5 longest losing streaks in AFL history

North Melbourne are bottom of the table this season after finishing 17th among 18 teams last term. They have zero points after seven matches and have won just eight times in their last 53 outings.

This is no surprise to fans, as the team has been performing poorly for the last four seasons. This is reminiscent of their form in the club's darkest period in the 1930s.

While coach Alastair Clarkson has blamed poor training standards at the club for his team's poor form, he has urged fans to be patient with the team and give them space to grow.

The North Melbourne players can take solace in the fact that they're not the worst to have played for the badge. In this article, we take a look at the five longest losing streaks in AFL history.

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#5 Sydney (29 games)

Nick Blackey of the Sydney Swans

The Sydney Swans, who were known as South Melbourne, went on a 29-game losing streak from the seventh round of the 1972 season to the 13th round of the 1973 campaign.

They finished last in the table, claiming just 16 points in what was a truly forgettable campaign. The Swans have put their dark past behind them, though, and the last few seasons have seen them finish in the first half of the table. This season, they are second with 24 points after seven games.

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#4 North Melbourne (33 games)

North Melbourne's Blake Drury with the ball

North Melbourne's loss against Collingwood in the sixth round of the 1930 season started a chain of losses.

They went on to lose another 32 games on the trot. This dire streak extended till the second round of the 1932 campaign. North Melbourne finished eighth at the end of the season.

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#3 North Melbourne (35 games)

North Melbourne enter the field vs Adelaide

Appearing on this list again are North Melbourne. The streak started another season after the previous one was broken and would be even worse. The loss against Collingwood in the 17th round of the 1933 season saw them lose 35 consecutive games till the 14th round of the 1935 season.

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#2 St Kilda (48 games)

AFL Rd 7 - Port Adelaide v St Kilda

While St Kilda was a member of the VFL — now known as AFL — their early years were not successful.

They lost the first round of the 1897 season and lost 47 consecutive matches before recording their first win against Melbourne on May 5,1900. The match initially ended as in a stalemate before the team protested, and the result was overturned by one point to grant them the win.

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#1 University (51 games)

AFL Rd 1 - GWS v North Melbourne

Melbourne University football club simply known as University holds the record for consecutive losses in AFL history. Due to the VFL's policy of amateurism in a league that was getting increasingly professional, it was no surprise that they lost heavily.

They lost 51 games between the fourth round of the 1912 season and the 18th round of the 1914 season. The club now fields two teams 'Black' and 'Blue'. They both compete in the Victorian Amateur Football Association in the William Buck Premier Division.