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Martin Windsor-Black
Defending the premiership
The task of starting a new season

Records show 34 premiers have lost their opening round match in the next season and on three occasions (all three times involving Carlton and Fitzroy) have started the next season with a draw.

Since the national competition started in 1987, the detail on how the Premiers performed at the start of the next season ...

PREMIERS	Where	Opening round next season
1986 – Hawthorn 1987 – Carlton 1988 – Hawthorn 1989 – Hawthorn 1990 – Collingwood 1991 – Hawthorn 1992 – West Coast 1993 – Essendon 1994 – West Coast 1995 – Carlton 1996 – North Melb 1997 – Adelaide 1998 – Adelaide 1999 – Kangaroos 2000 – Essendon 2001 – Brisbane 2002 – Brisbane 2003 – Brisbane 2004 – Port Adel 2005 – Sydney 2006 – West Coast 2007 – Geelong 2008 – Hawthorn 2009 – Geelong	1987-PP 1988-PP 1989-P 1990-P 1991-P 1992-P 1993-S 1994-MCG 1995-WCA 1996-MCG 1997-MCG(n) 1998-PP 1999-FP(n) 2000-MCG(n) 2001-MCG(n) 2002-SCG 2003-BCG(n) 2004-BCG(n) 2005-S(n) 2006-Dok(n) 2007-Hom(n) 2008-FP(n) 2009-MCG(n) 2010-MCG(n)	Haw 22.17-149 d Car 15.14-104 Car 18.18-126 d Haw 15.21-111 Collingwood 13.15-93 d Haw 11.17-83 Haw 28.24-192 d Gee 11.11-77 Col 21.20-146 d Fsc 11.10-76 Haw 21.15-141 d Gee 18.13-121 WC 17.21-123 d Ess 17.8-110 Ess 12.10-82 d WC 11.13-79 WC 18.13-121 d StK 11.9-75 Car 16.13-109 d Col 12.15-87 Melbourne 10.10-70 d NM 7.13-55 Carlton 10.13-73 d Ade 9.9-63 West.B'dogs 13.13-91 d Ade 12.6-78 West Coast 24.10-154 v Kan 16.15-111 Ess 23.8-146 d Kan 9.7-61 Bri 17.8-110 d Syd 12.15-87 Bri 14.20-104 d Ess 8.13-61 Bri 11.14-80 d Syd 11.12-78 Fremantle 13.10-88 d PA 7.11-53 Essendon 17.6-108 d Syd 12.9-81 WCE 11.8-74 d Syd 10.13-73 PA 14.12-96 v Gee 15.15-105 Geelong 15.21-111 v Haw 16.7-103 Geelong v Essendon

113 Premiers from 1897 and 2009

74 have won their first match the following season

35 have lost their first match the following season

3 have drawn their first match the following season

The 34 premiers who have lost their opening round match ...

1901-R1-CO — Gee 2.11-23 v Mel 3.3-21
1902-R1-EM — Ess 5.9-39 v Fit 7.10-52
1903-R1-PP — Car 9.4-58 v Col 5.7-37
1907-R1-PP — Car 4.6-30 v StK 8.8-56
1909-R1-PP — Car 3.14-32 v Uni 6.11-47
1913-R1-EM — Ess 9.13-67 v Car 11.17-83
1916-R1-PP — Car 7.18-60 v Fit 9.10-64
1919-R1-AP — SM 6.13-49 v Col 9.8-62
1920-R1-VP — Col 5.6-36 v Ess 7.12-54
1921-R1-PR — Rch 7.11-53 v Car 8.14-62
1924-R1-WH — Ess 8.15-63 v Col 12.7-79
1938-R1-CO — Gee 17.13-115 v Mel 20.12-132
1940-R1-WH — Ess 18.17-125 v Mel 16.12-108
1941-R1-MCG — Mel 13.12-90 v Fit 17.12-114
1942-R1-WH — Ess 25.14-164 v Mel 16.14-110
1949-R1-KP — Gee 21.19-145 v Mel 12.11-83
1957-R1-BS — Fit 7.11-53 v Mel 6.14-50
1959-R1-VP — Col 7.18-60 v SM 14.17-101
1962-R1-WO — Fsc 12.8-80 v Haw 6.11-47
1970-R1-MCG — Rch 14.12-96 v Fit 16.20-116
1971-R1-AS — NM 18.16-124 v Car 14.14-98
1974-R1-MCG — Rch 12.16-88 v Haw 15.14-104
1976-R1-AS — NM 9.10-64 v Mel 11.21-87
1977-R1-PP — Haw 13.14-92 v NM 23.14-152
1979-R1-M — StK 19.14-128 v Haw 14.19-103
1981-R1-P — Car 22.12-144 v Rch 12.10-82
1989-R1-P — Col 13.15-93 v Haw 11.17-83
1997-R1-MCG(n) — NM 7.13-55 v Mel 10.10-70
1998-R1-PP — Car 10.13-73 v Ade 9.9-63
1999-R1-FP(n) — Ade 12.6-78 v WB 13.13-91
2000-R1-MCG(n) — Kan 16.15-111 v WC 24.10-154
2005-R1-S(n) — Fre 13.10-88 v PA 7.11-53
2006-R1-Dok(n) — Ess 17.6-108 v Syd 12.9-81
2009-R1-MCG(n) — Gee 15.21-111 v Haw 16.7-103

The 3 premiers which have drawn their opening round match ...
1915-R1-PP — Car 5.11-41 v Fit 6.5-41
1917-R1-BS — Fit 6.9-45 v Car 6.9-45
1982-R1-PP — Car 16.17-113 v Fit 17.11-113
– amazingly all 3 involved Carlton and Fitzroy!

Starting in 2007 the draw ensures the previous grand finalists face each other in Round 1 of the new season.

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