Who is the best team in the history of the game to not win a grand final??

[Robroy22]

They got close because of wet weather and a Herculean effort by Buckley. They got demolished the following year.

And both years 02 and 03, the Pies lost a key position player to a "dubious" report in the Preliminary Final. In 02 it was Jason Cloke (our young CHB who had had Jono Brown's measure) and in 03 it was Anthony Rocca (who always worried the Lions and had kicked 4...some say 5 goals in the previous GF)
You can cover flankers but you can't afford to lose your spine just prior to a GF.

 

[Tasmanian saint]

They got close because of wet weather and a Herculean effort by Buckley. They got demolished the following year.

Brisbane were a great team that Collingwood team was good as well though against anyone else they win

 

[SSSSSS]

The early 2000s Port sides should be talked about as one of the greatest modern day teams on paper. It's a shame they couldn't help but keep choking to the very ordinary Pies outfit.

 

[geelong_crazy26]

Collingwood 1966_1970 specifically 1970. Best team in it by several goals.
Had been building beautifully over the previous five or six seasons. Ready to go and dominated the blues in the first half, famously leading by 44 at the break.
Injuries to Tuddenham and McKenna, made a difference but credit to Carlton they won on the day. FOr what it’s worth - nothing- Collingwood beat Carlton 12 goals to 2 in the H& A season in 1970 and by 99 points in 1971.
I am clearly biassed, but I have always regarded the Collingwood 1970 team as the best team to not win a premiership.
This game was significant in other ways too. If Collingwood continue with their first half dominance, Len Thomson might even have been selected in the TOC. He and Big Nick had a swag of outstanding clashes. There was never more that a cigarette paper between them.

There is a golden oldie i had no clue about. Nice addition to the thread

 

[geelong_crazy26]

The early 2000s Port sides should be talked about as one of the greatest modern day teams on paper. It's a shame they couldn't help but keep choking to the very ordinary Pies outfit.

They ended up winning a flag. So they dont qualify. But i do like your chain of thought

 

[geelong_crazy26]

West Coast didn't get "stage fright" in the 1991 Grand Final. They had 4 goals on the board before the Hawks had even had a shot at goal.
When Sumich roosted his 3rd goal from 60 metres with a minute left in the 1st quarter, the Eagles led Hawthorn 5.1 (31) to 1.4 (10)

Hawthorn got on top in the 2nd quarter thanks to Paul Dear (RIP) playing one of the great Grand Final quarters.
Thanks to his aerial dominance, the Hawks went into half time with a 10 point lead.

But the Eagles kept coming... It was actually a fantastic 3rd quarter with both sides scoring 5 goals apiece.
Every time the Hawks went out to a 3 goal lead, the Eagles immediately replied and cut the margin to 2 goals.


"They're going goal for goal! What a Grand Final!"
- Denis Cometti after Don Pyke narrowed the margin to 10 points on the 3/4 time siren.


The floodgates opened in the first 3 minutes of the last quarter when Brereton outmarked Worsfold twice in the goal square. Goals to Paul Hudson and Darrin Pritchard, followed by 3 goals in the space of 4 minutes to Jason Dunstall and the rout was on.

Everyone was bored with Hawthorn winning another premiership (their 5th in 9 seasons). People dismissed the game from their memory... but it was actually a pretty good contest. Very physical, great skills, great goals, and an emphatic 8 goal last quarter blitz from the Hawks with a colosseum-like atmosphere from the baying Victorian anti-Eagles crowd.


1991 Grand Final (Waverley)
Hawthorn... 3.4... 7.12.. 12.15... 20.19
West Coast. 5.1... 7.2.... 12.5..... 13.8


1991 Qualifying Final (Subiaco)
West Coast. 6.3... 7.4... 11.9.... 15.11
Hawthorn... 5.4... 8.9... 12.12... 18.16


Further to the myth about Eagles "stagefright", the Hawks beat West Coast in similar fashion over in Perth just 3 weeks prior. Grand Final heroes Paul Dear and Stephen Lawrence played starring roles in that game too.

Don't forget: the Eagles enjoyed 2 great wins at Waverley in lead up finals vs Melbourne & Geelong. It wasn't as though they'd been playing in front of tiny crowds (like GWS) and were then suddenly faced with a massive 100,000 crowd at the MCG


If you break the 1991 season down into two halves, it's pretty clear the Eagles were the dominant team in the first half of the season, while the Hawks were clearly the best team in the second half of the season.


West Coast... 12 wins, 0 losses... 195%... (Rounds 1-13)
Hawthorn...... 6 wins, 5 losses... 115%... (Rounds 1-12)

Hawthorn...... 13 wins, 1 loss..... 155%... (after Rd 12)
West Coast..... 9 wins, 5 losses... 118%... (after Rd 13)

Didnt that west coast side win a flag??

 

[geelong_crazy26]

Geelong 2008

Wrong idea. Referring to a teams overall run collectively, not individual season.

 

[geelong_crazy26]

Pies 2011

• Highest h&a % EVER in the league's history.
• 20 - 2 h&a record.

But Eddie.

Won the flag in 2010.

People are genuinely struggling to come up with a star team to not win a flsg outside of the saints 09-10.

Sounds like its saints then nobody atm

 

[Square Peg]

Wrong idea. Referring to a teams overall run collectively, not individual season.

Exactly how I read the thread too, nothing to do with teams that lost one year and won the next year like eagles 91 or Geelong 08. It's about teams that in an era might under different circumstances have won one but didn't. I repeat my claim of Melbourne later 80s, Collingwood early noughties and saints late noughties. I did mistakenly omit your cats early 90s but that's because you've won too many of the bloody things since. I don't count Freo in the mid teens, we over achieved probably, too many plodders on our list but Ross got us close

 

[Cyber_punk]

Crowbots of 05-06 were unlucky

Good side that just couldn't make it past the prelim

This is one I feel like is less obvious but yeah people forget how good they were.

Think at one point in 1 of those years they were 14-2 and and a % of 145 odd, they were just crushing teams every week. They just didn't match up well against West Coast though.

 

[kane249]

This is one I feel like is less obvious but yeah people forget how good they were.

Think at one point in 1 of those years they were 14-2 and and a % of 145 odd, they were just crushing teams every week. They just didn't match up well against West Coast though.

They didn't match up well vs West Coast, but they had the wood over Sydney from memory.

What might have been for them if the draw had ended up different for them

 

[pz5151]

In the modern era it has to be St Kilda of the mid to late 2000s. The amount of sheer talent was amazing and the team they had in 2009-2010 would most likely steamroll the premiers of a few years earlier and a few years later.

 

[TheDarkDwarf]

Melbourne - 1958

 

[Power Raid]

Buckley's pies were amazing in the 02-03 years but no cigar

 

[pz5151]

Buckley's pies were amazing in the 02-03 years but no cigar

That team, particularly the 2002 version were decidedly average. One of the most workmanlike teams to make a GF and only got close in 02 on the back of an epic performance from Buckley. Port and Brisbane were both much more talented teams.

 

[Goomba1973]

Early 80s Collingwood, 91 Eagles, 04 Lions, 08 Geelong, 09/10 Saints, 13 Dockers, 18 Tigers

 

[Val Keating]

North Melbourne 1998

 

[Johnny Karate]

Geelong 1989-1997
7 x finals
4 x Runners Up
1 x Prelim

St Kilda 1991-1999
4 x finals
1 x Runners Up

Footscray/Western Bulldogs 1992-2000
8 x finals
3 x Prelims

Sydney 1996-2001
5 x finals
1 x Runners Up

Adelaide 2001-2009
8 x finals
3 x Prelims

St Kilda 2004-2011
7 x finals
2 x Runners Up
1 x Grand Final draw
3 x Prelims

Western Bulldogs 2006-2010
4 x finals
3 x Prelims

Adelaide 2012-2017
4 x finals
1 x Runners Up
1 x Prelim

Fremantle 2012-2015
4 x finals
1 x Runners Up
1 x Prelim

GWS 2016-2021
5 x finals
1 x Runners Up
2 x Prelims

 

[puppy_dog7]

I honestly think that St Kilda team is a bit over-rated, and that is part of the reason they didn't win the premiership. Some superstar players, but quite a lot of just 'guys' imo (Zac Dawson, Baker, Fisher, Gilbert, Farren Ray, Jones, Gram, Raph Clarke, Dempster... that's a lot of 'meh' players). If you compare Geelong, they probably only have Mark Blake, Wojcinski, Shannon Byrnes, and maybe Max Rooke in that category.

Their top end was excellent - but so was Geelong and Collingwood.

Obviously better than Carlton - our list was more about what should have been, rather than what ever was (ie: the guys who got injured and dropped off, the guys who were better at 19 than they were at 25, etc).

You’re really gonna mention Carlton’s great team of 09 and then say Saints was overrated?

Fisher was a star so don’t know why you put him in there. He was an All Australian and won 2 club best and fairest’s in some of our best ever teams.

Dempster was another All Australian, although he probably wasn’t as good in our 09-10 years, more so later on.

Gram was our best in the 09 Granny and was 1 vote off a norm smith. Very handy player

Baker was 3rd in our 04 best and fairest and then won a best and fairest in 05 and was a very solid player. Underrated outside the club

Gilbert was one of the best running intercept defenders in that 08-11 period.

They all played 200+ AFL games except Gram

Dawson and Clarke were no good and Jones was limited but a very solid role player and tagger. And Ray was another solid role player.

 

[Hawksboy72]

West Coast didn't get "stage fright" in the 1991 Grand Final. They had 4 goals on the board before the Hawks had even had a shot at goal.
When Sumich roosted his 3rd goal from 60 metres with a minute left in the 1st quarter, the Eagles led Hawthorn 5.1 (31) to 1.4 (10)

Hawthorn got on top in the 2nd quarter thanks to Paul Dear (RIP) playing one of the great Grand Final quarters.
Thanks to his aerial dominance, the Hawks went into half time with a 10 point lead.

But the Eagles kept coming... It was actually a fantastic 3rd quarter with both sides scoring 5 goals apiece.
Every time the Hawks went out to a 3 goal lead, the Eagles immediately replied and cut the margin to 2 goals.


"They're going goal for goal! What a Grand Final!"
- Denis Cometti after Don Pyke narrowed the margin to 10 points on the 3/4 time siren.


The floodgates opened in the first 3 minutes of the last quarter when Brereton outmarked Worsfold twice in the goal square. Goals to Paul Hudson and Darrin Pritchard, followed by 3 goals in the space of 4 minutes to Jason Dunstall and the rout was on.

Everyone was bored with Hawthorn winning another premiership (their 5th in 9 seasons). People dismissed the game from their memory... but it was actually a pretty good contest. Very physical, great skills, great goals, and an emphatic 8 goal last quarter blitz from the Hawks with a colosseum-like atmosphere from the baying Victorian anti-Eagles crowd.


1991 Grand Final (Waverley)
Hawthorn... 3.4... 7.12.. 12.15... 20.19
West Coast. 5.1... 7.2.... 12.5..... 13.8


1991 Qualifying Final (Subiaco)
West Coast. 6.3... 7.4... 11.9.... 15.11
Hawthorn... 5.4... 8.9... 12.12... 18.16


Further to the myth about Eagles "stagefright", the Hawks beat West Coast in similar fashion over in Perth just 3 weeks prior. Grand Final heroes Paul Dear and Stephen Lawrence played starring roles in that game too.

Don't forget: the Eagles enjoyed 2 great wins at Waverley in lead up finals vs Melbourne & Geelong. It wasn't as though they'd been playing in front of tiny crowds (like GWS) and were then suddenly faced with a massive 100,000 crowd at the MCG


If you break the 1991 season down into two halves, it's pretty clear the Eagles were the dominant team in the first half of the season, while the Hawks were clearly the best team in the second half of the season.


West Coast... 12 wins, 0 losses... 195%... (Rounds 1-13)
Hawthorn...... 6 wins, 5 losses... 115%... (Rounds 1-12)

Hawthorn...... 13 wins, 1 loss..... 155%... (after Rd 12)
West Coast..... 9 wins, 5 losses... 118%... (after Rd 13)

The Eagles got beat by Fitzroy in the last Round of '91.

 

[Roylion]

Fitzroy - 1983. "The one that got away".

https://www.footyalmanac.com.au/so-close-to-the-holy-grail-a-personal-reflection-on-fitzroy-football-clubs-1983-season/

 

[BigVic]

Fitzroy - 1983. "The one that got away".

https://www.footyalmanac.com.au/so-close-to-the-holy-grail-a-personal-reflection-on-fitzroy-football-clubs-1983-season/

If Fitzroy won 40 years ago the club would've existed. They'd drop Fitzroy and just go with the "Lions"

 

[Woolly Mammoth]

Late 90s Bulldogs

 

[Power Raid]

Late 90s Bulldogs

awesome choice

they had some wonderful players in romero, west, johnson, grant, darcy, southern, smith, montgomery, garlick, n brown, cameron, croft, libba and wynd..........and I'm sure I'm missing some to

hard it it type side, plenty of mongrel and talent

 

[geelong_crazy26]

Geelong 1989-1997
7 x finals
4 x Runners Up
1 x Prelim

St Kilda 1991-1999
4 x finals
1 x Runners Up

Footscray/Western Bulldogs 1992-2000
8 x finals
3 x Prelims

Sydney 1996-2001
5 x finals
1 x Runners Up

Adelaide 2001-2009
8 x finals
3 x Prelims

St Kilda 2004-2011
7 x finals
2 x Runners Up
1 x Grand Final draw
3 x Prelims

Western Bulldogs 2006-2010
4 x finals
3 x Prelims

Adelaide 2012-2017
4 x finals
1 x Runners Up
1 x Prelim

Fremantle 2012-2015
4 x finals
1 x Runners Up
1 x Prelim

GWS 2016-2021
5 x finals
1 x Runners Up
2 x Prelims

Awesome list. Good stuff