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AFL team rivalries are matches in the Australian Football League which typically draw large crowds and interest regardless of both teams positions on the ladder. The AFL encourages the building of such rivalries, as a method of increasing publicity for the league, to the point of designating one round each year as Rivalry Round where many of these match-ups are held on the one weekend.[1] Whilst some rivalries, such as between teams from adjacent areas are still strong, the designation of an entire round of fixtures as Rivalry Round is often criticised due to some arbitrary matchups, or ignoring stronger, more recent rivalries.[2] With a 22 round season and 16 teams, the AFL fixtures are not equal with each team playing seven other teams twice and eight teams once. Choosing to play certain games twice, such as the local derbies and blockbusters (games between the Big 4 Victorian clubs of Collingwood, Carlton, Essendon and Richmond, are known as blockbuster games), results in a skewed fixture which is rarely evened out over time. [edit] Rivalry RoundSince 2003, the AFL markets one weeks fixtures to be Rivalry Round. In 2007 it was held in Round 3, with the following results and a total attendance of 344,536, the 4th highest attended round of all time.
In 2006, the Rivalry Round was held in Round 6 and had the following matches with a total attendance of 340,193, the highest attended round of the season.
In 2005 it was held in round 3, with a total attendance of 346,177, at the time the second highest round attendance of all time. [edit] Traditional rivals [edit] Carlton v CollingwoodMain article: Collingwood-Carlton AFL Rivalry Arguably the greatest and longest standing rivalry in the competition.[1] Two clubs in close proximity, fuelled by the rivalry between white (Carlton) and blue collar (Collingwood) suburbs. The rivalry is intensified because the teams have met in six memorable Grand Finals (Carlton winning five, Collingwood one), including Carlton's 44-point comeback in 1970, and the famous Harmes-Sheldon goal in 1979. Games between these two clubs regularly attract large crowds regardless of whether they are both at the bottom of the ladder or not. Carlton remains the only team to have won more mutual games against Collingwood. [edit] Richmond v CollingwoodArising from the fact that the two areas neighbour each other, Richmond and Collingwood were both highly successful in the late 1920s to the early 1930s, meeting each other in several grand finals. Both clubs continue to draw large crowds to their meetings in each season, and the two were the subject of a 'recruiting war' throughout the 1970s and 1980s, with David Cloke, Geoff Raines, Brian Taylor, Wally Lovett, Phillip Walsh, Steven Roach, Gerald Betts, Neil Peart, Peter McCormack, Kevin Morris, Craig Stewart, Ross Brewer, Michael Lockman, Rod Osborne, Allan Edwards, John Annear, Noel Lovell and Bob Heard all exchanging clubs, as well as coach Tom Hafey (moving to Collingwood in 1977 following four flags at Punt Road). Even in the 1990s, the two clubs shared a large number of players, with a trend of ex-Tiger ruckmen arriving at Victoria Park, including Matthew Francis, Robert Schaffer, Brad Smith and Steve McKee. [edit] Melbourne v CollingwoodTraditional White collar (Melbourne) vs. Blue collar (Collingwood) rivalry additionally fuelled by a narrow loss to Collingwood which stopped Melbourne from winning a fourth flag in a row in 1958. Half of Melbourne's twelve premierships came against Collingwood, and the pair have met in seven Grand Finals, the most of any pairing. Since 1999, they have met each other on the Queen's Birthday public holiday Monday in June, with Melbourne hosting all bar the 1999 clash. [edit] Essendon v HawthornFile:Essendon.Fight.jpg The brawl between Essendon and Hawthorn in 2009 The clubs contested the Grand Final three years in a row in the 1980s. More recently, the 2 clubs vied off in a Preliminary Final in 2001 controversially won by Essendon, while in late 2004, there was the infamous "Line in the Sand" brawl after half-time, resulting in many Hawthorn players being suspended. While Hawthorn lost that game, they have won three of the four subsequent contests. Games between the 2 clubs are spiteful affairs which draw large build ups in the weeks leading up the games. Round 20, 2005 saw Hawthorn break an 8-year winless streak against Essendon, with Hawthorn having won every match against Essendon since. Round 7, 2009 saw Essendon break a 4 1/2 year winless streak against Hawthorn, half the time it took Hawthorn to beat Essendon between 1997 to 2005. [edit] Richmond v CarltonA rivalry based on close geographical proximity and large supporter bases. The rivalry intensified as both clubs contested several Grand Finals between 1969 and 1982.[1] Particularly the 1972 Grand Final where Richmond scored the highest score recorded in a Grand Final, only to be bettered by Carlton in the same match. The following year Richmond won the 1973 Grand Final in an even more physically bitter contest than in recent encounters between the two sides. In 1982 Carlton got their revenge by defeating Richmond in their last Grand Final appearance. [edit] Essendon v CarltonAs is the case with two successful sides in any competition, fans of each club love to defeat the other.[1] The two clubs share the record for the most premierships with 16. In recent times, Carlton famously upset the heavily favoured Essendon side by 1 point in the 1999 Preliminary Final. Essendon also led Carlton by 48 points deep in to the second quarter of their Round 3 2007 match at the MCG, only to be overrun by Carlton in what would go down as their greatest ever come from behind victory. Full Forward Brendan Fevola was the star with 8 goals. In Round 3 2009 Essendon upset Carlton by 4 points in a game which Carlton went into the round with 2 wins and 0 loses and were firm favourites to win this match. [edit] Essendon v CollingwoodArising from the drawn inaugural MCG ANZAC Day clash and Essendon's loss to Collingwood in the 1990 Grand Final. Games between these sides draw large crowds, with the ANZAC day match generally being the largest crowd each year outside of the finals. The two clubs have met in four grand finals, winning two each. In 2006, Collingwood were the only Victorian club to have failed to beat Essendon during its horror 2006 season (although Collingwood did win the traditional ANZAC Day match). The loss cost Collingwood a top four spot that season. Also in the 2009 ANZAC day match the favoured Collingwood dropped the game in the dying seconds as David Zaharakis booted his first goal. [edit] Essendon v RichmondA rivalry simply born out of the fact that these 2 clubs are both part of the "Big 4" clubs in Melbourne as the highly supported teams. In every contest between the two teams there is a good attendance no matter what the circumstances. The teams have met three times in Grand Finals. A highlight between these two clubs was the 1974 Battle of Windy Hill, where a massive brawl occurred at half time during a regular season match. Richmond won in a stirring come from behind finals performance in 1995, beating Essendon in a bruising encounter. Since 2004, matches between Essendon and Richmond have been a celebration of Aboriginal players and their contribution to the league. [edit] North Melbourne v HawthornNorth and the Hawks have been traditional rivals since their VFA days, and their dominance in the 70's sparked the rivalry which is still going today. The three Grand Finals they played in were all heated especially the 75 and 76 Grand Finals. Thousands flocked to Arden St and Glenferrie to watch these two then powerhouses at work. [edit] Hawthorn v GeelongHawthorn and Geelong met in what is considered in one of the greatest Grand Finals of all time in 1989. Geelong seemingly played the man resulting major injuries for several Hawks players, but Hawthorn was in control of the game, leading by approximately 40 points for most of the match until the last quarter when Geelong almost managed to come from behind to win, falling short by just 6 points. Geelong's 1963 Premiership was won against Hawthorn, their last until 2007. In the 2008 Grand Final the Hawks upset the heavily backed favorites Geelong and deny them a premiership that throughout a season that was almost seen as a formality due to the Cats dominance. It was the first all Victorian Grand Final for 8 years, and was the first game to draw a crowd over 100,000 for 22 years. [edit] Essendon v North MelbourneThe rivalry began back in the VFA due to the clubs being extremly close geographically. They played off in the 1950 Grand Final, which Essendon defeated North in. The turning point in this rivalry came in Round 16 of the 2001 season, when, trailing by 69 points early in the second quarter, the Bombers would recover from a woeful start to eventually win by 12 points. Essendon would not beat the Kangaroos again until the opening round of the 2008 season, when, again the Bombers recovered from a horror start (trailing by as much as 27 points) to win by 55 points. Essendon would have played North Melbourne in two Grand Finals (1996 and 1999) had Essendon managed to win preliminary finals in those years (Essendon lost in both years by a point). The Roos would go on to win both Grand Finals. [edit] Essendon v St KildaTraditionally dubbed "first vs last" in past seasons, it is apparent that the two sides have almost certainly swapped roles since 2005. Essendon have won the most premierships at 16 (equal with Carlton), whilst the Saints have won the most wooden spoons at 26. There are however some notable matches which have been entertaining. Round 22, 2008 saw St Kilda thrash Essendon to grab 4th spot from Adelaide, during which the Saints were going up and the Bombers down. Round 15, 2006 saw the Saints (who were in the midst of going up) come from behind to beat the Bombers (who were at the time at the bottom of the ladder) after Essendon had led for the majority of the match. Essendon captain Matthew Lloyd celebrated his 200th game in Round 13, 2005 as Essendon (which in that year missed the finals for the first time since 1997) defeated the Saints in front of a healthy crowd at the Docklands Stadium on a cold night. James Hird criticised the umpires for their handling of their clash in Round 2, 2004 which ultimately led to him being fined by the AFL. St Kilda won that match, that victory breaking a winless run against Essendon that had stretched back to Round 8, 1999. Essendon's most recent premiership (2000) also happened to be St Kilda's most recent wooden spoon. This double has also happened in 1985, 1984, 1924, 1901 and 1897. Essendon and St Kilda have also clashed in a Grand Final, back in 1965, with Essendon winning comfortably. St Kilda would beat Essendon the following year on its way to its only premiership back in 1966. Round 20, 2009 saw Essendon defeat St Kilda to deny St Kilda the record-equalling 20 straight wins set by the Bombers in 2000. It also delayed the Saints becoming the official minor premiers for another five days, which was only confirmed when fellow rival Geelong lost its match in round 21, 2009. [edit] Sydney v CollingwoodSince 2003, these two teams have fought out the "Annual Blockbuster" (held at ANZ Stadium) in front of very large crowds. Since 2004, the honours have been divided (Sydney 2 wins, Collingwood 2 wins). Sydney won by six points in 2004 and one point in 2005. However, a finals-bound Collingwood has won the past four matches by convincing margins. [edit] Collingwood v GeelongThese 2 sides have met in 5 Grand Finals with Geelong winning 3 and Collingwood winning 2. 2008 saw Collingwood become the only team to beat Geelong in the 2008 season, winning by an unthinkable 86 points. These two teams squared off again in round three of the following year, with the Cats winning this time around, by 27 points, after trailing by 20 points at quarter time. Also, in 2006 Collingwood thrashed Geelong by more than 100 points in round 8 and also claimed a thrilling win in round 11 of the previous season. [edit] Brisbane v CollingwoodThe Brisbane Lions defeated Collingwood in the 2002 and 2003 Grand Final, which caused Grand Final Rematches and great rivalry between the two teams. This continued onwards with many Lions fans disliking Collingwood, and their President, Eddie McGuire. In Round 17 2007, 12th placed Brisbane stunned 6th placed Collingwood by 93 points at the MCG (Collingwood's home ground), this remains the greatest ever margin in a match between the two clubs. In Round 4 2009 Collingwood upset Brisbane by 17 points at the GABBA. [edit] West Coast v SydneyOne of the most recent, and more thrilling rivalries to develop. In the nineteen months between September 2005 and March 2007, the sides met six times, including both Grand Finals and two Qualifying Finals; the final margins of these games were: 4, 4, 2, 1, 1 and 1. Due to these close games, the Sydney vs West Coast pairing now holds the following records:
In round four, 2008, Barry Hall made headlines when he punched West Coast's Brent Staker in the jaw. Staker's parents have since called for Hall to be suspended for the remainder of the season but Hall was only suspended for seven weeks. Sydney won this match 16.11.(107) to 5.15.(45); their biggest win over the Eagles since 2000. Another classic was played out in round 11, 2008 when Sydney overturned a 36-point halftime deficit to win at Subiaco Oval, their first at the venue in any home-and-away season since 2001. In round eight, 2009, Sydney beat the Eagles by 5 points in another thriller at ANZ Stadium after the Eagles hit the front late in the final term through Scott Selwood and almost looked to have pinched the game of the Swans before a late goal from Kieran Jack put the Swans in front in the dying minutes of the game to save the game for the Swans. There were rumours that the rivalry between these 2 sides could be over since the premiership players of both sides in particular West Coast have moved on from their respective clubs since the 2 thrilling Grand Finals in 2005-06 but these 2 sides prove that the rivalry is still on. [edit] Local derbies[edit] West Coast v FremantleMain article: Western Derby Commencing in 1995, the Western Derby is the talking point of Western Australia for two weeks each year. The Eagles won the first nine encounters before Fremantle finally broke through the second derby in 1999. However, Fremantle has since gained the upper hand, asserting a significant dominance in recent seasons, culminating in victory in six of the last seven games. While coaches and players always say that it is just another game, most supporters would disagree. It is true, though, that the derby does not have quite the same prominence as in its early years as supporters of both clubs become more "integrated" into the wider AFL community and rivalries with other teams become more significant. West Coast's fall from grace, on and off the field, since its premiership year of 2006, and the perception of bias toward the older, bigger club in the local media, has also contributed to some decline in interest in the game. [edit] Adelaide v Port AdelaideMain article: Showdown (AFL) Unlike the Eagles, who held a commanding lead over the newer team in the first years, the early Showdown clashes were dominated more by Port. After Showdown XXVI in Round 6 of the 2009 season, Port Adelaide hold the lead with 14 wins and Adelaide with 12. Following Showdown XI players from both sides were involved in a fight at a local hotel.[1] [edit] Future derbiesIn the upcoming years, there are plans for a Gold Coast Team, meaning that they will also have a local derby against the Brisbane Lions. There are also plans for a Western Sydney Team, which would mean that another local derby against the Sydney Swans would commence. These two fixtures would likely significantly increase the attendance of Rivalry Round, especially the Sydney Derby, which would be played at Stadium Australia (regardless of the home team, given that Stadium Australia is the home ground of both teams), which has an AFL capacity of 81,500. [edit] More recent rivals[edit] Port Adelaide v CollingwoodThe rivalry with Port Adelaide and Collingwood stems from the fact that the Power were also known as the Magpies in their local SANFL competition before switching to the Power when fielding a team in the AFL in 1997 (the Port Adelaide Magpies remain in the SANFL today). Feelings were heightened when Port midfielder Kane Cornes 'flipped the bird' at Nick Davis following the Power's close fought five point victory over the Magpies at AAMI Stadium in round nine, 2002. Alan Didak also 'flipped the bird' at the Port Adelaide fans in round 19, 2006. An ongoing battle between both the Port Adelaide and Collingwood football clubs is over Port Adelaide wearing the colours black and white. Port Adelaide was established in the SANFL in 1870 and, like Collingwood, were know as the Magpies however they didn't start wearing black and white until 1903 when a particular dye that was used for their magenta guernseys became hard to find. Collingwood however, had been wearing the black and white guernsey since their creation in 1892. As Port Adelaide won a license to enter the AFL in 1996 they had to agree not to overshadow the branding of the Collingwood football club by using the name "Magpies" and using only the colours black and white. [edit] Brisbane v SydneyTwo frontier states for the AFL, the AFL uses the Rugby League State of Origin rivalry between Queensland and New South Wales to draw crowds to games between these teams.[1] The most recent Brisbane/Sydney clash was round 3 2009. The Lions won comfortably by 33 points. It was the Lions' first victory over the Swans since 2004 and this was achieved under the coaching of former premiership captain Michael Voss. The Lions famously beat the Swans in the 2003 preliminary final to progress to their third Grand Final (which they won), and then beat them again in the opening round of the 2004 season by just 2 points, but the Lions have not beaten the Swans since, their closest coming in a draw at the Gabba in round 20, 2007. As mentioned above, the Lions finally broke the drought in round 3, 2009, winning by 33 points - 100 to 67. [edit] Brisbane v St KildaThe rivalry started in 2003 when St Kilda, struggling at the time, upset the more fancied Brisbane Lions (who won their third straight premiership that year) at Telstra Dome by 1 point. It would be the start of brighter things to come for the Saints, despite the fact they missed the finals that year. 2004 saw the Saints escape with another narrow victory, but not with controversy when Aussie Jones kicked a controversial behind with moments left in the match. They would clash twice in a period of three weeks, round 21, 2004 and the first week of the finals, with Brisbane winning comfortably on both occasions. These two teams created history in 2005 when new Saints captain Nick Riewoldt seriously broke his collarbone in a collision with three Lions defenders. Midway through the third term, Riewoldt crashed into Jamie Charman going for a mark, then, moments later, heavily landed on his right shoulder. Moments later, defenders Chris Scott and Mal Michael crashed and bumped his right shoulder while Riewoldt was in the hands of St.Kilda trainers. The Saints then got their revenge in Round 22 of the same season, 2005, when they hammered the Lions by 139 points at Telstra Dome (the match where Stephen Milne booted 11 goals), ensuring Brisbane missed the finals for the first time since 1998. This fixture has always been played on the Thursday before Good Friday since 2005. In 2008, the fixture was played in May. The match was controversial with many St.Kilda players seeming disinterested. After the match, St.Kilda coach Ross Lyon labeled his team 'soft'.[3] [edit] Geelong v West CoastThey met in 2 grand finals in the early 1990s. This rivalry was further sparked when the Eagles beat the Cats by 3 points in Round 10,2006 after trailing by 54 points mid-way through the third quarter. Round 13, 2008 witnessed a 135-point thumping handed out to the West Coast Eagles by Geelong. Geelong also won the return match (round 22, 2008) but this time it was by 99 points, the second time that season the Cats fell short of the century (Geelong beat Essendon by 99 points in round 2). [edit] Geelong v St. KildaThis rivalry began in 2004, when the two sides were officially touted as the next power sides, as both had a good young list. The rivalry grew as both sides met in the Preseason Cup grand final, when verbal wars began between coaches and players, including Geelong's Paul Chapman, who said, after St. Kilda won the grand final, that Geelong was still a better side, leading to a smashing ten goal win the following week for St. Kilda over Geelong, as the season began between the two sides. Both sides made the preliminary final that year, and continued to fight over who was a better side, until in 2007 Geelong won the premiership race. Their rivalry continues to grow. Round 22, 2008 saw St Kilda snatch a top four berth from Adelaide by thrashing Essendon by 108 points, thus handing them a tough assignment against the Cats in the qualifying finals. Geelong would comfortably win by 58 points, after which the Saints were heavily criticised for their poor performance against the reigning premiers. 2009 has seen both teams undefeated in the lead up to their much highly-anticipated match in Round 14 of the 2009 season. St.Kilda went on to win the match and bragging rights as the favourite to win the AFL premiership, although late season losses by St.Kilda to Essendon and North Melbourne, and losses by Geelong to the Western Bulldogs, Carlton & Brisbane have brought Collingwood, Western Bulldogs, Adelaide & Brisbane back into contention The highly anticipated 2009 Grand Finals saw these two teams meet for only the second time that season. Geelong were high Favourites with a huge 17.18.120 against Collingwood 6.11.47. Compared to St.Kilda's 9.6.60 scrape against the Bulldogs 7.11.53. Geelong had an Impressive start to the match, kicking 2 goals to a behind but St.Kilda Led at every break: 3.2.20 to 3.0.18., 7.7.49 to 7.1.41 and 9.11.65 to 9.4.58. Cats Kicked 3 goals to none in the final quarter to win 12.8.80 to St.Kilda's 9.14.68. [edit] Melbourne v GeelongThe first 2 clubs in the league. Melbourne CEO Steve Harris once made comments about how Melbourne people never like to travel to Geelong, with this rivalry being manufactured by the AFL in the recent AFL Rivalry Round concept. In Round 21, 2006, the teams played out a thrilling draw at Skilled Stadium, the first draw between the teams since the 1920s, confirming both Melbourne's position in the top 8 and Geelong missing out on the finals for that season. [edit] Brisbane v EssendonThe two sides who clashed in the 2001 Grand Final, has since developed into a great rivalry thanks to respective coaches Leigh Matthews (Brisbane) and Kevin Sheedy (Essendon), with several famous clashes already. Earlier in 2001, with Essendon riding high having won the 2000 Premiership, Leigh Matthews famously quoted from the movie "Predator", stating that "if it bleeds, we can kill it". During a Round 17, 2006 clash between the two sides, a James Hird display led to Essendon breaking a 15-game winless streak (they had drawn against Carlton the previous week), which all but ended any possibility of Brisbane making the finals. [edit] Brisbane v Port AdelaideThe two sides who dominated the AFL from 2001-2004, they had identical winning percentages over the four years. The Lions won three consecutive titles (2001-2003), while Port developed a reputation as chokers in big matches until they won the 2004 title, defeating Brisbane in that decider. Matches between the two are always hard fought encounters. The two sides have also drawn on two occasions, in 1997 and 1998.[4] [edit] West Coast v EssendonThe rivalry started when Essendon coach Kevin Sheedy celebrated his team's 2-point victory in Round 16, 1993 by running down from the coaches box to the ground waving his jacket around his head. Ever since, the fans of the victorious team in these clashes celebrate the victory by waving their jackets, scarves, or whatever other paraphernalia is handy. Occasionally fans of other league teams (infamously Richmond after the 1995 semi-final) wave their jackets (or scarves) after their team defeats Essendon. This tradition however, has become increasingly rare. In a match in 2000, Essendon's Mark Johnson was felled shortly before half-time (no video footage of the incident exists). This prompted Kevin Sheedy to march onto the field, yelling at West Coast's Mitchell White and making throat-slitting gestures. Sheedy later claimed that a "seagull" had flown into Johnson's eye, and was fined $7500 by the league for his actions. Kevin Sheedy's last game as Essendon's coach was also against the West Coast at Subiaco Oval on 1 September 2007. After the game, Sheedy was presented with a framed jacket that was specially made for the occasion with one half made in the Red and Black of Essendon and the other half the Blue and Gold of West Coast. [edit] St Kilda v FremantleLikely to become rivals after the siren mistake in Round 5 2006, the third game in succession between these sides to be decided by less than a goal in controversial circumstances, the previous being the Whispers in the Sky controversy, and a contentious holding the ball decision paid to give St Kilda the winning point. Round 4, 2009 saw a smashing 83-point victory for St Kilda over Fremantle, after which the latter was named "the laughing stock of the AFL". It could prove to be a turning point for the Dockers in 2009 as they would win their first match of the season the following week. St Kilda beat Fremantle both times in 2008 on their way to a top four finish. [edit] Hawthorn v MelbourneIn 1996, both sides were involved in merger talks. The merger would have led to the birth of the Melbourne Hawks, never eventuated. The incident is most well remembered for the "merger match" in the final round that season, a game which attracted 63,000 fans (the highest home-and-away crowd attracted by either team since Round 6, 1992) and finished in a one-point Hawthorn victory that earned them eighth place on the ladder. Hawthorn and Melbourne also played on Easter Monday at the MCG. This match might become a traditional match for the Easter round. In 2008, Hawthorn thumped Melbourne by 104 points in the season opening round. Later that season, in Round 9, Melbourne farewelled club legend David Neitz against Hawthorn. Hawthorn were massive favourites, but Melbourne unsettled them playing aggressively, with Hawthorn only pulling away late to win by 19. [edit] St Kilda v SydneyDuring the 2006 off-season, former Swans assistant coach Ross Lyon took over as the Saints' head coach (replacing Grant Thomas, who was sacked a month earlier), and has strengthened the Saints team. When these two teams met in round 7, 2007, the Saints defeated Sydney by 26 points, in the match billed as Master v Apprentice. Other notable matches between these two include a two-point thriller in the 2008 season opening round at the Telstra Dome and another two-point thriller in the wet at the SCG in round 11, 2006 (both going the Saints' way), a preliminary final win to Sydney in 2005 (the match notable for Barry Hall's fist to Matt Maguire's midriff), a huge win to St Kilda in round 10 of the same season, another big win to the Saints in the 2004 elimination final, and Sydney's 36 point win in round 11, 2004, to bring an end to St Kilda's 10-match winning streak. There was also a heartstopping draw in round 5 of the 2002 season. In recent times, St Kilda won a thriller against Sydney by a solitary point - with the Saints' Leigh Montagna kicking the match winning behind after Sydney had threatened to end St Kilda's winning streak which was at the time standing at 17 and counting. The Swans at this point were attempting to rewrite history as they had broken St Kilda's then record 10-match winning streak in 2004. This loss cost Sydney a finals berth, and it gave Ross Lyon his first win over Paul Roos in Sydney since Lyon left the Swans to coach the Saints. The Swans and Saints will go at it again in Round 1, 2010 when they clash for the first (and only) time at Stadium Australia, where the Saints have never won. [edit] Geelong v Port AdelaideThis rivalry started late in the 2007 season when Geelong looked set to win a 16th consecutive match. However, when they played Port Adelaide in round 21 at Skilled Stadium, Port's Domenic Cassisi kicked the winning goal with six seconds left to hand Geelong its first defeat since late April 2007. However, five weeks later, Geelong smashed Port Adelaide by 119 points (the record for biggest AFL Grand Final win) in the 2007 AFL Grand Final, with forward Steve Johnson winning the Norm Smith Medal for his five goals. Three years earlier, Port had no trouble beating Geelong in the qualifying final by 55 points on its way to a maiden premiership. Many believed that Geelong could have played Port Adelaide in that year's Grand Final had Geelong taken advantage of playing a preliminary final in Melbourne, although the reigning premiers, the Brisbane Lions, were the opponents who were forced to play a home preliminary final in Melbourne. Brisbane eventually won by 9 points. In round one, 2008, Geelong won by nine points in the Grand Final rematch. Interestingly enough, Port Adelaide's first victory in the AFL was against Geelong, in round 3, 1997. [edit] Western Bulldogs v St KildaRivalry based on the fact that both teams have only won a single premiership and neither team have won it in over 40 years. There have been some controversial matches between these two teams, none more so than in round 6, 2006 when the Western Bulldogs' Daniel Giansiracusa clashed heads with the Saints' Justin Koschitzke, an injury which sidelined the latter for over 12 weeks. A thriller was played in round 18, 2007; the two teams drew in which was a match that would have determined the fate of both teams. Both teams in the end failed to make the finals, and then in the following year both teams lost their respective preliminary finals. [edit] Past rivals[edit] St Kilda v South MelbourneThese clubs shared the same geographical area until the Swans moved to Sydney. These teams played for the 'Lake Trophy'. [edit] Collingwood v FitzroyAs with St Kilda and South Melbourne, these clubs shared the same geographical area until Fitzroy folded (and was absorbed by Brisbane) and began a new rivalry with Collingwood from successive Grand Final encounters. [edit] References
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