All the Stats - AFL Statistics

Adelaide Crows
The Adelaide Crows were the first South Australian team to enter the competition for the 1991 season. In just their third season the Crows made the Finals, losing the Preliminary final to eventual 1993 Premiers, Essendon, by just 11 pts. They were to make up for it a few years later when they won back to back Premierships in '97 and '98. Since that time, they have been regular finalists, however, haven't reached the big one.

Brisbane Bears
The Brisbane Bears became the first Queensland based club in the VFL in 1987. They struggled greatly, on and off the field, finishing as wooden-spooners in 1990 and '91 before eventually playing finals in '95 and finishing third in '96 after losing to eventual Premiers North Melbourne. Behind the scenes, the club was still struglling financially and was running out of opportunities to generate sufficient revenue especially for away games in Victoria. With Fitzroy in dire straights and needing to merge, the Bears stepped up to the plate having the merger approved becoming the Brisbane Lions from 1997.

Brisbane Lions
The Brisbane Lions were born thanks to a merger of the Brisbane Bears and Fitzroy Lions and played their first season as this new entity in 1997. The new Lions played finals football in seven of their first eight seasons, culminating in three Premierships in a row from 2001-03. They also played in the Grand Final in 2004 losing to Port Adelaide and losing the opportunity to equal Collingwood's long standing record of four Premierships in a row. Since losing the Grand Final in '04 the Lions have struggled, failing to make the finals in the three seasons since.

Carlton Blues
Carlton were one of the eight inaugural teams that broke away from the VFA to form the VFL in 1897. They played their first finals campaign in 1903 and were to miss the finals only once in the following 20 years. The Blues won their first Premiership in 1906 and backed it up with further wins in 1907 and '08 becoming the first team to win three-in-a-row. Regular periods of dominance have seen the Blues become one of the most successful in the VFL/AFL with 16 Premierships in total with their last coming in 1995.

Collingwood Magpies
As one of the stronger inaugural VFL clubs, Collingwood played in every finals series from the inception year in 1897 to 1911. They only missed the finals in five seasons of the first 43 of the competition. The 1936 Premiership was the Magpies 11th, four more than any other team at the time. Since that time the Pies have won just three Premierships, in 1956, '58 and '90, and have finished runner up on no less than 16 times. After the '58 Premiership, the Pies played in and lost eight Grand Finals before finally breaking through for their last Premiership in 1990.

Essendon Bombers
The Bombers won the inaugural VFL Premiership in 1897 and were a force in the early years of the competition. Although having a lean period in the late '20s and '30s, they again became a force playing in nine Grand Finals from 1941 to '51 for four Premierships. After their 1965 Premiership the Bombers faced a bit of lean period before winning back to back Premierships in 1984-85. Since that time the Bombers have won two Premierships, their last being in 2000 which took them to 16 Premierships and one of the most successful teams in the VFL/AFL.

Fitzroy Lions
The Fitzroy Lions were one of the inaugural VFL clubs back in 1897 and were a very strong club early winning four Premierships in the first nine seasons of the competition. In the reduced 1916 competition with just four teams competing, the Lions finished the home and away season with just two wins in last place before winning their three finals to take out their 6th Premiership. From that point the Lions won just two more Premierships, in 1922 and 1944, before they folded after their centenary year in 1996 and merged with the Brisbane Bears to create the Brisbane Lions.

Fremantle Dockers
The Fremantle Dockers became the second West Australian side in the competition when they entered the AFL for the 1995 season. They struggled up until 2002 failing to finish higher than 12th in the 16 team competition before they broke through for their first finals series in 2003. They proceeded to miss the finals in the following two seasons before having their best season to date in 2006 by reaching the Preliminary Final. The Dockers are the only AFL team in the competition, at this point in time, to have not won a Premiership.

Geelong Cats
Geelong were another of the inaugural teams that began the VFL competition in 1897. Although regular finals participants early, they had to wait until the VFL expanded to 12 teams in 1925 to win their first Premiership. They won further Premierships in '31 and '37 before going back-to-back in '51-52. After their 1963 Premiership, Geelong endured a Premiership drought of 43 years, including five Grand Final losses, before they finally won it again in 2007 in emphatic fashion by thrashing Port Adelaide by a record Grand Final margin of 119 points.

Hawthorn Hawks
The Hawks entered the competition in 1925 along with North Melbourne and Footscray, expanding the then VFL to 12 teams. The Hawks struggled for many years, not playing in their first finals series until 1957. Their first Premiership came in 1961 but it wasn't until the 70s before they became a force. Premierships in '71, '76, and '78 were followed by seven Grand Final appearances in a row from 1983 to 1989 winning four. The Hawks 9th Premiership in 1991 ended their dream run with the Hawks not playing in a Grand Final since.

North Melbourne Kangaroos
North Melbourne joined the VFL in 1925 along with Footscray and Hawthorn and struggled from their inception not finishing higher than 8th in their first 16 seasons, which included eight wooden spoons. The Kangaroos made the finals for the first time in 1945 and made the Grand Final in 1950, only to go down to the Bombers. From that time until 1973, the Roos made the finals only twice. They turned it around in the mid 70s playing in five Grand Finals in row, from 1974-78, winning in both '75 and '77. They had to wait until the 90s for their next two Premierships, coming in 1996 and '99 respectively.

Melbourne Demons
The Melbourne Demons have played in the VFL/AFL since inception in 1897. Premierships were few and far between in the early years. Their first flag came in 1900 with their second in 1926. It wasn't until the late 1930s that the Demons became a force. They won three-in-a-row from '39-41, followed by another in '48. They played in seven Grand Finals in a row from '54-60 winning five Flags. Had they beaten the Pies in '58 they would have won six in a row. The Demons 12th and last flag came in 1964. They weren't to play in finals again until '87. The Dees have lost their last two Grand Final appearances in 1988 and 2000.

Port Adelaide Power
Port Adelaide became the second South Australian team in the competition when they joined the AFL for the 1997 season. They played in their first finals campaign in just their third year and have only missed the finals twice since. After finishing as minor Premiers in both the 2002 and '03 and bowing out in the Preliminary Finals, they finally won the Premiership in 2004 making up for the disappointing previous two years. After missing the finals in 2006, Port came back to play off in the Grand Final in 2007 only to be thumped by Geelong to the tune of 119 points.

Richmond Tigers
Richmond joined the VFL in 1908 with the University Students. They played their first finals in the reduced 1916 season where all four teams played finals. After losing the 1919 Grand Final, they won back-to-back Premierships in 1920-21. The Tigers were a force in the late 20s and early 30s playing in seven Grand Finals in eight years from 1927. Unfortunately, they only won two flags, in 1932 and '34, in that period. Since then they have won six flags, four during the period '67-74, with their last coming in 1980 when they defeated Collingwood by a then record margin, 81 points.

St Kilda Saints
St Kilda were the weakest of the inaugural VFL teams failing to win a game in the first three seasons of the competition. They lost 48 games straight, before they finally broke through for their first win in Round 1, 1900 (against the eventual Premiers Melbourne). The Saints finished last in eight of their first nine seasons. They played in their first finals in 1907 before making their first Grand Final in 1913. They had to wait until 1965 before they had another crack at it, going down to the Bombers. They made up for it by winning their first and only Premiership in 1966 by a solitary point over Collingwood.

Sydney Swans
The Sydney Swans as South Melbourne, were another of the inaugural sides of the VFL in 1897. After finishing as runner-up in 1899 and 1907, they broke through for their first Premiership in 1909. They won it again in 1918 before becoming a force in the 30s. They played in four Grand Finals in a row from 1933-36 but managed to win just the 1933. From that run until they moved to Sydney in 1982, the Swans only played finals in just four seasons. Things didn't improve immediately with the Club only playing in two finals series up until 1996 where they lost the Grand Final to North Melbourne. The Swans finally broke the drought by winning the flag in 2005.

University Students
The University Students club entered the VFL in 1908, along with Richmond. They made a decent start finishing no lower than seventh in their first three seasons. It all turned pear shape from 1911 season though. Just one win in both the 1911 and 1912 seasons, the Students failed to win a game in 1913 and 1914 before the outbreak of World War I saw the team disbanded. The Students lost their last 51 games which is still the longest losing sequence in the history of the game.

Western Bulldogs
The Western Bulldogs, as Footscray, joined the VFL in 1925 with Hawthorn and North Melbourne. Although the stronger of the three new clubs, the Dogs still had to wait until 1938 to play finals footy. They were inconsistent through the 1940s before finally playing in two finals series in a row, culiminating in Footscray becoming the first of the the three 'new clubs' to win the Premiership in 1954. Unfortunately for Bulldogs fans, that has been their only success. Although they were regular finals participants in the 90s they have only made the finals once in the last seven years.

West Coast Eagles
The West Coast Eagles entered the VFL with the Bears in 1987 and have become one of the most consistent performing teams in the competition, missing the finals only four times in the last 21 years. They played finals in only their second season, but had to wait until 1991 where they became the first interstate team to participate in a Grand Final. They went down to the Hawks that year but made up for it the following year taking out the Premiership. Two years later, in 1994, they again were Premiers. They repeated the sequence of losing a Grand Final in 2005 and winning it the following year, in 2006, for their third Premiership.