Geez, I wish my team had a weak enough mentality to win 21 games in the H&A season.
Who would you rate as the weakest minor premier of the last 20 years?
- Thread starter VineyToClark
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Holy Rioli
Premiership Player
I agree, going 19-3 with an almost 140% clearly makes that Hawthorn side the worst minor premier of the last 20 years.
- Mar 2, 2015
- 19,064
- 34,277
- AFL Club
- Hawthorn
Gee, some selective memory there...
Hawthorn DESTROYED Geelong in the 3rd quarter of the '08 GF and piled on SIX unanswered goals to lead by 30 points
The Hawks rushed 5 behinds from this point on (4 in the last quarter) after they'd already established the match-winning lead.
Sure, the Hawks took the piss with rushed behinds, but the sooky Cats fans were drawing a long bow to even mention this in the aftermath.
Umps gifted Steve Johnson a goal just before 3/4 time with an blatantly incorrect downfield free kick. Ablett handballed to Ling in the centre and was tackled high. Ling still had the ball in his hands when the ump paid the free and then Lingy kicked inside fifty well after.
But not to worry...
4th Qtr
13:58 - Bartel scrubbed his kick & hit Mitchell laces out, 50m from goal. Sammy played on, left foot.. GOAL! Hawks by 27 points
17:55 - Harley undisciplined act, dumped Ladson after he marked on centre wing, 50m penalty.... GOAL! Hawks by 33 points
(That was pretty much the sealer. Geelong kicked another goal thanks to a cheap free to Rooke)
21:37 - Mitchell to Osborne to Lewis to Roughead... GOAL! Hawks by 33 points
Hawthorn iced the clock and wasted some more time after that, trolling the sooky Cats fans with another rushed behind. Lonergan kicked a meaningless goal with a couple of minutes left and the Hawks ran out comfortable winners by 26 points. That's 5 goals. Not 4 goals.
Pretty funny to watch the replay and see all those Geelong champions succumb to Hawthorn's pressure throughout the match. Even their best players were fumbling and bumbling: Scarlett, Harley, Ottens, Bartel, Mooney, Chapman, Kelly
If you didn't follow the AFL, you would never have guessed it was them who were were the experienced reigning premiers (23 wins, 1 loss) losing to a young inexperienced team with 13 players who hadn't yet reached 100 games.
The Cats were the ultimate flat track bullies in 2008. They got so used to belting their opponents that when a good team stood up to them, they fell apart.. That's mental weakness. Not physical.
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- Jun 22, 2008
- 24,580
- 21,275
- AFL Club
- Geelong
Freo 2015 is the correct answer.
R-U Collingwood 2011. Only lost 3 games for the season, all to the same side who were the eventual premiers.
R-U Collingwood 2011. Only lost 3 games for the season, all to the same side who were the eventual premiers.
- Jun 22, 2008
- 24,580
- 21,275
- AFL Club
- Geelong
Yes, the percentages don't lie. Not specifically minor premier, but top 4, I can think of at least one Geelong season and one Hawthorn season when they've finished top 4 with pathetic percentages and gone out in straight sets.
- May 3, 2007
- 36,281
- 21,022
- AFL Club
- Fremantle
- Other Teams
- Man City, Valencia, Lazio, Panthers
I assume the Geelong side you are talking about is the 2014 one? Again, a weird season as Swans, Hawks and Cats all had 17 wins.
The hawks side I assume you are talking about is the 2016 one? They Narrowly lost to the cats then lost to the dogs the next week.
The 2018 hawks were no better at they had a % of 120. That hawks side averaged only 89 points a game too.
- Jun 22, 2008
- 24,580
- 21,275
- AFL Club
- Geelong
I think the years when Geelong kept finishing top 4 and then getting belted in finals was more to do with GC and GWS coming more than anything else. Teams that would have potentially risen to challenge in previous seasons were denied access to the best talent.
- May 3, 2007
- 36,281
- 21,022
- AFL Club
- Fremantle
- Other Teams
- Man City, Valencia, Lazio, Panthers
I agree with that to a certain extent.
Then again, Look at what west coast got in the 2010 draft, despite Gold Coast having a few picks in the top 15: Gaff, Darling, Lycett and McGovern.
That’s actually an interesting point I haven’t really considered before. I guess you just got stuck at a real teasing level, not quite good enough but still top 4. I’d be intrigued to see how teams positions changed in that period and see if there was a bit less movement across the board.
- Jul 30, 2018
- 11,782
- 15,176
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- Fremantle
- Banned
- #85
Without looking, Freo 2015 was the weakest minor premier of the past 50 years.
- Sep 30, 2015
- 3,180
- 4,945
- AFL Club
- West Coast
No, they wouldn't have. Fremantle purposely lost their final home and away game of the year by resting half their squad, because the result made no difference to their position. That's why The AFL brought in the bye week before finals.
Geelong last year would be 2nd after Freo. Clearly the worst side in the finals beside Essendon and Collingwood, who they happened to play and even managed to stuff that up.
- May 21, 2015
- 4,508
- 6,783
- AFL Club
- Richmond
Very average after the bye
- Sep 28, 2009
- 23,151
- 32,469
- AFL Club
- West Coast
- Other Teams
- Reading FC
If they had lost that Richmond game they wouldn't have been in that position. Thats the point. No guarantee to win the final game against Port in Adelaide with a stronger squad. They lost to North only a fortnight earlier.
Dirty Bird
Pokémon Master
For the dates specified
Best to worst
1. Collingwood 2011
2. Geelong 2008
3. Essendon 2000
4. St Kilda 2009
5. Hawthorn 2012
6. Geelong 2007
7. Sydney 2016
8. Sydney 2014
9. Collingwood 2010
10. Adelaide 2005
11. Richmond 2018
12. Adelaide 2017
13. Hawthorn 2013
14. Essendon 2001
=15. Port Adelaide 2002
=15. Port Adelaide 2004
17. Port Adelaide 2003
18. Essendon 1999
19. West Coast 2006
20. Fremantle 2015
Best to worst
1. Collingwood 2011
2. Geelong 2008
3. Essendon 2000
4. St Kilda 2009
5. Hawthorn 2012
6. Geelong 2007
7. Sydney 2016
8. Sydney 2014
9. Collingwood 2010
10. Adelaide 2005
11. Richmond 2018
12. Adelaide 2017
13. Hawthorn 2013
14. Essendon 2001
=15. Port Adelaide 2002
=15. Port Adelaide 2004
17. Port Adelaide 2003
18. Essendon 1999
19. West Coast 2006
20. Fremantle 2015
- Feb 21, 2009
- 15,446
- 11,832
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- Port Adelaide
- Other Teams
- Ferrari, Chicago Bulls
Lol
Lol you really are sour
And given your top selections didn't win you look pretty hilarious.
Yep, you were. That's why you barely won.
Although I didn't make it clear, what I posted was an observation I had made before the finals last year started, not after.
- May 21, 2015
- 4,508
- 6,783
- AFL Club
- Richmond
First minor premier to lose both the qualifying final and preliminary final since Adelaide in 2005 says you are one of the weakest minor premiers in years
Thanks Johnny Come but I was disputing the fact that we were described by the person I was talking to as the third worst team in the finals - and the two he said were worse didn’t Include west coast - who we knocked out.
- Sep 30, 2015
- 3,180
- 4,945
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- West Coast
North Melbourne almost made the grand final, that year, and ended 3rd on the ladder, after finals. They were no push over. Fremantle would have easily defeated Port, especially how their weaker team were 3 goals in front at quarter time. Theatrically, Freo should have been 18-4, had they not been so conservative. So my point is, the Richmond game wouldn't have made a difference had Fremantle played their best 22 in Round 23 of that season.
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