2016 AFL Fixture. News and Speculation

[Giants FC]

Good effort.
A few points here:
1. Eagles had the round 1 away in 2015. Normally, we shall have a home game the year after. Same principle applies to the Dockers.
2. Not sure if 3:20 pm on Sunday in Perth is suitable for TV?
3. Not sure if Dockers and Eagles play on Sunday in the same round with overlapping time slot is suitable for TV. Note that both teams draw a lot of advertisement for TV in Perth.

3:20pm WA time will lead into the 6pm news - assuming Ch 7 has the news at 6pm in Perth. 3:20pm timeslots are common in the eastern states for that reason. It would be a 6:20pm start in Sydney; but AFL in Sydney is on 7Mate so the news isn't an issue.
The St Kilda v Eagles game, being 1:10pm Melbourne time, would be all over 3:45pm Melbourne time which is 12:45pm in Perth; more than 2 hours before Freo v Swans starts - Melbourne is still in daylight savings time over that weekend. So there's no overlap.

 

[EagleEgo]

3:20pm WA time will lead into the 6pm news - assuming Ch 7 has the news at 6pm in Perth. 3:20pm timeslots are common in the eastern states for that reason. It would be a 6:20pm start in Sydney; but AFL in Sydney is on 7Mate so the news isn't an issue.
The St Kilda v Eagles game, being 1:10pm Melbourne time, would be all over 3:45pm Melbourne time which is 12:45pm in Perth; more than 2 hours before Freo v Swans starts - Melbourne is still in daylight savings time over that weekend. So there's no overlap.

We never have 3:20pm game on Sunday. 6:00pm news is just interrupting the 4th qtr allowing 3hours for the game plus post game conference etc. Though it can be done through 7 mate, I am not sure Channel 7 in Perth wants to do that. The majority of the viewers are in Perth and I am quite sure Ch 7 will be treating it as such. I bet these arrangements will not happen.

 

[Hawkk]

Unusual that we havent had any leaks yet

...the AFL is usually good for a leak a day, one week after the Grand Final

 

[EagleEgo]

Unusual that we havent had any leaks yet

...the AFL is usually good for a leak a day, one week after the Grand Final

There was a leak on the eve of the Grand Final for the R1 fixture - 2016 (with 2 games in Queensland) as follows:

Richmond versus Carlton
Thursday, March 24, 7:20pm Melbourne Cricket Ground

Gold Coast Suns versus Port Adelaide
Saturday, March 26, 12:40pm Metricon Stadium

West Coast Eagles versus GWS Giants
Saturday, March 26, 1:35pm Domain Stadium

Brisbane Lions versus Sydney Swans
Saturday, March 26, 6:20pm Gabba

Collingwood versus Western Bulldogs
Saturday, March 26, 7:20pm Melbourne Cricket Ground

North Melbourne versus Fremantle
Sunday, March 27, 1:10pm Blundstone Arena

Adelaide Crows versus St Kilda
Sunday, March 27, 2:50pm Adelaide Oval

Essendon versus Melbourne
Sunday, March 27, 4:40pm Melbourne Cricket Ground

Geelong Cats versus Hawthorn
Monday, March 28, 3:20pm Melbourne Cricket Ground

 

[Hawkk]

Bring back GF replay as season opener....
Far better than watching Ninthmond vs Carlolton

(although ill be first to admit the Tigers have got to be coming this year ... surely)

B2B2B EF squibs suggest their time has probably come and gone

How many teams havent fallen off the cliff after 3 successive first week exits?

 

[Hawkk]

Time for a Collingwood or Essendon to visit Tasmania this year methinks

Nice try

Not while the Pies and the Dons are amongst the top 5 drawing fixtures for the Hawks (76k for Pies, 62k and 60k for Dons) and Roos (44k for Pies, 43k and 32k for Dons)

Fremantle really have to focus on winning their home SF and PF before they preoccupy themselves with MCG exposure

 

[Hawkk]

There was a leak on the eve of the Grand Final for the R1 fixture - 2016 (with 2 games in Queensland) as follows:

Richmond versus Carlton
Thursday, March 24, 7:20pm Melbourne Cricket Ground

Gold Coast Suns versus Port Adelaide
Saturday, March 26, 12:40pm Metricon Stadium

West Coast Eagles versus GWS Giants
Saturday, March 26, 1:35pm Domain Stadium

Brisbane Lions versus Sydney Swans
Saturday, March 26, 6:20pm Gabba

Collingwood versus Western Bulldogs
Saturday, March 26, 7:20pm Melbourne Cricket Ground

North Melbourne versus Fremantle
Sunday, March 27, 1:10pm Blundstone Arena

Adelaide Crows versus St Kilda
Sunday, March 27, 2:50pm Adelaide Oval

Essendon versus Melbourne
Sunday, March 27, 4:40pm Melbourne Cricket Ground

Geelong Cats versus Hawthorn
Monday, March 28, 3:20pm Melbourne Cricket Ground

Fair enough.

Would be borderline suicide to have an early afternoon game on the Gold Coast in March

 

[Lsta062]

B2B2B EF squibs suggest their time has probably come and gone

How many teams havent fallen off the cliff after 3 successive first week exits?

How many teams even had 3 successive first week exits?

The last team who did though was West Coast, and they made the Grand Final the following year followed by a Premiership the year after. I can't say that the same will happen to Richmond, but we will wait and see

 

[Hawkk]

Hawthorn 1992-94 did it as well fair point about the Eagles 2002-14 though...it seems to happen once a decade

 

[KissKiss]

Nice try

Not while the Pies and the Dons are amongst the top 5 drawing fixtures for the Hawks (76k for Pies, 62k and 60k for Dons) and Roos (44k for Pies, 43k and 32k for Dons)

In terms of equalisation and fairness it should happen, but we all know that the AFL will go down the path of most $$

 

[Hawkk]

In terms of equalisation and fairness it should happen, but we all know that the AFL will go down the path of most $$

Well given those are Hawthorn and North Melbourne HOME games I'm not sure what leg you have to stand on

...almost as if many think the venue was definitive in deciding the premiership?

 

[KissKiss]

Well given those are Hawthorn and North Melbourne HOME games I'm not sure what leg you have to stand on

...almost as if many think the venue was definitive in deciding the premiership?

I don't understand what you are trying to say. Yes they are Hawks/North home games, why does that mean that you shouldn't play different teams down there?

If you want a fair and equitable competition then you can easily start with evening up the fixture. One of the easiest ways to try and rotate who plays home and away where. Things like Hawks not playing away to Brisbane in several years is just stupid.

 

[Marley10]

You can probably lock in 2 Geelong vs Adelaide games next year. I'm guessing first match up to be round 2 at Adelaide Oval in Adelaide's first home game for the season. Dangerous.

 

[Marley10]

Oh and Essendon vs Melbourne Melksham grudge match round 1 at the MCG

 

[Tiger2709]

Please no. Richmond v Carlton will be a dour season opener. No Carlton games in prime time please next season 7.

That is locked in as a priority for the AFL, maybe not the best game with Carlton involved but it does draw the crowds.

 

[Tiger2709]

So long as Richmond v Carlton keeps drawing 70-80K, the AFL will keep it as the opening game.

Yeah McLachan confirmed a while back that this game is one of the AFL's priority's, thank god its Carlton stinking it up these days not us, imagine how big it could be if we were ever both up and about at th same time.

 

[HODGEYROAD]

Please no Richmond vs Carlton to open the season thats all I ask.

 

[Blue1980]

We will be playing our matches twilight Tuesday's

 

[Janus]

There was a leak on the eve of the Grand Final for the R1 fixture - 2016 (with 2 games in Queensland) as follows:

Richmond versus Carlton
Thursday, March 24, 7:20pm Melbourne Cricket Ground

Gold Coast Suns versus Port Adelaide
Saturday, March 26, 12:40pm Metricon Stadium

West Coast Eagles versus GWS Giants
Saturday, March 26, 1:35pm Domain Stadium

Brisbane Lions versus Sydney Swans
Saturday, March 26, 6:20pm Gabba

Collingwood versus Western Bulldogs
Saturday, March 26, 7:20pm Melbourne Cricket Ground

North Melbourne versus Fremantle
Sunday, March 27, 1:10pm Blundstone Arena

Adelaide Crows versus St Kilda
Sunday, March 27, 2:50pm Adelaide Oval

Essendon versus Melbourne
Sunday, March 27, 4:40pm Melbourne Cricket Ground

Geelong Cats versus Hawthorn
Monday, March 28, 3:20pm Melbourne Cricket Ground

Port Adelaide plays at home in the first round next year because Adelaide played at home this year.

 

[EagleEgo]

Port Adelaide plays at home in the first round next year because Adelaide played at home this year.

Bad luck if this is the final version.

 

[EagleEgo]

I think the offical fixture release is somewhere from the 28th October to the 1st November, somewhere around that time.

29th Oct is the 2016 fixture released day as officially announced in the AFL website.

 

[borntigerfan]

Nice try

Not while the Pies and the Dons are amongst the top 5 drawing fixtures for the Hawks (76k for Pies, 62k and 60k for Dons) and Roos (44k for Pies, 43k and 32k for Dons)

Fremantle really have to focus on winning their home SF and PF before they preoccupy themselves with MCG exposure

Wrong, cause Richmond was the highest drawing crowd puller and one of those games was in Tasmania against Nth, no reason that Pies or Dons shouldn't go either.

 

[Hawkk]

Wrong, cause Richmond was the highest drawing crowd puller and one of those games was in Tasmania against Nth, no reason that Pies or Dons shouldn't go either.

But you werent a large crowd puller for either Hawthorn (and there is no chance that Hawthorn v Richmond, Collingwood, Essendon, Geelong or Sydney will be played in Tasmania for obvious reasons) or North Melbourne leading up to 2015

...by contrast Essendon and Collingwood were / are large crowd drawers for the Hawks and North year in, year out

As an aside Hawthorn was the 3rd highest drawing club in 2014 and 2015 (home and away games only) so its doubtful they will be scheduling any one of the stronger drawing Vic clubs in Tasmania ever

 

[Howard Littlejohn]

Wouldn't work, the would mean Eagles supporters would be tuning in at 10.30am to watch it in Perth, I'd have it at Round 7, Eagles home game, Friday Night

Yeah, I was proposing it as the set-up every year. With a WA side as the away team, there might need to be an exception and GF rematch might need to be the Saturday night. The losing semi-finalist could be Saturday afternoon instead. Not that it would 10:30am for the bounce, Saturday's FTA game isn't a 1:30 start, but I take the point.

 

[WhyAlwaysMe]

Bad luck if this is the final version.

I hope it is. I always go to the first away game of the year no matter where it is and the Gold Coast could be the perfect weekend away. Alas as the poster you quoted said there is absolutely no way we play round 1 away this year.