"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.
4North Melbourne 2016: Rounds 1-9 (nine wins)
Perhaps the biggest example in this list of "you don't want to play your best footy early".
The Roos won the opening nine games of the season and looked ready for a deep September charge after playing in preliminary finals the two years prior.
However, North Melbourne dropped off a cliff in the second half of the season with a record of 3-11 to scrape into eighth spot and an elimination final exit.
The Kangaroos then cut a number of veterans, including Brent Harvey, and plunged into a long rebuild that still continues to this day.
