03 Jan 2022

 
   
 

 

 
 

How Many Times Topped?
The charts below shows when each team first topped all the others and how many times each team has topped the others on the final complete season ladder after the finals.  Below those, is a table ranking teams by the percentage of teams they have been ahead more than behind in the final positions at the end of the season  and  some facts about individual teams relative performance against particular rivals.

First Topped on the Final Season Ladder. 1897-2021


Ade Bri Car Col Ess Fitz Fre Gee GC GWS Haw Mel NM PA Rch StK Syd Uni WC WB

First 1991 1987 1897 1897 1897 1897 1995 1897 2011 2012 1925 1897 1925 1997 1908 1897 1897 1908 1987 1925

Season
Adelaide 1991
1991 1991 1993 1997 1991 1995 1993 2011 2012 1993 1992 1992 1997 1991 1993 1991 - 1993 1991
Brisbane 1987 1995
1996 1995 1996 1994 1995 1996 2011 2012 1995 1995 2001 1997 1987 1988 1992 - 1989 1989
Carlton   1897 1992 1987
1904 1903 1906 1995 1902 2011 2012 1925 1903 1925 1999 1908 1897 1903 1908 1987 1925
Collingwood  1897 1991 1987 1897
1899 1897 1995 1898 2011 2012 1925 1897 1925 2002 1908 1897 1897 1908 1988 1925
Essendon   1897 1991 1987 1897 1897
1897 1995 1897 2011 2012 1925 1897 1925 1998 1908 1897 1897 1908 1989 1925
Fitzroy 1897 - 1987 1897 1898 1898
- 1898 - - 1925 1898 1925 - 1908 1897 1898 1909 1989 1925
Fremantle   1995 2004 1998 2002 1999 1997 1995
2003 2011 2012 1995 1996 2003 2000 1997 1995 2013 - 2000 1996
Geelong   1897 1991 1987 1897 1897 1899 1897 1995
2011 2012 1925 1897 1925 1997 1910 1897 1897 1910 1987 1925
Gold Coast 2011 2020 2014 2014 2021 2016 - 2016 never
2012 2020 2013 2020 never never 2013 2020 - never 2013
GWS Giants 2012 2016 2015 2015 2015 2015 - 2016 2018 2015
2016 2014 2016 2016 2016 2014 2018 - 2016 2017
Hawthorn   1925 1991 1987 1957 1943 1933 1929 1996 1945 2011 2012
1943 1926 2000 1956 1940 1937 - 1987 1930
Melbourne   1897 1991 1987 1897 1900 1900 1897 1995 1900 2011 2012 1925
1925 1998 1908 1897 1897 1909 1987 1925
Nth Melbourne 1925 1991 1987 1950 1942 1933 1932 1995 1941 2011 2012 1925 1932
1997 1945 1932 1938 - 1987 1925
Port Adelaide   1997 1999 1998 1997 1997 1997 - 1997 1998 2011 2012 1997 1997 2001
1997 1999 1999 - 2001 2001
Richmond   1908 1994 1988 1919 1920 1913 1910 1995 1908 2011 2012 1925 1910 1925 1998
1909 1919 1911 1995 1925
St Kilda   1897 1991 1987 1913 1907 1903 1907 1996 1906 2011 2012 1925 1903 1925 1997 1908
1903 1908 1997 1925
Sydney /SM 1897 1996 1987 1897 1899 1899 1897 1995 1899 2011 2012 1925 1898 1925 1997 1908 1897
1908 1987 1925
University 1908 - - never never never 1908 - 1908 - - - 1908 - - 1908 1909 never
- -
West Coast   1987 1991 1987 1990 1987 1987 1987 1995 1988 2011 2012 1990 1990 1988 1997 1987 1987 1990 -
1988
WB/Footscray 1925 1992 1987 1942 1940 1931 1928 1995 1928 2011 2012 1925 1931 1926 1997 1938 1931 1928 - 1987

Prepared using TMRdb ©

Hawthorn's 32 seasons (1925-1956) before topping Carlton on the ladder in 1957 is the longest gap.
 (The Hawk's defeat of Carlton in the 1957 Semi-final saw it finishing one place ahead of the Blues.)

Seasons ahead on the final season ladder. 1897-2021
  Ade Bri Car Col Ess Fitz Fre Gee GC GWS Haw Mel NM PA Rch StK Syd Uni WC WB
Adelaide   20 17 15 14 6 17 11 10 4 11 22 16 12 16 20 11 - 14 16
Brisbane 11   17 12 16 3 15 7 7 5 13 16 9 11 17 17 14 - 14 13
Carlton   15 19   54 64 74 12 65 7 4 59 76 65 7 63 91 81 7 12 65
Collingwood   16 23 72   74 74 18 71 10 6 62 83 68 10 74 93 88 7 15 72
Essendon   18 19 59 49   66 16 59 10 3 65 75 66 9 62 82 77 7 17 67
Fitzroy 0 7 26 26 34   0 45 - - 33 47 38 - 34 58 56 5 1 30
Fremantle   11 12 15 9 11 2   5 10 4 9 14 10 7 15 11 4 - 6 9
Geelong   21 29 58 51 63 52 22   11 8 60 74 61 16 66 87 71 5 19 65
Gold Coast 2 4 3 1 1 - 1 0   3 1 2 2 0 0 2 1 - 0 2
GWS Giants 6 5 8 4 7 - 6 2 7   5 5 6 4 2 7 5   4 3
Hawthorn   21 21 38 35 32 39 18 35 10 5   46 54 14 43 54 54 - 15 52
Melbourne   10 19 47 39 47 50 13 46 9 5 51   54 6 49 77 61 5 10 50
Nth Melbourne 16 26 32 29 31 34 17 34 9 4 43 43   11 44 54 45 - 15 47
Port Adelaide   13 15 19 15 16 - 18 9 11 6 11 19 14   13 16 9 - 12 12
Richmond   16 19 52 40 50 55 12 45 11 9 54 62 53 12   69 65 4 10 54
St Kilda   12 18 33 30 41 40 16 34 9 3 43 45 43 9 43   42 5 7 43
Sydney /SM 21 21 43 36 46 43 23 51 10 5 43 59 52 16 48 80   7 17 48
University - - 0 0 0 2 - 2 - - - 2 - - 3 2 0   - -
West Coast   18 21 24 20 18 9 21 16 11 6 20 25 20 13 25 28 18 -   25
WB/Footscray 16 22 33 25 30 42 18 30 9 7 45 47 50 13 43 54 49 - 10  
15 Blue indicates topped opponent more times  13 Green indicates equal times

Prepared using TMRdb ©
Ahead Behind Equal %
West Coast 17 1 0 94.44
Collingwood 17 2 0 89.47
Geelong 17 2 0 89.47
Carlton 13 6 0 68.42
Essendon 13 6 0 68.42
Port Adelaide 10 5 2 64.71
Hawthorn 11 7 0 61.11
Richmond 11 7 1 60.35
Adelaide 10 8 0 55.56
GWS Giants 9 8 3 52.94
Sydney/SM 10 9 0 52.63
Melbourne 9 10 0 47.37
WB/Footscray 7 10 1 41.67
Fitzroy 5 11 0 31.25
Fremantle 5 13 0 27,78
Nth Melbourne 5 13 0 27.78
St. Kilda 4 15 0 21.05
Brisbane 2 16 0 11.11
Gold Coast 0 17 0 0.00
University 0 9 0 0.00

Prepared using TMRdb ©

Number of opponents that each team has been ahead of on the final season ladder more times than behind.
 

  • Brisbane first topped Geelong in 1996 but hasn't topped them since 2004.

  • Until 2001 when they were Premiers, Brisbane had finished ahead of all other teams except North Melbourne.

  • Carlton placed ahead of Hawthorn in all seasons 1925 to 1956. This is the longest span for one team to be not topped by another.

  • Essendon finished ahead of Hawthorn in all but 4 seasons (1933, 1937, 1961, 1963) from 1925 to 1968.

  • Essendon only finished lower that Sydney/SM in the final placings on three occasions  from 1938 to 1975. (1945, 1952, 1970)

  • From 1963 to 1968, the only teams that Fitzroy topped on the ladder were Hawthorn, North Melbourne and WB/Footscray, each once.

  • From 1962 through to 1996 Fitzroy only finished ahead of Carlton in two seasons - 1983 and 1989.

  • Fremantle first  topped Sydney/SM in final season placings in 2013.
  • Geelong topped Collingwood on the ladder in 10 consecutive seasons 1991-2000. Before that, the best was 3 consecutive on 3 occasions, 1923-5, 1950-2, 1961-3. 
  • Geelong haven't finished below Carlton for the last 20 seasons 2002-2021. Their previous longest streak of finishing ahead of Carlton was 7 consecutive seasons 1950-6. 

  • Geelong have placed ahead of Essendon for the last 18 seasons 2004-2021. The previous most consecutive was 6, 1951-6.
     
  • Hawthorn placed higher than Melbourne in consecutive years for the first time 1968-9.
     
  • Hawthorn didn't top Collingwood on the ladder in successive years until 1974-5.
     
  • From 1925 to 1957 Hawthorn and North Melbourne both topped WB/Footscray in the same year only once - 1939. From 1958 to 1990 they both topped WB/Footscray in the same year on 21 occasions.
  • North Melbourne didn't top Essendon on the ladder in successive years until 1974-5.
  • Melbourne have only topped Adelaide in consecutive years once - 1994-5.
  • Richmond placed ahead of Essendon in all but 2 seasons (1941-2) from 1927 to 1945 then only finished higher than them only once (1954) in the next 21 seasons 1946-66.
  • Before 2017-18, the last time Richmond finished higher than Geelong in consecutive seasons was 1974-5.
  • Before 2017-18, the last time Richmond finished higher than Nth Melbourne in consecutive seasons was 1981-2.
  • From 1897 to 1960 St Kilda only finished ahead of Collingwood on 5 occasions - 1907-8, 1913, 1942, and 1944. (62 seasons - St Kilda did not compete 1916-17.)
  • St Kilda didn't top Carlton on the ladder in successive years until 1960-1.
  • From 1967 to 1996 St Kilda only finished ahead of Carlton on 3 occasions - 1971, 1991-2.

  • From 1997 to 2010 St Kilda  finished ahead of Carlton 11 times out of 14.

  • St Kilda  topped Carlton on the ladder for 9 consecutive seasons, 2002-10. The previous best was 4, 1963-6.

  • From 1974 to 2003 St Kilda only finished ahead of  North Melbourne on 3 occasions - 1991-2, 1997.
  • From 1937 to 1995 Sydney/SM only topped Carlton three times on the final ladder - 1942, 1977 and 1989. Since then Carlton has only topped Sydney/SM on 6 occasions.
  • Sydney/SM  topped Carlton on the ladder for  7 consecutive seasons, 2002-08. The previous best was 6, 1897-1902.
  • From 1946 to 1985 Sydney/SM only topped Collingwood only  twice in the final placings for the season - 1976 and 1982.
  • By 1993 after 7 seasons in the competition West Coast had topped all other teams on the final ladder in consecutive years.
  • WB/Footscray from 1957 to 1989 only finished ahead of Carlton 4 times - 1961, 1964, 1974, 1985.
  • WB/Footscray have finished ahead of Collingwood in the final placings in 4 consecutive seasons once - 1997-2000.

  • GWS Giants by topping Collingwood and Essendon for the first time in 2015, meant that they have topped both for the first time in fewer seasons than eight of the other Magpies' and Bombers' opponents.

     
  • As of 2018, GWS Giants had topped all opponents at least once on the final season ladder.
     
  • As of 2021 Gold Coast are yet to top  Collingwood, Geelong, Port Adelaide, Richmond, or West Coast on the final season ladder.