A timeline of the bizarre three-year run of controversy leaving Melbourne’s premiership window hanging by a thread

When Melbourne thrashed the Western Bulldogs by 74 points in the 2021 grand final to end a 57-year premiership drought, it seemed as if a new dynasty was about to take over the AFL.

The Demons premiership win ended a run of three in four years for Richmond. Prior to the Tigers, Hawthorn had won four flags in the space of eight years including three in a row.

Melbourne had all the ingredients to stack premierships together, but have, incredibly, not won a single finals match since that triumph in Perth almost three years ago.

The Demons are a cautionary tale to every single AFL club that success can be so fleeting. It’s a message to teams in the premiership race this year to try and cash in when you’ve got the chance for the ultimate glory.

Here is a timeline of how Melbourne’s premiership dynasty came crumbling down after the club’s drought-breaking 2021 triumph.

One of the AFL’s longest and most infamous premiership droughts comes to an end as Melbourne beats the Western Bulldogs by 74 points in a grand final played in Perth due to COVID-19.

The final margin isn’t indicative of the struggle, with Melbourne finding itself down by almost 20 points midway through the third quarter before a run of 12 straight goals puts the match well and truly beyond doubt.

Christian Petracca, a player who had frustrated many early on in his career, signals his arrival as one of the game’s bona fide A-graders by playing arguably the best game of his career in the grand final. He is awarded the Norm Smith Medal after finishing with 39 disposals, nine clearances and two goals.

Clayton Oliver is also instrumental in the second-half surge, kicking a crucial goal at the end of the third quarter. He ends the match with 33 disposals, 10 tackles and five clearances.

Petracca and Oliver are the only two Demons players to have over 30 disposals in the match. Melbourne skipper Max Gawn also puts together a signature game in the ruck, finishing with 21 disposals, 30 hit-outs and six clearances.

Despite there being over 60,000 fans in attendance at Perth Stadium to watch the Demons’ triumph, the focus almost instantly becomes winning another premiership at the MCG in front of their long-suffering fans.

Melbourne’s grand final win caps off a dominant finals campaign that also saw the Demons thump Geelong by 83 points in the preliminary final, its greatest-ever winning margin against the Cats.