2010-2016 - Who was the best?

[captainwarrior]

This is an interesting one because obviously you could mount a case for any of them and it really depends on what you were basing it off. If you base it off the season as a whole, you'd have to say the Roosters of 2013 just ahead of Cronulla this year. On the flip side in 2011 and 2014 it was Manly and Souths' moment respectively and there was no way either were not going to win the premiership. If you base it off the grand final performance though (and in this instance that's what I'll do) and who would beat who based off each respective GF performance you couldn't go past the Storm in 2012. It was the most perfect GF performance I've seen from any side (aside from Manly in 2008) against a side in the Dogs that had all the momentum, had been the best team all year and had played bloody entertaining while at it. They didn't give them an inch or any opportunity to even remotely get into the game. So the Storm of 2012 it is for me.

 

[Vic Mackey]

Storm 2012 for mine then Roosters 2013.

 

[yobbo84]

They were better then them in 2014 as well, just fell into place for Souths in the prelim.

Yeah, scoring 72 points in 2 finals matches against teams 1 and 2 on the ladder was pure luck.

Roosters 2013 by far.

Rabbits 2014 was nothing special, lucked out who they got in the GF.

Pass the salt.

 

[yobbo84]

It's a real shame Souths choked vs Manly in 2013 and the Roosters choked vs Penrith in 2014 - who knows when the opportunity for the two to play in a GF will come up again.

Still, I take solace in the fact that the only match we've played against the Roosters of any real significance in the past 40 years ended up in a comfortable Rabbitohs win.

 

[BennyV]

I'd say Roosters 2013, by far. They had strike everywhere, a creative and incredibly effective defensive structure and innovative attack. Once they were in the 20m zone, it felt like they could score.

1. Roosters 2013 - reasons above.
2. Dragons 2010 - noone was going to beat us that year, they were so damn clinical.
3. Cowboys 2015 - entertaining, full of emotion and everyone's second team. Plus, they beat Broncos.
4. Manly 2011 - very dominant all year, and lol@Gallop
5. Souths 2014
6. Sharks 2016
7. Storm 2012 - harsh, yes, but they weren't really the top team that year, despite a very dominant GF performance.

 

[Barkley]

I think to be considered the best team they need to win the minor premiership and the GF.
That leaves us with 2010 Dragons and 2013 Roosters...I'll take the Roosters in that one.

 

[OVP]

The 2013 Roosters are the only minor premier to premier since they adopted the truly shit AFL finals system and flicked the good old McIntyre. I guarantee there won't be many more Minor Premiers who win anything this decade. I really really hate this finals system as it punishes the crap out of the top four, while teams 5-8 get a much easier battle. It's rubbish, get rid of it. This really deserves it own thread.

 

[Lambretta]

The 2013 Roosters are the only minor premier to premier since they adopted the truly shit AFL finals system and flicked the good old McIntyre. I guarantee there won't be many more Minor Premiers who win anything this decade. I really really hate this finals system as it punishes the crap out of the top four, while teams 5-8 get a much easier battle. It's rubbish, get rid of it. This really deserves it own thread.

You do realise that the McIntyre is the AFL system we adopted and then dropped. The current system was originally used by Rugby League and then adopted by the AFL as they viewed it as superior.

Rugby League started with the current system, then adopted AFL's McIntyre system (the same year AFL went the other way) then went back to the system they originally introduced

This system is ours.

 

[OVP]

You do realise that the McIntyre is the AFL system we adopted and then dropped. The current system was originally used by Rugby League and then adopted by the AFL as they viewed it as superior.

Rugby League started with the current system, then adopted AFL's McIntyre system (the same year AFL went the other way) then went back to the system they originally introduced

This system is ours.

I don't really give a toss whose system it is. There is absolutely no reward at all for being minor premier or anywhere in the top 4. In 2014 the Dogs made the GF from 7th spot, just making them cannon fodder in the GF.
If you finished 1st, wouldn't you rather play the 8th placed team in the semis rather than 4th ? If 2nd, I'd much rather play the 7th placed team than the 3rd. Where the hell is the reward for finishing in the top 4 ?

 

[carcharias]

Well where did the last four teams in the finals finish on the ladder this year?

 

[OVP]

Well where did the last four teams in the finals finish on the ladder this year?

The top 4 this year were just superior in every way this year. That's quite a rare occurrence. Usually there is a team in the bottom half of the 8 who will throw a big spanner in the works, and this current system makes that far easier to happen.

 

[DiegoNT]

Since it was re-introduced just 2 teams from outside the top 4 have made a preliminary final, only one has made a gf. The minor premiers have made 3 of the 5 grand finals in that time.
In the 5 years before that 6 teams from outside the top 4 had made it through to the preliminary final, with 3 from outside the top 4 making gf. The minor premier made the grand final 3 times in that period.
The current system seems to favour the top 4 a bit more then the old system

 

[DiegoNT]

Also between 1999-2011 their was always at least one team from outside the top 4 in the preliminary finals.

 

[Tommy Smith]

The old McIntyre system offered zero advantage to teams 3 and 4. Potentially they could both have been knocked out in week 1 which is absurd.

And 5th could potentially go straight through to the Prelim. What a joke.

Also with the current system the top 2 are guaranteed 2 home finals, and teams 3 and 4 at least 1. I remember back in 2008 the Roosters lost at home in week 1 as team 4 and were rewarded with a trip to Nz in week 2 to face the 8th placed Warriors. Another farcical scenario of the old system.

There's a reason that no team outside the top 4 has even looked like winning a comp in the current system - except the 2014 Dogs who trolled their way to the GF after the Roosters choked vs Penrith.

Personally I think the current system is great and vastly superior to the McIntyre system.

 

[DiegoNT]

The old McIntyre system offered zero advantage to teams 3 and 4. Potentially they could both have been knocked out in week 1 which is absurd.

And 5th could potentially go straight through to the Prelim. What a joke.

Also with the current system the top 2 are guaranteed 2 home finals, and teams 3 and 4 at least 1. I remember back in 2008 the Roosters lost at home in week 1 as team 4 and were rewarded with a trip to Nz in week 2 to face the 8th placed Warriors. Another farcical scenario of the old system.

There's a reason that no team outside the top 4 has even looked like winning a comp in the current system - except the 2014 Dogs who trolled their way to the GF after the Roosters choked vs Penrith.

Personally I think the current system is great and vastly superior to the McIntyre system.

It was technically possible for teams 5 and 6 to go straight through the to the preliminaries, teams 3 and 4 knocked out, and teams 1 and 2 playing away games to 7 and 8 in second week knockout games.

 

[Lambretta]

In 2009 when Parra who finished 8th beat the Minor Premiers, we ended up with 7th beating 2nd, 6th beating 3rd and so on

The teams which finished 3rd and 4th on the ladder were eliminated in week one of the finals
There was an uproar and the McIntyre system was dead

 

[DiegoNT]

In 2009 when Parra who finished 8th beat the Minor Premiers, we ended up with 7th beating 2nd, 6th beating 3rd and so on

The teams which finished 3rd and 4th on the ladder were eliminated in week one of the finals
There was an uproar and the McIntyre system was dead

Except storm 'won' the gf from 4th on the ladder, team 3 (the Titans) made it to week 2, and team 2 ( the bulldogs) made it to the preliminary finals that year and the McIntyre survived another 2 seasons after that

 

[Red Bear]

it's tough to compare regular season records on face value because

a. the strength of the competition will be different season to season
b. teams don't play each other twice.
c. origin

So on a. I think the comp was probably stronger in 2012/13/14 overall than either side. Every top four team was really strong. Compared to this year where Canberra, for example, played some great footy and deserved their spot up there, but were very prone to soft patches through each game, the Cowboys limped in to the finals (whilst very good) and the drop off from top four to the rest of the eight was pretty enormous.

On b. and c. finishing position can be influenced by who you aare fortunate enough to play twice, who you aare fortunate to only have to play once and who you re fortunate to meet during Origin period. Look at the Dragons this season, they were a long way off top 8 performance but hung around much of the year, helped by getting Melbourne and North Qld both missing Origin players.

Anyway. Looking at the sides

- Best backline is Manly 2011 I think. Very good halves, very strong centres, fullback and even Hoppa on the wing was great that year. Robertson was serviceable. The Dragons 1-5 was really good but their halves weren't, Roosters backline was also strong. Cows, Storm had great spine.
- Forward pack. Roosters 2013 was brilliant, with SBW one of the better forwards we've seen. Souths 2014 was pretty special as well, just relentless and Sam and George Burgess were sensational. Dragons seem a little undersized but had minimal drop off from starters to bench players which was pretty crucial to their performance.
- Melbournes spine was obviously brilliant, Manly and Cows both very good also.

Roosters just shade Manly I think. Dragons were ruthless but I'm not convinced about quality of the comp that year, similar thoughts on Cronulla this season re the competition. People are underrating Souths a bit, they were very strong for three years in a row and their premiership winning side was ruthless on the night.

Roosters
Manly
Cowboys
Dragons
Souths
Storm
Sharks

splitting hairs really

 

[Lambretta]

Except storm 'won' the gf from 4th on the ladder, team 3 (the Titans) made it to week 2, and team 2 ( the bulldogs) made it to the preliminary finals that year and the McIntyre survived another 2 seasons after that

It was still the thing which created the impetus for change

 

[Hutty1986]

In 2009 when Parra who finished 8th beat the Minor Premiers, we ended up with 7th beating 2nd, 6th beating 3rd and so on

The teams which finished 3rd and 4th on the ladder were eliminated in week one of the finals
There was an uproar and the McIntyre system was dead

Or a team could finish 5th and let Penrith score 30 on them in week 1 in about 15 minutes, then nearly run them down. Then get eliminated. I'm not bitter, though.