"You don't want to be playing your best football at this point of the season" is an old adage that is thrown around among fans and pundits alike at this point of the year.
Sydney and Fremantle are the two clubs flying at the moment, both sitting on a record of 9-1 and at least two wins clear in the top two spots on the ladder. The Dockers, in particular, have found their groove in 2026 and are currently on a nine-game winning streak (an equal club record) after only losing their first match of the season.
Thanks to its early hard work, Fremantle is poised for its first shot at a premiership tilt in more tha a decade, but how have other teams who have had similar red-hot starts fared across the past two decades?
As it turns out, clubs have found long-winning streaks to start the season provide no certainty of success.
6Hawthorn 2013: Rounds 2-14 (12 wins)
Like Fremantle in 2026, Hawthorn in 2013 lost to Geelong by a small margin in the opening round of the season before roaring away in style.
The Hawks won 12 games on the trot and would prove that it pays to collect victories early in the season as Hawthorn won the first of its three-peat of premierships that year.
That grand final happened to be against the Dockers too - perhaps history can flip and repeat 13 years later.
