2016 FIXture discussion

[Lethality]

We don't have any difficult away games before the bye. That's 14 rounds and our only away games are against Brisbane at the Gabba, and GWS at Spotless, which should be walkovers.

 

[Roddy]

It's just that we don't fear anyone these days.

I agree, there is an element of that for sure. But our only 'tough run' appears to wait all the way til rd 16-18, and even that is followed by our decade long bunnies, in Tassie!

 

[Watsclarkosmob]

I like the strong opponents in the final three rounds. I thought the soft finish for the year didn't have as ready as we could of been for week one of finals...not that it mattered much.

 

[Sixpence]

Pretty happy with that. Easiest draw we've had in a few years!

 

[Blaze Storm]

Actually don't mind this fixture at all. Rnd 16-18 seems like the most dangerous for mine.

West Coast, North, Melbourne, Sydney, Richmond.

Not bad for doubles. It means we only play in perth once before finals, we're bound to beat Richmond at least once, melbourne should hopefully give us a bit of a percentage boost, north won't trouble us at the MCG, riskier at Etihad though. Sydney sort of depends on how they're travelling at the time whether they'll put up a fight home or away.

I'm happy enough with our ability to beat the eagles later in the season, or by then it probably shouldn't matter if we're dropping a couple of games if it means resting players/giving youngsters a chance.

Only play Pies in season-junk-time. They'll likely be crushed completely before the siren sounds, so should be a good time to beat up on some guys in the lead-in to finals.

 

[Steven Tyler]

NO SATURDAY NIGHT GAMES !!!!!!!!!!!!


Other than that, it's ok

 

[cryptor]

15 (likely 16) out of 22 games on free to air.

6 (Friday) + 2 (Thursday) = 8 prime time night games. We only host 2 though. And 0 Saturday night games.

8 x 6 day breaks. Only one occurrence of 2 consecutive 6 day breaks.

Travel outside of Vic/Tas 5 times.

Tassie opponents: Saints (round 4), Fremantle (round 8), Gold Coast (round 14), Carlton (round 19)

Toughest stretch likely after the bye. Port at AO, Sydney at SCG, Richmond at MCG.

Easiest stretch likely round 10-12. Brisbane at GABBA, Melbourne at MCG, Essendon at Etihad.

Double up games: West Coast (round 2, 22), Richmond (round 7, 18), Sydney (round 9, 17), Melbourne (round 11, 20), North Melbourne (round 13, 21)

Fixture quirk: Only play Collingwood once and in the final round.

Fixture troll: Fremantle have to come to Aurora - again!!

Fixture win: No home games at Etihad.

 

[MrPremiership]

As far as I'm concerned, "Prime Time" is: 2.10 at the MCG.

6 Saturday 2.10 games
6 Friday night games
2 Thursday night games

 

[Blaze Storm]

Also: When we play Paddleaid, it's on a thursday night. We're coming off the bye after an 8-day turn-around to play GC in spotless, they're coming off a 6-day break playing Richmond at AO.

We should be able to push their mythical fitness a little bit, methinks.

 

[Pessimistic]

eleven MCG games. Carlton have 9. its happening

eagles get 3 MCG games, crows port two each, syd bris freo gws one each

Gold coast no games. so buy a GC Victorian membership and see any 11 MCG games in the AFL reserve (I think ANZAC and a couple of others excluded)

 

[Furn2]

Geelong once ? Did we go too hard on them ?

 

[cryptor]

Without doing a deeper analysis (factoring in who our opponents play, where and when before they play us) I think this is quite a favourable draw. Plenty of tough games to keep us sharp but no huge blocks where we're guaranteed to drop games or be put under so much strain that we get injuries.

 

[TazHawk15]

Have to be pretty happy with that fixture after the last few years.

 

[HairyO]

A bye week before finals is a ******* shit idea, well done afl, way to kill excitement and cut momentum. ******* clueless.

They should move the Brownlow to that week given no-one plays so everyone can be at the venue if they want.

The rest fixes the dodgy crap some coaches choose to do. And 1 week off is fine. In a sense it reduces the benefit of the top 4 as well, because everyone will have had the chance to rest, not just the 2 winners from the top 4 games in week 1.

Overall I am happy. We have a pretty good draw:
No long run of 6 day breaks.
We travel 2 weeks in a row but it comes after the bye so we will be well rested and after the travel its a long rest before our next game.
2 games against Melbourne instead of 2 games against Freo.
Play Crows once at home, Port once away.

 

[cryptor]

No games against Hawthorn. Dodged a bullet.

 

[Pessimistic]

Actually don't mind this fixture at all. Rnd 16-18 seems like the most dangerous for mine.

West Coast, North, Melbourne, Sydney, Richmond.

Not bad for doubles. It means we only play in perth once before finals, we're bound to beat Richmond at least once, melbourne should hopefully give us a bit of a percentage boost, north won't trouble us at the MCG, riskier at Etihad though. Sydney sort of depends on how they're travelling at the time whether they'll put up a fight home or away.

I'm happy enough with our ability to beat the eagles later in the season, or by then it probably shouldn't matter if we're dropping a couple of games if it means resting players/giving youngsters a chance.

Only play Pies in season-junk-time. They'll likely be crushed completely before the siren sounds, so should be a good time to beat up on some guys in the lead-in to finals.

Unfortunately it wont be as lucrative if the feral fans are demoralized by then. still if we earn less we pay less footy taxes

 

[Sydney Kicker]

Our 2 byes, round 8 and round 15 are nicely spaced apart

 

[DEECEE]

Geelong once ? Did we go too hard on them ?

they finished 10th this year, cant give us too many games against minnows from the bottom 8

 

[whiteTiga2k]

7 Mcg home games... Not that much travel... Spaced out tough games... Good finish to the season.. Week off after round 24.

Best fixture for years for us.

 

[Badesumofu]

We don't have to play any team that's won a flag in the last 3 years, so there's that. But no, that is actually a fantastic fixture. Apart from a potentially rough patch at round 16 that is pretty much a cruise. We can genuinely have top spot sewn up by the bye allowing us to keep something in reserve when we play challengers in the later part of the season.

On field-wise that is the best fixture I can recall. I can imagine two of the four sides we have 'tough' repeat games against falling away substantially as well. The only really challenging interstate games come in round 16 onwards.

Commercially, I am a little upset that we don't get a home game against the Cats. Our home game against Collingwood is round 23 and could well be a virtual dead-rubber. We'll be fine on the commercial side anyway, though. It's one of those things - being the second most profitable club would be a fantastic result. Being the runner up on grand final day is gut-wrenching. So with our current situation I'll happily take this fixture.

 

[dcutter]

Its ok for mine.

Pros:
- Sydney x 2 - aren't the team they were. Should bank 2 wins.
- Geelong x 1 - will be better, no Lake genuinely concerns me. Has killed Hawkins for 3 years now.
- Collingwood late - all foreplay at the start of the season, will die late.
- Fremantle down in tassie is hilarious - boy that will piss them off
- Port x 1 - have the wood on us in home and away
- WB once - sounds odd but this for me is good. They run and move the ball like Port which I reckon will trouble us.
- Melbourne x 2 - enough said.

Cons:
- Richmond x 2 - play their GF against us every year
- Freo once - 1 x 8 point game is disappointing

 

[BaliHawk]

well, just my opinion - given the tough draws (FIXture) off the back of 3 flags - we should be VERY pleased with what has been dealt for 2016, possibly (on paper) one of the easier draws we have had in years. YET, take each week at a time, blood some youngsters, look for top 2/4 and who knows we just may win that 4th flag in a row.

 

[cryptor]

7 Mcg home games... Not that much travel... Spaced out tough games... Good finish to the season.. Week off after round 24.

Best fixture for years for us.

Not a fan of the week off after the final round. Effectively makes winning the QF a disadvantage given by the time your PF comes around you'll have only played one game (your QF) in roughly the 4 weeks since you finished up your round 23 game. Though it might end up being a bonus for us next year if we get that far with our older blokes, particularly if we don't finish top 4 or win a QF. But I'd still prefer the break wasn't there and back us to manage the loads of the older blokes.

 

[bradburygold]

Also: When we play Paddleaid, it's on a thursday night. We're coming off the bye after an 8-day turn-around to play GC in spotless, they're coming off a 6-day break playing Richmond at AO.

We should be able to push their mythical fitness a little bit, methinks.

I'd be more concerned about our slow start. We will have hardly played and they could catch us napping in 1st quarter. Much rather play them off the same break rather than a bye. Also I think their fitness was shown to be a myth this year already FWIW

 

[BigRough]

I would have thought the AFL would have learned their lesson after Carlton x2 last year. If they're serious about equalising, why two games against Melbourne?