2008: 4 Games Clear = 1 Point
2009: 2 Games Behind = 0 Points
2011: 1 Game Behind = 0 Points

Winner: GEELONG
(Brisbane 4 / Geelong 8)

Brownlow Winners
Brisbane = 2
Geelong = 2

Winner: 1 Point Each
(Brisbane 5 / Geelong 9)

Win/Loss Record
WINNER: GEELONG
(Brisbane 5 / Geelong 10)

Interstate Record
WINNER: GEELONG
(Brisbane 5 / Geelong 11)

Home Ground Wins In A Row Record
WINNER: GEELONG
(Brisbane 5 / Geelong 12)

Theres probably lots more...but il leave it at that.


Geelong have been a quality team and a thorn in every other teams side for over 5 years now....whereas, no-one really feared playing Brisbane, unless it was on the Gabba, or in September.

Geelong are a better team than Brisbane were, and consistently moreso but Brisbane get the 3 in a row status to keep them warm at night.

 

[HurleyTheFuture]

Nice stats list but at the end of the day the only thing that matters is premierships and Brisbane were able to gain 3 of them in a 3 year period and that puts them ahead IMO

 

[juss]

Nice stats list but at the end of the day the only thing that matters is premierships and Brisbane were able to gain 3 of them in a 3 year period and that puts them ahead IMO

Agreed.

In this day and age with the amount of teams, draft, salary cap, etc etc, 3 in a row is incredibly hard. We may not ever see it again in our lifetimes.