How equalisation policies transformed the landscape of Australian rules football premierships
In short: Since 1987, the Australian Football League has implemented salary caps and drafts to level the playing field. The results are striking: while only five clubs secured premierships between 1967 and 1989, that number jumped to fourteen in the years since 1990, fundamentally altering the competition's historical dominance.
The Australian Football League, formerly known as the Victorian Football League until 1990, serves as the premier national competition for men's Australian rules football. The league's structure revolves around the annual premiership, awarded to the winner of the Grand Final. While this championship match has been an annual tradition since 1931, it was notably absent in 1897 and 1924, when the title was decided without a final game.
The introduction of equalisation measures in 1987—specifically a salary cap and a player draft—marked a turning point for competitive balance. The impact is evident in the distribution of titles: in the two decades preceding 1990, premiership success was concentrated among just five clubs. By contrast, the era following 1990 has seen fourteen different clubs claim the trophy. Today, nearly every team that has competed in the league since these policies began has reached a Grand Final, with the notable exceptions of Gold Coast, Fremantle, and Greater Western Sydney, which remain without a premiership title.
Historical records as of the 2026 season show that Collingwood, Essendon, and Carlton share the lead for the most premierships, each holding sixteen titles. Collingwood also maintains the record for the most consecutive premierships, achieving four in a row between 1927 and 1930. Beyond the senior competition, clubs have historically vied for titles across various grades, including reserves, under-19s, and night series. Achieving a clean sweep across three grades in a single year is a rare feat, accomplished only by Essendon in 1950 and Richmond in 1973.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: VFL/AFL premiership and grand final statistics
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