What was the world like the last time your club won the Premiership?

Come with us on a walk down memory lane 🏆

Published by
Cameron Kellaghan-Tasker

Winning the premiership is without doubt the ultimate goal in football.

For some fans, they have been lucky enough to taste the sweet taste of success a handful of times in their lifetime. Others (myself included), have been starved of said success, with a weight of disappointment and mediocrity hanging over them instead.

The world was a very different place for a number of sides when they last tasted the ultimate success. So below, we have taken a look at what the world was like the last time your team were premiers of the AFL.

What did the world look like the last time your team won the flag? Have they even won one yet? Let us know in the comments!

Adelaide - 1998

Other than being the year that yours truly was born, 1998 was a year that shaped the world we live in today with the start of one of the biggest companies being founded. After initially starting in 1996, Google was founded in September of 1998 after the search engine was incorporated as a private company.

The Chicago Bulls completed their second three-peat of the NBA in what was considered "The Last Dance". It was Micheal Jordan's last game played with the Bulls, going out in style with the game-winning shot in Game 6 to beat the Utah Jazz 87-86.

1998 also saw France become the sixth country to win the World Cup whilst simultaneously hosting the event. France managed to dominate Brazil in the final, with a double from Zinedine Zidane leading them to a 3-0 victory.

The way we view the world was challenged as the release of the movie "The Truman Show" was released that year. We were also introduced to "The Dude" in the Coen brothers hit flick 'The Big Lebowski', whilst British filmmaker Guy Ritchie entered the industry in a big way with his debut feature film 'Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels'.

Brisbane - 2003

In 2003, a young up and coming footballer by the name of Cristiano Ronaldo made his debut for Manchester United. Becoming the first Portuguese player to put on the Red Devils kit, George best claimed it as "undoubtedly the most exciting debut" he had ever seen. Lionel Messi also made his debut for FC Barcelona in a friendly against Porto.

2003 was also a big year for hip hop, with 50 cent's "Get Rich or Die Tryin'" and Jay Z's "The Black Album" dominating the charts. Their successes could well be attributed to the fact that Apple launched iTunes that year, with over a million songs downloaded in the first week.

Many people across the planet celebrated the 100th year of Harley Davidson, whilst a recall to California Governor Gray Davis launched Arnold Schwarzenegger into the top job.

Carlton - 1995

The greatest moment of the year was not so much the introduction of Windows 95, but more so the legendary performances of Bill Gates and Steve Balmer at the launch.

Ebay was also launched in September of '95, a customer-to-customer and business-to-customer marketplace.

In October, OJ Simpson was found to be innocent of the alleged double murder of his wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend.

Toy Story was the first movie that solely relied on computer generated technology, becoming a huge success at the box office and helping Pixar become the leading animation studio that it is today.

1995 - the year the DVD was introduced - also saw a new James Bond at the helm, with Pierce Brosnan starting a successful stint as the titular character in 'GoldenEye'. David Fincher also released the iconic 'Se7en', in what is often referred to as one of the best thrillers of all time.

Collingwood - 2010

A disaster struck year in more ways than one, the most recent drawn Grand Final saw upset and heartbreak for Saints fans.

More upsetting however was the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, an industrial disaster that saw 11-people killed along with 17-injured and thousands of marine mammals killed.

Another disaster struck also, with Haiti being struck with a 7.0 magnitude earthquake. The earthquake amassed a death toll of over 260,000 people, with a majority of the city's infrastructure left in ruins.

Apple released the first iPad in April, with over 300,000 units sold on opening day. 2010 was also the year that Wikileaks shook the US, with Julian Assange's organisation releasing over half a million government documents relating to the US wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

One Direction were formed on the show X Factor, with Simon Cowell creating the boy band after their failed auditions. A move that turned out to be a master stroke by Cowell, One Direction released five albums and selling 70 million records world wide.

The world also saw another pandemic of sorts in 2010, with the swine flu pandemic sweeping the globe. An after thought to us now, Swine Flu had the world in a panic as it was the first influenza pandemic in over 40 years at the time.

Essendon - 2000

The start of the millennium was one of the biggest years in Australian sport. The Sydney Olympics swept the nation, with memorable moments like Ian Thorpe and Grant Hackett dominating the pool and Cathy Freeman winning gold highlighting an amazing spectacle.

Eminem burst onto the scene with the Marshall Mathers LP, starting the pandemic of 20-something men bleaching their hair blonde.

The Sims was released in February, launching a series of games that have become a part of many childhoods. Providing an escape from reality was what made the game so appealing to the masses, as during the same year George W. Bush was elected President of the United States, 'beating' Vice President Al Gore by a mere 537 votes.

Australian Russell Crowe was the talk of Hollywood, after the actor starred in the Academy Award winning film Gladiator. Another Australian also broke onto the scene with X-men launching the career of Hugh Jackman as the mutant Wolverine.

Fremantle, Gold Coast and Greater Western Sydney - N/A

With Fremantle, Gold Coast and Greater Western Sydney yet to become premiers, we look to what the future might look like...

Zero Hanger becomes the leading independent sports site in Australia, with a planned takeover of Bleacher Report inevitable after months of talks.

Saints win three consecutive flags. Steele 3x Norm Smith and 3x Brownlow - life's good!

Geelong - 2011

A royal wedding highlighted 2011, with Will and Kate tying the knot. Millions were tuned in to the event, which was the first royal wedding since Will's father Charles remarried to Camilla in 2006.

A string of natural disasters rock the world at the start of 2011, with Queensland being struck by floods, an earthquake hitting Christchurch, as well as a 9.0-earthquake shaking Japan, an event followed by a devastating tsunami.

The US also planned and executed the successful assassination of Osama Bin Laden, with President Barack Obama announcing the death of the Al Qaeda leader in a press conference in May.

Steve Jobs and Amy Winehouse were among a number of famous deaths, both leaving a strong legacy in their respective fields. Kim Jong-Il was announced to have also died, whilst Libya's former leader Muammar Gadafi was killed by rebels in an air strike.

Hawthorn - 2015

The United States Supreme Court voted in favour of same sex marriage, making it legal in all 50-states. It was a landmark decision that paved the way for other countries to follow suit, with Australia passing their own amendment in 2017.

Half a decade in the making, 195-countries signed in support of the Paris agreement to limit climate change during the 2015 Climate Change Summit.

Matthew Dellavedova stamped himself as Australia's next basketball star with one of the most unexpected and iconic finals performances in Game 3.

Finishing with 20-points alongside a 40-point game from Lebron James, "Delly" played his heart out to lead an undermanned Cavaliers to a Win over the Warriors, taking starting point guard duties after All-Star Kyrie Irving was ruled out through injury.

In a monumental effort that ultimately fell short, the Warriors took out the NBA Finals in six games with Aussie Andrew Bogut winning his first NBA Championship.

Melbourne - 1964

The longest premiership drought in the AFL, times were a little different the last time Melbourne won a flag.

The third James Bond film 'Goldfinger' was out in theatres, as well as iconic classics like 'Mary Poppins' and 'Dr. Strangelove'.

Beatles fever had also well and truly struck. After the band formed in 1960, 1964 saw the hysteria grow internationally with a month long World Tour that stretched across Europe, Asia and America.

Sidney Poitier became the first African American to win an Oscar. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor in the movie 'Lillies of the Field' in which he played a construction worker working on a chapel.

The Olympics were held in Tokyo, the last time Japanese capital had hosted the event prior to this year.

America was a country in unrest as protests against the Vietnam war and for the Civil Rights movement were carried out throughout the streets of many major cities.

North Melbourne - 1999 

The last year of the millennium was a big year for the box office. Two epic films with twist endings highlighted the year with 'The Sixth Sense' and 'Fight Club' having us guessing to the very end. It was also the year that 'Spongebob Squarepants' premiered on Nickelodeon, a show that hasn't looked like slowing down 21-years later.

Lance Armstrong won the first of his seven consecutive Tour de France victories, dominating the sport and defying the odds after battling testicular cancer.

The Euro currency was introduced, with 11-countries adopting the new currency. 1999 was also the first year of Vladimir Putin's reign as President of Russia, after taking over after Boris Yeltsin's resignation.

Manchester United dominated world football, with a clean sweep of tournaments throughout the year. They won the Premier League, the FA Cup and the Champions League all in the same year, firmly stamping themselves as the undeniable best club in the world.

Port Adelaide - 2004

The film industry quashed the theory the movie sequels weren't as good as the original, with Tobey Maguire's 'Spiderman 2' dominating the box office and 'Shrek 2' improving upon an already perfect original to be a timeless classic.

The EU underwent it's largest expansion in 2004, adding another 10-nations including the likes of Poland, Czech Republic, Slovenia and Hungary.

The Boston Red Sox broke their own championship drought, winning the World Series for the first time since 1918.

2004 was also the year that Mark Zuckerberg launched Facebook, a then social media site only accessible by Harvard students. The site will later on expand to other Colleges and Ivy League Colleges in the Boston area throughout the remainder of the year.

Richmond - 2020

Not too long ago now, 2020 was a year most of us would rather forget. Not only did Richmond win the Premiership, but 2020 was also marred by the COVID-19 outbreak, essentially bringing the world to a stand still. Still in recovery and rebuild mode now, the pandemic has decimated economies and brought international and sometimes national travel to a halt.

The US presidential race caused unrest in America, with riots and protests from both political viewpoints sweeping the nation. Eventually, Joe Biden was found to have won the count, a fact that took Donald Trump a number of months to admit.

Tom Brady left and then won the Super Bowl with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, further stamping down his claim as the greatest of all time. Lebron James also led his new franchise LA Lakers to a championship win over the Miami Heat in the "Bubble", an NBA hub hosted at Disney World in Orlando.

With most of the world in an isolation of sorts, social media platform TikTok rose into popularity as the new social media of choice for "influencers" and creators.

St Kilda - 1966 

The second longest premiership drought after Melbourne, St Kilda fans have been starved of premiership success for 55-years.

The Australian Dollar (AUD) was introduced, at the time valuing at two dollars per pound.

England defeats Germany in the 1966 World Cup, a drought that has to this day lasted the same amount of time as the Saints.

A different place to the world we live in now, the US and the USSR were still in the space race, aiming to be the first nation on the moon.

On the 26th of March, 200,000+ protestors marched the streets in protest against the Vietnam War. The protests were based on moral grounds, whilst also feeling it was unnecessary for the US to intervene in a civil war.

The TV series "Batman" starring the late and great Adam West first premiered. Only lasting three seasons before it axing in 1968, the show has had a cult following in recent years, becoming the iconic show known today.

Sydney - 2012

To open the year, the Costa Concordia cruise ship wreck occurred where captain Francesco Schettino steered the ship of course and caused it to capsize. The biggest shipwreck in history saw 32-people die as the captain fled the ship prior to others being evacuated.

The Olympics were held in London with the USA topping the medal tally once again, thanks largely to Michael Phelps winning his 2nd medal during his campaign. Australia finished in 8th overall in a largely disappointing campaign that was filled with promise.

The Queen celebrated her diamond jubilee, with the 60-year anniversary of her ascension to the throne.

2012 was the year of the superhero movie. Iron Man, Thor, Captain America and the team all teamed up for the very first time in The Avengers, putting into motion what we now know as the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Christopher Nolan completed his Batman trilogy with The Dark Knight Rises and Andrew Garfield took on the role of Peter Parker in the new The Amazing Spiderman.

West Coast - 2018

Another royal wedding was at the forefront of 2018, with Prince Harry marrying actress Meghan Markle, becoming the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.

A number of major sporting events were held, with the Winter Olympic games in Pyeongchang, South Korea, the Commonwealth Games held in the Gold Coast, and the Soccer World Cup held in Russia, which saw France become champions after beating Croatia 4-2 in the final.

An iconic year for music, Kendrick Lamar released his career defining album "Damn.", whilst Childish Gambino released the impactful "This Is America" alongside a video clip that amassed 30 million views within the first 48-hours.

Banksy created the piece "Girl With Balloon" that was sold at auction for $1.4 million USD. Surprisingly however, as soon as the gavel went down upon the completion of the auction, the piece was automatically put through a built in shredded, suspected to be part of an elaborate plan set up by the anonymous artist.

Western Bulldogs - 2016

A weird year for many around the world, 2016 saw extreme political shift globally. Donald Trump was controversially voted the 45th President of the United States, defeating Hilary Clinton in a vote that was allegedly interfered with by Vladimir Putin and the Russians.

As well as this, the United Kingdom has a referendum on whether they should stay or leave the European Union. The vote was pronounced 52%-48% in favour of leaving, with the commencement of "Brexit" to soon start. David Cameron' political ended shortly after, (the Prime Minister who called for the referendum), leaving Teresa May to commence Brexit.

In pop culture, Leonardo DiCaprio finally won his first Oscar, winning the Best Lead Actor for his role in 'The Revenant'.

A number of significant cultural icons unfortunately died in 2016, with names including David Bowie, Prince, George Michael, Alan Rickman, Muhammad Ali and Carrie Fisher.

In May of 2016, an unlikely internet phenomenon rose in the shape of a Gorilla named Harambe. After being shot and killed at the Cincinnati Zoo after grabbing a young boy who fell into his enclosure, the Gorilla rose to an unlikely internet fame as a meme that was both "ironic but sincere".

When people weren't on the phones sharing memes, they were likely running around aimlessly looking for Poke-balls playing Pokemon Go. The game took the world by storm, with many scoring across far and wide just to catch them all.

 

 

Published by
Cameron Kellaghan-Tasker