2025 Draw - hoping for MUCH softer

[Jeffcrowe]

Why is it vital for us?

Because every time we struggle early season it seems to set the tone for our season

Last season we looked unprepared for the season in early rounds and that was how it played out

Come out win , get confidence and set the tone early will suit us better

Mostly just want to see we are prepared for season and not on back foot

 

[Jeffcrowe]

Im just trying to avoid a belting at the hands of the Lions haha

We don’t seem to get belted at the Gabba

 

[kirky]

2023 was the season that got Nick's extended, it was done on the back of a great sunset season from Tex and a very soft draw. I'd hate to again get a really soft draw and fall into finals on the back of that, thus saving Nicks again.

Fear not, we'll get a soft draw because we're 15th. A gutted Richmond twice for certain, WC probably won't improve much, Norf may but who knows, probably get those twice. Only Port in the top six, in the middle bracket I'd like Essendon twice as they're looking dead set bottom four replacing us

AFL paid us for the goal error so reckon we'll again be sent all over the place, but take whatever comes and just win, not whinge!

Sorry but how was 2023 a soft draw - we ended up playing the Grand Finalists twice (Brisbane and Collingwood), a Preliminary Finalist twice (GWS) and Port Adelaide twice (top 4 then straight exits).

Yes we played West Coast twice but that was it - no double up against North Melbourne (hasn’t happened the last two years).

Hardly soft and played in Geelong, Ballarat, Darwin and Launceston plus the normal capital cities as well.

 

[kirky]

I can't believe what I'm reading in here.

Yes of course you still have to be a good team to win finals.

BUT, the draw absolutely impacts on your chances of making finals and/or winning them. It absolutely impacts your chances of winning the flag.

A fair draw means that maybe we make finals in the last two years. Imagine the benefit of experience for our guys playing some finals games.
A fair draw also means that you are a chance (eventually for the mens team, not yet obviously) of getting home finals. Home finals is huge. It means you have a much bigger chance of winning and hence making a GF. It could make the difference between a top 2 finish and a 4th or 5th placed finish.

In the AFLW it can make the difference between a home GF or not (as we have seen). Our draw the last 2 years has been blatant cheating by the AFL.

The draw is not an accident. It is very deliberately crafted by the AFL for the outcome they want.

Given the way we get treated with this, the all Vic umpiring panels, the Father-Son and academy etc... it's fair to say we don't get the benefits of others and we absolutely should be complaining about it.

The fixture, it isn’t a draw, is to maximise crowds to ensure those higher up in the AFL achieve their KPIs.

The interesting thing next year is what will the AFL do with Richmond. The crowds are going to drop off the cliff - guaranteed.

Reckon the stronger crowd drawing non-Vic sides will play Richmond at the G whilst the lower drawing non-Vic sides won’t. Lets see.

 

[kirky]

No regional grounds bullshit.

No Tasmania, no Ballarat, no Darwin.

And can we skip Skilled Stadium just one time, please?

Don’t care who we play.

Although would be good to play a North or Richmond or West Coast round 1 just to get some momentum. If not that… can we not play a team playing their second game when it’s our first (surely they’re retiring R0, right?).

With regard to Geelong, they have 9 home games and their are 17 other sides - you can eliminate Collingwood, Carlton and Essendon playing there and previously could add Richmond but given they are going to be crap they will play there. So that means 9 games with 14 possible opponents. That is the reason we always play there.

 

[FR0GGY]

We don’t seem to get belted at the Gabba

Neil Craig dislikes this

 

[Jeffcrowe]

Neil Craig dislikes this

* recently

 

[Kane McGoodwin]

Neil Craig dislikes this

Apart from the killing of Craig, I reckon we would have a decent record.

 

[Draft Bored]

5 games against Richmond's under 19s thanks.

 

[1970crow]

Because every time we struggle early season it seems to set the tone for our season

Last season we looked unprepared for the season in early rounds and that was how it played out

Come out win , get confidence and set the tone early will suit us better

Mostly just want to see we are prepared for season and not on back foot

We’re never on the back foot, we’ve always got our ‘reasons’ locked and loaded and as soon a we vanquish some crap club were talking up our game and the F word is back in vogue. Lack of confidence is not an affliction of our club.

 

[Kane McGoodwin]

5 games against Richmond's under 19s thanks.

In all seriousness, playing them twice should be a huge advantage... so long as we don't have a repeat of this year's performance!