Worst side ever to win a flag

[PowerfulPies2023]

That you have witnessed. Maybe not the worst but unconvincing I'll say swans 2005.

 

[the harry]

That you have witnessed. Maybe not the worst but unconvincing I'll say swans 2005.

Unconvincing you say? Collingwood 2010. Needed 4 more quarters.

 

[LionsOrDieTrion]

Those Adelaide teams in 97/98 would be up there.

 

[Cyclops]

That you have witnessed. Maybe not the worst but unconvincing I'll say swans 2005.

Mean thread.

And yes, Swans 2005, Eagles robbed.

 

[Donakebab]

Dan26 please grace us with your wisdom...

 

[PowerfulPies2023]

Phil Matera played the Eagles win. Unlucky Injury. Sampi was being held too at the end I reckon he would have missed though the pressure. Should have played lynch also went in with Gaspar who didn't get a touch or maybe a couple at best.

 

[ubiquitous226]

Wish I could say us.

 

[PowerfulPies2023]

Wish I could say us.

Maybe this year after you win 11 straight.


Anything is possible.

 

[pOleK]

I mean 2016 Doggies? Hard to say any team that won the flag is bad, but they finished 7th and strung together the perfect month of form.

 

[Bunk Moreland]

I mean 2016 Doggies? Hard to say any team that won the flag is bad, but they finished 7th and strung together the perfect month of form.

Dogs finished that H&A season 15-7 / 115%.

Richmond won the flag the next year with 15-7 / 118%.

So not quite that clear.

 

[Stumpy Pete]

Hurts me to suggest it but when i think about the drawn qualifying final and the quality of the premiership teams prior to and following - the Pies 1990 premiership side may be one of the poorer ones.

Regards

S. Pete

 

[NetworkNerd]

Hurts me to suggest it but when i think about the drawn qualifying final and the quality of the premiership teams prior to and following - the Pies 1990 premiership side may be one of the poorer ones.

Regards

S. Pete

If Dunstall didn't fracture his skull in 1990.... lost 3 out of 4 when he was out of the side

 

[Rabish Binney]

Those Adelaide teams in 97/98 would be up there.

Yeah right.

1998 - had to win 4 finals on the road including the GF.

 

[TheGhostOfJohnBelushi]

Yeah right.

1998 - had to win 4 finals on the road including the GF.

They were on the road for 4 weeks but lost the first week vs Melbourne.

 

[PowerfulPies2023]

Yeah right.

1998 - had to win 4 finals on the road including the GF.

Smashed in week 1 by 8 goals though. I agree with you however. They were great sides.

 

[kane249]

Phil Matera played the Eagles win. Unlucky Injury. Sampi was being held too at the end I reckon he would have missed though the pressure. Should have played lynch also went in with Gaspar who didn't get a touch or maybe a couple at best.

Sampi was a good set shot, had a shot after the siren against the Bulldogs in 2003 to get a draw so I would have backed him in if he had the chance.

Lynch was in terrible form and went goal less in the Qualifying final vs the Swans which is why he was dropped for the prelim. Gaspar and Gardiner weren't in much better form either so it was just shuffling stuff to try and make it work.

 

[rdhopkins2]

Too young and not enough tv exposure back then to know much about any other side but the Hawks. 1990 Pies maybe up there though.
Bombers self destructed.

 

[PowerfulPies2023]

Sampi was a good set shot, had a shot after the siren against the Bulldogs in 2003 to get a draw so I would have backed him in if he had the chance.

Lynch was in terrible form and went goal less in the Qualifying final vs the Swans which is why he was dropped for the prelim. Gaspar and Gardiner weren't in much better form either so it was just shuffling stuff to try and make it work.

Wasn't it Gaspars first game of the year though?

 

[Pistol Night]

I mean 2016 Doggies? Hard to say any team that won the flag is bad, but they finished 7th and strung together the perfect month of form.

Id rather a perfect month is September than dominating all year then shitting the in September like us in 2011

 

[PowerfulPies2023]

Id rather a perfect month is September than dominating all year then shitting the in September like us in 2011

Cats smashed us game before finals though. They started favourites in the granny. I know what you're saying but. I agree.

 

[Pistol Night]

Cats smashed us game before finals though. They started favourites in the granny. I know what you're saying but. I agree.

Cats managed that year brilliantly and deserved it thoroughly. I cant really think of a side that didn't "deserve" to win a flag really and could be judged the "worst". Its a war of attrition and if you make it to the GF you're in the best 2 teams for the year so its hard to diminish that in any way.

Clearly i just became one of those flogs with your thread title question though.

 

[kane249]

Wasn't it Gaspars first game of the year though?

Prelim was his first game, grand final was his second one

It was a bold move, but Lynch was badly out of form at the time.

12 months later Lynch was kicking them from everywhere and Ash Hansen had emerged as a competent centre half forward. Chalk and cheese to 05 for us.

 

[YeoShuey]

Collingwood 2023. Terrible.

 

[btdg]

I think the answer to this is CLEARLY the 1993 Essendon 'Baby Bombers'

It was a bizarre year, tbh. For some reason the AFL decided to only play 20 games rather than 22.

Essendon and Carlton were equal top with 13 wins and a draw, and % of 119 and 117 (uggh). But really:

• North should have finished top but blew a home game to 10th placed Footscray in the last round.
• Carlton (who were still 6-7 key pieces off their 1995 dominance) should have finished ahead of Essendon but somehow managed to only beat a 1-19 Sydney team by 1pt at Princes Park. That season also featured Kernahan failing to score from shot after the siren from 40m out - even a point puts Carlton to top and Essendon to 4th.
• West Coast should have finished ahead of Essendon but somehow managed to lose to BOTH Geelong (in Perth) and Footscray in the last 2 weeks.
• Geelong (runners-up the year prior) had a shocker of a start with injuries affecting them, and came barnstorming home, beating Essendon (1st), North (3rd), West Coast (6th) and Hawthorn (4th) in the last 4 matches to finish 7th, but only 1.5 games behind top.

It was ridiculously even - 12th placed St Kilda were only 3.5 games off top (in a 15 team league), and the short season made it an absolute crapshoot.

So then we head into finals and all three lower ranked teams win - North and Hawthorn manage to lose to non-victorian teams at home. Of course, this is the utterly nonsensical final 6 system which means Carlton (2nd) play Adelaide (5th) for a spot in the grand final the following week, while Essendon (1st) play West Coast (6th) in an elimination game.

Then the famous preliminary final - Essendon manage to get 42 points behind at home at half time before an Adelaide player farts during the half time huddle, the Crows players completely lose the plot, and blow the game by 1pt. Yes, footy used to be ridiculous.

Essendon were very good on grand final day, and Essendon fans will say that they got back a few players for that game. That's true. But it was still a really bizarre year and they were the ultimate Bradbury premiership imo

 

[Hamingja]

They did the football world a favour but you'd struggle to find a more underwhelming premiership team than that on paper? McGovern and Kennedy aside that team just screams meh.