Who would you rate as the weakest runners up of the last 20 years?

[Macpotata]

If you're basing this off the final margin, would mean that Geelong 2007 is hands down the greatest side to ever take the field.



Who would the worst premiers happen to be?

Port beat a WCE team by 3 points missing Daniel Kerr, Chris Judd on one leg playing Full Forward and Ben Cousins going off injured. The match was in Adelaide. Lucky to win the match still and lucky to get a home prelim.

Port made the Grand Final by default. They weren't really the second best side that year.

 

[Macpotata]

Just 3 more votes for port and it will be 119 votes.

lol!

On 118 now. Here it comes.

 

[Coopers]

lol!

On 118 now. Here it comes.

And done! Greatest bigfooty moment of all time.

 

[Papa G]

Port in 2007 is the only one I remember.

Compare a Geelong side with Harley, Johnson, Scarlett, Enright, Corey, Bartel, Selwood, Ablett, Chapman, Ling (arguably) who were all stars to...

Tredrea, the two Burgoynes.... erm. Cough. Maybe Lade?

Even blokes like Kelly, Milburne and Ottens are names people remember. Compared to Danyle Pearce, Brad Symes, Brett Ebert, Jacob Surjan and Toby Thurstans.

The 07 Port team still had 10 players from the 04 Premiership. It was hardly a team of no names. Toby Thurstans kicked 3 goals in the 04 Premiership (was the only memorable thing he ever did). Port 07 just totally shat the bed on the day and Geelong went into full God mode. Geelong were clearly the better side, were favourites to win, but the 20 goal margin was just representative of a day where everything went right for Geelong and everything went wrong for Port.

 

[SirKarl0s]

If the Port team bus broke down on the way to the MCG in 07 and they had to forfeit the game that would have been a better outcome than what actually happened.

 

[dylan93]

Yeah Port 07 was a trainwreck.

 

[CrowInFiji]

Not sure how you can finish top of the ladder and be considered weak...

 

[Zoom]

Collingwood 2018 IMO

 

[Black Stripe]

Not sure how you can finish top of the ladder and be considered weak...

Here is the answer.

Adelaide 2017.

Simply because they lost to the weakest Premiership team in the last 20 years.

 

[Collins-Langford-Ayres]

The AFL $wans were terrible in 2014 and 2016.

 

[Lsta062]

As mentioned, Port 07 is revisionist history.

If you just take the GF result, we were atrocious
If you take the year, we were clear second best team in the comp.

But I always thought Port Adelaide were a relatively weak side to make the Grand Final even before the Grand Final was played. To me, it was Geelong and the rest that year with not much separating Port Adelaide and the other top 8 sides.

Even if you look at the percentage for the year, Geelong has 152% and Port Adelaide had 112%, which was close to the other top 8 sides. The win gap between 1st-placed Geelong and 2nd-placed Port Adelaide (18 wins and 15 wins respectively) was also the same as the win gap between Port Adelaide (15 wins) and Adelaide (12 wins). Grand Finalists are normally closer to the Premiers in the season than that.

Nevertheless, I might change my vote to Carlton 1999. Finished 6th with 12 wins and a percentage of 103%. They got thrashed by 73 points in their first final, played an away SF at home to beat West Coast and then scraped past Essendon by 1 point, who kicked 14.19 to Carlton’s 16.8. You don’t often lose with 33 scoring shots to 24. That’s clearly one of the worse (if not the worst) resume for a Grand Finalist.

 

[Listclogger]

St Kilda 2010 - choked in the draw, forgot to turn up the following week.

How does that make them the weakest runners up?

Carlton 1999 for mine - their performance across the whole year is worse than all others listed.

 

[dean33]

Toss up between blues 99 and pies last season. Probably have to go blues as they were a s**t side who somehow found their way in a grand final. Pies in 2018 we’re the benefactors of an easy draw however their finals series was a good one at least.

 

[Listclogger]

Adelaide 2017.

Simply because they lost to the weakest Premiership team in the last 20 years.

And that same list finished 2 games + 15% clear on top the following year.

 

[Kangapirate]

Carlton 99 easily.

I’m generally a cynical North fan but that Saturday afternoon listening to the radio hearing Carlton had fallen over the line against Essendon I knew we had the flag in the bag, and this is after our choke in 98, Carlton were simply no threat. It’s the only time I’ve been arrogant about my teams chances going into a big game let alone a grand final.

As mentioned Carlton were genuinely good in 2000 and for part of that season were every bit as good as the bombers.

 

[swiftdog]

Im tipping most of the votes for Collingwood 2018 would come from Richmond supporters. Its still very sensitive!

Yeah no doubt. Spanked the unbackable favourites and unbeatable-at-the-MCG Tigers in the prelim. Went 0-2 against the eventual premiers in finals in two games that could have gone either way. Spanked the other preliminary finalist for good measure during the season i their only meeting. Hardly the form line of a weak finalist.

I also think Port 07 are getting a rough deal. The 119 isn’t great obviously but I still maintain that no team in history beats Geelong on Grand Final day in 2007. Fair argument that they might have lucked out a bit with West Coast’s injuries but, if memory serves, didn’t Port knock off the Cats late in the year at Kardinia Park also?

 

[CrowInFiji]

Here is the answer.

Ah, thanks, someone found a way to lower the bar of stupidity. Excellent.

 

[PowerForGood]

But I always thought Port Adelaide were a relatively weak side to make the Grand Final even before the Grand Final was played. To me, it was Geelong and the rest that year with not much separating Port Adelaide and the other top 8 sides.

Even if you look at the percentage for the year, Geelong has 152% and Port Adelaide had 112%, which was close to the other top 8 sides. The win gap between 1st-placed Geelong and 2nd-placed Port Adelaide (18 wins and 15 wins respectively) was also the same as the win gap between Port Adelaide (15 wins) and Adelaide (12 wins). Grand Finalists are normally closer to the Premiers in the season than that.

Nevertheless, I might change my vote to Carlton 1999. Finished 6th with 12 wins and a percentage of 103%. They got thrashed by 73 points in their first final, played an away SF at home to beat West Coast and then scraped past Essendon by 1 point, who kicked 14.19 to Carlton’s 16.8. You don’t often lose with 33 scoring shots to 24. That’s clearly one of the worse (if not the worst) resume for a Grand Finalist.

Good analysis. And agree with Carlton.

My biased view of Port Adelaide in 2007 included a 6-0 record against the next 4 teams below us. Shows how far ahead Geelong were that year, but also that we were not the team our GF performance showed.

 

[citizen-erased]

Carlton 99 if you mean from the season as whole.

On the day, can't go past Port in 07. But that Port 07 side wasn't the worst team of the list of R/Ups. Just came up against one of the better premiers of the era. Wasn't too different a side that won the 04 GF a few years earlier.

But if i had to select a side from that list that you think were lucky to make the GF, Carlton 99 for me.

 

[marty36]

If the Port team bus broke down on the way to the MCG in 07 and they had to forfeit the game that would have been a better outcome than what actually happened.

no it wouldn't that was by far the most I have laughed watching any game of footy in my life

 

[Forward Press]

Good analysis. And agree with Carlton.

My biased view of Port Adelaide in 2007 included a 6-0 record against the next 4 teams below us. Shows how far ahead Geelong were that year, but also that we were not the team our GF performance showed.

That however also means that Port were 7-7 against the bottom 10. I don't know the numbers for other Grand Finalists in recent times but on the face of it that is a poor record. As stated before, Port were closer to eighth spot than to the top of the ladder in 2007.

 

[The King!]

I went Melbourne, yes Port got flogged on the day, but Sydney 2014 got flogged on the day and arent being raised by many I can see.

Plus the interstate factor increases the degree of difficulty.

Essendon were obviously dominant in 2000 to an exceptional degree, but it felt like the only grand final in my time where it was like why bother playing this team has 0 chance of winning

 

[PowerForGood]

That however also means that Port were 7-7 against the bottom 10. I don't know the numbers for other Grand Finalists in recent times but on the face of it that is a poor record. As stated before, Port were closer to eighth spot than to the top of the ladder in 2007.

8-6 actually
Three losses were Sydney away and showdowns v Adelaide who finished 7th and 8th.

So I could say Port were 7-4 against the other 7 finals teams and 8-3 against the bottom 8.

Doesn't sound awful too me. But as i said I'm biased

So ignoring the times that Port was really good, they were pretty average?

 

[threesixpio]

Who TF voted Freo 2013? We weren't great but **** me we performed better than the Hawks next two opponents in their dynasty.

Our two halves, however, were chalk and cheese

First half - yes
Second half - no

Kick straighter and that was a super close game. Agree

 

[im_a_lazy_sod]

Kick straighter and that was a super close game. Agree

Our first half was just a bundle of nerves when we had time to think

When we moved quick and on instinct, we looked pretty good, but then for the set shots we had NFI what to do. Plus I remember it being super blustery and wet that day (I took cover under one of the stands during Q2 and HT iirc)

We peaked as a club in that third quarter when we got within a goal (Mayne from a set shot, too)