The AFL grand final has been an annual tradition since the 19th Century.

In 1897, the first concept of a grand final was developed by the Victorian Football League (VFL) when the team at the top of the ladder, after all the rounds, was declared the winner.

In 1990, VFL was changed to the Australian Football League.

Every club except Gold Coast and Greater Western Sydney have participated in a grand final.

Who has won the most combined VFL/AFL premierships?

Carlton and Essendon have both won the most premierships at 16 wins each.

Carlton won their first premiership in 1906 and their last was won in 1995.

Their most memorable grand final was in 1979 when Wayne Harmes did a boundary line tap which caused Ken Sheldon to score a goal. Many Collingwood fans argued that the ball was out of bounds.

In 1987, Carlton won the VFL Grand Final. Photo: Getty

Essendon won their first premiership in 1897.

From 1981 to 2007, they played in seven grand finals and won four of them. The team was led by coach Kevin Sheedy.

Who has won the most AFL premierships?

Since the name AFL was adopted in 1990, some may argue that the premiership wins only count from this year forward.

This means that Hawthorn has won the most AFL premierships from 1990. They have won five in 1991, 2008, 2013, 2014 and 2015.

Who has won the least AFL premierships?

Besides Gold Coast and Greater Western Sydney, Fremantle has never won however they participated in an AFL grand final in 2013 but lost to Hawthorn by 15 points.

Port Adelaide has won one in 2004 and St Kilda has won one in 1966.

Who has won the most VFL premierships?

Essendon has won the most VFL premierships, achieving four in a row in 1891, 1892, 1893 and 1894.