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 match-ups, or ignoring stronger, more recent rivalries.[2]
With a 22 game season and 17 teams (16 teams from 1995 until 2010), 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.
Since 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.
| Home team | Home team score | Away team | Away team score | Ground | Crowd | Date | Report |
| Collingwood Magpies | 17.13 (115) | Richmond Tigers | 13.12 (90) | MCG | 70,569 | Friday, April 13 | AFL.com.au |
| Carlton Blues | 18.17 (125) | Essendon Bombers | 17.20 (122) | MCG | 64,710 | Saturday, April 14 | AFL.com.au |
| Port Adelaide Power | 8.15 (63) | Adelaide Crows | 13.9 (87) | AAMI Stadium | 36,959 | Saturday, April 14 | AFL.com.au |
| St Kilda Saints | 17.14 (116) | Western Bulldogs | 9.12 (66) | Telstra Dome | 38,474 | Saturday, April 14 | AFL.com.au |
| Fremantle Dockers | 11.4 (70) | West Coast Eagles | 14.17 (101) | Subiaco Oval | 42,051 | Saturday, April 14 | AFL.com.au |
| Sydney Swans | 13.18 (96) | Brisbane Lions | 10.9 (69) | SCG | 24,854 | Sunday, April 15 | AFL.com.au |
| Melbourne Demons | 8.9 (57) | Geelong Cats | 15.19 (109) | MCG | 38,438 | Sunday, April 15 | AFL.com.au |
| Kangaroos | 10.10 (70) | Hawthorn Hawks | 14.7 (91) | Telstra Dome | 28,481 | Sunday, April 15 | AFL.com.au |
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.
| Home team | Home team score | Away team | Away team score | Ground | Crowd | Date | Report |
| Melbourne Demons | 13.9 (87) | Geelong Cats | 11.15 (81) | MCG | 36,041 | Friday, May 5 | |
| St Kilda Saints | 14.8 (92) | Western Bulldogs | 12.6 (78) | Telstra Dome | 42,760 | Saturday, May 6 | |
| Fremantle Dockers | 12.16 (88) | West Coast Eagles | 12.11 (83) | Subiaco Oval | 42,213 | Saturday, May 6 | |
| Adelaide Crows | 15.13 (103) | Port Adelaide Power | 8.5 (53) | AAMI Stadium | 42,723 | Saturday, May 6 | |
| Essendon Bombers | 13.17 (95) | Richmond Tigers | 13.19 (97) | MCG | 58,439 | Saturday, May 6 | |
| Brisbane Lions | 10.10 (70) | Sydney Swans | 15.12 (102) | The Gabba | 29,872 | Sunday, May 7 | |
| Carlton Blues | 9.12 (66) | Collingwood Magpies | 21.12 (138) | MCG | 59,695 | Sunday, May 7 | |
| Kangaroos | 15.12 (102) | Hawthorn Hawks | 11.14 (80) | Telstra Dome | 28,047 | Sunday, May 7 |
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.
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.
As 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. However, Essendon went on to defeat Carlton over the next 6 encounters, with Carlton finally breaking Essendon's winning streak with an emphatic 76 point win in Round 19, 2010.
The two teams had a thrilling 11.13.(79) draw in Round 4 of the 2011 season.
Traditional 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. In 2010 the teams played out a one-point victory to Collingwood and a draw on the Queen's Birthday, reigniting the rivalry between the two sides.
Arising 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.
The clubs played against each other in five grand finals between 1919 and 1929. (Collingwood winning 1919, 1927, 1928 and 1929. And Richmond winning 1920). In the 1980 Grand Final, Richmond handed Collingwood an 81-point defeat.
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).
The clubs contested the Grand Final three years in-a-row in the 1980s - the only such occasion where 2 sides have squared off in Grand Finals on 3 successive occasions. More recently, the two clubs played in a preliminary final in 2001, controversially won by Essendon, while in late 2004, there was the infamous "Line in the Sand" bench-clearing brawl after half-time, resulting in four players being suspended and $69,500 in fines. While Hawthorn lost that game, they have won three of the four subsequent contests. Games between the two 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. Hawthorn then won every match against Essendon until Round 7, 2009, when Essendon broke a 4½ year winless streak against Hawthorn.
In the last round of 2009, the sides met for the last spot in the top 8. With a finals campaign brewing the rivalry even more, Essendon won the game by 17 points after trailing by almost 30 points at half time. There was also a bench-clearing brawl 11 seconds into the third quarter; four players were suspended for a total of seven matches and $27,000 in fines being handed out.
Honours were divided in 2010 with Essendon winning in Round 6 and Hawthorn in Round 13. In their only clash for season 2011, Hawthorn thumped Essendon by 65 points.
A rivalry based on 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.
In recent years these teams always play off in the first game of the year on a Thursday night in Round 1. Carlton have had the wood in most of these games.
In the early days of the VFL, this rivalry grew out of several grand final meetings: 1901, 1902 and 1911. In the preliminary final of 1984, Essendon scored a 134-point win over Collingwood, and to this day, it is the biggest win in VFL/AFL finals history. The teams didn't meet again in a grand final until 1990 when Collingwood won to draw level with the Bombers on 14 premierships and denying the Bombers a chance to join Carlton on 15. This premiership would be Collingwood's first in 32 years after losing eight in that time.
Since 1995 the rivalry has been even more fierce with the clubs facing off against each other in the Anzac Day clash, a match which is described as the second biggest of the season, behind only the grand final. Being possibly the two biggest football clubs in Victoria, regardless of their position on the ladder, this game always attracts a huge crowd and it is a match both teams have a desire to win even if it is their only win for the season. The two teams met in their first ever appearance in a Pre-Season/Night Series Grand Final in 2011.
In the 2009 Anzac Day match, Collingwood lost the game in the dying seconds as David Zaharakis booted the winning goal. However in the 2010 season, Collingwood got their revenge on Anzac Day, thrashing Essendon by 65 points. Collingwood won the 2011 Pre-Season Grand Final over Essendon.
A 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.
North Melbourne and Hawthorn have been traditional rivals since their early VFA days. But the dominance of both sides in the 1970s sparked the rivalry which is still alive today.
In the 1970s they would play off against each other in three heated grand finals.
In 1975, North Melbourne thrased Hawthorn by 10 goals. But in 1976, the Hawks had their revenge and won by 30 points. Two years later, the Hawks would again win by 18 points.
More recently, North Melbourne upset the Hawks by 33 points in the 2007 Semi-Final.
Hawthorn 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 in major injuries for several Hawks players, Including the infamous Mark Yeates collision with Dermott Brereton at the opening bounce. 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. Since then, Geelong have won six consecutive encounters against the Hawks, all by close margins.
The rivalry began back in the VFA due to the clubs being close geographically. They played off in the 1950 Grand Final, which Essendon won by 38 points.
The turning point in this rivalry came in Round 16 of 2001, when Essendon, trailing by 69 points early in the second quarter, would recover and 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 won a close one by three points in Round 17, 2010, just its second win over the Kangaroos since the 2001 comeback.
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.
Geelong won their first flag in 1925 over Collingwood, in 1930 Collingwood defeated Geelong in the grand final making it four flags in-a-row for the Pies. Geelong would later deny Collingwood three successive premierships in 1937, winning a famous grand final by 32 points.
This rivalry, however, heated up in the 1950s. The two sides played against each other in 6 finals between 1951 and 1955, including the 1952 Grand Final when Geelong easily beat Collingwood by 46 points. In 1953, Collingwood ended Geelong's record 23-game winning streak in the Regular season and later defeated them by 12 points in the grand final, denying the Cats a third successive premiership.
Some memorable Home and Away games occurred in the 1990s with Gary Ablett, Sr. taking a famous mark over Gary Pert in 1994 at Kardinia Park. Later in the year Collingwood won by three points at the MCG and again in late 1995 by four points when Dermott Brereton booted the winning goal in the dying minutes. In 1999, Geelong were on a nine-game losing streak when they defeated Collingwood at Kardinia Park by three points despite trailing by four goals.
Since 2007, games between these clubs have been highly anticipated and drawn large crowds, developing a great modern rivalry. It began in Round 15 2007 when Geelong won the match of the Round by 16 points. Later that year the teams played off a memorable Preliminary Final the Cats won by just five points on their way to their first flag in 44 Years, it would be Nathan Buckley's last game. In 2008, Collingwood upset the reigning Premier by an unthinkable 86 Points, Geelong's only loss for the Home and Away season.
In 2009, Geelong thrashed Collingwood in the Pre-Season Grand Final by 76 Points and again in the Preliminary Final by 73 Points, on their way top another Premiership. In 2010 the teams met in two top-of-the-table clashes at the MCG with Geelong winning the first in Round 9 by 36 Points and Collingwood winning the Second by 22 Points, earning them the Minor Premiership. They would later meet in yet another Preliminary Final with Collingwood winning this one by an easy 41 Points on their way to a 15th Premiership. The match would be Gary Ablett's last in Geelong colours and Mark Thompson's last game as Cats Coach.
In 2011 the teams were undefeated going into Round 8 at the MCG. A thrilling contest saw the Cats prevail by 3 points. Season 2011 has seen the pairing dominate 1st and 2nd place again. In the final round Geelong defeated Collingwood by a record 96 points, the final score being 8-5-53 to 22-17-149. The two teams met in the 2011 AFL Grand Final, their first Grand Final meeting since 1953, with Geelong winning by 38 points, leaving Geelong the only team Collingwood didn't beat that year - all 3 of their losses being to the Cats.
A Rivalry made fierce throughout 1940's and 1950s when the sides played off in five grand finals with Melbourne winning all bar one. Most famously, in 1948 the two sides played off to the first grand final draw in history. The teams tied at 69 apiece, Melbourne went on to win the replay comfortably by 39 points. Essendon also took part in Melbourne's dominant, Norm Smith coached era in the late 1950s, losing two grand finals respectively.
More recently, Melbourne met Essendon in the first grand final of the new millennium in 2000 where Melbourne's Troy Simmonds was struck by Essendon's Michael Long, which resulted in a 25-Man brawl. Essendon went on to thrash the Demons by 60 points marking their 16th VFL/AFL Premiership. In Round 8 2001, Melbourne where looking for some revenge, only to fall short by just 6 points.
In 2004, Essendon upset Melbourne in a memorable Elimination Final, winning by five points (this was Essendon's first finals clash with Melbourne since the 2000 Grand Final). The match would ultimately be Troy Broadbridge's (Melbourne) last game, who died four months later in the Indian Ocean tsunami. In Round 1 2005, the teams would play off a tribute match to Broadbridge's memory, in which Melbourne won easily by 46 points. Ironically, Broadbridge's first AFL game was also against Essendon in the aforementioned Grand Final replay in 2001.
Essendon have had the wood on Melbourne in recent seasons, however Melbourne won their most recent clash in Round 15, 2010, a match which marked the tenth anniversary of the 2000 Essendon premiership, it was also the loss that triggered much criticism to Essendon's decision to appoint Matthew Knights as Coach, which resulted in his sacking at seasons end. Another memorable match occurred in Round 13, 2007 when Essendon's Scott Lucas kicked the match winning goal with six seconds left in what was ex-Bombers premiership player Neale Daniher's final match as Melbourne coach. In 2011 The Demons upset the rejuvenated Bombers by 33 Points following a controversial week.
A rivalry originally built out of the fact that St Kilda's only Premiership (to date) came against Collingwood in 1966 when the Saints prevailed by a point kicked by Barry Breen. This was one of the many Grand FInal losses involved in Collingwood's infamous "Colliwobbles" era.
In 1993, St Kilda's Nicky Winmar famously lifted his shirt exposing his brown skin to some Collingwood fans at Victoria Park who were making racist comments all day. This was a famous moment in the game's history and happened right after the Saints upset Collingwood on their home turf.
In recent times the two clubs have played in some memorable finals and home and away matches. In 2008, Collingwood had beaten St Kilda twice during the year but were eliminated to them in the second Semi-FInal. In 2009, St Kilda prevailed again in the Qualifying Final by 28 points in Anthony Rocca's last game.
In 2010, there was a controversial game (Round 3) where Collingwood coach Mick Malthouse had an argument with St Kilda's Stephen Milne, calling him a "Rapist" in the quarter time break. It was Luke Ball's first game against his old club and the night Nick Riewolt pulled his hamstring. St Kilda won by 28 points, but Collingwood would later get revenge in Round 16 by 48 points.
The clubs met in the 2010 AFL Grand Final, the first grand final meeting since 1966 and, much like that game, it was a thriller. The match historically ended in a draw, the first in a Grand Final since 1977, and third in AFL/VFL history. In the Grand Final Replay, Collingwood finally got their revenge for 1966, winning their 15th Premiership and first since 1990 by an easy 56 points.
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. While Fremantle has still not won a premiership, they appear to be moving away from only being concerned about beating their cross town rivals, although many of their best performances are still saved for the Derby.
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 31 in Round 19 of the 2011 season, Port Adelaide hold the lead with 17 wins and Adelaide with 14, and no draws between the two clubs. Following Showdown XI, players from both sides were involved in a brawl at a local hotel, dubbed "Showdown 11½". In recent times, the excitement and rivalry in the showdowns have gone down a fair bit because of AFL's new deal that telecasts matches live across all rounds, and because of the recent form of the two clubs. This is shown by the drop in crowd attendances from averaging 44,500 people down to 35,000 people. There has also been less of a lead up to each showdown and there has been talk of there only being one showdown in the minor rounds each year, and none during the pre-season, instead of there being two showdowns each minor round season, and each team playing each other in the first round of the pre-season.[1]
Also, when Port Adelaide put their bid into the AFL to gain entry to the AFL in 1997, Port Adelaide fans classified The Adelaide Crows as the Yuppie Playground.
The second showdown in the 2011 AFL season was dubbed as the most important showdown in a decade. This was because before showdown 31, Port Adelaide sat in last place with only 2 wins and Adelaide was sitting 14th with 4 wins and both teams needed to pick up form to gain respect. Also, in the game before showdown 31, Adelaide lost to St. Kilda at Etihad Stadium by a record 103 points, and they scored their lowest score of 3 goals and 9 points. Also, in the lead up to the game, Adelaide Crows coach was sacked by the Adelaide Crows board, causing unrest in Adelaide players and supporters, making this game one of the most intense showdowns ever.
This is the only all-Queensland match-up in the AFL to date. The QClash was invented by the AFL to encourage crowd levels in Queensland, rather than developing on its own.
One 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:
The 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 gave Nick Davis the finger following the Power's close fought five-point victory over the Magpies at AAMI Stadium in Round 9, 2002, this led to a brief fight after the game. Collingwood would get their revenge in the 2002 Qualifying Final with a surprising 13-point win. Collingwood also knocked Port Adelaide out of the finals in 2003 with an easy 44-point victory in the Preliminary Final at the MCG. Alan Didak gave the Port Adelaide fans the finger in Round 20, 2006 when he kicked the winning goal at AAMI Stadium.
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 known 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.
In 2004, Collingwood supporters were forced to cast aside the Port Adelaide rivalry and temporarily support the Power in its attempt to prevent Brisbane equalling the VFL/AFL record of four consecutive flags which is held by Collingwood. Port Adelaide won by 40 points, denying Brisbane its fourth consecutive flag and therefore keeping the record in Collingwood's favour. Magpies supporters could also consider this third time lucky as Collingwood had lost two previous grand finals against Brisbane.
Two 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 22, 2010, at the Gabba. The Lions were out of contention but Sydney had to win to secure 5th spot and a home final. Hawthorn and Fremantle had earlier on the weekend picked up wins to be on the same amount of competition points as the Swans. However, the wins meant the Swans were behind the two clubs on percentage. Despite being down by 2 points at half-time, the Swans rallied in the third quarter to kick away and gain the win, 5th spot, and a home final against Carlton. A loss would have seen them confined to 7th and an away trip to face Hawthorn.
The rivalry was fuelled even more with the recruitment by the Swans of ex-Lion Daniel Bradshaw and the Lions picking up ex-Swan Amon Buchanan. The teams met in Round 6, 2010 with the Swans winning by 20 points. Buchanan made his Lions debut in that match, and Bradshaw kicked a 60m torpedo on the three-quarter-time siren.
The 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. In Round 3 2004, James Hird (after a controversial week involving the umpires) played a memorable game against the Eagles, which ended with him kicking the match-winning goal and hugging a fan in the crowd.
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.
Essendon had a narrow win over the Eagles in round 11, 2007 (winning by one point a week after defeating the 2005 premiers Sydney also by one point) but it was the Eagles that got them back in round 22, 2007 in Sheedy and Hird's final match. Essendon also had a win over the Eagles in 2008, but in 2010 West Coast defeated Essendon in both matches, the latter of which saw Eagles forward Mark LeCras kick 12 goals in front of what was the lowest crowd for a match involving Essendon (with just under 27,000 in attendance) at Etihad Stadium.
Both sides met in the 2004 Preseason Cup grand final, when verbal wars began between coaches and players, including Geelong's Paul Chapman, who said, after St Kilda won the game, that Geelong was still a better side, leading to a ten-goal win in round 1 for St Kilda as the season began.
A Premiership race began as both sides made the preliminary final that year, as media and supporters continued to argue throughout the year over who was the better side. Both sides did not make the grand final in 2004, however Geelong won the Premiership in 2007 putting an end to the race.
In 2008, St Kilda snatched a top four berth in the final round of the season, giving them a qualifying final against the Cats. Geelong would comfortably win by 58 points, after which the Saints were heavily criticised for their poor performance against the reigning premiers.
2009 saw both teams undefeated in the lead-up to their much-anticipated match in Round 14. St Kilda went on to win the match by one goal. The 2009 Grand Final saw these two teams meet for only the second time that season. Geelong had an impressive start to the match, kicking 2 goals to a behind, however St Kilda led at every break. The Cats kicked 3 goals to none in the final quarter to win by 12 points.
Round 13, 2010 saw St Kilda prevail in their first meeting since the grand final, by 24 points and achieving this victory without injured captain Nick Riewoldt. It was a controversial one however; the match was notable for the infamous clash between taggers Steven Baker and Steve Johnson which saw them suspended for a combined 12 weeks for four offences.
Tension built even further in the Qualifying Final when St Kilda prevailed by 3 points earning them a week's rest. In the dying minutes St Kilda's James Gwilt was given a controversial free kick that allowed the Saints to hold on. If the free kick hadn't been paid Geelong's Cameron Ling goal would have been allowed and the Cats would have won by 3 points.
In Round 1 of the 2011 AFL season, Geelong won a tight match by one point after Darren Milburn kicked the match winning goal with 20 seconds left.
These clubs shared the same geographical area until the Swans moved to Sydney. These teams played for the 'Lake Trophy'.
As with St Kilda and South Melbourne, these clubs shared the same geographical area until Fitzroy and Brisbane merged and began a new rivalry with Collingwood from successive grand final encounters.
St Kilda–Fremantle AFL controversies