Which PF Win Was Better: 2016 or 2021

[dadsgirl16]

2016 for mine..just the pure joy of being there when we finally got to win a prelim..never forget it

[merantau]

It would take something monumental to top 2016 which was on another level for drama and intensity. Our win against Brisbane was in the same league but lacked the failed Prelim history of our GWS triumph.

Personally, witnessing that game, was a very strange experience for me. I was in a ramshackle beach-side bar in East Sumbawa. Elevated, rough built from local timbers cut straight from the adjacent forest, the open side faced the sea and afforded a marvellous view of the rollers crashing on to the beach.

I was with a mate, an Essendon supporter with a passing interest in AFL and half a dozen Aussie surfers, none of whom were overly invested in the game. Up the other end of the bar was a group of Brazilians who showed not one iota of interest. It was a very ho-hum atmosphere except for me. I was barracking loudly at times, sallying forth with expletive-laden fusillades at times and generally dying the death of a thousand cuts internally.

I remember just before 3/4 time when Bont overbalanced and lost control of the ball my heart sank to the floorboards but it was immediately lifted up by Dicko's tackle, Libba's handball to Stringer who knocked it on to Dalhaus who released while being dragged to the ground to allow Clay Smith and Caleb Daniel to step up. THE most thrilling team goal I've ever seen.

When they got 14 points up early in the last I honestly thought we were cactus - cos that's what happens to us. But very soon after Dicko goals after a great contested mark and a total brain fade by Heath Shaw & Co.
From that point on we really lifted. Has there ever been a more decisive, crucial run out of defence than JJ's? I doubt it. Bont's goal was truly epic.
From Macrae's clutch mark and goal to Dicko's mark at the death every nano-second was high drama. What a win. How I wish I had been at the game or at a pub in Footscray. Never mind - I'll take it. Greatest win ever.

[DOG GOD]

2016, on the basis that it got us to that GF we only dreamed of, and the fact, it was against a team I absolutely despise.

[HOSE B ROMERO]

2016

[FrediKanoute]

2016 still chokes me up. It was an emotional win, almost like beating Brissy the week before because another minute and game could have gone the other way.

2021 was a masterclass in pressure possession football. AS a team we collectively just didn't give Port a look in save for a 10 minute patch in the 3rd quarter.

[boydogs]

2016 exceeded expectations, we had to scrap, improvise, play injured, defy the odds

2021 was a better performance but not as exhilirating

I feel like 2021 is adding to the 2016 legacy, showing it wasn't a fluke, or umpiring, or 3rd man up, we have underperformed since then rather than 2016 being one out of the box

[Jeanette54]

2016 is a game that I have re-watched on DVD far more than any other game in my time as a supporter (since 1958). In fact I still rate it as the best game I have ever seen. It had everything, including Clay Smith's big hit on Ryan Griffin, leading to a Caleb Daniel goal. Bont truly showed his class, calmly controlling that awkwardly bouncing ball from JJ, and never looked liked missing.

Of course, beating the plastic pretenders also had a lot to do with it.

I can only hope the 2021 GF game is equally enjoyable for all us 'Dogs fans.

[MrMahatma]

Hard call. I say 2016 because:
1. Never thought we’d actually make a GF
2. The match was a ripping contest
3. We went on to win the GF

2021 may end up better though. Given the adversity the team faced, and how fun it is to watch us flog a team…
…but if we don’t win the GF, the prelim will prob never get watched again.

[bornadog]

2016 all the way, but in pure footy terms, 2021 thrashing a team in a prelim is really unbelievable good footy.