Who would you rate as the strongest premiership side in the AFL era?

[WestCoast05]

You've got to give it to the Brisbane three-peat, they took all 3 Grand Finals in enemy territory.

Hawthorn three-peat are an obvious second (with only Geelong in contentions) - but if Hawthorn were forced to play their 2013 GF in Perth against Freo, 2014 GF in Sydney against Sydney and 2015 GF in Perth against West Coast they may have won one or possibly even two at most but the three-peat would be most unlikely.
For that reason you've gotta give it to Brissy despite COLA.

INB4 Richmond supporters claim Melbourne as neutral territory.

 

[Sausages]

2017 has gotta be one of the strongest years in footy history I have no doubt that the wooden spooners from that year would beat the premiers from most other years

So....you're saying that a team that went 5-17 with a percentage of about 75, would defeat the premiers from "most other years" ?

Riiiiiight - interesting way to pump up a Tiger outfit that won a flag, but would be blown apart in a GF by 2001-2003 Lions, 2006-7 Geelong and 2013-2015 Hawthorn. You guys have won a single flag in your time at or near the top of the tree and act as if it is the single greatest achievement in football memory.

I've stayed away from Richmond bashing, but seriously....it's 2019, the flag is now history and you are welcome to enjoy it for eternity - but don't endeavour to paint it as anything other than a single successful year.

 

[Scotland]

You've got to give it to the Brisbane three-peat, they took all 3 Grand Finals in enemy territory.

Brisbane also beat Essendon then Collingwood twice in their threepeat. Collingwood are a full time MCG tenant, Essendon played 9 H&A games then 2 finals there prior to the 2001 GF. Definitely makes a difference compared to being a travelling non-Vic side.

In 2006 WC and Sydney played at the MCG twice each during the season so it was a legitimately neutral venue. Obviously we had to travel further because that's how the continent is laid out but it's a different proposition to playing Collingwood (16 MCG games prior to the GF in 2018) or Hawthorn (10 in 2015). It's also a different proposition for a team like Collingwood playing WC in a GF compared to playing St Kilda or Geelong who are more familiar with the venue and don't have to travel.

It's just one factor, though. We're 1/2 in neutral GFs and 1/2 in GFs against MCG tenants since 2005. Collingwood have lost 3/3 against non-Vic sides and won 1/2 against Vic sides. You could argue that playing 3 non-Vic sides and two non-MCG tenants is a dream run for an MCG side but it didn't translate into success. In 2005/6 all of our finals against Sydney were close and hard fought. +4, -4, -1, +1 over two Perth QFs and two MCG GFs. Venue seemed to make no difference to how those games panned out. Compare that to 2015 and that side played the MCG very poorly over a number of years. Good enough to beat Hawthorn in a Perth QF (no one else managed to beat them in a final 13-15) but miles off it at the G. And then in 2018 vs the Pies it was 2005/6 again.

 

[HTT]

So....you're saying that a team that went 5-17 with a percentage of about 75, would defeat the premiers from "most other years" ?

Riiiiiight - interesting way to pump up a Tiger outfit that won a flag, but would be blown apart in a GF by 2001-2003 Lions, 2006-7 Geelong and 2013-2015 Hawthorn. You guys have won a single flag in your time at or near the top of the tree and act as if it is the single greatest achievement in football memory.

I've stayed away from Richmond bashing, but seriously....it's 2019, the flag is now history and you are welcome to enjoy it for eternity - but don't endeavour to paint it as anything other than a single successful year.

I feel like that poster used a bit of sarcasm

That said, I do think the wooden spooners from the most recent season would defeat most premiers from the past. I also think Richmond 2017 would beat the living s**t out of Brisbane 01-03 and in fact any premiership side before that. But I think Brisbane were stronger don't worry.
It's a bit like comparing Michael Schumacher's 2001 Aus GP poll time, and Pierre Gasly's 2018 equivalent. Gasly was over a second a lap quicker. But who the * is Pierre Gasly?

 

[Captain_Bender]

Jack Riewoldt's Rampage 2019 AFLX premiership

 

[eth-dog]

Individual? Us in 2000. Lions 3-peat was better.

 

[andrew coombs]

The Hawthorn premiership team of 1991 was a formidable unit. West Coast were clearly the dominant side throughout the regular season (19-3) but had no answer to the Hawks in the finals. After a monumental victory over the Eagles at Subiaco in the QF the boys outlasted the Cats in a brilliant SF before going on to destroy the Coasters again in the GF. The Hawthorn side contained some absolute cracking players. Langford,Ayres,Mew,Hall,Jarman,Tuck,Dunstall,Brereton and Platten had careers that spoke for themselves while lesser profile names like Allan, Paul Hudson, Collins, Condon, Anderson and Gowers were terrific role players and multiple premiership contributors. Add to this some injury plagued but highly talented blokes like Lawrence ( player of that finals series ), Morrissey ( not far behind Lawrence ) and Paul Dear ( Norm Smith in GF ) and the team is looking pretty darn good, and worthy of being in this conversation.

 

[Black Stripe]

I feel like that poster used a bit of sarcasm

That said, I do think the wooden spooners from the most recent season would defeat most premiers from the past. I also think Richmond 2017 would beat the living s**t out of Brisbane 01-03 and in fact any premiership side before that. But I think Brisbane were stronger don't worry.
It's a bit like comparing Michael Schumacher's 2001 Aus GP poll time, and Pierre Gasly's 2018 equivalent. Gasly was over a second a lap quicker. But who the **** is Pierre Gasly?

Richmond 2017 wouldn't get close to Geelong 2007.

 

[HTT]

Richmond 2017 wouldn't get close to Geelong 2007.

Richmond 2017 would beat the s**t out of Geelong 07. Whoever wins the flag in 2027 would beat the s**t out of Richmond 2017. In single years you can make arguments but in the long run the more modern team will always win. That’s how all sport works.
I don’t think that makes modern teams stronger though.

 

[Lsta062]

Richmond 2017 wouldn't get close to Geelong 2007.

Modern day teams have greater endurance than teams in the past. I don’t think the great full forwards of the past would be able to keep up with the defenders nowadays with how athletic they have become.

This is why you can only compare each Premiership team with what they have achieved and not by who would win if they faced off. Richmond of 2017 would probably beat Carlton 1995, but Carlton 1995 was a stronger Premiership side because of the results. Believe it or not, but the 2000s era was also a little different to the modern day. Players have become much more athletic now.

 

[ManOfClay]

The game hasn’t changed that much since 2007.

 

[KermitJagger]

The strongest side? It's really hard to say. You have to separate longevity from performance, and the team that won the premiership on that day to the way that team played all year.

Hawthorn and Brisbane with the threepeats are obviously on top with longevity, edge given to Brisbane by the nature of how they had to win those three.

If you're going based on individual seasons and the best team of a single year, as much as I hate to say it, it's really difficult to go past Essendon in 2000. Purely based on the fact that no team who won a premiership has dominated a season like that in recent memory (Geelong in '08 being statistically the closest, only being discounted by not winning the premiership).

If you're going based on names, Brisbane with that midfield are again hard to beat, but Geelong probably had the most even spread despite a relatively weak forward line.

Based on the single premiership game, the dominance of Hawthorn in 14 and Geelong in 07 are on top. I may be biased but I do believe that the Hawthorn performance of 14 was the better one, but only because we absolutely blew our Sydney out of the water - who were the best side of the season, beat us in a GF two years prior and poached our best player (and the consensus best Full Forward of the past 20 years). Geelong's win in 07 was huge, but there was a massive gap in quality between both of the sides, and though record breaking it just falls below 2014 in my eyes.

That being said, neither of those premierships were much in the way of a spectacle - but they were clinical examples of two of the best (and fun to watch from an AFL purist point of view) play styles of the modern era.

 

[Boxhead_31]

The '' Best '' one off season. Essendon. Phenomenal. In terms of PERFORMANCE.
The best of the lot in terms of success - Hawthorn. 3 straight flags in this day and age is unheard of. Crazy s**t. With all the sports science and data etc. To hold off everyone else 3 times and just falling short before that is ridiculously good.
Who do I think is the '' best '' team of all mentioned. From head to head talent, the season, their performance on Grand Final day?


Carlton 1995. Won 16 straight games, lost only two all season. Mauled us on the big stage and had champions the ilk of Kernahan, Bradley, Diesel, Ratten, Silvagni, Christou, Madden, Dean, Kouta, Hanna and many more. Kouta, Clape, Camporeale and Peace really emerged that year. SOS imo and in many others is the greatest Full Back ever to grace our game. Held '' GOD '' Goalless on Grand Final day. Greg Williams is an all time great and won two Brownlow medals, one the year before and claimed the Norm Smith snagging 5 majors. Earl Spalding was another handy forward. Pearce, Clape and Sticks were formidable that year.


******* crazy lineup. IMO, that 95 team is the strongest, best lineup of all time. Dons 2000 after them.

Team so good it couldn’t fit under one salary cap

 

[Goggin Our Best]

The Hawthorn premiership team of 1991 was a formidable unit. West Coast were clearly the dominant side throughout the regular season (19-3) but had no answer to the Hawks in the finals. After a monumental victory over the Eagles at Subiaco in the QF the boys outlasted the Cats in a brilliant SF before going on to destroy the Coasters again in the GF. The Hawthorn side contained some absolute cracking players. Langford,Ayres,Mew,Hall,Jarman,Tuck,Dunstall,Brereton and Platten had careers that spoke for themselves while lesser profile names like Allan, Paul Hudson, Collins, Condon, Anderson and Gowers were terrific role players and multiple premiership contributors. Add to this some injury plagued but highly talented blokes like Lawrence ( player of that finals series ), Morrissey ( not far behind Lawrence ) and Paul Dear ( Norm Smith in GF ) and the team is looking pretty darn good, and worthy of being in this conversation.

The thing i rememember about that 91GF - Ashley McIntosh who became a very good player - he was only young at the time - but even then he was a good player - and Brereton absolutely annihilated him - Dermie had an inglorious finish to his career ( at other clubs )but he was so important in GFs winning flags - even that big loss to Ess - i think he kicked 8 goals

 

[Prestigerrycomo]

Lol at the Richmond fanbois in this thread

 

[Some Idiot]

I don't remember the Lions side very well and think Geelong's 2007-2011 side was slightly better than the three peat Hawks.

 

[Macpotata]

The Hawthorn premiership team of 1991 was a formidable unit. West Coast were clearly the dominant side throughout the regular season (19-3) but had no answer to the Hawks in the finals. After a monumental victory over the Eagles at Subiaco in the QF the boys outlasted the Cats in a brilliant SF before going on to destroy the Coasters again in the GF. The Hawthorn side contained some absolute cracking players. Langford,Ayres,Mew,Hall,Jarman,Tuck,Dunstall,Brereton and Platten had careers that spoke for themselves while lesser profile names like Allan, Paul Hudson, Collins, Condon, Anderson and Gowers were terrific role players and multiple premiership contributors. Add to this some injury plagued but highly talented blokes like Lawrence ( player of that finals series ), Morrissey ( not far behind Lawrence ) and Paul Dear ( Norm Smith in GF ) and the team is looking pretty darn good, and worthy of being in this conversation.

Agreed. WCE just beat the Hawks the next year in the elimination final at Subi, wefre trailing for 3 qtrs but got a couple of late goals that game them a narrow 13 point win. Had you guys kicked straight in the first quarter it could have been game over ( like the meeting out at Waverley earlier on }

If you won that game, you would have gone back to back.

 

[Black Stripe]

Richmond 2017 would beat the s**t out of Geelong 07. Whoever wins the flag in 2027 would beat the s**t out of Richmond 2017. In single years you can make arguments but in the long run the more modern team will always win. That’s how all sport works.
I don’t think that makes modern teams stronger though.

Geelong 2007 were so far ahead of everyone though, beating a team in a grand final by 119 points who were no mugs themselves.

 

[HTT]

Geelong 2007 were so far ahead of everyone though, beating a team in a grand final by 119 points who were no mugs themselves.

Yep they were. And then Geelong 08 were even better than Geelong 07. But Geelong 08 weren't so far ahead in the end. Much like how Richmond 18 were better than Richmond 17, but which version won the flag again?
All 18 clubs are constantly learning and developing gameplans. What is revolutionary one year becomes common the next and soon enough it becomes obsolete.