It's actually worse than that....I think for one of the years (1897?) they didn't even finish top OR play a GF...F*ck knows how they got the premiership...the other year, 1924...they finished minor premiers and there was no GF
Stats men...help???

1924 proved to be arguably the strangest year in Essendon*'s entire history. For the first time since 1897 there was no ultimate match, be it challenge final or grand final, to determine the premiers; instead, the top 4 clubs after the home and away season played a round robin series of matches to determine the premiers. The result was an anti climax of the highest order with Essendon*, having previously defeated both Fitzroy (by 40 points) and South Melbourne (by 33 points) 'clinching' the premiership by means of a 20 point loss to Richmond. With the Tigers having already lost a match to Fitzroy by a substantial margin the Same Old were declared premiers by virtue of their superior percentage, but rarely if ever can there have been such a hollow feeling accompanying a premiership success. Ultimately, Essendon* again managed to win back-to-back premierships. But the low crowds for the finals meant this was never attempted again, resulting in Essendon* having the unique record of winning the only two premierships without a grand final.

The 1924 season was not without controversy however, with rumours of numerous players accepting bribes. Regardless of the accuracy of these allegations, the club's image was tarnished, and the side experienced its lowest period during the decade that followed, with poor results on the field and decreased support off it.