HERE'S a brain teaser for that beautiful period between Christmas and round one when all teams are equal and everyone can dream about being involved in that last Saturday in September: How many premiership line-ups in the game's history have taken the field together again?

 

Don't spend too much time thinking about it.

 

The answer is never, which means not only was Grand Final day last season the first and only time Hawthorn's premiership 22 have played together … it's likely to be the last too.

 

Hawthorn could, of course, theoretically break the 116-year drought next season given its flag-winning 22 remain on the list heading into 2015.

 

But don't bet on it.

 

With promising recruits James Frawley and Jonathan O'Rourke added in the off-season and the expected return from long-term injury of Brendan Whitecross and Jed Anderson, there's only a remote chance that the Hawks will again field exactly same 22 players who won the 2014 premiership.

 

That's a good thing in many ways.

 

As Hawthorn star Jarryd Roughead told the club's website in late December new faces motivate the old stagers.

 

"You see the want of Frawley and O’Rourke to win a flag – you saw how much it meant to [Ben] McEvoy this year and I suppose that, as a group, just fires us up even more," Roughead said.

 

However it's not only what happens after premierships are won that underlines the transitory nature of premiership teams.

 

What really comes as a revelation is how little they play as a unit before their moment of triumph on Grand Final day.

 

One more question: Do you know how many times the past two Hawk premiership 22s graced the field as a unit before Grand Final day?

 

Yep, that same answer again. Never.

 

In 2014, it was the need to save Cyril Rioli for one first-up run in the decider that led to the change in the preliminary final team whereas the year before, Whitecross's knee injury in the preliminary final forced a change. 

 

In the 23 weeks that preceded those games the Grand Final 22 never played together.

 

It's not that unusual either.

 

In only 12 of the past 25 years has a premiership line-up taken the field on a day other than a Grand Final during the premiership year.

 

And in those 13 years where they have played together on a day other than the Grand Final, it's only happened 25 times with 19 of those occasions being during a lead-up final; most commonly – on eight occasions – in the preliminary final.

 

The Brisbane Lions' 2001 team is the outlier with their premiership side playing together five times during the year before the Grand Final against Essendon.

 

The Lions' premiership 22 first played together in round 11 - the week after their famous 'if it bleeds you can kill it' shock win against defending premiers Essendon.

 

They then took the field together in rounds 18, 19, 22 and the qualifying final as the club won the final 16 games to win the flag.

 

That Lions side is one of only four teams to play together more than once before lining up on Grand Final day.

 

The Brisbane Lions celebrate their historic Grand Final win over Essendon. Picture: AFL Media 

 

 

Port Adelaide's premiership 22 in 2004 played the qualifying, preliminary and Grand Final as a unit; Geelong's 2009 premiership team played together in round three, the preliminary final and the Grand Final and Essendon's all powerful 2000 premiership team took the field together in round seven, the qualifying final, preliminary final and the Grand Final.

 

All other teams in that period only played in finals together if they played together before the Grand Final.

 

What does all that mean apart from illuminating the transient nature of the game and teams that play it?

 

It means having interchangeable players on lists make up the best teams.

 

It underlines Alastair Clarkson's maxim that if you lose one soldier you just replace him with another one.

 

Whether the replacement is as good a player is not worth considering. As long as they are trained to perform the role they are asked to perform, then the job of winning can get done.

 

The history suggests that versatility has always been handy, but the good teams now realise it is vital. One-dimensional players leave coaches with fewer options within and between games.

 

Multi-dimensional players – think Shaun Burgoyne, Jarryd Roughead, Luke Hodge – are the most valuable players a team can have on its list.

 

They play anywhere, anytime, anyhow.

 

Two-dimensional players – Grant Birchall can defend or run on a wing, Sam Mitchell can play off half-back or in the middle, Jordan Lewis can play forward or in the middle – just add depth and balance to the team, particularly if injuries strike.

 

The Hawks had to dig deep too, using 35 players during the season.

 

Only seven flag-winning clubs have used 35 or more players during the season and won the flag in the past 25 years, so it was some effort.

 

And then on Grand Final day, it all came together with this 22 that is unlikely to ever take up their positions as one unit ever again.

 

B: Gibson, Lake, Birchall

HB: Spangher, Stratton, Hodge

C: Lewis, Mitchell, Smith

HF: Breust, Gunston, Rioli

F: McEvoy, Roughead, Puopolo

R: Hale, Shiels, Burgoyne

I/C: Hill, Langford, Suckling, Duryea

 

 

2014 GF

2013 GF

2012 GF, PF 

2011 GF, PF

2010 GF replay, PF

2009 GF, PF, Round 3

2008 GF, PF

2007 GF

2006 GF, PF

2005 GF, PF

2004 GF, PF, QF

2003 GF, QF

2002 GF

2001 GF, QF, Round 22, 19, 18, 11

2000 GF, PF, QF R7

1999 GF

1998 GF

1997 GF

1996 GF

1995 GF, QF

1994 GF

1993 GF

1992 GF, EF

1991 GF

1990 GF

1989 GF

 

1999 Jason McCartney (North Melbourne)

1997 Tony Modra (Adelaide)

1993 Derek Kickett (Essendon)

1978 David O'Halloran (Hawthorn)

1971 Peter Knights (Hawthorn)

1950 Greg Tate (Essendon)

1933 Ron Hillis (South Melbourne)

1929 Norm McLeod (Collingwood), John Harris (Collingwood)

1926 Bob Corbett (Melbourne), Ossie Green (Melbourne)

1920 George Bayliss (Richmond)

1913 Tom Willoughby (Fitzroy), Fred Bamford (Fitzroy)

1901 Ted Kennedy (Essendon)