17. Contenders …? In 1990, the VFL finally became the AFL – the Australian Football League. With clubs in New South Wales, Brisbane, and West Australia, the game had gone truly national, and the league needed to represent that. Now there was talk about trying to found a club in South Australia, although the South Australians were resistant. The emergence of the West Coast Eagles had all but killed their WAFL competition, reducing it to the equivalent of what the VFA was here. Still, though, the game was growing (or being grown) to encompass all of Australia. Collingwood moved into this new era, and the new decade, quietly, as had…

10. Cakewalk …? Finishing top in the Final Five system was a massive advantage. All you had to do was win one final and you were into the Grand Final. That meant, as a grand finalist, you’d played one game in three weeks, whilst your opponent would’ve played three. Your side had a chance to rest and your players had additional time and less duress to recover from injuries. On the flip side, your opposition was going through the wringer, playing hard finals filled with pressure, the threat of elimination constantly looming over them. It was brilliant, and the way finals should work: finishing top should come with benefits no…