In any AFL season there are always good comeback stories where a team manages to overcome a seemingly impossible margin and pull off a famous victory.
Teams and their fans inevitably have both been the victors on such an occasion, but also on the receiving end of a rampaging finish from their opponents, snatching victory away and leaving the defeated team wondering how it all went wrong.
That said, some comebacks are more spectacular than others, The Sporting News looks at the biggest comebacks in AFL/VFL history.
MORE: AFL 2024 Fixtures and results | 2024 Coleman Medal leaderboard
What is the biggest comeback in AFL/VFL history?
The biggest comeback in AFL history came in the 2001 season, when the reigning premiers Essendon overcame a 69-point deficit early in the second quarter to secure a 12-point win over North Melbourne.
The Kangaroos started like a house on fire, scoring 12 goals to Essendon's two in the first quarter to lead 73-15, but Essendon began to click in the second quarter, scoring 10 goals to cut the margin to 19-points at half time.
After an evenly matched third quarter, the Bombers were still behind, but they took control early in the fourth, and scored seven goals to reach a final score of 12.9 (171) compared to North Melbourne's 25.9 (159), one of the highest scoring games in the history of the competition.
Matthew Lloyd scored nine goals for the Bombers, whilst Jason Johnson earned three Brownlow votes for his four goal, 31-disposal performance, which occurred just days after losing a friend in a car accident.
List of biggest comebacks in AFL/VFL history
That famous game in 2001 is not the only time the Kangaroos have been on the receiving end of a comeback, with history repeating itself in 2024 - once again against reigning premiers - in a Round 14 match against Collingwood.
North Melbourne - who had only won one game all season to this point, led by 54-points early in the third quarter, but a rampaging finish from the Magpies, led by Bobby Hill's five goals, overhauled them in dramatic fashion, taking home a one-point win.
Collingwood also came back from a massive margin way back in 1970 against St Kilda; the Magpies were behind by 60-points near the end of the second quarter, but managed to win 107-100.
The only other team to recover from a deficit of 60 or more points is Hawthorn in 1999, where they overcame a 62-point deficit against St Kilda at the old Waverley Park.
| Deficit | Game | Year | Round |
|---|---|---|---|
| 69 points | Essendon 27.9 (171) def. North Melbourne 25.9 (159) | 2001 | 16 |
| 63 points | Hawthorn 17.7 (109) def. St Kilda 14.12 (96) | 1999 | 12 |
| 60 points | Collingwood 14.23 (107) def. St Kilda 15.10 (100) | 1970 | 10 |
| 56 points | Hawthorn 26.15 (171) def. Geelong 25.13 (163) | 1989 | 6 |
| 55 points | St Kilda 15.22 (112) def. Hawthorn 14.15 (99) | 1937 | 2 |
| 55 points | Collingwood 19.9 (123) def. Richmond 16.13 (109) | 1978 | 20 |
| 55 points | St Kilda 14.10 (94) def. Western Bulldogs 13.9 (87) | 2015 | 6 |
| 54 points | Collingwood 18.11 (119) def. North Melbourne 19.4 (118) | 2024 | 14 |
| 54 points | West Coast (16.5 (101) def. Geelong 15.8 (98) | 2006 | 10 |
AFL comebacks in 21st century
There have been some notable comebacks in the 21st century of the AFL.
West Coast pulled off a famous comeback away from home against Geelong in 2006, recovering from a 54-point deficit to win by three points; they would also win the premiership that year.
Geelong were also on the receiving end of a big comeback in 2013, when they let a 52-point lead slip against Brisbane to lose by six points.
Only six teams since the turn of the century have managed to overcome a deficit of 50+ points.
