South Australian showdowns and the derbies in the west are momentous events but the heat and passion they generate were a fait accompli from the moment Port Adelaide and Fremantle entered the competition.
Similarly, the age-old rivalry shared by Collingwood and Carlton was borne of a potent mix of envy, pity, pride and proximity.
Subsequent on-field dramas stoked the competitive fires of the clubs involved but the seeds had been sown long before players donned their boots.
With that in mind, the idea that two clubs on opposite sides of the country with precious little in common could develop a rivalry to match any in the league is a remarkable thing.
The Sydney Swans and the West Coast Eagles have done just that, with a shared history as remarkable as any in the competition’s history.
Two teams, two successive grand finals, one premiership apiece; each decided by less than a kick.
The Swans’ 2005 flag and the Eagles’ revenge in 2006 will live long in the memory of all football fans but the story began a year earlier, when the Swans defeated an impotent West Coast at ANZ Stadium in the 2004 elimination final.
The Eagles managed just four goals on a wet night at Homebush – a tally the Swans surpassed in the second quarter.
A rampant St Kilda knocked the Swans out of contention the following week and Paul Roos’ men turned their attention to 2005.
West Coast rapidly emerged as the team to beat, winning 15 of its first 16 matches before losing to the Swans by 21 points at the SCG in round 17.
The two teams renewed hostilities in the qualifying final at Subiaco, where the Eagles’ last-quarter charge wiped out the Swans’ 14-point lead at the final change.
Adam Hunter’s late mark and goal gave West Coast a four-point win and passage to the preliminary finals.
Undaunted, the Swans accounted for Geelong – courtesy of Nick Davis’ late heroics – and St Kilda to set up a rematch on the last day in September, following the Eagles’ win against Adelaide.
In a dour contest characterised by unrelenting pressure from both sides, it took a moment of magic from defender Leo Barry to seal the game.
His towering mark of Dean Cox’s raking kick into the Eagles’ forward line sealed the Swans’ first flag in 72 years, in an exact reverse of the qualifying final result.
Pundits who believed contests between the two teams had reached their zenith were happily mistaken.
The only home-and-away meeting between the Swans and Eagles in 2006 resulted in a two-point victory to West Coast at Subaico.
Led by a stellar game from Adam Goodes, the Swans led by 32 points at half time but skipper Chris Judd inspired his side to scrape home in a thriller.
Two months later, the two sides faced off again in a qualifying final in the west and this time it was the Swans who celebrated.
Five goals from Barry Hall and four from Michael O’Loughlin – including the game-sealer, followed by a spontaneous outpouring of delight in front of a bemused West Coast cheer squad – sent them into a home preliminary final against Fremantle.
The Swans duly dispatched Freo, while the Eagles accounted for the Bulldogs at home and Adelaide away to book a return encounter in the grand final.
In stark contrast to the previous year’s decider, West Coast dominated the first half and led by 25 points at the long break but the Swans rallied, grinding away at the deficit with fine individual goals from Adam Goodes and Ryan O’Keefe.
Despite their best efforts, they never managed to edge in front of a desperate West Coast outfit that would not be denied for a second year.
Daniel Chick’s desperate smother and Adam Hunter’s subsequent goal illustrated the commitment that delivered the Eagles their third flag.
As it was the previous year, the one-point margin was an exact reversal of the qualifying final result.
It was a margin repeated in their opening round clash in 2007, when the Eagles took the points at ANZ Stadium without seven of their premiership players.
From the 2004 qualifying final to round one, 2007, the Sydney Swans and West Coast Eagles played six matches that were decided by a total of 13 points – a run of thrilling contests in big games that is unlikely to be repeated.
Many of the protagonists in those epic battles have since moved on but the mutual respect created in that era still resonates at both clubs.
And it will continue to do so in years to come, when youngsters at the Swans will be told of Leo’s giant leap and new Eagles will hear of nine-fingered Chick’s desperate dive.
How a rivalry was born
2004
Elimination final: Sydney Swans 11.9 (75) d West Coast 4.10 (34), ANZ Stadium
2005
Round 6: West Coast 15.14 (104) d Sydney Swans 8.11 (59), Subiaco
Round 17: Sydney Swans 13.10 (88) d West Coast 9.13 (67), SCG
Qualifying final: West Coast 10.9 (69) d Sydney Swans 10.5 (65), Subiaco
Grand final: Sydney Swans 8.10 (58) d West Coast 7.12 (54), MCG
2006
Round 15: West Coast 9.13 (67) d Sydney Swans 9.11 (65), Subiaco
Qualifying final: Sydney Swans 13.7 (85) d West Coast 12.12 (84), Subiaco
Grand final: West Coast 12.13 (85) d Sydney Swans 12.12 (84), MCG
2007
Round 1: West Coast 10.13 (74) d Sydney Swans 11.8 (73), ANZ Stadium
