Fixture 2025 Fixture Discussion

[Bulldog Brent]

Been thinking ahead to 2025 now that the 6-6-6 groups are settled. We are in the middle group of 6 alongside Carlton, Collingwood, Fremantle, Essendon and St Kilda.

The below guide makes for interesting reading. As it is a given Carlton, Collingwood and Essendon double up on each other, it will be interesting to see what the AFL fixtures, and I reckon it's more likely than not we play the Saints twice. We've played Freo so many times in the last 2-3 years I'd be surprised if the AFL schedules a double up again - but then they do it every year for Dogs v Cats.

And I hope we get a nice cushy fixture for Gather Round - an easy game vs Tigers, North or WCE at Norwood or Barossa. Get the 4 points and get the hell out of Adelaide.

Let's have some fun analysing and predicting what 2025 might look like - I need some optimism!

 

[MaxiBont]

Melbourne Demons R1 loss by 40-50 points

 

[CarnTheScray]

The question is will we revert to the Sunday slot now that the Hawks are good again.

 

[grassman75]

The question is will we revert to the Sunday slot now that the Hawks are good again.

I don’t think so, we were ranked 1 & 2 for scoring and defence, with a high %.

That usually translates to good for tv games

We should be in QLD twice playing both teams unless we cop GC in Alice Springs or Darwin again

The fact of the matter is if the fixture was fair, this would be the first year in quite a while that Coll, Ess and Cal should play each other twice legitimally.

Would love us to get Geel at Ballarat for the lolz

 

[Libbaaaa]

The question is will we revert to the Sunday slot now that the Hawks are good again.

We had more than enough prime time exposure this past season coming off a missed 2023 finals campaign. We’ll be fine.

Sunday slot reserved for North, Tiges and Eagles home games.

 

[BallaratBulldog]

I like early Sunday and Saturday.

 

[Struggle]

If it doesn't clash with the Easter Monday I wouldn't be surprised for us to get Hawks in the first week after that crowd

 

[Snarls Barkley]

Are they doing the round zero nonsense again this year?

Remember them trying to call it a success while it was happening while 80% of fans didn’t like it

 

[Libbaaaa]

We won’t play round zero which is good, as long as the structure of the byes is fixed. Expect two visits to QLD after none for two years.

 

[CarnTheScray]

If it doesn't clash with the Easter Monday I wouldn't be surprised for us to get Hawks in the first week after that crowd

So the sequel to Melbourne Rd1.

 

[Dog 36]

Are they doing the round zero nonsense again this year?

Remember them trying to call it a success while it was happening while 80% of fans didn’t like it

It is nonsense therefore definitely will be happening again

 

[ossie_21]

From the middle 6 with a max of 3 double ups, I will basically guarantee they will be against Carlton, Collingwood & Freo - eg, the hardest of all 3.

Carlton will get us, Essendon & Saints, as it’s surely not a coincidence both teams finished 9th in consecutive years but draws for that year were ranked as easiest for the Blues and the hardest for us.

 

[WAbulldog]

I can definitely say that will only get two games at the G and playing Geelong in Geelong.

 

[hutchy31]

Guesswork obviously, but I’d wager that they’ll still want us to play Melbourne twice and GWS twice. They’ll also look at the final attendance this week and maybe give us two vs hawks. If they then give us three double ups vs the middle six that’ll be a brutal draw.

The one thing you can guarantee is that we’ll be playing Geelong at their dung heap again.

 

[Doggy]

Guesswork obviously, but I’d wager that they’ll still want us to play Melbourne twice and GWS twice. They’ll also look at the final attendance this week and maybe give us two vs hawks. If they then give us three double ups vs the middle six that’ll be a brutal draw.

The one thing you can guarantee is that we’ll be playing Geelong at their dung heap again.

Geelong will be twice because of Smith

 

[cleveland]

More mcg games please

 

[LondonBulldog]

Our draw will be the same as it always is. There are sides we place twice most years and sides we only play once. It’s an AI generated computer it doesn’t change much. Every wondered why we place Essendon, Carlton and St Kilda once 90% of the time yet play Geelong twice 80% of the time


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[threenewpadlocks]

I can definitely say that will only get two games at the G and playing Geelong in Geelong.

And against Collingwood, Essendon, Hawthorn, Carlton and Richmond, we will only get to play at most one of these five teams more than once, preventing us on practicing playing at a packed stadium in Melbourne with tens of thousands of rabid opposition supporters (irrespective of stadiums), while these teams get that practice in big MCG fixtures against each other.

Since the 18 teams entered the league in 2012, that's 12 years excluding 2020, we've played all five teams twice in a season exactly twice, so for 10 total occasions.

So that's 62 double up games in total with 5 out of 17 teams (27% of the teams) contributing to 10 out of 62 opportunities to play a team twice in the season (16.1% of all games).

Furthemore, given that there's a guarantee of two Showdown, Derby etc. games per season it should mean that we're actually proportionally more likely to have played these teams twice - we basically should have played these teams an additional 18 times instead of 10 over the last 12 years. I'm not going to do the maths but suffice to say it isn't due to chance.

That's largely the issue when we come up against a 90,000 crowd against one of these four teams in a final at the MCG, we're simply not used to it, because our club has effectively been robbed of a big, MCG away games against any of those five clubs, to ensure that they play each other twice in a year.

Should also mention we were only scheduled to play one of those five teams twice in 2020 pre-COVID too. (so 11/67)

 

[Libbaaaa]

Bring on Blues, Pies, Hawks, Dees and Tigers double ups, maximises our chances to play at the G. Knowing our luck we’ll get the Blues as a home game during gather round, Pies only at Marvel, Hawks away in Launy etc…

 

[Mr Tassie]

It will be interesting to see the roster for North's games in Hobart,hopefully will see a couple of pretty big Melbourne Derby's that will actually pull a crowd.

 

[flamethrower]

I just hope we get to play at the MCG against some big clubs like Collingwood to give our young players experience in front of a 60K plus crowd if we are expected to play home finals there. Playing Collingwood home games against the Bulldogs at Docklands is a farce and a disgrace.

 

[Iamspock]

Going by all of your posts, even just speculating, it just shows how corrupt the AFL is, because you are basing your opinions on what happens every year..

 

[cleveland]

Mcg games

 

[Palace03]

Is the 6-6-6 fixture based off H&A or post finals? Makes a difference for us as were 6th post H&A and 7th post finals. Likely answer I'm guessing is the AFL make it up year to year to best manipulate Coll, Carl, Ess etc getting double ups.

Probably more of the same for us. Think we will play Geelong at Marvel early in primetime because of the Smith trade and then no doubt play them away later in the year.

2 MCG games again, perhaps away to Hawks given the Elim final success. The other probably a rubbish away game v Richmond. The heat has gone out of the Melbourne rivalry a little bit and it's be just our luck to loose that R1 against them as they decend into shitness again.

2 trips to QLD as we haven't been there for a while.

North in Hobart instead of Hawks in Lonny.

Freo twice no doubt and anyone bar Port or Adelaide in gather round. If they are going to keep it in SA then everyone else needs to be cycled through before we cop Crows or Port again.

 

[grassman75]

Is the 6-6-6 fixture based off H&A or post finals? Makes a difference for us as were 6th post H&A and 7th post finals. Likely answer I'm guessing is the AFL make it up year to year to best manipulate Coll, Carl, Ess etc getting double ups.

Probably more of the same for us. Think we will play Geelong at Marvel early in primetime because of the Smith trade and then no doubt play them away later in the year.

2 MCG games again, perhaps away to Hawks given the Elim final success. The other probably a rubbish away game v Richmond. The heat has gone out of the Melbourne rivalry a little bit and it's be just our luck to loose that R1 against them as they decend into shitness again.

2 trips to QLD as we haven't been there for a while.

North in Hobart instead of Hawks in Lonny.

Freo twice no doubt and anyone bar Port or Adelaide in gather round. If they are going to keep it in SA then everyone else needs to be cycled through before we cop Crows or Port again.

I’d love to play Geel at Ballarat….give them a taste of their own medicine….with only tickets for Dogs members

Only had 1 Perth trip this year and 3 Adelaide, guessing that flips next season and away twice to WA & QLD (finally)

Perhaps only gather round and one other Adel game - just watch us cop the Crows as our gather round match up