Welcome to an exclusive organisation which features 16 clubs, dating all the way back to 1897.
There are some ‘rich’ members of this club, such as Carlton and Essendon, who have won 16 premierships each.
The poorer members – turn away St Kilda fans – have not been so fortunate, but in recent times we have seen the Bulldogs double their tally.
Let's take a look inside this exclusive club.
16 - Carlton
While the recent premiership success has been bleak, the Blues still maintain their status as a powerhouse of the competition, simply through sheer weight of numbers.
It started early with five flags between 1906 and 1915 before adding a third in 1938 after a 23-year hiatus.
The '40s was a successful era that delivered three Grand Finals and two premierships before waiting two decades between drinks, breaking the drought in 1968
Carlton flexed its considerable muscle, going on a premiership rampage by winning another seven flags by 1995.
It was a dominant reign of which every other club was envious and it spawned generations of rabid Blues fans.
The pinnacle was '95. Coach David Parkin and captain Stephen Kernahan oversaw a stunning campaign in which Carlton lost only twice for the entire season.
After some very lean years, however, there is plenty of promise and positivity at Ikon Park under a new and fresh regime set by David Teague and led on-field by the brilliant Patrick Cripps and returning Sam Docherty.
16 - Essendon
There is a statistic floating around that any club would want to avoid, particularly one as proud as Essendon – not winning a final in more than 5,700 days.
Now that is a drought in itself, let alone the time spent without winning a premiership.
But the Bombers have the runs on the board. It’s an illustrious past.
Two of their first six flags – 1897 and 1924 – came by virtue of a round-robin system before a purple patch of premierships in the the ’40s, clinching four between 1942 and 1950.
Two flags in the ’60s preceded a renaissance in the ’80s when winning twice in succession while playing off in the decider on three occasions. Arguably the most memorable of the Dons’ victories on Grand Final day was in 1984 when they exacted revenge on Hawthorn for the heavy defeat the year prior.
That preceded their most significant modern-day premiership in 1993 when Kevin Sheedy was at the helm of the ‘Baby Bombers’ who easily beat arch rival Carlton by 44 points.
The Bombers have been neck and neck with the Blues in the ‘most premierships’ race since 2000, which of course was the year of their most recent triumph.
Oh how they’d love to edge past their old enemy.
15 - Collingwood
In another world, the Magpies would be leading this chart with consummate ease.
They’ve played in 44 Grand Finals, which is simply a remarkable feat, but the footy gods haven’t exactly been on their side.
There are 27 defeats in there. It’s enough to break anyone’s heart. The black and white army experienced just that in 2018 when beaten in the cruellest manner.
The name D. Sheed is blacklisted from any venue within earshot of both Victoria Park and the Holden Centre.
It was the latest in a haunting string of near misses.
The Magpies have clinched just two flags since their 1958 triumph.
Over the course of the subsequent six decades, there have been two draws and … wait for it… 12 defeats.
It is those failures that were the genesis for the ‘Colliwobbles’ moniker. Are all the premierships really a cakewalk?
But you simply cannot deny that this club has been hugely successful over the course of its history.
There was a flag basically every three years between 1902 and 1936, including a record four in a row from 1927-30. Winning was ingrained in anybody viewing the world through black and white eyes. It continues to be an expectation.
In recent times you throw in the exceptionally satisfying 1990 drought-breaker at the expense of fierce foe Essendon plus a quick recoil in 2010 following a dramatic draw with St Kilda.
The ultimate achievement has again eluded them, twice, over the past decade but this club is in a position so healthy that a 16th cup is undeniably within reach.
13 - Hawthorn
Hawthorn, Victoria. Premiership town. That’s what it has felt like in recent times.
The Hawks have played in five Grand Finals in the past 12 years, winning four flags to push their overall tally to fourth on the all-time list.
It’s been a similar dominance to that of the 1980s and early ’90s, when the brown and gold strutted their stuff on the biggest stage on no fewer than eight occasions, resulting in five major trophies.
Before that, there was 1961 and the ’70s. Four flags from six Grand Finals. Constantly contending and consistently commanding.
What is most fresh in our memories is the three-peat overseen by the ingenuity of Alastair Clarkson, led by the inspirational Luke Hodge and ably supported by Sam Mitchell and others.
Hawthorn is certainly no stranger to success.
Between their first and their most recent triumphs, the Hawks won 13 in 54 years, meaning they’ve hoisted aloft the premiership cup every four seasons during that time.
Some clubs would be happy to salute just once in such a timeframe. The spoiled Hawks supporters didn’t have to worry about September this year, but expect them to be assuming the position for finals tickets swiftly again.
And while ‘Clarko’ is at the helm, No. 14 is well and truly in sight.
12 - Richmond
It took 37 long and arduous years, but the Tigers finally broke a troubling drought in 2017 by clinching flag No. 11.
Richmond stormed into contention late in the season before forcing its way directly into the Grand Final. The big day started nervously but all was soon forgotten as a Dustin Martin-inspired side put the Adelaide Crows to the sword.
From 13th to premiers in one year. It was the greatest 12-month turnaround in history and then last year they made it No. 12 in a canter.
Before that the greater 3121 area was the site of success littered through the 1920s, ’30s and early ’40s, then again through the late 1960s, the ’70s and early ’80s.
That was it. For a while at least. The yellow and black faithful had to put up with almost four decades of torment, misery, torture and ridicule.
But the tide has turned, the huge Tiger army is roaring in full voice and the club threatens to be a consistent force yet again.
12 - Melbourne
While the Demons sit in the top five on the premiership ladder, they have not been synonymous with success in more than half a century.
Melbourne now owns the unwanted tag of the longest run without a flag. It has ticked over to 55 years.
Last year presented a strong chance to right that wrong, but ultimately it ended in tears after a crushing preliminary final defeat. This season started full of hope but quickly dissipated in what became the year from hell.
But we must not overlook the glory days of the Demons.
Following their first two premierships (1900 and 1926), they hauled in 10 cups in just 26 years from 1939 to 1964.
Within those years of complete and utter control, there were seven Grand Finals in a row which resulted in a booty of goods, including the famous back-to-back-to-back (1955-57).
When the Dees have progressed through they’ve had a remarkable win rate of over 70 per cent from their 17 deciders. This suggests that the one day in September is not the major challenge, despite heavy losses in their two most recent attempts.
9 - Geelong
There were six cups locked away down at Kardinia Park in 2007 before the blue and white hoops regained their premiership status with a demolition of Port Adelaide.
The 119-point result broke all records as the biggest margin in AFL/VFL history. It was some way to end a 44-year drought.
It ever so slightly sweetened the sour taste of the four disheartening defeats in seven years (1989, '92, '94 and '95).
Experiencing that victory also whet the appetite as Geelong featured in more Grand Finals, winning in 2009, before making it No. 9 in 2011.
The foundation had been set eight decades earlier when they opened the account in 1925, which preceded a pair in the 1930s and then added a trio from 1951 until 1963.
Since returning to the flag fold 12 years ago, the Cats have been prowling around the pointy end as they seek to reach double figures.
And such has been their consistency in contending, it’s not a matter of if they’ll pounce, it’s merely a matter of when.
8 - Fitzroy
The old Lions did most of their damage in the days of yore, raking in seven premierships by 1922, while playing in another five Grand Finals in that era.
The Brunswick St Oval and nearby Edinburgh Gardens were the places to be in Fitzroy’s first two-and-a-half decades of the VFL competition, especially after World War I.
Things took somewhat of a turn as the years rolled on and the 1944 flag was the only other time to revel if associated with that much-loved maroon, gold and blue guernsey.
Hard times fell on the boys from old Fitzroy, but the heart of the Lions now lives on in Brisbane.
5 - Sydney / South Melbourne
“Leo Barry, you star.”
That Stephen Quartermain call will be heard every time the finals roll around and so it should. A moment in time that will never be forgotten. One for the annals.
Aside from the fact Sydney clinched a premiership, it also ended a drawn-out and tedious 72 years without the ultimate prize in footy.
The Swans, as South Melbourne, had toiled hard for their first three cups while dropping the opportunity eight times up until 1945.
The Sydney era began in the 1980s and the Swans flirted in 1996 before embarking on what was very nearly a dominance.
The 2005 victory was the first of five deciders in 11 years which brought about a pair of flags.
They traded blows with the Hawks before being on the opposite end of a drought-breaker at the hands of the Dogs almost as significant as their own.
Things may have fallen away this year, but the Bloods culture demands that they will be back contending before long.
4 - North Melbourne
The Kangaroos rose to prominence in the 1970s and, with a little bit of luck, it may have been a decade of pure delight.
Five Grand Finals on the trot between 1974 and 1978 delivered the club’s first two flags before the 1990s became a dominant era for the Shinboners.
Who can forget the Wayne Carey and Denis Pagan-led Roos who dismantled Sydney in 1996 before similarly accounting for Carlton in 1999?
Since those heady days, success has been rare but it won’t be too far down the track until North Melbourne rises again.
4 - West Coast
It only took a handful of years before the Eagles were flying high. After experiencing what it was all about in 1991, West Coast got a taste of ultimate success 12 months later.
The Cats were there for the taking and, with a Victorian – Mick Malthouse – at the helm, WA had the first shiny premiership cup to leave Victoria.
Only two years passed before West Coast returned to the scene of the triumph to assert their authority over Geelong again.
After that early flurry, there was an intermission of more than a decade before they were back.
A heart-stopping one-point victory over Sydney in 2006 made it three flags for the Eagles.
The premiership story continued in 2018 with a win for the ages. And there’s little doubt that this book will not be closing for a little while yet.
3 - Brisbane Lions
After the Lions were resurrected in Queensland, it took just five years to make their mark.
Leigh Matthews was the architect, the unmatched midfield the inspiration, the overall quality simply stunning.
The boom began in 2001 when they overhauled Essendon. It continued a year later when edging out the Magpies before the treble was complete in 2003 with a 50-point blitz of the black and white.
The bubble burst in 2004 but it was a dynasty that will always be revered. Four Grand Finals in four years is colossal, three flags in a row immense.
After a promising 2019 season, it might not be long before the Lions are back mixing it with the big boys.
2 - Adelaide
Play began in 1991 and the Adelaide Crows swiftly got to work.
The ‘Messiah’ Malcolm Blight guided the pride of South Australia to glory just seven years after the club's inception.
It was an onslaught against St Kilda with Darren Jarman bagging half a dozen goals and Andrew McLeod running riot wherever he went.
The job wasn’t finished there. That one day in September was revisited 12 months later and it was eerily similar.
A dynamic display after half-time was again the order of the day with Jarman cutting loose up forward and McLeod again brandishing the medal we know as ‘Norm’.
It was almost two decades before the Crows returned to the scene of their back-to-back jubilation.
Adelaide fans will see 2017 as the one that got away after a dominant home and away season ended in disappointment at the hands of Richmond.
But with such setbacks come lessons learned and the Crows will doubtless be back on the big stage sooner than later.
2 - Western Bulldogs / Footscray
The Dogs delivered one of the most memorable Grand Final day triumphs in the game’s history just over three years ago.
Seventh after the home and away rounds, written off at every turn, 62 years without success. What we witnessed was a fairytale come true.
It brought tears of joy from the old Doggies who had been through the ringer and back.
Those 1954 heroes Charlie Sutton and E.J. Whitten would have been looking over it all beaming with pride and joy.
Hopefully the ‘Sons of the West’ don’t wait anywhere near as long to deliver the next one.
1 - St Kilda
- Barry Breen. The mere mention prompts St Kilda fans to dream. Unfortunately for them, that’s all there has been.
The Saints have had chances this century of doubling their haul, only for a famous toe-poke (2009) and a brutal bounce of the ball (2010) to deny them.
Only the Demons have gone longer without a premiership.
But the devoted will undoubtedly keep the faith because one day it must turn.
1 - Port Adelaide
Port Adelaide lays claim to being the most successful senior football club in Australia with 36 SANFL premierships as the Magpies.
Add one in the AFL era as the Power and it is a quality record indeed.
In their eighth season in the national competition, the Power struck gold in a fierce and fiery clash with the formidable Brisbane Lions.
The men in black, white, silver and teal ended a dynasty that day, etching themselves into the history books. Coach Mark Williams even told club powerbroker Allan Scott very publicly, “You were wrong!”
0 - Fremantle, GWS and Gold Coast
Fremantle, the GWS Giants and Gold Coast Suns are the active clubs without a flag to their name. The Dockers have come close, making the Grand Final in 2013, but they were no match for Hawthorn, ditto the Giants in 2019.
University competed in the VFL between 1908 and 1914 but never progressed to a Grand Final.