As a decade concludes there is always a new candidate for the greatest team of all time.
As is the case, the latest team is always the forerunner for the title of being the best.
But while we recall the achievements of the latest team, we forget the accomplishments of the teams from yesteryear.
In the AFL there is always the argument of who is the best team of all time.
But after 120 years of VFL/AFL football how can we possibly have a clear winner in the discussion of the greatest team in history?
How can anyone compare to the modern Richmond team to 'The Machine' that was the Collingwood team that won four flags between 1927-1930 when modern footballers are fully professional athletes who spend their lives focussed on fitness and have facilities that are second to none?
An easier way to determine football's greatest teams is by splitting the VFL and AFL era’s.
This two-part series will look at the teams that dominated the VFL era (1896-1989) and then the AFL era (1990–present). This series will not determine who is the best team in each era, instead, it will reflect on the feats of the teams and provide the reader insight into what these teams achieved in their heyday.
3. Melbourne 1955-1960
No team has ever been as dominant as the Melbourne team from the mid-fifties to the early sixties.
The Demons had everything required to be a great team - a super coach in Norm Smith, a superstar in Ron Barassi and home games at the MCG, which made them the envy of the league.
When Melbourne appointed Smith as coach in 1952, they knew they were getting someone with the skill to be a success.
The Demons went on to win premierships in 1955, 56, 57, 59 and 60. They made the 1958 Grand Final and would have equaled Collingwood's record of four consecutive premierships had they won the match, but as fate would have it, Collingwood prevented the Demons from equalling their record by recording an upset 18-point win.
Melbourne won another premiership in 1964 but by 1965 the dynasty was over. Barassi left to become captain-coach at Carlton, while Norm Smith was sensationally sacked and then reappointed in mid-1965.
But by then the Norm Smith curse had already taken hold.
The Demons have not won a premiership since 1964, which makes this dynasty even more special for their faithful supporters.
