Bulldog rick
Keep them doggies rollin, rawhide
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Surely it would be against the Bombers the team we beat in the championship of Victoria before being admitted to the VFL.
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AFLW 2024 - Round 9 - Indigenous Round - Chat, game threads, injury lists, team lineups and more.
Fixture 2025 Fixture Discussion
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Surely it would be against the Bombers the team we beat in the championship of Victoria before being admitted to the VFL.
Libbaaaa
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Got 50k v. the Bombers this year, makes sense.
Dog 36
Norm Smith Medallist
Do the Bummers even qualify as a powerhouse Victorian club?
You forgot the feel good story rookie who plays the first 3 or 4 games ahead of senior players.
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Carlton want out of Opening Round, possible Lions-Cats season opener revealed
Carlton have told the AFL they want to give Opening Round a miss in a fixture twist. Plus JAY CLARK has more on the possible season opener and early Victorian blockbuster clash in the works.
Carlton wants to give the AFL’s blockbuster Opening Round a miss next season to avoid a road-heavy schedule in the early part of next year.
The Blues have told the league they would prefer to start their 2025 campaign in the traditional season-opener against Richmond on Thursday, March 13 at the MCG.
And Western Bulldogs are eying a blockbuster early-season game, potentially against Collingwood at the MCG, to help ramp up their 100th-year anniversary celebrations.
WHAT WE KNOW
Opening Round
March 6-8 (New South Wales and Queensland)
Round 1
March 13-16 (Plus F1 Grand Prix at Albert Park)
Richmond v Carlton MCG March 13
Hawthorn v Essendon MCG TBC
Round 5
April 10-13 (Gather Round in South Australia)
Round 6
April 17-21 (Easter weekend)
Brisbane Lions v Collingwood Gabba April 17
North Melbourne v Carlton Marvel Stadium April 18
Round 7
April 24 - 27 (ANZAC Round)
Melbourne v Richmond MCG April 24
Collingwood v Essendon MCG April 25
The Blues are already slated to play away games in Round 1 (Richmond), Round 5 (Gather Round) and Round 6 for Good Friday (North Melbourne) and want to steer clear of another trip away to New South Wales or Queensland for the Opening Round on March 6-8.
The AFL wants to start the season up north again next year on March 6-8 after a successful Opening Round last year, selling out all four games.
But the fixture twist means the AFL will look to replace Carlton with another Victorian club such as Geelong for the first round of the 2025 season.
Cats’ coach Chris Scott last year said the Opening Round was a “compromise” for the AFL and its clubs as it allowed the eight teams which participated in it a second in-season bye.
The details will be confirmed when the AFL officially releases its fixture in the second week of November.
Collingwood is also open to being included again in Opening Round after missing finals last year gave the club a longer lead-in to the March 6-8 kick-off.
The Tigers could also be replaced for the Opening Round following the departure of four stars - Daniel Rioli, Shai Bolton, Liam Baker, Jack Graham – plus the retirement of champion Dustin Martin.
The Cats are a chance to take on Brisbane Lions at the Gabba in the first game of the 2025 season when the Lions will unfurl their premiership flag, although it remains unconfirmed as the AFL thrash out the final fixture details over the next fortnight.
It could also be a first look in the regular season at Geelong’s newest superstar recruit, Bailey Smith.
The Bulldogs were overlooked for a marquee fixture last season one year after the club was dumped from the stand-alone Good Friday slot in favour of Carlton.
But the Dogs have asked the league to schedule a high-drawing blockbuster clash against a powerhouse Victorian side such as the Magpies, Blues or Hawthorn in the early part of next season to celebrate the club’s 100th AFL season.
The Magpies loom as the ideal fit in a one-off home ground clash on a Thursday or Friday night at the MCG, or at the Dogs’ home ground Marvel Stadium.
A clash at the MCG against the Magpies would draw a crowd in excess of 70,000-plus fans.
St Kilda has enjoyed an early-season blockbuster against Collingwood in recent years, including its 150th anniversary match in 2023, but that match is on shaky ground for 2025.
Hawthorn is expected to host traditional rival Essendon in Round 1 next year 40 years on from the Bombers’ win over the Hawks in the 1985 Grand Final.
Carlton wants to increase the number of games it plays at the MCG from five to six next season.
Carlton want out of Opening Round, possible Lions-Cats season opener revealed
Carlton have told the AFL they want to give Opening Round a miss in a fixture twist. Plus JAY CLARK has more on the possible season opener and early Victorian blockbuster clash in the works.
Carlton wants to give the AFL’s blockbuster Opening Round a miss next season to avoid a road-heavy schedule in the early part of next year.
The Blues have told the league they would prefer to start their 2025 campaign in the traditional season-opener against Richmond on Thursday, March 13 at the MCG.
And Western Bulldogs are eying a blockbuster early-season game, potentially against Collingwood at the MCG, to help ramp up their 100th-year anniversary celebrations.
WHAT WE KNOW
Opening Round
March 6-8 (New South Wales and Queensland)
Round 1
March 13-16 (Plus F1 Grand Prix at Albert Park)
Richmond v Carlton MCG March 13
Hawthorn v Essendon MCG TBC
Round 5
April 10-13 (Gather Round in South Australia)
Round 6
April 17-21 (Easter weekend)
Brisbane Lions v Collingwood Gabba April 17
North Melbourne v Carlton Marvel Stadium April 18
Round 7
April 24 - 27 (ANZAC Round)
Melbourne v Richmond MCG April 24
Collingwood v Essendon MCG April 25
The Blues are already slated to play away games in Round 1 (Richmond), Round 5 (Gather Round) and Round 6 for Good Friday (North Melbourne) and want to steer clear of another trip away to New South Wales or Queensland for the Opening Round on March 6-8.
The AFL wants to start the season up north again next year on March 6-8 after a successful Opening Round last year, selling out all four games.
But the fixture twist means the AFL will look to replace Carlton with another Victorian club such as Geelong for the first round of the 2025 season.
Cats’ coach Chris Scott last year said the Opening Round was a “compromise” for the AFL and its clubs as it allowed the eight teams which participated in it a second in-season bye.
The details will be confirmed when the AFL officially releases its fixture in the second week of November.
Collingwood is also open to being included again in Opening Round after missing finals last year gave the club a longer lead-in to the March 6-8 kick-off.
The Tigers could also be replaced for the Opening Round following the departure of four stars - Daniel Rioli, Shai Bolton, Liam Baker, Jack Graham – plus the retirement of champion Dustin Martin.
The Cats are a chance to take on Brisbane Lions at the Gabba in the first game of the 2025 season when the Lions will unfurl their premiership flag, although it remains unconfirmed as the AFL thrash out the final fixture details over the next fortnight.
It could also be a first look in the regular season at Geelong’s newest superstar recruit, Bailey Smith.
The Bulldogs were overlooked for a marquee fixture last season one year after the club was dumped from the stand-alone Good Friday slot in favour of Carlton.
But the Dogs have asked the league to schedule a high-drawing blockbuster clash against a powerhouse Victorian side such as the Magpies, Blues or Hawthorn in the early part of next season to celebrate the club’s 100th AFL season.
The Magpies loom as the ideal fit in a one-off home ground clash on a Thursday or Friday night at the MCG, or at the Dogs’ home ground Marvel Stadium.
A clash at the MCG against the Magpies would draw a crowd in excess of 70,000-plus fans.
St Kilda has enjoyed an early-season blockbuster against Collingwood in recent years, including its 150th anniversary match in 2023, but that match is on shaky ground for 2025.
Hawthorn is expected to host traditional rival Essendon in Round 1 next year 40 years on from the Bombers’ win over the Hawks in the 1985 Grand Final.
Carlton wants to increase the number of games it plays at the MCG from five to six next season.
"The Blues are already slated to play away games in Round 1 (Richmond), Round 5 (Gather Round) and Round 6 for Good Friday (North Melbourne) and want to steer clear of another trip away"
Two of those games are still going to be played in Melbourne FFS.
Perfect chance to ask for a home game at the MCG, drop Ballarat down to 1 game and have a blockbuster at the MCG this year.
Ballarat ain't dropping to two games, it'd be one less game at Marvel if we played a home game at the MCG.
Or because there is now an odd amount of games in the season, maybe it flips an away game to a home game, we'd have 12 home and 11 away.
threenewpadlocks
Brownlow Medallist
One of the games that makes it odd is for Gather Round?
ossie_21
Premium Platinum
It’s great to see the AFL going ahead with “opening round” again, as it’s something that nobody ****ing wants or liked.
Dillon & Kane both need to **** right off.
Dillon & Kane both need to **** right off.
Thunderoad
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With North selling home games to WA clubs, I can't see the club reducing its commitment to Ballarat.
It was a smart move to go there and its smart to continue it.
There is an odd number of games but that's due to 1 being entirely neutral (Gather Round, unless we get stuck with a SA side again). We're not getting an extra home game.
Last year Collingwood 'hosted' us at Marvel. Maybe this happens again, and we host them at the MCG, so we effectively just swap 'home game' allocation. Probably fairest for all involved.
And the one you have to travel for will most likely be against another travelling team unless of course you get one of the Adelaide teams. Comical argument from them. In reality they want an easy kill Vs Richmond in round 1 (which I don't blame them for as all clubs should want what is best for them) and then a cushy start to the season.
threenewpadlocks
Brownlow Medallist
No different than Geelong demanding 10 home games a year in Geelong but not giving up Easter Monday.
It's either they want to dictate who, when and where they play one of their away games, or that, they want 10 games in Geelong except for the one fixture that they know they're guaranteed to get a marquee slot with clear air and a big crowd that other teams would also want to play in that slot. Both ways.
Libbaaaa
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Play them in Ballarat.
Gather round and Opening Round additions. OR and rounds 1-24. So essentially 25 rounds with two byes.
If we are the away team for Gather Round, fixture wise that would just be the equivalent of an away game, so could allow us to play 12 home games and 11 away games still.
threenewpadlocks
Brownlow Medallist
Huh? Opening round is just four games in the northern states with those eight teams having byes between rounds 2-6 - identical to this year. We're almost certainly not playing in that round, as was the case this year.
The opening round games are part of the standard 11 home games that those four teams get, and the 11 away games that the travelling teams get.
Our second "bye" is before we even play a single game, the opening round, as was the case this year.
Whether we're home or away for Gather round, it's irrelevant - us (and 15 other teams) are all travelling to Adelaide either way, and unless we play Adelaide or Port (which we did in 2023), we'll play another travelling team, meaning that it's a neutral venue game - neither home and away.
The remaining 22 games will be 11 home, 11 away, again, like this year.
Where are you getting anything else from?
I totally disagree but it's been argued to death on here. We need to move out of small club mentality and ditch Ballarat as soon as possible. You not going to attract quality players unless you give them the exposure of big marque games. Plus, home games at the G with massive crowds would make as much as Ballarat anyway. Also the biggest game of the year is played there. The dimension are substantially different to Marvel, we need minimum 4 games there a year. 2 home and 2 away. Market those games at the "G" as our biggest for the year.
Ever asked why powerhouse clubs don't play in an 11k stadium in Ballarat. The club need to think bigger not smaller.
Don't get me wrong, I've been to Ballarat multiple times and have enjoyed the atmosphere, its good yet for me it's not the direction the club should be heading. Why would you play in a stadium that doesn't accommodate all your fans who would go if at Marvel or MCG? Play the Ballarat games at Marvel and transfer 2 big games to the MCG. Give them a preseason game and that's it. If they love the Dogs, it's an hour and 15 on the train. I do it every week.
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Ok fair point. Instead of comparing home and away, I am meaning home (Vic) and away (interstate). Understood the confusion. My bad.
threenewpadlocks
Brownlow Medallist
I don't necessarily disagree with the intention, but picture this:
"Hey AFL, instead of 9 home games at Docklands and 2 at of Ballarat, can we please have 9 home games at Docklands two 2 home games at the MCG".
"No".
"Okay, so I suppose we have to play our 11 home games at Docklands".
We then write a cheque (or at least don't get a million dollar sponsorship and smooth government investment into our facilities) when 20,000 people flat rock up to our home game vs. Gold Coast.
St Kilda took a home game to the MCG but still played four Docklands home games against interstate teams, four of which had crowds of less than 20,000, three less than 19,000. Irrespective of whether that exceeds the breakeven point under AFL ownership, even if it does, it wouldn't by much, meaning that St Kilda would be in a far less precarious financial position if they sold one of those home games, as they previously had to Wellington and Shanghai. Cost aside, at least our fans don't have to jump on a plane to watch all of our home games.
threenewpadlocks
Brownlow Medallist
No worries, but away implies the opposite for the other team, home, ie they enjoy a home ground advantage.
While I get we have to travel and that's an additional week of interstate travel, there's no disadvantage in doing so, because all teams (except Adelaide and Port) are doing the same so both the advantage of the game itself as well as the wider implications of additional travel on the season are evened out across all the teams.
FWIW, just as an aside, it's pretty funny when you hear complaints from Fremantle and West Coast fans about having to go to Tasmania, Alice Springs etc. to play games, complaining about the extra or unusual travel. Those fans completely ignore the fact that all of that is outweighed by the lack of home ground advantage their opponents have - when you play North in Hobart, they have fewer and less passionate fans, meaning the umpires and players are less influenced. When Melbourne play in Alice Springs, they have no home ground advantage that they would have had at the MCG. That gets lost on the Western Australian fans who love to complain about what's supposedly unfair about their fixture, which it isn't, for those reasons.
Thunderoad
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Ballarat isn't 'small club mentality', it's a club acknowledging that it needs to do things differently to compete.
The worst thing the club could do is pretend that it's a Calrton or a Collingwood and conduct itself accordingly.
We'd be insolvent in no time.
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