Answer Man

with MARK GENGE

I’ve always thought of Carlton as being one of the powerful clubs, so it’s surprising they haven’t won a flag since 1995. What are the clubs’ current premiership droughts? CONNIE CATANIA, SPOTSWOOD

MG: Of the 18 clubs, Carlton has the third-longest drought, behind St Kilda and Fremantle. When the club claimed its 16th premiership in 1995, it was a strong team, losing only two matches, in rounds eight

YEARS WITHOUT OR SINCE LAST PREMIERSHIP

YRS CLUB MOST RECENT FLAG 56 St Kilda 1966 28 Fremantle –27 Carlton 1995 24 Adelaide 1998 23 North Melbourne 1999 22 Essendon 2000 19 Brisbane Lions 2003 18 Port Adelaide 2004 12 Collingwood 2010 12 Gold Coast Suns –11 Geelong 2011 11 GWS Giants –10 Sydney Swans 2012 7 Hawthorn 2015 6 Western Bulldogs 2016 4 West Coast Eagles 2018 2 Richmond 2020 1 Melbourne 2021

LONG TIME BETWEEN DRINKS:

Carlton’s Greg Williams in 1995 and (inset) St Kilda’s only premiership in 1966.

and nine, before winning their next 16 games for the season. In the Grand Final, the Blues beat Geelong by 61 points, with Norm Smith medallist Greg Williams (above) gathering 17 kicks and 14 handballs and kicking 5.3. Other Carlton goalkickers included captain Stephen Kernahan with five and Brad Pearce four. There was a five-year period from 1995-99 where three clubs shared the premierships between them – Carlton (1995), North Melbourne (1996, 1999) and the Adelaide Crows (1997, 1998). North Melbourne was also runner-up in 1998 and Carlton was defeated in the 1999 Grand Final. None of the three clubs have tasted premiership success since. Essendon was a super team during the 2000 season, losing only one game – to the Western Bulldogs in round 21 – and winning its three finals by margins of 125 points, 45 points and 60 points. The Bombers have not won a flag since. Even though it’s 11 years since Geelong won the 2011 premiership in Chris Scott’s first year as coach, the club has missed the finals only once, in 2015, and has finished in the top four on six occasions.

CAN YOU ASSIST?

u The AFL is seeking the dates of death for the following players. Hailing from Eaglehawk, William Francis Williams was born on May 2, 1888, and spent 1907 playing for St Kilda. At one stage, he was associated with Mines Rovers in WA. Arch Robinson, born on July 9, 1890, came from North Melbourne Juniors to play for Richmond in 1911. One of his teammates was Eric Leslie Watson, who was born on September 11, 1893, and came from Kew. Born on August 31, 1890, William Henry Woods played his early football with Ashby before representing Geelong in 1909. If you can assist, contact Col Hutchinson at col.hutchinson@afl.com.au.

ROUND 11, 2021

u A COVID outbreak in Victoria saw three games played without crowds, including the Friday night top-of-the-table clash at Marvel Stadium between Melbourne and the Western Bulldogs where the Demons enhanced their premiership credentials with an impressive 28-point win. The following day, Collingwood and Geelong played at an empty MCG – although given the standard of the game, it was probably a good thing – and St Kilda scored a much-needed win over North Melbourne at Marvel Stadium, again without fans. Due to border closures, the AFL had to switch the Gold Coast-Hawthorn match from Darwin to the SCG, while Richmond’s clash with Adelaide, originally scheduled at the MCG, was played at Giants Stadium on Sunday. With Sydney playing Carlton at the SCG and the Tigers and Giants doing battle across town, it was the first time two games were played simultaneously in a city other than Melbourne. Essendon scored the best win of the round, coming from 29 points behind to down West Coast by 16 points at Optus Stadium.