Four teams, you forgot the Moggies, though Alz might have caused them to forget by now too.In Bartlett's days the best from all over Australia found their way to Victoria. There were super teams playing a tough brand of footy. With 18 teams, the talent pool has been spread and you could argue that flags are now easier to win. Three teams have won three in close succession in recent years. Lions, Hawks and Tigers.
Bartlett would be a champion today and Dusty would have been a champion in the 70s. Bartlett's gift was that you couldn't put him off his game or catch him. He was like one of those super bouncy balls we used to play with. They bounced back harder than you threw them.
Doesn't really matter how many ways or how often Gilligan n his besuited experts fudge n manipulate the rules. There's always a team or two that hit that perfect position of age, experience n talent at exactly the right time n dominate the comp for a few years.