Fixture 2025 Fixture Discussion

[Section 5]

I think the same could be said of the AFL with them thinking they too are in a war with with the NRL; I mean they've concocted this BS Round Zero garbage in the northern markets such is their paranoia that they're now commencing the season in the first weekend of March effectively 3-4 weeks earlier than ever before in order to combat the NRL because in their small minds they feel so threatened. And like all CEO's and new administrations at the AFL, they each try to come up with things and this is Dillon and Kane's juvenile attempt, so both codes are as bad as each other it seems.

The AFL are defiantly trying to get a foothold in SEQ and Sydney. Been happening for a very long time.
I would not call it a war as such.
I also don't think OR is a good concept.
The AFL are patting themselves on the back but that one off set of games opening the season is too disruptive.
The AFL don't like to admit when they mess up so i expect it to continue for 2026 then hopefully gets dropped.

However, i disagree about starting the season early in SEQ.
For a long time i wanted the season to start at the same time as the NRL or one week later
AFL for far too long have given NRL a free hit media wise early in the season.
It is hard to get traction in a NRL dominate state without giving people an alternative early in the season.
Until recent years often it was R3 of the NRL before the Lions got any media time for their first-round game.

 

[Perrip]

Super Saturday will see delayed Saturday games on FTA + live on Fox/Kayo until Round 10 in Qld.

According to Fox Footy

 

[Section 5]

Super Saturday will see delayed Saturday games on FTA + live on Fox/Kayo until Round 10 in Qld.

According to Fox Footy

An extra 2 week than previously mentioned.
We don't have any Saturday games in R9 & 10 so i still only need Kayo for 2 months.

 

[Grasshopper17]

No doubt the NRL win the rating war but will be interesting to see the city figures.
Also win the attendance easily at this early stage of the season.
Not great for fans that try to attend both clubs' games.

Just have to allow a little more time getting to the game.
Going home should not be a big problem as the Broncos finish before us.
NRL runs to about 90-100 minutes. AFL about 150 minutes
Lions fans will just have the usual issues after the game.

The Broncos' game is in Sydney.

 

[Grasshopper17]

The NRL leadership are deluded and think that they in a war with the AFL. Seems to me that disappointing people in SE Qld who like both codes is not a great way to treat that segment of your customers.

Bad news for them is that the GABBA will be a sell out with thousands of disappointed people at not being able to attend not matter what the NRL do.

I think there's a massive misunderstanding of the Queensland sporting culture by both the AFL and NRL. Well, certainly the Brisbane sporting culture.

Code wars absolutely are a thing in Sydney. If you like rugby league you hate AFL and vice versa. I was an absolute black sheep in that regard when I lived there, in that I was equally happy going to either code.

But up here, people happily follow either or both. So much so that you may recall the government put on buses from the Gabba to Lang Park for the two Prelim Finals in 2023, given they were both scheduled only a couple of hours apart and overlapped.

It seems to me that the AFL and NRL simply assume that the prevailing vibe in Sydney must be the same as up here, which in my experience could barely be further from the truth.

 

[Big Sauce 21]

I'll happily watch both. What I see with the NRL though is amateur. Consistently late kick offs is mind boggling. They don't run to a schedule.

 

[martinson]

I think there's a massive misunderstanding of the Queensland sporting culture by both the AFL and NRL. Well, certainly the Brisbane sporting culture.

Code wars absolutely are a thing in Sydney. If you like rugby league you hate AFL and vice versa. I was an absolute black sheep in that regard when I lived there, in that I was equally happy going to either code.

But up here, people happily follow either or both. So much so that you may recall the government put on buses from the Gabba to Lang Park for the two Prelim Finals in 2023, given they were both scheduled only a couple of hours apart and overlapped.

It seems to me that the AFL and NRL simply assume that the prevailing vibe in Sydney must be the same as up here, which in my experience could barely be further from the truth.

In my experience in Queensland there's no question it's a rugby state and as far a I can tell that's unlikely to change any time soon. But there's no animosity or derision to anyone who supports or is involved in AFL. Quite the contrary it's a live and let live mindset amongst the fans.

So it's unedifying to see the head honchos of either code going to war on coverage and publicity which is more about inflating their own egos and legacies than doing anything of any overall good for the supporters and those who participate.

It's hasn't remotely occurred to them that you could grow the pie for both with cooperation.

 

[Grasshopper17]

In my experience in Queensland there's no question it's a rugby state and as far a I can tell that's unlikely to change any time soon. But there's no animosity or derision to anyone who supports or is involved in AFL. Quite the contrary it's a live and let live mindset amongst the fans.

So it's unedifying to see the head honchos of either code going to war on coverage and publicity which is more about inflating their own egos and legacies than doing anything of any overall good for the supporters and those who participate.

It's hasn't remotely occurred to them that you could grow the pie for both with cooperation.

The example I like to use is Croatia making the soccer World Cup Final in 2018 with a population of 4 million. There is plenty of room for all our major sports to coexist in this country.

 

[M Malice]

The example I like to use is Croatia making the soccer World Cup Final in 2018 with a population of 4 million. There is plenty of room for all our major sports to coexist in this country.

The AFL has the 4th biggest average crowd attendance to a national sporting league on the planet, only behind the NFL, EPL and Bundesliga... damn good effort by us fans.

 

[mikey127]

I think there's a massive misunderstanding of the Queensland sporting culture by both the AFL and NRL. Well, certainly the Brisbane sporting culture.

Code wars absolutely are a thing in Sydney. If you like rugby league you hate AFL and vice versa. I was an absolute black sheep in that regard when I lived there, in that I was equally happy going to either code.

But up here, people happily follow either or both. So much so that you may recall the government put on buses from the Gabba to Lang Park for the two Prelim Finals in 2023, given they were both scheduled only a couple of hours apart and overlapped.

It seems to me that the AFL and NRL simply assume that the prevailing vibe in Sydney must be the same as up here, which in my experience could barely be further from the truth.

Brisbane pretty much have one team in each code (yes I know there are the Dolphins but not sure they have a big supporter base outside the Redcliffe area. I know people that support Lions, Broncos, Reds, Roar and Bullets keenly.

I'm in Melbourne and whilst AFL is King Storm do really well and are the biggest sporting club in Melbourne outside AFL. When there is say a Saturday afternoon game at the MCG and Storm playing Saturday night at AAMI Park you see plenty of people with both colours on doing the double.

 

[BrainOfMorbius]

The Age: ‘Choice is a great thing’: Hudson and Whateley to call Friday night football on Fox

Fox Footy – available on Kayo and Foxtel – will not only have specialist call teams for each game, it will have exclusive rights to “Super Saturday” throughout the home-and-away season in Victoria, Tasmania and the Northern Territory. This means viewers in those parts of Australia will need a Foxtel or Kayo subscription to watch their teams play on Saturdays.

Fox Footy will also have exclusive rights to Saturday games in South Australia and Western Australia until round nine. Free-to-air viewers in those two states will have access to delayed telecast on Seven or 7mate until round nine. The same arrangement will be in place for NSW and Queensland until round 11.

 

[Grasshopper17]

Sunday 4 May double header confirmed.

Broncos at 4pm in Magic Round, Lions at 7pm.

On that basis I should be able to get to both. Winning!

And I'll absolutely need Monday off

 

[Perrip]

Sunday 4 May double header confirmed.

Good way to spend a Sunday arvo/evening during a long weekend.

 

[KissKiss]

Brisbane pretty much have one team in each code (yes I know there are the Dolphins but not sure they have a big supporter base outside the Redcliffe area. I know people that support Lions, Broncos, Reds, Roar and Bullets keenly.

I'm in Melbourne and whilst AFL is King Storm do really well and are the biggest sporting club in Melbourne outside AFL. When there is say a Saturday afternoon game at the MCG and Storm playing Saturday night at AAMI Park you see plenty of people with both colours on doing the double.

Was going to say the same thing. Lot of people love going to both if the timing can work out. AFL is definitely the major event in Melbourne but the code war thing is over blown massively.

 

[Sproj]

Well I might just have to fly to Brisbane for that.

 

[mikey127]

Was going to say the same thing. Lot of people love going to both if the timing can work out. AFL is definitely the major event in Melbourne but the code war thing is over blown massively.

It's more people like V'Landys who make a big deal of it.

 

[Grasshopper17]

Thought this was really interesting in light of all the various timeslots we are scheduled for in 2025.

 

[Grasshopper17]

Early Squigglies are in for 2025. They have us (in absolute terms) losing 1 game for the season - in Geelong

This is how the (completely unrealistic) ladder looks in the event that every tip is correct:



Interesting to note that Hawthorn's only 2 predicted losses are both against us... including one in Melbourne

In relative terms, the 15.3 wins we are forecast to have would put us on the edges of the top 4 - about where we were this year. I think Mr Squiggle's projected ladder only takes into account those models that were in his top 10 last year, so I think that's why our wins add up to 14.7 there not 15.3.



Every year I say this and every year I fail... but I'll endeavour to keep track of how these change, firstly as opening round approaches and more models are added, and then week by week through the season.

 

[Perrip]

Early Squigglies are in for 2025. They have us (in absolute terms) losing 1 game for the season - in Geelong

This is how the (completely unrealistic) ladder looks in the event that every tip is correct:

Us winning the Minor Premiership? Yeah nah, that'll never happen lol

 

[dlanod]

Counterpoint: us losing a game? I can't see that as realistic.

 

[Elixuh]

Early Squigglies are in for 2025. They have us (in absolute terms) losing 1 game for the season - in Geelong

This is how the (completely unrealistic) ladder looks in the event that every tip is correct:

View attachment 2187118

Interesting to note that Hawthorn's only 2 predicted losses are both against us... including one in Melbourne

In relative terms, the 15.3 wins we are forecast to have would put us on the edges of the top 4 - about where we were this year. I think Mr Squiggle's projected ladder only takes into account those models that were in his top 10 last year, so I think that's why our wins add up to 14.7 there not 15.3.

View attachment 2187121

Every year I say this and every year I fail... but I'll endeavour to keep track of how these change, firstly as opening round approaches and more models are added, and then week by week through the season.

View attachment 2187112

Losing 1 game? That’s ridiculous.

 

[irel]

Never mind all this.
What Squigglies prediction for the important one? Will we win the McClelland Trophy?

 

[Bucking Beads]

First trip to the MCG planned for APRIL 5th next year. What am I looking at Price wise for a good seat? WHere are the good seats. Would love a good view of the footy but would also be keen to get amongst the lions fans.

 

[Grasshopper17]

First trip to the MCG planned for APRIL 5th next year. What am I looking at Price wise for a good seat? WHere are the good seats. Would love a good view of the footy but would also be keen to get amongst the lions fans.

Richmond's cheer squad will be at the Punt Road end so our cheer squad will be at the city end. It depends what you like... I always go for behind the goals above the cheer squad (Q33 or Q34). However there's a chance if the expected crowd isn't huge they won't even open up those bays so in that case it'll be Q3 or Q4 down the other end for me.

 

[Bucking Beads]

Richmond's cheer squad will be at the Punt Road end so our cheer squad will be at the city end. It depends what you like... I always go for behind the goals above the cheer squad (Q33 or Q34). However there's a chance if the expected crowd isn't huge they won't even open up those bays so in that case it'll be Q3 or Q4 down the other end for me.

Thanks for response. I just want the full MCG experience.