Fans of the 16 clubs watching on during this year's Grand Final will be wondering the same thing: 'when will it be our turn?'.
To help answer that question, AFL.com.au has crunched the numbers to reveal the 'premiership standard', measuring age, experience and gamestyle of the past 10 flag-winning sides.
From Geelong in 2009 to West Coast last season, every premiership squad has fallen within the 23.2 to 24 age bracket and averaged 66.1 games per player.
So what about the way teams need to play?
We're told defence wins flags, and the past 10 premiers have all ranked top six for points conceded and top five for inside 50 differential.
The fairytale Dogs (seventh) bucked the trend in 2016 coming from outside the top five for points from forward half intercepts differential.
Meanwhile, last year's Eagles were way below the standard in post-clearance ground ball, ranking 16th when every other successful side was in the top nine.
So how did the Bulldogs stack up in 2019, and when could they hit the premiership sweet spot?
How does the age and games played stack up?
They're more experienced, albeit slightly younger than their 2016 premiership peers. The Dogs rank 11th in terms of average games played (68.8) and ninth for age (23.2 years). Dale Morris, Liam Picken and Tom Boyd all retired this year, so they might be even younger in 2020. No club won a premiership in the past decade with a list younger than what Luke Beveridge had in 2019.
Do they have enough quality?
Absolutely. Only three Bulldogs have 'elite' status with Champion Data, but they're not wanting for talent. Marcus Bontempelli is a superstar, while Jack Macrae and Josh Dunkley joined him in the All Australian squad of 40. Caleb Daniel, Lachie Hunter and Jason Johannisen are other key contributors. Aaron Naughton, Tim English and Bailey Smith are the pick of the kids.
What do the numbers say about the way they play?
Beveridge's men play on more than any other team, love to handball and made serious inroads in their offensive game in the latter stages of the season. They ranked third for inside 50 differential and seventh for points from forward-half turnovers. There's still work to be done in limiting opposition scores and the Dogs were just 12th in post-clearance groundball-gets differential.
Is their premiership window open?
Wide open. There is still the Trade Period to come but most industry pundits are bullish about what Bontempelli and his merry men can achieve.
To see every AFL Media’s assessment of the rest of the competition, click here.
