Your Favourite Non-Flag Season

[Mr_Bojangles]

Some of us have celebrated more than a few premierships, some not at all.

What is your favourite non-flag season though. One where it was an enjoyable experience during a rebuild taking some big scalps, having a breakout year to almost take it all or just reveling in the shitness of it all.

Mine is 1994. 17 at the time and Geelong entertained like *. Absolute dog s**t up until around 6 weeks or so before the game before winning 5 and losing 1. Another 100+ to Ablett too.

What's your ultimately trophyless but enjoyable seaso.

 

[owen87]

Some of us have celebrated more than a few premierships, some not at all.

What is your favourite non-flag season though. One where it was an enjoyable experience during a rebuild taking some big scalps, having a breakout year to almost take it all or just reveling in the shitness of it all.

Mine is 1994. 17 at the time and Geelong entertained like fu**. Absolute dog sh*t up until around 6 weeks or so before the game before winning 5 and losing 1. Another 100+ to Ablett too.

What's your ultimately trophyless but enjoyable seaso.

2016.

Watching a VFL standard side, that had no rights to win a single game, or even get close, was one of the more weirdly enjoyable seasons I've watched.

Having absolutely 0 expectations of any form coming in to the season meant any positive was drastically amplified.

 

[jesterwester]

Season is difficult.

2011 we went from a wooden spoon to a prelim. That was an unexpectedly good year. No pressure, just watching a team develop into a good football side.

But nothing can really match the period 2002-2005 for mine for enjoyableness. Footy in general I found exciting, but watching Chris Judd, Daniel Kerr and Ben Cousins in their prime was just exciting. I’d have loved that midfield to kick to our current forward line.

 

[Asapartyhat]

2011 from the opposition media and non supporters went - you will finish bottom, you will finish bottom four, you wont make the eight, you wont finish top four, you won't win a final, you wont make the prelim ,you wont win the premiership.They were right eventually but it was a fun year.Naitanui dominated and silenced a few detractors.

 

[Gysberts2Bate]

2021.

 

[Wojcinski]

2004 for me. First time we'd won a final in 9 years, was just happy to see my team actually competing

 

[werdna78]

Since Chris Fagan took over, watching the group grow and develop.

Charlie Cameron arriving, then Lachie Neale. Now Joe Daniher.

 

[Marmozet]

2013.

After our pretty shitty 2008-2012, it was just nice to be a decent team again. We had heaps of epic come-from-behind wins, two awesome Showdown wins and were even lucky enough to win one final away from home.

We had a bit of "everyone's second team" about us that year and we got a lot of support from neutrals.

 

[Billy ray]

all 10 of them

 

[Goomba1973]

2011 - Spoon in 2010 to Prelim
2015 - Even though we got our bums handed to us in the GF I did not think WC would get there at all so that was a plus
2005 - But Leo Barry

 

[windyhill]

 

[Rusty Brookes]

A real left field one - 1998. Hawthorn had been terrible on field in 1997. But we'd managed to survive the potential merger and we were going great guns in terms of signing members. We were awful for most of 1998 but won the last five games. It felt really felt like a new dawn for the club was approaching. Turned out to be a little bit false (although we did make a prelim three years later) but the feeling at the time was great.

 

[And_ROOS]

2004 for me. First time we'd won a final in 9 years, was just happy to see my team actually competing

That win over Brisbane at home, where for years they constantly bullied us and our players stood up, that was a fun season shame about the PF though.

 

[Tannehill17]

2009. Sure it ended with that embarrassing crows loss in the finals and had knights as coach but Anzac Day and beating the hawks in the last round were incredible.

 

[Lsta062]

I would have said 2013 but I'm not gonna because of how it ended. For Richmond, perhaps the dominant 2018 season for Richmond. We were fantastic that year and crushed quite a few sides.

From a neutral perspective, I'd probably say 2011 or 2016. Those were the years with an entertaining group of top teams IMO (2011 saw 4th have a record of 17-5 and 2016 saw 7th have a record of 15-7 but only 2 wins away from 1st!). So entertaining watching them go at it even though my club lost the plot in both years.

Was a kid in the 90s and early 2000s so I don't really remember a lot of those seasons. Probably started following it casually in 2003 and more strongly around 2008-2009, so could understand if the seasons I pick out are not to the standard of other supporters.

 

[Dark Avenger]

1994 for me as well. Forward line was probably the best I've seen at the Dees. Schwarz had a season that rivalled Careys but he was also more flamboyant & exciting. I can't help but wonder what might have been if he didn't suffer all the knee injuries. Jakovich tearing it up in his final year at Melbourne before succumbing to a back injury half way through the year. A young Neitz starring at CHB & my favourite player Stephen Tingay streaming down the wing. Snuck into 7th place & knocked off second placed Carlton in the first final & watched Lyon kick 10 in three quarters the following week against Footscray. Prelim against West Coast was a bit disappointing though but they were clearly the best team that year.

 

[Proper Gander]

All of them. Haven’t seen a flag season

 

[btdg]

Pound for pound (or at least relative to the amount of winning that happened) Carlton's 2020 season was an absolute ripper.

round 1 vs Richmond: first ever game with no crowd, weird, bizarre. Richmond started with 7 straight goals to 0, we pulled back to within 2 goals before they pulled away again. A loss, but memorable

round 2 vs Melbourne: 1pt loss. Melbourne kicked 5 goals to no score in the first quarter. We kicked 3.5 to 0.1 in the last but not enough

round 3 vs Geelong: 2pt win at KP. Led by 35 at 3/4 time, they stormed home, won on an Eddie Betts tackle in the dying seconds

round 4 vs Essendon: 1pt win

round 6 vs Bulldogs: 52pt win. Suprisingly entertaining game before we blitzed the last quarter. Arguably our best match in 8 years.

round 7 vs Port: 3pt loss. Robbie Gray goal after the siren - enough said

round 8 vs North: 7pt win. Close right up to the end, we were clearly better but kicked 2.8 (to 4.1) in the second half to keep it tense

round 9 vs Hawthorn. We kicked the first 5 goals of the game. They kicked 14 of the next 17. A massive roller-coaster

round 12 vs Freo. 4pt win. Jack Newnes goal after the siren, after weird down-field free kick and confusion over who was kicking. Enough said

Round 13 vs GC. 33pt win. Surprisingly enjoyable as the first win in ages where it was clear we were actually going to win. Also Harry McKay's 'breakout' game (he kicked 2.4, but it was the first time for me he put it all together)

Round 14 vs Collingwood. Very bizarre game. We didn't kick a goal after half time, but led anyway at 3/4 time. They kicked 4 goals in about 5 possessions late; a bunch of strange free kicks included. Memorable loss

Round 15 vs GWS: Season on the line, led 5.8 to 2.11 at 3/4 time. Zero goals in the last quarter, season done

Round 16 vs Sydney: 5pt win. We were wasteful but for once we held them to zero goals in the last quarter. Some minor hope alive...

Round 17 vs Adelaide: loss vs wooden spooners. Hope crushed, but much later in the year than normal (and at least it was 'memorable')

In a 17 game season, 8 games decided by 10pts or less; 13 games that are notable, including a bunch of wild swings within matches. Pretty much all of this taking place during a lockdown where there really wasn't much else to do.

We didn't end up making finals but relative to that amount of winning, that has to rank as one of the most entertaining ever and a stark contrast to this season's 0-8 record vs teams above us on the ladder (and I think every one of those games was a 22pt loss)

 

[navi_]

The saints in 2009 and 2010

loved watching that side

 

[HTT]

2018 was pretty fun. Still the only time in my life I've seen us on top of the ladder after any round, and we spent most of the year up there to finish two games clear. For the last 6 weeks of the season it was just a question of who we'd play at the MCG in week 1 for a spot in the prelim. That hasn't been the case any other year. We just got to spend the year not really needing to win any specific game, but smashing teams in them anyway.

Then we got to a game we really needed to win and lost. But still a fun year.

 

[who_let_the_dogs_out]

1997.

Finished 2nd last in 1996, with the defunct Fitroy finishing last.

In Terry Wallace's first season at the helm in 1997 he took us on an absolute rollercoaster ride, instilled the belief we could win and made us one of the best teams that year, falling short in the prelim by 2pts, to eventual premier Adelaide. Chris Grant went on to lose the Brownlow on a technicality a few days later.

Heartbreaking finish, but man that was such a fun, memorable season.

 

[LeverPuller]

For the Dees: 2018. First finals I got to enjoy as an adult and it was a ride.

In general: 2004 was pretty damn good.

 

[Cringle]

Pound for pound (or at least relative to the amount of winning that happened) Carlton's 2020 season was an absolute ripper.

round 1 vs Richmond: first ever game with no crowd, weird, bizarre. Richmond started with 7 straight goals to 0, we pulled back to within 2 goals before they pulled away again. A loss, but memorable

round 2 vs Melbourne: 1pt loss. Melbourne kicked 5 goals to no score in the first quarter. We kicked 3.5 to 0.1 in the last but not enough

round 3 vs Geelong: 2pt win at KP. Led by 35 at 3/4 time, they stormed home, won on an Eddie Betts tackle in the dying seconds

round 4 vs Essendon: 1pt win

round 6 vs Bulldogs: 52pt win. Suprisingly entertaining game before we blitzed the last quarter. Arguably our best match in 8 years.

round 7 vs Port: 3pt loss. Robbie Gray goal after the siren - enough said

round 8 vs North: 7pt win. Close right up to the end, we were clearly better but kicked 2.8 (to 4.1) in the second half to keep it tense

round 9 vs Hawthorn. We kicked the first 5 goals of the game. They kicked 14 of the next 17. A massive roller-coaster

round 12 vs Freo. 4pt win. Jack Newnes goal after the siren, after weird down-field free kick and confusion over who was kicking. Enough said

Round 13 vs GC. 33pt win. Surprisingly enjoyable as the first win in ages where it was clear we were actually going to win. Also Harry McKay's 'breakout' game (he kicked 2.4, but it was the first time for me he put it all together)

Round 14 vs Collingwood. Very bizarre game. We didn't kick a goal after half time, but led anyway at 3/4 time. They kicked 4 goals in about 5 possessions late; a bunch of strange free kicks included. Memorable loss

Round 15 vs GWS: Season on the line, led 5.8 to 2.11 at 3/4 time. Zero goals in the last quarter, season done

Round 16 vs Sydney: 5pt win. We were wasteful but for once we held them to zero goals in the last quarter. Some minor hope alive...

Round 17 vs Adelaide: loss vs wooden spooners. Hope crushed, but much later in the year than normal (and at least it was 'memorable')

In a 17 game season, 8 games decided by 10pts or less; 13 games that are notable, including a bunch of wild swings within matches. Pretty much all of this taking place during a lockdown where there really wasn't much else to do.

We didn't end up making finals but relative to that amount of winning, that has to rank as one of the most entertaining ever and a stark contrast to this season's 0-8 record vs teams above us on the ladder (and I think every one of those games was a 22pt loss)

Kind of sad this is all we have

 

[Bald]

2015.

Stringer was an absolute beast. We had a new look and new identity. Were playing unbelievable football. The win over Sydney in the rain.

And what was to be.

 

[melbournemartin]

2010... we had just started to perfect "Bailey ball", which made us a great attacking team one day and then an awful defensive team the other. However, we had been wining barely any games in previous years and so to win 8 games in 2010 just felt amazing. We had so much youth that we thought would just make us dominate the league, and so there was this freedom where every win was a bonus but we didn't really need to make finals because we thought it was inevitable (how wrong we were...)

Our smashing of Sydney 142 to 69, which had Paul Roos completely flabbergasted, was just incredible.

Oh and watching Liam Jurrah play...