Who would you rate as the weakest minor premier of the last 20 years?

Which minor premier do you rate as the weakest?


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May 11, 2015
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Probably Freo. From memory they won a heap of games by pretty narrow margins at home to start the year and got exposed relatively badly as the season wore on. Were well behind Hawthorn and West Coast that year and maybe even (depending on the time) Sydney and Richmond too. Adelaide 05 kinda similar I guess but the gap between them and Sydney/West Coast/St Kilda was pretty narrow unlike 2015.

Adelaide 17 won less games but that season was very close, they still felt like the best team for basically the whole year.

No disagreement that we are probably the weakest minor premiers in recent times but your memory is playing tricks with you. We were imperious for 9 rounds and Fyfe was on track for the single finest year in the history of the game (29 Brownlow votes by Rd 14). We were literally blowing teams off the park:

- R2: away to Geelong - pretty close at half time and then kicked 7.1 in the 3rd
- R3: Our away Derby - were 9.2 to 0.4 at the end of the first and 14.5 to 3.5 at half time
- R4: Home to Sydney - 9.3 to 1.3 at half time
- R5: Away to the Demons: won the second half 10.4 to 1.10
- R6: Home to Bombers: were 9 goals clear at 3/4 time
- R7: Away to Doggies: Kicked 5.3 in the first nine minutes
- R8: Home to North: kicked 8 goals to 1 in the second half
- R9: The Fyfe vs Danger shoot out in the wet in Adelaide (both with 40+ possessions) Freo finally kicking on in the last qtr

The problem is we played the season in the same way we were playing games - a burst of amazing footy and then put the cue in the rack. Partly because Fyfe got injured, but also because I think we got very complacent.
 
May 3, 2007
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Its funny how people think that Freo have been the weakest Minor premier. I am Willing to Admit the weakest one in 10 years. But from 1990 onwards? Far from it, I could name 2, possibly 3 teams that were weaker than Freos 2015 minor premiership side since 1990.

I have posted this before and will post I again. That Freo 2015 side was Scarily similar to Geelong in 2014. Both teams got 17 wins, both won 6-7 games by 2 goals or less including a few by under a goal. Both dropped out of finals the year after too.

I have said this many times that I am still bitter about Freos 2016 season. Freo were much better than the 4-18 record we got. Had we got 7-8 wins in 2016, the drop would of still been bad but No way was Freo was a 4 win season bad. 2017 and 2018 proved it.

Also Looking at all 4 teams that finished top 4 in 2016: Freo, eagles, Hawks, Swans. You would admit the dockers had the weakest forward line out of that group of 4 and by a bloody big margin too.
 
May 3, 2007
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Fremantle were 17-3 at one stage in 2015 and from there they had top spot sealed.

So they rested/managed players in their last 2 games which of course backfired on them.

Seems Ross Lyon didn't learn from when he made the same mistake in 2009.
Ah this person doesn't understand. Luke McPharlin is one of Freos greatest key defenders.

Only played one finals series out of that 2012-5 era. Guess which finals series he played out of those 4? It was 2013, the year we made the grand final.
 
Ah this person doesn't understand. Luke McPharlin is one of Freos greatest key defenders.

Considering how little history your club has, that's not exactly a huge deal.

It's like saying I'm 'one of' my parents favorite kids....when there aren't a lot to choose from, being 'one of' the best doesn't really mean much.
 
May 3, 2007
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Considering how little history your club has, that's not exactly a huge deal.

It's like saying I'm 'one of' my parents favorite kids....when there aren't a lot to choose from, being 'one of' the best doesn't really mean much.
Thanks for the respect..... or lack there of....

In 100 years time, my team will have 125 years of history, your team will have 250 years plus of history. Will you call the dockers a plastic club or a franchise in 2119?
 
Similarly Collingwood 2011. Pushed a side in round 8 and then lost to them by 96 points in the last H&A round. Have you ever seen a minor premier degenerate so drastically?
Only team we lost against that year. Geelong. Don't think there was anyone stopping Cats that year.
 

Macpotata

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Mar 22, 2017
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Its funny how people think that Freo have been the weakest Minor premier. I am Willing to Admit the weakest one in 10 years. But from 1990 onwards? Far from it, I could name 2, possibly 3 teams that were weaker than Freos 2015 minor premiership side since 1990.

I have posted this before and will post I again. That Freo 2015 side was Scarily similar to Geelong in 2014. Both teams got 17 wins, both won 6-7 games by 2 goals or less including a few by under a goal. Both dropped out of finals the year after too.

I have said this many times that I am still bitter about Freos 2016 season. Freo were much better than the 4-18 record we got. Had we got 7-8 wins in 2016, the drop would of still been bad but No way was Freo was a 4 win season bad. 2017 and 2018 proved it.

Also Looking at all 4 teams that finished top 4 in 2016: Freo, eagles, Hawks, Swans. You would admit the dockers had the weakest forward line out of that group of 4 and by a bloody big margin too.
Dude you have to learn to take criticism. Especially when it comes to your club.

Geelong 2014 were weak as piss ( hence why we exited in straight sets ) As were you guys in 2015 AFTER you started 8-0. You lost 5 of the remaining 14 and in quite a few barely won. Against sides that were s**t too it must be said.

You beat GC by 7 points
Pies by 7 points
bottom placed Lions at Home
12 goal loss away to the Hawks
Beat carlton at home that had 3 wins up until round 16
Richmond by 4 points where Houli cost them
GWS by 21 that didn't play finals
Beat the Saints that were 6 wins 12 losses for the year
Lose to WCE
Lose to North
Beat melbourne in Perth that were 6-15
Lose to Port although top was sewn up


First week of the finals at home to an injury ravaged Sydney and you win 10.9 to 7.18. They have just a couple of those guys in, or even just Buddy, they win that. Your percentage { or points scored etc, or both ) was one of the worst in history if not the worst in the AFL era for a side that finished top.

The Freo side that started 8-0 were magnificent and played some pretty good football. After that however you guys were dire to watch and unspectacular.


edited - 7 of your 9 wins after round 8 came against sides outside the 8. Three of those were the bottom 3 and the saints just a couple spots above in 14th position at the end of the home and away season.
 
Last edited:
May 3, 2007
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Only team we lost against that year. Geelong. Don't think there was anyone stopping Cats that year.

I looked at that Geelong 2011 side.... On the surface, just focusing on their home and away season. Having a 19-3 record is nothing short of very good or excellent. Their only 3 losses were Essendon by 4 points, west coast by 8 points and Swans by 13 points.

They also won a few narrow games: Saints by 1, Freo by 11, Collingwood by 3, Carlton by 2, hawks by 5 and Crows by 11 points.

That Geelong side could of easily went 22-0 in the regular season or 16-6. 2011 was a crazy season though
 
May 3, 2007
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Dude you have to learn to take criticism. Especially when it comes to your club.

Geelong 2014 were weak as piss ( hence why we exited in straight sets ) As were you guys in 2015 AFTER you started 8-0. You lost 5 of the remaining 14 and in quite a few barely won. Against sides that were s**t too it must be said.

You beat GC by 7 points
Pies by 7 points
bottom placed Lions at Home
12 goal loss away to the Hawks
Beat carlton at home that had 3 wins up until round 16
Richmond by 4 points where Houli cost them
GWS by 21 that didn't play finals
Beat the Saints that were 6 wins 12 losses for the year
Lose to WCE
Lose to North
Beat melbourne in Perth that were 6-15
Lose to Port although top was sewn up


First week of the finals at home to an injury ravaged Sydney and you win 10.9 to 7.18. They have just a couple of those guys in, or even just Buddy, they win that. Your percentage { or points scored etc, or both ) was one of the worst in history if not the worst in the AFL era for a side that finished top.

The Freo side that started 8-0 were magnificent and played some pretty good football. After that however you guys were dire to watch and unspectacular.


edited - 7 of your 9 wins after round 8 came against sides outside the 8. Three of those were the bottom 3 and the saints just a couple spots above in 14th position at the end of the home and away season.
A good thought out an accurate post. But its hard to take criticism from Big footy trolls on here.

I think Freo in 2015 were an aberration. We only finished top due to winning a lot of narrow games. I agree, freos 1st half of the season was good. the 2nd half of the season was crap as Freo were getting injuries to key players at the worst possible time. Turn 2-4 of those narrow wins into defeats, freo wouldn't finish top 4.

I remember a doggies supporter asking about this and I gave that dogs supporter a good reply and in Detail on what happened in that 2nd half of freos 2015 season.......

It was a glass half full/Half empty theory. And this might be Part of the reason why Ross made the same mistakes at the saints in 2009 and 2010. Yes Freo were top, but here was the decision. Do you take the kids on rotating the kids mid season which could result in narrow losses and end up finishing 3rd or 4th? Or do the "If it aint broke, don't fix it idea"?

Guys like Matt DeBoer, Clancee Pearce, Nick Suban and Tendai Mzungu were "Role Players". Yes they averages around 15 disposals a game and butcher every 2nd kick but what they lacked in skill made up in Endurance. All 4 blokes had the ability to run out 4 quarters of footy. It helped as each of those blokes had 100 games each and 6-7 years of fitness under their belt. You think every 18 or 19 year old fresh from the SANFL, VFL or WAFL can run out a full 4 quarters of AFL footy? Not many of them would.

Funny thing was, after that Horrid 2016 season, Mzungu, Clancee Pearce, Suban and De Boer were cut by the club.


Lyon was stuck in that dilemma. I heard saints fans were complaining about certain young players not getting enough games in 2010 and had a couple of these gun kids played instead of a couple of role players, saints would of won the 2010 flag. After Ross Lyon left in 2011, Saints played a lot of youth from 2012 onwards.
 

CrowInFiji

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Sep 29, 2018
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This is surely the dumbest and most irrelevant argument ever. Every side was the best in the comp over the H&A rounds.

Arguably a harder feat than a sudden death final series where there is more to chance.
 
Thanks for the respect..... or lack there of....

In 100 years time, my team will have 125 years of history, your team will have 250 years plus of history. Will you call the dockers a plastic club or a franchise in 2119?

That's not what I was saying.

I was just saying that when a guy has played for roughly half of your entire history, calling him one of your best is pretty faint praise.
 
yet some people think Alex Rance I better than Stephen Silvagni

Completely different as you weren't comparing McPharlin to anyone outside your club.

Think big fish, small pond...and you just said he was just one of the bigger fish of his type.
 

mick500

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Feb 17, 2012
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We often talk about strongest premiership sides and weakest premiership sides - but a topic seldom discussed is the strength of the minor premiership sides.

Not being condescending, but that's probably because everyone knows that finishing on top means nothing, other than a better opportunity at making it to.. and winning the GF. If it actually mattered you wouldn't have to list the teams that finished top at the end of the minor round, because we would all remember.

Any team that finishes top 4 and doesn't make the GF is a failure imo. Someone has to lose, but it doesn't have to be you. And if you finish top 4, eyes should be firmly on making the prelim and getting the W in that match for a GF birth.
 

LiterallyNobody

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Not being condescending, but that's probably because everyone knows that finishing on top means nothing, other than a better opportunity at making it to.. and winning the GF. If it actually mattered you wouldn't have to list the teams that finished top at the end of the minor round, because we would all remember.

Any team that finishes top 4 and doesn't make the GF is a failure imo. Someone has to lose, but it doesn't have to be you. And if you finish top 4, eyes should be firmly on making the prelim and getting the W in that match for a GF birth.
I’d agree with that. I felt like 2004/5 were failures even though we made prelims and had our chances in both - however 2008 we fell into the top four. Had no right to be there. Plus the top two were freeways ahead of the rest of the comp that year. I think this was why 2009 was so surprising. It came out of literally nowhere as 2007/8 were such weak seasons.

But getting back to the point any team that seems to make it to prelim week needs to have a go at it, whether they deserve to be there or not. You have a 50/50 shot of making a grand final and who knows when you’re going to have another chance? So you have to give your all. As much as it pains me, this is exactly why the bulldogs got there. They knew they may not have another shot so they had to throw everything at this chance. The prelim losses of 2008/9/10 would also have been playing on their mind.
 
Sep 20, 2009
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I have said this many times that I am still bitter about Freos 2016 season. Freo were much better than the 4-18 record we got. Had we got 7-8 wins in 2016, the drop would of still been bad but No way was Freo was a 4 win season bad. 2017 and 2018 proved it.

Freo under Lyon squeezed every last possible drop from the orange with older players and top-ups. A 'crash' was probably always going to happen at some point as the ageing list took its toll. In a way, it was a good thing as it jolted Freo/Lyon into realising that you can't keep going down that route.
 

Black Stripe

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Ah this person doesn't understand. Luke McPharlin is one of Freos greatest key defenders.

Only played one finals series out of that 2012-5 era. Guess which finals series he played out of those 4? It was 2013, the year we made the grand final.

Zac Dawson was your team's best defender of that era, and he played in all the finals series.
 
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