Bold proposal to rewrite AFL premiership tally, add seven Cats flags ramps up

Geelong and Brisbane are about to battle out it for the 2025 premiership. And there’s a fight in the background for many more flags in the pre-VFL era that would dramatically change history.

Former Geelong president Colin Carter has ramped up his radical proposal to have VFA premierships added to official club tallies in a move that would add seven more flags to the Cats.

The Herald Sun’s Jon Ralph reports Carter’s appeal has progressed to the AFL Heritage Committee, which would see 27 seasons (1870-1896) from before the VFL was formed included in records.

Watch the best build-up to the 2025 AFL Grand Final, with expert analysis and full Grand Final day coverage, on Fox Footy via Kayo | New to Kayo? Join now and get your first month for just $1.

Nine years after being rebuffed by the AFL, it’s now reportedly ‘closer than ever’ to getting to an AFL Commission decision, which would need to approve it before any changes are made.

If successful, it would take Carlton to an outright 22 premierships in the game’s history books.

The Blues would be followed by Essendon (20) then Collingwood and Geelong (17), who has the most silverware to gain ahead of its bid for an 11th flag this Saturday.

“The proposal is not rebuffed. It is neither denied nor affirmed. Like all things it takes time,” Carter told the Herald Sun.

“The issue is not dead and at Geelong we are celebrating those premierships and doing what Sydney has done previously. The fight is not over. These things take time.”

The AFL in 2016 already knocked back a proposal to include pre-VFL premierships.

Carter in 2023 wrote a book called Football’s Forgotten Years on the matter including Geelong’s ‘ghost premierships’.

He pointed out teams that won VFA flags are still in the AFL — led by the Cats (seven), South Melbourne (five), Essendon (four), Carlton (two, Collingwood and Fitzroy (one).

Carlton (four) and Melbourne (three) won premierships in the Victorian football seasons from 1870-1876.

But the ex-Cats president’s bold bid has never reached heritage committee level before.

It’s received blowback in the past including Eddie McGuire when the proposal was pitched to club presidents in 2019.

Expanding on his report on Fox Footy’s Midweek Tackle, Ralph highlighted other clubs would argue the AFL is already too Victorian focused and it precludes other states’ history.

“I think the point of view of a club like Port Adelaide is they have their own rich SANFL history with separate premierships that don’t get added to their tally,” Ralph said on Wednesday night’s program.

“The critics would say the VFA was so formative, they didn’t even record points, it was a really different comp. Maybe it’s about self interest.

“If that heritage committee could find compelling evidence once and for all, it could decide it.

“It’s a labour of love for Colin and he is not going to die wondering.”

In 1896, a split occurred in the VFA, with the strongest clubs Collingwood, Essendon, Fitzroy, Geelong, Melbourne and South Melbourne taking Carlton and St Kilda with them to create a new competition — the VFL.

The VFA still ran concurrently with the VFL, like the AFL and VFL today.

Collingwood’s 2023 premiership win took it to equal first on the premiership tally with 16 alongside Carlton and Essendon.

WHAT AFL PREMIERSHIP TALLY WOULD LOOK LIKE IF CARTER’S PROPOSAL GOT ACCEPTED

Carlton (22)

Essendon (20)

Collingwood (17)

Geelong (17)

Melbourne (16)

Richmond (13)

Hawthorn (13)

South Melbourne/Sydney (10)

Fitzroy (9)

Brisbane Lions (4)

West Coast (4)

North Melbourne (4)

Adelaide (2)

Footscray/Western Bulldogs (2)

Port Adelaide (1)

St Kilda (1)

Brisbane Bears (0)

Fremantle (0)

Gold Coast (0)

Greater Western Sydney (0)

University (0)

Click here to read article