VFL/AFL premiership and grand final statistics

This page is a collection of VFL/AFL premiership and grand final statistics. The Australian Football League (AFL), known as the Victorian Football League (VFL) until 1990, is the elite national competition in men's Australian rules football. Each year, the premiership is awarded to the club that wins the AFL Grand Final. The grand final has been played in all VFL/AFL seasons except for 1897 and 1924 (where the premiership was awarded without a grand final being played), and has been an annual tradition in its current format since 1931.

Since the introduction by the League of equalisation policies of a salary cap and draft in 1987,[1] every team currently competing in the Australian Football League (except for Gold Coast, which has not yet qualified for a finals series) has qualified for a grand final. This has had a significant impact on the spread of premierships: since 1990, thirteen clubs have won a premiership, compared with only five clubs between 1967 and 1989.[2] Of the teams currently competing in the Australian Football League, only Fremantle, Gold Coast and Greater Western Sydney (three of the competition's four newest clubs) are yet to win a premiership.

Premierships by team

Club	Years in competition	Premierships		Runners-up
Club	Years in competition	Total	Years	Total	Years
Essendon	1897–present	16	1897, 1901, 1911, 1912, 1923, 1924, 1942, 1946, 1949, 1950, 1962, 1965, 1984, 1985, 1993, 2000	14	1898, 1902, 1908, 1941, 1943, 1947, 1948, 1951, 1957, 1959, 1968, 1983, 1990, 2001
Carlton	1897–present	16	1906, 1907, 1908, 1914, 1915, 1938, 1945, 1947, 1968, 1970, 1972, 1979, 1981, 1982, 1987, 1995	13	1904, 1909, 1910, 1916, 1921, 1932, 1949, 1962, 1969, 1973, 1986, 1993, 1999
Collingwood	1897–present	15	1902, 1903, 1910, 1917, 1919, 1927, 1928, 1929, 1930, 1935, 1936, 1953, 1958, 1990, 2010	27	1901, 1905, 1911, 1915, 1918, 1920, 1922, 1925, 1926, 1937, 1938, 1939, 1952, 1955, 1956, 1960, 1964, 1966, 1970, 1977, 1979, 1980, 1981, 2002, 2003, 2011, 2018
Richmond	1908–present	13	1920, 1921, 1932, 1934, 1943, 1967, 1969, 1973, 1974, 1980, 2017, 2019, 2020	12	1919, 1924, 1927, 1928, 1929, 1931, 1933, 1940, 1942, 1944, 1972, 1982
Hawthorn	1925–present	13	1961, 1971, 1976, 1978, 1983, 1986, 1988, 1989, 1991, 2008, 2013, 2014, 2015	6	1963, 1975, 1984, 1985, 1987, 2012
Melbourne	1897–present	12	1900, 1926, 1939, 1940, 1941, 1948, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1959, 1960, 1964	5	1946, 1954, 1958, 1988, 2000
Geelong	1897–present	9	1925, 1931, 1937, 1951, 1952, 1963, 2007, 2009, 2011	10	1897, 1930, 1953, 1967, 1989, 1992, 1994, 1995, 2008, 2020
Fitzroy	1897–1996	8	1898, 1899, 1904, 1905, 1913, 1916, 1922, 1944	5	1900, 1903, 1906, 1917, 1923
South Melbourne / Sydney	1897–present	5	1909, 1918, 1933, 2005, 2012	12	1899, 1907, 1912, 1914, 1934, 1935, 1936, 1945, 1996, 2006, 2014, 2016
North Melbourne	1925–present	4	1975, 1977, 1996, 1999	5	1950, 1974, 1976, 1978, 1998
West Coast	1987–present	4	1992, 1994, 2006, 2018	3	1991, 2005, 2015
Brisbane Lions	1997–present	3	2001, 2002, 2003	1	2004
Adelaide	1991–present	2	1997, 1998	1	2017
Footscray / Western Bulldogs	1925–present	2	1954, 2016	1	1961
St Kilda	1897–present	1	1966	6	1913, 1965, 1971, 1997, 2009, 2010
Port Adelaide	1997–present	1	2004	1	2007
Fremantle	1995–present	0	—	1	2013
Greater Western Sydney	2012–present	0	—	1	2019
University	1908–1914	0	—	0	—
Brisbane Bears	1987–1996	0	—	0	—
Gold Coast	2011–present	0	—	0	—

Table correct to the end of the 2020 season.

Premiership frequency

Club	Years in competition	Seasons	Premierships	Runners-up	Strike rate (based on seasons in competition)	Average years per
Club	Years in competition	Seasons	Premierships	Runners-up	Strike rate (based on seasons in competition)	Premiership	Grand final
Hawthorn	1925–present	96	13	6	13.54%	7.15	5.05
Essendon	1897–1915, 1918–present	122	16	14	13.11%	7.63	4.07
Carlton	1897–present	124	16	13	12.90%	7.75	4.28
Brisbane Lions	1997–present	24	3	1	12.50%	8.00	6.00
Collingwood	1897–present	124	15	27	12.10%	8.27	2.95
West Coast	1987–present	34	4	3	11.76%	8.50	4.86
Richmond	1908–present	113	13	12	11.50%	8.69	4.52
Melbourne	1897–1915, 1919–present	121	12	5	9.92%	10.08	7.12
Fitzroy	1897–1996	100	8	5	8.00%	12.50	7.69
Geelong	1897–1915, 1917–1941, 1944–present	121	9	10	7.44%	13.44	6.37
Adelaide	1991–present	30	2	1	6.67%	15.00	10.00
North Melbourne	1925–present	96	4	5	4.17%	24.00	10.67
Port Adelaide	1997–present	24	1	1	4.17%	24.00	12.00
South Melbourne / Sydney	1897–1915, 1917–present	123	5	12	4.07%	24.60	7.24
Footscray / Western Bulldogs	1925–present	96	2	1	2.08%	48.00	32.00
St Kilda	1897–1915, 1918–present	122	1	6	0.82%	122.00	17.43
Greater Western Sydney	2012–present	9	0	1	—	—	9.00
Fremantle	1995–present	26	0	1	—	—	26.00
University	1908–1914	7	0	0	—	—	—
Brisbane Bears	1987–1996	10	0	0	—	—	—
Gold Coast	2011–present	10	0	0	—	—	—

Table correct to the end of the 2020 season.

Premiership droughts

⁺	Drought began upon club's entry to league
^†	Drought ended upon club's exit from league
*	Also the longest club premiership drought

The following tables summarise the different premiership droughts for each club. The first table is limited to droughts lasting fifty or more seasons, while the other three are specific to each club (two of which span the entire competition, including all 21 teams). The duration of the drought is given as the number of full seasons contested between premierships; the season in which the drought is broken is considered to be part of the drought, and if the drought began from a club's entry to the league, the club's inaugural season is also considered to be part of the drought. Grand final replays are not included in grand final appearances.

Longest premiership droughts

Club	Seasons	Start	End	Grand final appearances during drought
South Melbourne / Sydney	72	1933	2005	1934, 1935, 1936, 1945, 1996
St Kilda	68[lower-alpha 1]	1897⁺	1966	1913, 1965
Footscray / Western Bulldogs	62	1954	2016	1961
Melbourne	56	1964	—	1988, 2000
St Kilda	54	1966	—	1971, 1997, 2009, 2010
Fitzroy	52	1944	1996^†	—
North Melbourne	51	1925⁺	1975	1950, 1974

Table correct to the end of the 2020 season.

Longest club premiership droughts

Club	Seasons	Start	End	Grand final appearances during drought
Adelaide	21	1998	—	2017
Brisbane Bears	10	1987⁺	1996^†	—
Brisbane Lions	17	2003	—	2004
Carlton	25	1995	—	1999
Collingwood	32	1958	1990	1960, 1964, 1966, 1970, 1977, 1979, 1980, 1981
Essendon	20	2000	—	2001
Fitzroy	52	1944	1996^†	—
Footscray / Western Bulldogs	62	1954	2016	1961
Fremantle	25	1995⁺	—	2013
Geelong	44	1963	2007	1967, 1989, 1992, 1994, 1995
Gold Coast	10	2011⁺	—	—
Greater Western Sydney	9	2012⁺	—	2019
Hawthorn	37	1925⁺	1961	—
Melbourne	56	1964	—	1988, 2000
North Melbourne	51	1925⁺	1975	1950, 1974
Port Adelaide	16	2004	—	2007
Richmond	37	1980	2017	1982
St Kilda	68[lower-alpha 1]	1897⁺	1966	1913, 1965
South Melbourne / Sydney	72	1933	2005	1934, 1935, 1936, 1945, 1996
University	7	1908⁺	1914^†	—
West Coast	12	1994	2006	2005
West Coast	12	2006	2018	2015

Table correct to the end of the 2020 season.

Current club premiership droughts

Club	Seasons	Start	Grand final appearances during drought
Adelaide	22*	1998	2017
Brisbane Lions	17*	2003	2004
Carlton	25*	1995	1999
Collingwood	10	2010	2011, 2018
Essendon	20*	2000	2001
Fremantle	26*	1995⁺	2013
Geelong	9	2011	2020
Gold Coast	10*	2011⁺	—
Greater Western Sydney	9*	2012⁺	2019
Hawthorn	5	2015	—
Melbourne	56*	1964	1988, 2000
North Melbourne	21	1999	—
Port Adelaide	16*	2004	2007
Richmond	0	2020	—
St Kilda	54	1966	1971, 1997, 2009, 2010
Sydney	8	2012	2014, 2016
West Coast	2	2018	—
Western Bulldogs	4	2016	—

Table correct to the end of the 2020 season.

Time taken to win first premiership

°	Club has not yet won a premiership
^×	Club exited the league without winning a premiership

Club	Seasons	Entry to league	First premiership	Grand final appearances during drought
Adelaide	7	1991	1997	—
Brisbane Bears	10^×	1987	—	—
Brisbane Lions	5	1997	2001	—
Carlton	10	1897	1906	1904
Collingwood	6	1897	1902	1901
Essendon	1	1897	1897	—
Fitzroy	2	1897	1898	—
Footscray / Western Bulldogs	30	1925	1954	—
Fremantle	26°	1995	—	2013
Geelong	29	1897	1925	1897
Gold Coast	10°	2011	—	—
Greater Western Sydney	9°	2012	—	2019
Hawthorn	37*	1925	1961	—
Melbourne	4	1897	1900	—
North Melbourne	51*	1925	1975	1950, 1974
Port Adelaide	8	1997	2004	—
Richmond	13	1908	1920	1919
St Kilda	68*[lower-alpha 1]	1897	1966	1913, 1965
South Melbourne / Sydney	13	1897	1909	1899, 1907
University	7^×	1908	—	—
West Coast	6	1987	1992	1991

Table correct to the end of the 2020 season.

As St Kilda did not contest the 1916 and 1917 seasons, the duration of this drought was 68 contested seasons (across 70 calendar years).

Consecutive appearances

Consecutive premierships

#	Club	Years
4	Collingwood	1927, 1928, 1929, 1930
3	Carlton	1906, 1907, 1908
	Melbourne	1939, 1940, 1941
	Melbourne	1955, 1956, 1957
	Brisbane Lions	2001, 2002, 2003
	Hawthorn	2013, 2014, 2015
2	Fitzroy	1898, 1899
	Collingwood	1902, 1903
	Fitzroy	1904, 1905
	Essendon	1911, 1912
	Carlton	1914, 1915
	Richmond	1920, 1921
	Essendon	1923, 1924
	Collingwood	1935, 1936
	Essendon	1949, 1950
	Geelong	1951, 1952
	Melbourne	1959, 1960
	Richmond	1973, 1974
	Carlton	1981, 1982
	Essendon	1984, 1985
	Hawthorn	1988, 1989
	Adelaide	1997, 1998
	Richmond	2019, 2020

Table correct to the end of the 2020 season.

Consecutive grand finals

#	Club	Years	Win/loss
7	Melbourne	1954, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960	L, W, W, W, L, W, W
7	Hawthorn	1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989	W, L, L, W, L, W, W
6	Collingwood	1925, 1926, 1927, 1928, 1929, 1930	L, L, W, W, W, W
6	Essendon	1946, 1947, 1948¹, 1949, 1950, 1951	W, L, L, W, W, L
5	Carlton	1906, 1907, 1908, 1909, 1910	W, W, W, L, L
	Collingwood	1935, 1936, 1937, 1938, 1939	W, W, L, L, L
	North Melbourne	1974, 1975, 1976, 1977², 1978	L, W, L, W, L
4	Fitzroy	1903, 1904, 1905, 1906	L, W, W, L
	Collingwood	1917, 1918, 1919, 1920	W, L, W, L
	Richmond	1931, 1932, 1933, 1934	L, W, L, W
	South Melbourne	1933, 1934, 1935, 1936	W, L, L, L
	Brisbane Lions	2001, 2002, 2003, 2004	W, W, W, L
	Hawthorn	2012, 2013, 2014, 2015	L, W, W, W
3	Fitzroy	1898, 1899, 1900	W, W, L
	Collingwood	1901, 1902, 1903	L, W, W
	Carlton	1914, 1915, 1916	W, W, L
	Richmond	1919, 1920, 1921	L, W, W
	Richmond	1927, 1928, 1929	L, L, L
	Melbourne	1939, 1940, 1941	W, W, W
	Essendon	1941, 1942, 1943	L, W, L
	Richmond	1942, 1943, 1944	L, W, L
	Geelong	1951, 1952, 1953	W, W, L
	Carlton	1968, 1969, 1970	W, L, W
	Richmond	1972, 1973, 1974	L, W, W
	Collingwood	1979, 1980, 1981	L, L, L
	Essendon	1983, 1984, 1985	L, W, W
	Geelong	2007, 2008, 2009	W, L, W

¹ Essendon drew the 1948 VFL Grand Final, and was defeated by Melbourne in the replay.
² North Melbourne drew the 1977 VFL Grand Final, and defeated Collingwood in the replay.

Table correct to the end of the 2020 season.

Most common match-ups

The following table summarises the most common grand final match-ups (not including grand final replays).

#	Match-up	Grand final appearances
7	Collingwood vs Melbourne	1926, 1939, 1955, 1956, 1958, 1960, 1964
6	Carlton vs Collingwood	1910, 1915, 1938, 1970, 1979, 1981
	Carlton vs Essendon	1908, 1947, 1949, 1962, 1968, 1993
	Carlton vs Richmond	1921, 1932, 1969, 1972, 1973, 1982
	Collingwood vs Geelong	1925, 1930, 1937, 1952, 1953, 2011
	Collingwood vs Richmond	1919, 1920, 1927, 1928, 1929, 1980
	Essendon vs Melbourne	1941, 1946, 1948, 1957, 1959, 2000
4	Carlton vs South Melbourne	1907, 1909, 1914, 1945
	Collingwood vs Essendon	1901, 1902, 1911, 1990
	Collingwood vs Fitzroy	1903, 1905, 1917, 1922

Table correct to the end of the 2020 season.

Premierships at all levels

This table summarises premierships won at all levels of the VFL/AFL competition: the seniors, seconds/reserves (1919–1999), thirds/under-19s (1946–1991), AFL Women's (since 2017) and night series (1956–2013). Excluded from this table are premierships won by reserves teams competing in state leagues (including the VFL from 2000 onwards).

Club	Seniors	Reserves	Under-19s	AFL Women's	Night	Total
Essendon	16	8	5	—	6	35
Carlton	16	8	6	0	4	34
Richmond	13	9	11	—	1	34
Melbourne	12	12	6	0	3	33
Collingwood	15	7	4	0	2	28
Hawthorn	13	4	1	—	9	27
Geelong	9	13	1	0	3	26
North Melbourne	4	7	7	0	5	23
Fitzroy	8	3	2	—	2	15
Footscray / Western Bulldogs	2	6	1	1	4	14
South Melbourne / Sydney	5	0	1	—	4	10
St Kilda	1	3	1	—	4	9
Adelaide	2	—	—	2	2	6
West Coast	4	—	—	—	0	4
Brisbane Lions	3	–	—	0	1	4
Port Adelaide	1	—	—	—	2	3
Brisbane Bears	0	1	—	—	0	1
Greater Western Sydney	0	–	—	0	0	1
University	0	0	—	—	—	0
Fremantle	0	—	—	0	0	0
Gold Coast	0	—	—	—	0	0

Table correct to the end of the 2020 season.

Premierships across multiple grades in a season

A club has won premierships in three grades in a single year on only two occasions – Essendon in 1950, and Richmond in 1973. During the years that it was achievable, no club ever won a senior, reserves, under-19s and night premiership in a single year.

Season	Club	Reserves	Under-19s	Women's	Night	Total
1950	Essendon			N/A	N/A	3/3
1951	Carlton			N/A	N/A	2/3
1952	Essendon			N/A	N/A	2/3
1956	South Melbourne			N/A	[note 1]	2/4
1965	Collingwood			N/A	N/A [note 2]	2/3
1971	Melbourne			N/A	[note 3]	2/4
1972	Hawthorn			N/A	N/A	2/3
1973	Richmond			N/A	N/A	3/3
1977	Richmond			N/A		2/4
1984	Essendon			N/A		2/4
1985	Hawthorn			N/A		2/4
1986	Hawthorn			N/A		2/4
1988	Hawthorn			N/A		2/4
1991	Hawthorn			N/A		2/4
1993	Essendon		N/A	N/A		2/3
1995	North Melbourne		N/A	N/A		2/3
1996	North Melbourne		N/A	N/A		2/3
2000	Essendon	N/A	N/A	N/A		2/2
2009	Geelong	N/A	N/A	N/A		2/2

Table correct to the end of the 2020 season.

Notes

The 1956 VFL Night Series Competition was only for the teams who missed the finals (5th to 12th on ladder).
The 1965 VFL Night Series Competition was only for the teams who missed the finals (5th to 12th on ladder).
The 1971 VFL Night Series Competition was only for the teams who missed the finals (5th to 12th on ladder).

References

NAB AFL Draft Archived 2008-07-25 at the Wayback Machine
"An object lesson in the perils of hindsight". The Age. 2 October 2003.

Sources

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.

[StK-3] As St Kilda did not contest the 1916 and 1917 seasons, the duration of this drought was 68 contested seasons (across 70 calendar years).

[4] The 1956 VFL Night Series Competition was only for the teams who missed the finals (5th to 12th on ladder).

[5] The 1965 VFL Night Series Competition was only for the teams who missed the finals (5th to 12th on ladder).

[6] The 1971 VFL Night Series Competition was only for the teams who missed the finals (5th to 12th on ladder).

[1] NAB AFL Draft Archived 2008-07-25 at the Wayback Machine

[2] "An object lesson in the perils of hindsight". The Age. 2 October 2003.

Australian Football League
Clubs	Adelaide Brisbane Lions Carlton Collingwood Essendon Fremantle Geelong Gold Coast Greater Western Sydney Hawthorn Melbourne North Melbourne Port Adelaide Richmond St Kilda Sydney West Coast Western Bulldogs
Seasons	1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
Grand finals	1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
Venues	Adelaide Oval Bellerive Oval Carrara Stadium Docklands Stadium Eureka Stadium The Gabba Jiangwan Stadium Kardinia Park Manuka Oval Marrara Oval Melbourne Cricket Ground Perth Stadium Riverway Stadium Sydney Cricket Ground Sydney Showground Stadium Traeger Park York Park
Awards	AFL Coaches Association awards AFL Players Association awards AFL Rising Star All-Australian team Brownlow Medal (winners) Coleman Medal Goal of the Year Leigh Matthews Trophy Mark of the Year Norm Smith Medal
Major recurring events	AFL finals series AFL Grand Final Anzac Day Eve match Anzac Day match Dreamtime at the 'G Easter Monday clash E. J. Whitten Legends Game Len Hall Tribute game Opening game QClash Queen's Birthday match Showdown Sydney Derby Western Derby
Second-tier and junior competitions	AFL Under 18 Championships NAB League North East Australian Football League South Australian National Football League Victorian Football League West Australian Football League
Former clubs	Brisbane Bears Fitzroy University
Related articles	AFL Coaches Association AFL Commission AFL Players Association AFL Record AFL Umpires Association AFL Women's AFLX Carlton salary cap breach Current coaches Essendon supplements saga First kick/first goal kickers Grand Final location debate History Individual match awards International Rules Series Kennett curse Melbourne tanking scandal Minor premiers Premiers Premiership captains/coaches Premiership/grand final statistics Proposed clubs Tasmanian AFL bid Records Reserves affiliations Rivalries Television shows Video games Wooden spoons 200-game players for one club 300-game players 500-goal players
Known as the Victorian Football League from 1897–1989; no grand finals were held in 1897 and 1924

VFL/AFL premiership and grand final statistics

Premierships by team

Premiership frequency

Premiership droughts

Longest premiership droughts

Longest club premiership droughts

Current club premiership droughts

Time taken to win first premiership

Consecutive appearances

Consecutive premierships

Consecutive grand finals

Most common match-ups

Premierships at all levels

Premierships across multiple grades in a season

See also

Notes

References

Sources