In a new weekly series leading up to round one, AFL.com.au writers will debate the best moments, players and teams since the turn of the century. From the pick of the Brownlow and Norm Smith medallists to the finest wooden spooners, non-finalists and premiership teams, a rotating panel will turn their minds to footy's big moments since 2000.

Today, Nat Edwards, Lee Gaskin, Nick Bowen and Travis King lock horns over this century's best premiership team, and there's no shortage of contenders, starting with the all-conquering Bombers of 2000, who put together arguably the game's most dominant season. Only a stunning late-season loss to the Western Bulldogs denied Kevin Sheedy's men the perfect campaign.

They were followed by the three-peat Lions who dethroned the Dons the following year, while the powerful Geelong teams of 2007-11 must come under consideration with three flags from four Grand Finals in five years.

And where do the great Hawks sides rate? In hindsight, only a shock loss to the Swans in the 2012 Grand Final prevented them from matching the great Collingwood sides of 1927-30 with four successive flags.

Finally, how do you split a club's individual flags in eras of success? Which of the Cats' trio of premierships was their greatest feat? Which of the Lions, or the Hawks, or the Swans' pair of premierships in 2005 and 2012?          

Hawthorn, 2015

This wasn't an easy choice, given the year prior Hawthorn had to overcome plenty of adversity to claim the 2014 flag. But when it comes down to it, it was the 2015 premiership, the three-peat, that saw the Hawks surge past Geelong and the Lions as the best side in the last two decades. 2015 wasn’t without its challenges though. After a number of tight losses to start the season, the Hawks played catch-up for most of the year. Midway through 2015, tragedy struck, with the death of assistant coach Brett Ratten's son, Cooper. The Hawks rallied, finishing third, and embarked on a finals series to be remembered. After being written off by the critics following an emphatic loss to West Coast in Perth, the Hawks rebounded against the Crows in the semi-final. Another trip west, and an unconvincing win against Fremantle, secured Alastair Clarkson and his men a place in their fourth consecutive Grand Final. The odds were stacked against the Hawks. West Coast was younger, fresher and had the better form. But not even the hottest Grand Final day on record could stop the rampaging Hawks. Star Cyril Rioli provided the spark, veterans Luke Hodge, Sam Mitchell and Shaun Burgoyne were sublime as the Hawks clinched the three-peat, writing themselves into football folklore. - Nat Edwards

Burgoyne and Rioli made the 'G on Grand Final day their house for three straight years. Picture: AFL Photos

Geelong, 2007

There are only three things certain in life – death, taxes and Nat Edwards' Hawthorn bias. Now Nat, I'll happily concede the Hawks' three-peat teams were great, but none of them dominated a season or a Grand Final like Bomber Thompson's Cats of 2007. After a spluttering 2-3 start to that season, Geelong hit a vein of form that no other team has matched this century. The Cats dropped just one more game for the season, losing to Port Adelaide by five points at Simonds Stadium in round 21, with their average winning margin during that stretch a whopping nine goals a game. In the finals, they belted North Melbourne by 106 points, escaped with a five-point win in a rare scratchy performance against Collingwood in the first preliminary, and then humiliated Port by a record 119-point margin in the Grand Final. The Cats had ridiculous star power across every line. Gary Ablett, Jimmy Bartel, Joel Corey, Cameron Ling, Brad Ottens and a young Joel Selwood in the midfield, Stevie J and Paul Chapman in attack, and Matthew Scarlett and Corey Enright in defence. And the way they took the game on with rapid-fire handball and dangerous kicks through the corridor was a breath of fresh air after the low-scoring, flood-happy football played over the previous two seasons when the Swans and Eagles reigned. I've never seen another team play such exhilarating and dominant football. - Nick Bowen 

Nathan and Gary Ablett with the Cats' breakthrough cup in 2007. Picture: AFL Photos

Brisbane Lions, 2003

Nice try, Nick and Nat, but those premierships were a walk in the park against meek opposition on Grand Final day. The toughest call here is deciding which Brisbane Lions flag was the greatest. Was it the 2001 breakthrough against a seemingly unbeatable Bombers outfit? Or the against-the-odds 2003 premiership success that clinched the three-peat? There's nothing in it, but I'm siding with the latter. The banged-up Lions' performance that day was super-human. Eight stars needed medical treatment just to get on the field against red-hot favourites Collingwood, who had beaten the Lions in the qualifying final. Leigh Matthews' formidable outfit looked shot. Their chartered plane flew below normal altitude to Melbourne just to protect the players' battered bodies. Michael Voss' knee was cooked, Jonathan Brown carried a broken hand into the game and was poleaxed by Scott Burns at the opening bounce, and who will ever forget Nigel Lappin's effort playing with two broken ribs? But they somehow smashed the Pies by 50 points. You want stars on every line? Try Alastair Lynch, Brown, Voss, Lappin, Simon Black, Jason Akermanis, Justin Leppitsch … the list goes on. This Lions side had it all. - Travis King 

The only known image of Michael Voss showing any fear on Grand Final day in 2003. Picture: AFL Photos

Brisbane Lions, 2002

I'll admit Hawthorn assembled a champion side in 2015, Geelong were sensational in 2007 and the Lions were great through all three years of their historic premiership treble. But for me, I can't go past their second triumph in that span in 2002. This was a year in which the Lions were driven to replicate their success from the previous season. They dominated the All Australian line-up with six representatives – Chris Johnson, Justin Leppitsch, Jason Akermanis, Simon Black, captain Michael Voss and Nigel Lappin. Black became the third player in the Lions' team after Voss (1996) and Akermanis (2001) to collect the highest individual honour in the game. Voss finished equal third in the 2002 Brownlow Medal count, while teammate Des Headland also featured in the top 10. The spine of the Lions was as good as you'll ever see, with Leppitsch and Mal Michael locking down the backline, Voss doing the grunt work in the midfield and Jonathan Brown and Alastair Lynch the pillars up forward. You could argue the one weak line was in the ruck. But even then, Clark Keating earned his nickname as 'The September Specialist' with a game-changing performance in the 2002 Grand Final against Collingwood, racking up 39 hit-outs. This is a team that would be feared in any era. - Lee Gaskin

The premiership Lions of 2002 after out-slugging Collingwood in the rain at the MCG. Picture: AFL Photos