Footy is weird. One minute you're on top of the world, and the next, your club is staring down a forty-year drought that feels like a lifetime. If you look at the list of afl champions by year, you see names and dates, but you don't always see the heartbreak, the "Colliwobbles," or the sheer dominance of the "Machine" era. It's a long, messy history that started back in 1897 when the VFL first split from the VFA.
Honestly, people argue about which premiership counts more. Does a 1916 flag won in a four-team competition during the war mean as much as a modern-day marathon? Probably not to a neutral, but try telling a Fitzroy fan that.
The Modern Era: AFL Champions by Year and the Rise of the Lions
Since the turn of the millennium, the game has shifted. The Brisbane Lions just pulled off a massive back-to-back feat, taking the flag in both 2024 and 2025. It’s a scary reminder of their three-peat in the early 2000s. Basically, when the Lions are "on," the rest of the league is just playing for second place.
- 2025: Brisbane Lions (def. Geelong Cats)
- 2024: Brisbane Lions (def. Sydney Swans)
- 2023: Collingwood (def. Brisbane Lions)
- 2022: Geelong Cats (def. Sydney Swans)
- 2021: Melbourne (def. Western Bulldogs)
- 2020: Richmond (def. Geelong Cats)
That 2021 Melbourne win was something else. After 57 years of misery, they finally did it at Optus Stadium in Perth because the MCG was locked down. It was surreal. Then you’ve got Richmond, who basically owned the late 2010s. They broke a 37-year curse in 2017 and then just kept rolling.
Why some eras just feel different
You've got the Hawthorn "three-peat" from 2013 to 2015. Alastair Clarkson’s system was basically untouchable. They weren't always the fastest, but they were the smartest. It’s sort of frustrating for everyone else when one team cracks the code like that.
Geelong is the other outlier. They’ve been "too old and too slow" for fifteen years, yet they keep showing up. Their 2022 win was a masterclass in list management. They won it with the oldest team in the history of the league.
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The Big Three: Carlton, Collingwood, and Essendon
For the longest time, the conversation about afl champions by year revolved around three clubs. Carlton, Essendon, and Collingwood. They are all tied at 16 premierships each as of 2024.
Collingwood is the most interesting case study. They’ve played in more Grand Finals than anyone else—over 40 of them—but their strike rate is actually kinda terrible. They lost a string of them in the 70s and 80s, which is where the "Colliwobbles" nickname came from. They finally shook that off in 1990, but the pain of those lost years still lingers for the older fans.
Essendon and Carlton haven't tasted success in a long time. Essendon’s last flag was in 2000. That team was arguably the greatest single-season side ever, losing only one game the entire year. Since then? Nothing. Carlton is in a similar boat, with their last glory occurring in 1995.
The Collingwood "Machine" (1927-1930)
No list of winners is complete without mentioning the only team to win four in a row. Under Jock McHale, Collingwood was a literal machine. They went through the entire 1929 season undefeated. No one has ever done that since. It’s the ultimate "untouchable" record in Australian rules football.
Breaking Down the Droughts
Some clubs have it harder than others. St Kilda has exactly one trophy in their cabinet from 1966. One point. That’s all that separated them from Collingwood that day. Barry Breen kicked a wobbly point, and it changed the course of their history. They’ve been back to the big dance since—most notably the 2010 draw—but the luck never seems to go their way.
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The Western Bulldogs had a similar story until 2016. They came from seventh on the ladder to win it all. It shouldn't have been possible. In footy, though, sometimes the stars just align for a month and you can't be stopped.
A Chronological Glimpse: VFL to AFL
If you’re looking for a quick reference, here is how the flags have fallen over the last few decades.
The 90s were a wild west for the league. West Coast won in 1992 and 1994, proving that the competition was truly national. Adelaide went back-to-back in 1997 and 1998, led by a prime Andrew McLeod.
In the 80s, it was the Hawthorn and Essendon show. They played each other in three straight Grand Finals from 1983 to 1985. The rivalry was genuinely violent. It wasn't just about the points; it was about survival.
Moving further back into the 50s and 60s, you see the dominance of Melbourne. Norm Smith, the man the Grand Final medal is named after, coached them to six flags. Then, in a move that still haunts the club, they sacked him in 1965. The "Curse of Norm Smith" followed, and they didn't win again until 2021.
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What it takes to win today
The salary cap and the draft make it much harder to stay on top. You can't just buy a premiership anymore. You have to build it through years of smart drafting and, honestly, a bit of luck with injuries.
Look at GWS or Fremantle. They’ve both made it to the last Saturday in September but couldn't finish the job. Gold Coast hasn't even seen a finals game yet. It’s a brutal industry.
Actionable insights for footy fans
If you're trying to track the history of the league or settle a pub argument, keep these nuances in mind:
- Context matters: A premiership in the 1940s happened while many star players were away at war.
- The Replay Factor: Up until 2016, if the Grand Final was a draw, they played the whole thing again the next week. This happened in 1948, 1977, and 2010. Now, they use extra time.
- Expansion Teams: Since 1987, the "VFL" became the "AFL," and the records are technically continuous, but the level of professionalization changed everything.
To truly understand the legacy of the afl champions by year, you have to look at the runners-up too. Finishing second is a special kind of torture in Melbourne. Just ask Collingwood fans about 2018 or 2002. They were minutes away from glory. Instead, they became another footnote in someone else's highlight reel.
Stay updated on the current ladder and injury reports through the official AFL site or reputable news outlets like The Age or Herald Sun. Understanding the historical cycles of the draft can usually tell you who the next powerhouse will be two or three years before it actually happens.