Missing the finals by just one position on the ladder
The team that almost makes the finals is one of the enduring elements of football, a club that breaks their supporters hearts as they almost achieve success for the season. The AlmostUs Award joins the Minor Premiers and Wooden Spoon as an unofficial recognition for a unique achievement each season.
Richmond fans were taunted with Ninthmond as their club finished ninth on the ladder on six separate occasions, more than any other club since the Final Eight was established in 1994. But Geelong have been frustrating their loyal supporters, finishing just outside the Final Four, Final Six or Final Eight on fourteen separate occasions, more than any current club (as of 2024), closely followed by the Tigers who have achieved the AlmostUs Award thirteen times.
The most frustrating club of all time was Fitzroy. Before they merged with the Brisbane Bears they finished one spot out of the finals on 14 separate occasions in just 100 seasons. 14% of their entire VFL/AFL history was just missing the finals.
Gold, Silver, Bronze and Ordinary
Some AlmostUs Awards are more memorable than others.
Gold AlmostUs
Carlton achieved a rare Gold AlmostUs in 2022 when they missed the finals by one spot after being in the Top Eight all year until the last round. They are the only team to hold two Gold AlmostUs Awards, achieving a similar feat in 1977 when they dropped out of the Final Five in the last round. Collingwood also has a Gold AlmostUs from 1947 when they lost in the final round to Essendon by just seven points. Essendon has a special Gold* AlmostUs for being relegated to 9th in 2013 as a result of the “Supplement Affair”
Silver AlmostUs
A Silver AlmostUs recognises those teams that went into the final round in the finals and yet, when the siren went, they were out. A Silver AlmostUs was achieved by Melbourne in 2017. Sitting at seventh after round 22 they just had to beat Collingwood in Round 23 to lock in a finals spot, but they lost and slipped to ninth.
While a Silver AlmostUs means a team was in the finals with one week to go, we also recognise a small number of clubs that have achieved a special type of Silver AlmostUs. In the Top Tier for all but two weeks of the season. Not enough for a Gold AlmostUs, but worthy of recognition as something special, perhaps a Silver AlmostUs with Gold Leaf? Fremantle (2004), Hawthorn (1972), Essendon (1963) and Melbourne (1930).
Bronze AlmostUs
A Bronze AlmostUs occurs when a team, not already in the top tier (Top 4, 6 or 8 depending on the era) misses out on the finals by just percentage. St Kilda in 2016 is a good example. They did not make the top 8 at any point in the season, hitting 18th in the second round, but after Round 23 they were on an equal number of wins with North Melbourne who were 8th on the ladder. But a 10% gap was too much to make up and Saints supporters knew their season was over. But at least they had a Bronze AlmostUs.
Ordinary AlmostUs
An Ordinary AlmostUs is the most common of all. The teams that are not in top tier going into the last round and miss out on the finals by a game or more.
AlmostUs Awards by Club
| Team | Gold AlmostUs | Silver AlmostUs | Bronze AlmostUs | Ordinary AlmostUs | Total |
| Carlton | 2 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 12 |
| Collingwood | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 10 |
| Essendon | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | |
| Fitzroy | 2 | 1 | 11 | 14 | |
| Fremantle | 1 | 1 | |||
| Geelong | 3 | 1 | 10 | 14 | |
| Hawthorn | 2 | 2 | 6 | 10 | |
| Melbourne | 5 | 6 | 11 | ||
| North Melbourne | 1 | 4 | 5 | ||
| Port Adelaide | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||
| Richmond | 3 | 1 | 9 | 13 | |
| St Kilda | 1 | 7 | 8 | ||
| Sydney/South Melbourne | 2 | 1 | 7 | 10 | |
| West Coast | 2 | 2 | |||
| Western Bulldogs /Footscray | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 | |
| Total Result | 3 | 24 | 14 | 80 | 122 |
AlmostUs Awards By Year
AlmostUs awards began in 1901, the first season that the ladder could clearly identify the team that had missed the finals for the season. The seasons and finals systems for 1897 to 1900 were somewhat convoluted as the VFL Administration experimented and developed different ways of managing a season and setting up finals. Check out the podcast episodes to learn more about those early innovative years. There was no AlmostUs Award for 1916, due to World War I only four teams (Fitzroy, Richmond, Collingwood and Carlton) competed that season. They all made the finals.
Special thanks to AFLtables.com. A wonderful resource for all footy supporters
| Year | Finals System | Team | AlmostUs Award |
| 2024 | Final 8 | Collingwood | Bronze |
| 2023 | Final 8 | Western Bulldogs | Ordinary |
| 2022 | Final 8 | Carlton | Gold |
| 2021 | Final 8 | West Coast | Ordinary |
| 2020 | Final 8 | Melbourne | Ordinary |
| 2019 | Final 8 | Hawthorn | Ordinary |
| 2018 | Final 8 | North Melbourne | Ordinary |
| 2017 | Final 8 | Melbourne | Silver |
| 2016 | Final 8 | St Kilda | Bronze |
| 2015 | Final 8 | Port Adelaide | Ordinary |
| 2014 | Final 8 | West Coast | Ordinary |
| 2013 | Final 8 | Essendon | Gold* |
| 2012 | Final 8 | St Kilda | Ordinary |
| 2011 | Final 8 | North Melbourne | Ordinary |
| 2010 | Final 8 | North Melbourne | Bronze |
| 2009 | Final 8 | Hawthorn | Ordinary |
| 2008 | Final 8 | Richmond | Ordinary |
| 2007 | Final 8 | St Kilda | Ordinary |
| 2006 | Final 8 | Richmond | Ordinary |
| 2005 | Final 8 | Western Bulldogs /Footscray | Ordinary |
| 2004 | Final 8 | Fremantle | Silver |
| 2003 | Final 8 | Hawthorn | Ordinary |
| 2002 | Final 8 | Geelong | Silver |
| 2001 | Final 8 | Collingwood | Ordinary |
| 2000 | Final 8 | Richmond | Ordinary |
| 1999 | Final 8 | Hawthorn | Ordinary |
| 1998 | Final 8 | Richmond | Bronze |
| 1997 | Final 8 | Port Adelaide | Bronze |
| 1996 | Final 8 | Richmond | Silver |
| 1995 | Final 8 | Melbourne | Silver |
| 1994 | Final 8 | Richmond | Silver |
| 1993 | Final 6 | Geelong | Bronze |
| 1992 | Final 6 | Carlton | Silver |
| 1991 | Final 6 | Collingwood | Silver |
| 1990 | Final 5 | North Melbourne | Ordinary |
| 1989 | Final 5 | Fitzroy | Ordinary |
| 1988 | Final 5 | Essendon | Ordinary |
| 1987 | Final 5 | Geelong | Silver |
| 1986 | Final 5 | Collingwood | Bronze |
| 1985 | Final 5 | Geelong | Ordinary |
| 1984 | Final 5 | Geelong | Silver |
| 1983 | Final 5 | Collingwood | Ordinary |
| 1982 | Final 5 | Fitzroy | Ordinary |
| 1981 | Final 5 | Hawthorn | Ordinary |
| 1980 | Final 5 | Sydney/South Melbourne | Ordinary |
| 1979 | Final 5 | Geelong | Ordinary |
| 1978 | Final 5 | St Kilda | Ordinary |
| 1977 | Final 5 | Carlton | Gold |
| 1976 | Final 5 | Melbourne | Ordinary |
| 1975 | Final 5 | St Kilda | Ordinary |
| 1974 | Final 5 | Geelong | Ordinary |
| 1973 | Final 5 | North Melbourne | Ordinary |
| 1972 | Final 5 | Hawthorn | Silver |
| 1971 | Final 4 | Carlton | Ordinary |
| 1970 | Final 4 | Geelong | Ordinary |
| 1969 | Final 4 | Hawthorn | Bronze |
| 1968 | Final 4 | Richmond | Ordinary |
| 1967 | Final 4 | St Kilda | Ordinary |
| 1966 | Final 4 | Richmond | Ordinary |
| 1965 | Final 4 | Richmond | Ordinary |
| 1964 | Final 4 | Hawthorn | Ordinary |
| 1963 | Final 4 | Essendon | Silver |
| 1962 | Final 4 | Western Bulldogs /Footscray | Ordinary |
| 1961 | Final 4 | Fitzroy | Ordinary |
| 1960 | Final 4 | Hawthorn | Bronze |
| 1959 | Final 4 | Fitzroy | Ordinary |
| 1958 | Final 4 | Essendon | Ordinary |
| 1957 | Final 4 | Collingwood | Ordinary |
| 1956 | Final 4 | Carlton | Silver |
| 1955 | Final 4 | Western Bulldogs /Footscray | Bronze |
| 1954 | Final 4 | Richmond | Ordinary |
| 1953 | Final 4 | Carlton | Ordinary |
| 1952 | Final 4 | Sydney/South Melbourne | Ordinary |
| 1951 | Final 4 | Fitzroy | Ordinary |
| 1950 | Final 4 | Fitzroy | Bronze |
| 1949 | Final 4 | Melbourne | Ordinary |
| 1948 | Final 4 | Richmond | Silver |
| 1947 | Final 4 | Collingwood | Gold |
| 1946 | Final 4 | Richmond | Ordinary |
| 1945 | Final 4 | Western Bulldogs /Footscray | Silver |
| 1944 | Final 4 | Carlton | Silver |
| 1943 | Final 4 | Hawthorn | Bronze |
| 1942 | Final 4 | Carlton | Bronze |
| 1941 | Final 4 | Collingwood | Ordinary |
| 1940 | Final 4 | Carlton | Ordinary |
| 1939 | Final 4 | Carlton | Ordinary |
| 1938 | Final 4 | Melbourne | Ordinary |
| 1937 | Final 4 | Carlton | Ordinary |
| 1936 | Final 4 | Geelong | Ordinary |
| 1935 | Final 4 | St Kilda | Ordinary |
| 1934 | Final 4 | Carlton | Ordinary |
| 1933 | Final 4 | Fitzroy | Ordinary |
| 1932 | Final 4 | Geelong | Ordinary |
| 1931 | Final 4 | Western Bulldogs /Footscray | Bronze |
| 1930 | Final 4 | Melbourne | Silver |
| 1929 | Final 4 | Melbourne | Silver |
| 1928 | Final 4 | Essendon | Bronze |
| 1927 | Final 4 | Melbourne | Ordinary |
| 1926 | Final 4 | Sydney/South Melbourne | Bronze |
| 1925 | Final 4 | Fitzroy | Silver |
| 1924 | Final 4 | Geelong | Ordinary |
| 1923 | Final 4 | Collingwood | Ordinary |
| 1922 | Final 4 | Richmond | Ordinary |
| 1921 | Final 4 | Fitzroy | Ordinary |
| 1920 | Final 4 | Sydney/South Melbourne | Ordinary |
| 1919 | Final 4 | Fitzroy | Silver |
| 1918 | Final 4 | Fitzroy | Ordinary |
| 1917 | Final 4 | Geelong | Ordinary |
| 1916 | Final 4 | 0 | NA |
| 1915 | Final 4 | Sydney/South Melbourne | Ordinary |
| 1914 | Final 4 | Collingwood | Ordinary |
| 1913 | Final 4 | Geelong | Ordinary |
| 1912 | Final 4 | Fitzroy | Ordinary |
| 1911 | Final 4 | Fitzroy | Ordinary |
| 1910 | Final 4 | Geelong | Ordinary |
| 1909 | Final 4 | Melbourne | Ordinary |
| 1908 | Final 4 | Sydney/South Melbourne | Silver |
| 1907 | Final 4 | Fitzroy | Ordinary |
| 1906 | Final 4 | Sydney/South Melbourne | Ordinary |
| 1905 | Final 4 | Sydney/South Melbourne | Ordinary |
| 1904 | Final 4 | Sydney/South Melbourne | Silver |
| 1903 | Final 4 | St Kilda | Ordinary |
| 1902 | Final 4 | Sydney/South Melbourne | Ordinary |
| 1901 | Final 4 | Melbourne | Silver |