There’s been a few cases of interesting sequences throughout VFL/AFL history. Starting with Carlton’s history making 1906-07-08 Premiership winning sequence to create the first hat trick of Flag wins. Twenty years later Collingwood repeated the sequence dose and even bettered it by one. The first four peat of wins ever. 1927-28-29-30. So, over a roughly twenty-year period there had been a three peat and a four-peat sequence done and dusted.
Over the next thirty years Melbourne would complete another hat trick sequence of flag wins twice. 1939-40-41. And again in 1955-56-57. An incredible feat really. And as an added bonus in the 1950’s till 1960. The Dees also won flags in 1959-60. All up five flags in a six-year sequence from 1955 to 1960. A sensational effort indeed. The Demons played seven grand finals in a row from 1954 till 1960. I wish the Bulldogs could take credit for Melbourne’s extraordinary success as we beat them easily in the 1954 Grand Final winning our first flag in the process, whilst unknowingly sending them on their gold-plated path to fame and fortune. The lucky buggars. And four years later their winning sequence of good footy luck was completed in 1964 with the addition of another flag while giving famous coach, Norm Smith his sixth Premiership Cup, and also presenting the captain, Ron Barassi with a sixth premiership as a player. Success all around. No wonder as a long time Bulldogs supporter, how can I not be jealous?
Yet another sequence of sustained success would begin in 1961 with the Grand finale that very year. The good old Bulldogs would play the Hawks in a battle of the fittest team wins. The Hawks sorted us out quite easily and went on to win their very first Premiership under the solid leadership of the legendary John Kennedy. So, in a way the Dogs started the mighty Hawks on their gold-plated winning ways. The Bulldogs are definitely footy legend builder. Perhaps that’s our true calling to be known far and wide as—Footy Dynasty Starters. Footscray Footy Club FDS.
Anyway, the Hawks doted along for another decade before being victorious in 1971 and a second flag. The good luck continued on that decade with flag wins in 1976 and 1978. The Hawks had won four flags in a seventeen-year period. It was an impressive sequence of success. In the eighties and early nineties, they upped the ante and contested seven Grand Finals,1983-1989, in an amazing sequence of consistency and won Four flags to go on with and added a fifth in 1991 for a grand total of Nine Premiership Cups in over a thirty-year period. Then for good measure they added another four flags from 2008 to 2015 with a hat trick of flags thrown in from 2013-2015 to add some icing to their sequenced filled Footy cake of gold. Thirteen Premiership Cup is now their current total. I’m sure the Hawks would love to win a Premiership again this decade so as to keep their record intact of winning a Flag each decade since the nineteen sixties.
Anyway, full admiration for the Hawks with just a smidge of jealousy thrown in. Most teams can only dream of such success. Good luck to them, but not this week. Go Dogs. Ruff!
FOOTYTATOR 