We've ranked all the premiership sides since 2010 to see who is the best of the best!
Of course, comparing football royalty is no easy task, and one side had to come in at No. 11 despite still being as elite as they come.
The teams' pure talent on paper, form over the entire season and ability to step up in big matches and all came into consideration for our rankings.
HERE IS HOW WE RANKED EVERY PREMIERSHIP SIDE SINCE 2020, COUNTING DOWN FROM 11-1:
Unfortunately, one team had to be last, and it was the young pups who famously ended a 72-year drought in 2016. The Bulldogs edged their club into the history books with a fighting triumph over the Swans by 22 points.
The Bulldogs boasted some talented youngsters along with experienced heads and were the best team at the right time but not necessarily as good on paper, finishing seventh at the end of the season and defeating four strong sides along the journey.
None of the 22 selected had previously played in a grand final, but it made no difference on the day.
Veterans Matthew Boyd and Dale Morris stood tall while a young cast of Bontempelli, Liberatore, Boyd, McLean and Dunkley surprised us all with one of the best team performances of the decade. Key position players Joel Hamling, Zaine Cordy and Fletcher Roberts just don't compare to some of the names from earlier in the decade.
| Western Bulldogs | |||
| B: | 39 Jason Johannisen | 30 Joel Hamling | 5 Matthew Boyd |
| HB: | 24 Shane Biggs | 38 Dale Morris | 10 Easton Wood (c) |
| C: | 7 Lachie Hunter | 4 Marcus Bontempelli | 42 Liam Picken |
| HF: | 11 Jackson Macrae | 12 Zaine Cordy | 9 Jake Stringer |
| F: | 29 Tory Dickson | 17 Tom Boyd | 14 Clay Smith |
| Foll: | 23 Jordan Roughead | 6 Luke Dahlhaus | 21 Tom Liberatore |
| Int: | 16 Toby McLean | 18 Fletcher Roberts | 20 Josh Dunkley |
| 35 Caleb Daniel | |||
| Coach: | Luke Beveridge | ||
This West Coast team hosted a group of midfielders at the top or nearing the top of their game. Dom Sheed's goal made him a household name, but it was Elliot Yeo and Luke Shuey's finals series that moved them into the elite category.
A like-minded defence, finals veterans Will Schofield and Shannon Hurn were aided by the ever-growing Tom Barrass, Tom Cole and Liam Duggan, while we saw some magic moments from Liam Ryan and Willie Rioli all season long. Retiring on a high note was Mark LeCras, and the dynamic pair of Josh Kennedy and Jack Darling made for one of the elite one-two punches during any premiership decider.
On paper these Eagles remain strong, but weren't as dominant as other flag-winners.
| West Coast Eagles | |||
| B: | 25 Shannon Hurn (c) | 37 Tom Barrass | 31 Will Schofield |
| HB: | 28 Tom Cole | 20 Jeremy McGovern | 23 Lewis Jetta |
| C: | 8 Jack Redden | 6 Elliot Yeo | 7 Chris Masten |
| HF: | 34 Mark Hutchings | 27 Jack Darling | 2 Mark LeCras |
| F: | 44 Willie Rioli | 17 Josh Kennedy | 15 Jamie Cripps |
| Foll: | 29 Scott Lycett | 13 Luke Shuey | 4 Dom Sheed |
| Int: | 1 Liam Ryan | 14 Liam Duggan | 18 Daniel Venables |
| 19 Nathan Vardy | |||
| Coach: | Adam Simpson | ||
Not too dissimilar to the current side, the 2017 Tigers made their mark on the competition with a dominant display when it mattered. A frightening sight for any forward, the Tigers stood strong with Dylan Grimes, Alex Rance, David Astbury and Nick Vlastuin all playing vital roles. Runners Brandon Ellis and Kamydn McIntosh's allowed Bachar Houli to flourish.
Jacob Townsend and Jack Graham both broke into the side late, but achieved the unexpected playing alongside reliable ball-winners Dion Prestia, Shaun Grigg, Shane Edwards, Kane Lambert and Josh Caddy. We haven't even got to the Cotchin/Martin combo.
Unlike most premiership sides, Richmond opted for just one key forward. Jack Riewoldt was the tall target, while the mosquito fleet of Dan Butler, Jason Castagna, Daniel Rioli and even Martin made for an exciting brand of footy.
| Richmond | |||
| B: | 5 Brandon Ellis | 18 Alex Rance | 2 Dylan Grimes |
| HB: | 14 Bachar Houli | 12 David Astbury | 1 Nick Vlastuin |
| C: | 33 Kamdyn McIntosh | 9 Trent Cotchin | 21 Jacob Townsend |
| HF: | 23 Kane Lambert | 4 Dustin Martin | 22 Josh Caddy |
| F: | 40 Dan Butler | 8 Jack Riewoldt | 17 Daniel Rioli |
| Foll: | 25 Toby Nankervis | 3 Dion Prestia | 6 Shaun Grigg |
| Int: | 10 Shane Edwards | 34 Jack Graham | 35 Nathan Broad |
| 46 Jason Castagna | |||
| Coach: | Damien Hardwick | ||
A team with a wealth of experience, season 2012 was a strange year to finish third on the ladder. The Swans journey to grand final day came off the back of a 29-point win over Adelaide, before advancing with a 26-point win over Collingwood. The Grand Final had it all, lead changes and a last-minute sealer from Nick Malceski gave Sydney their second flag of the 21st century.
A familiar trend with premiership teams, the Swans had one of the more consistent and solid back six groups, lead be Rhyce Shaw and Ted Richards. The match included a heart-gripping foot race from Sydney's Lewis Jetta and Hawks champion Cyril Rioli, exactly what the 99,683 fanatics came to see.
Veteran's Adam Goodes and Ryan O'Keefe were spectacular in the big games, with the latter winning the Norm Smith Medal. It was a premiership triumph that showed the entire league how strong the might bloods culture can be.
| Sydney | |||
| B: | 2 Rhyce Shaw | 25 Ted Richards | 29 Martin Mattner |
| HB: | 34 Alex Johnson | 39 Heath Grundy | 40 Nick Smith |
| C: | 32 Lewis Jetta | 15 Kieren Jack | 4 Dan Hannebery |
| HF: | 14 Craig Bird | 20 Sam Reid | 5 Ryan O'Keefe |
| F: | 3 Jarrad McVeigh (c) | 37 Adam Goodes | 30 Lewis Roberts-Thomson |
| Foll: | 41 Shane Mumford | 12 Josh Kennedy | 24 Jude Bolton |
| Int: | 9 Nick Malceski | 38 Mike Pyke | 10 Mitch Morton |
| 26 Luke Parker (sub) | |||
| Coach: | John Longmire | ||
Collingwood broke a 20-year premiership drought to be the best team of 2010. The Saints played their grand final the week before, and many supporters knew how this one would pan out a week later. Credit to the Magpies, who boasted a quality time for a few years.
Captain Nick Maxwell led his troops as good as any, Heath Shaw and Harry O'Brien ran the ball out of defence and Nathan Brown and Ben Reid held down the fort.
A midfield group of Scott Pendlebury, Dane Swan, Dale Thomas, Dayne Beams, Darren Jolly, Steele Sidebottom and Luke Ball is arguably one of the best ever, while role players Tyson Goldsack, Alan Toovey and Jarryd Blair became fan favourites.
Throw in veterans like Ben Johnson, Travis Cloke, Alan Didak and Leon Davis and you had one of the great premiership sides of the modern era.
| Collingwood | |||
| B: | 5 Nick Maxwell (c) | 16 Nathan Brown | 34 Alan Toovey |
| HB: | 8 Harry O'Brien | 20 Ben Reid | 39 Heath Shaw |
| C: | 21 Sharrod Wellingham | 36 Dane Swan | 26 Ben Johnson |
| HF: | 4 Alan Didak | 32 Travis Cloke | 12 Luke Ball |
| F: | 17 Dayne Beams | 31 Chris Dawes | 22 Steele Sidebottom |
| Foll: | 18 Darren Jolly | 10 Scott Pendlebury | 13 Dale Thomas |
| Int: | 47 Jarryd Blair | 30 Brent Macaffer | 6 Tyson Goldsack |
| 15 Leigh Brown | |||
| Coach: | Mick Malthouse | ||
The Tigers won their second flag in three years with a team that was as well structured, tough and resilient as they come.
Struck down with a host of injuries during the season that saw them sitting outside the top eight, Richmond went on to win 12-straight games, culminating in the grand final triumph over GWS by a whopping 89 points.
While there weren't too many changes from their 2017 outfit and they may even look weaker on paper without star defender Alex Rance (ACL), the majority of this team got much better over the two years.
Bachar Houli, Nick Vlastuin, David Astbury and Dylan Grimes were in career-best form and formed the basis of an unbreakable defence, more than covering for Rance's absence.
Dion Prestia was at the peak of his powers in the guts, Dustin Martin was back to his brilliant best and the addition of Tom Lynch cannot be understated, forming an imposing twin towers combination with Jack Riewoldt up forward.
These Tigers were clearly on another level to every rival side, cueing some calls of the 'D' word.
| Richmond | |||
| B: | 12 David Astbury | 35 Nathan Broad | 2 Dylan Grimes |
| HB: | 14 Bachar Houli | 1 Nick Vlastuin | 15 Jayden Short |
| C: | 5 Brandon Ellis | 3 Dion Prestia | 22 Josh Caddy |
| HF: | 17 Daniel Rioli | 9 Trent Cotchin (c) | 23 Kane Lambert |
| F: | 11 Jason Castagna | 19 Tom Lynch | 8 Jack Riewoldt |
| Foll: | 25 Toby Nankervis | 10 Shane Edwards | 4 Dustin Martin |
| Int: | 29 Shai Bolton | 47 Ivan Soldo | 48 Liam Baker |
| 50 Marlion Pickett | |||
| Coach: | Damien Hardwick | ||
The 2020 Tigers come in high on our list and ahead of the club's two previous premiership teams of the modern era. Two words: heart and durability.
Richmond did not necessarily have the best home and away season and even lost their first final, but this is a team that overcame some of the most trying circumstances ever in an AFL season.
They spent the majority of the season on the road in a hub, winning both of their finals and the flag in unfamiliar terrority. So much for that MCG bias? It was also the only grand final where Richmond were truly challenged, coming up against probably their toughest opponent of the trifecta.
A very similar side to the year prior, the likes of Noah Balta, Jayden Short and Shai Bolton really emerged in 2020 to round out this team better than ever before, while the rest of the team was another year older and wiser. A side perfectly moulded for tough finals where everyone plays their role to perfection.
| Richmond | |||
| B: | 12 David Astbury | 2 Dylan Grimes | 21 Noah Balta |
| HB: | 7 Liam Baker | 1 Nick Vlastuin | 14 Bachar Houli |
| C: | 33 Kamdyn McIntosh | 3 Dion Prestia | 50 Marlion Pickett |
| HF: | 23 Kane Lambert | 11 Jason Castagna | 4 Dustin Martin |
| F: | 19 Tom Lynch | 8 Jack Riewoldt | 17 Daniel Rioli |
| Foll: | 25 Toby Nankervis | 10 Shane Edwards | 9 Trent Cotchin (c) |
| Int: | 34 Jack Graham | 29 Shai Bolton | 15 Jayden Short |
| 35 Nathan Broad | |||
| Coach: | Damien Hardwick | ||
The first of their dominant three-peat, Hawthorn's 2013 side had some veteran players who went out in style. Still having Lance Franklin at the helm, the Hawks quickly shut down a fairy-tale season for Fremantle with a handy 17-point win.
With Franklin and Jarryd Roughead the twin towers, Jack Gunston was the third tall who begun building his reputation as a consistent performer.
Brian Lake was awarded best-on-ground in the decider, but it was a midfield that consisted of Sam Mitchell, Brad Sewell, Jordan Lewis, Luke Hodge, Shaun Burgoyne to go with a young Brad Hill and prime Cyril Rioli, setting them up for future success.
| Hawthorn | |||
| B: | 24 Ben Stratton | 17 Brian Lake | 18 Brent Guerra |
| HB: | 9 Shaun Burgoyne | 6 Josh Gibson | 14 Grant Birchall |
| C: | 16 Isaac Smith | 5 Sam Mitchell | 3 Jordan Lewis |
| HF: | 22 Luke Breust | 23 Lance Franklin | 33 Cyril Rioli |
| F: | 28 Paul Puopolo | 2 Jarryd Roughead | 20 David Hale |
| Foll: | 39 Max Bailey | 12 Brad Sewell | 15 Luke Hodge (c) |
| Int: | 26 Liam Shiels | 19 Jack Gunston | 10 Bradley Hill |
| 32 Jonathan Simpkin (sub) | |||
| Coach: | Alastair Clarkson | ||
The Cats took down a Collingwood team arguably stronger than their previous premiership season through a mix of youth and experience.
This Geelong team was as good as you will ever see. A midfield consisting of Joel Selwood, Jimmy Bartel, Cameron Ling and Joel Corey rarely got beaten.
All of Scarlett, Enright, Lonergan and Taylor quickly became club legends to form one of the greatest defences ever, while a forward group including Tom Hawkins, Paul Chapman and Steve Johnson did plenty of damage.
An interchange of James Kelly, Matthew Stokes, Allen Christensen and Mitch Duncan made this team hard to dislike, as the Cats won their second premiership in three years with Chris Scott's first season in charge.
Above all, the 2011 Cats stepped up in the big games, a true testament to a great side.
| Geelong | |||
| B: | 8 Josh Hunt | 30 Matthew Scarlett | 13 Tom Lonergan |
| HB: | 44 Corey Enright | 7 Harry Taylor | 40 David Wojcinski |
| C: | 14 Joel Selwood | 3 Jimmy Bartel | 4 Andrew Mackie |
| HF: | 20 Steve Johnson | 26 Tom Hawkins | 5 Travis Varcoe |
| F: | 12 Trent West | 31 James Podsiadly | 35 Paul Chapman |
| Foll: | 6 Brad Ottens | 45 Cameron Ling (c) | 11 Joel Corey |
| Int: | 9 James Kelly | 27 Mathew Stokes | 28 Allen Christensen |
| 22 Mitch Duncan (sub) | |||
| Coach: | Chris Scott | ||
The Hawks' back-to-back flags seemed effortless and while there weren't too many changes to their 2013 team, boasted a stronger unit that played a stronger brand of footy.
The biggest difference from 2013 was the departure of Franklin, who defected to Sydney on a long-term deal with the Swans. But the 2014 Hawks actually got better without the star forward, creating a more selfless, unpredictable attack that allowed the likes of Roughead, Gunston and Luke Breust to flourish.
The addition of Ben McEvoy was a big upgrade in the ruck department that helped the midfield thrive.
For some Hawks it was premiership number three, for others it was their second.
| Hawthorn | |||
| B: | 14 Grant Birchall | 17 Brian Lake | 6 Josh Gibson |
| HB: | 4 Matt Suckling | 24 Ben Stratton | 5 Sam Mitchell |
| C: | 3 Jordan Lewis | 29 Will Langford | 10 Brad Hill |
| HF: | 15 Luke Hodge (c) | 2 Jarryd Roughead | 16 Isaac Smith |
| F: | 7 Ben McEvoy | 19 Jack Gunston | 22 Luke Breust |
| Foll: | 20 David Hale | 26 Liam Shiels | 9 Shaun Burgoyne |
| Int: | 27 Matthew Spangher | 33 Cyril Rioli | 28 Paul Puopolo |
| 8 Taylor Duryea (sub) | |||
| Coach: | Alastair Clarkson | ||
Our greatest premiership side of the decade, the 2015 three-peat Hawks had it all.
Adding James Frawley to an already elite back six formed one of the most formidable defences of all time. Rioli was in career-best form, while Mitchell, Hodge and Lewis were all still at the peak of their powers. It was a classy team where every player knew their role and played it to perfection, with razor-sharp skills and a bulletproof game plan.
Loaded with stars everywhere, this team had a remarkable 12 All-Australians. It's hard to describe how dominant the three-peat was, but it's something that footy fans may never see again.
| Hawthorn | |||
| B: | 24 Ben Stratton | 17 Brian Lake | 12 James Frawley |
| HB: | 14 Grant Birchall | 6 Josh Gibson | 9 Shaun Burgoyne |
| C: | 10 Bradley Hill | 5 Sam Mitchell | 26 Liam Shiels |
| HF: | 33 Cyril Rioli | 25 Ryan Schoenmakers | 16 Isaac Smith |
| F: | 22 Luke Breust | 2 Jarryd Roughead | 28 Paul Puopolo |
| Foll: | 7 Ben McEvoy | 15 Luke Hodge (c) | 3 Jordan Lewis |
| Int: | 4 Matt Suckling | 8 Taylor Duryea | 20 David Hale |
| 19 Jack Gunston | |||
| Coach: | Alastair Clarkson | ||