Fixture 2025 Fixture Discussion

[Dom PC]

It's a tough first two games, but funnily enough, at least for those first two games we will have had basically the same length of preseason as our opposition. If we can win one of the first two hopefully our boys will start to be up an running fitness wise.

Tbh without checking I feel like 2025's fixture is very slightly easier than what 2024 was...

 

[Section 5]

We will find out what the Hawks are made of this year.

They play the easy beats like everyone else, but they could have some tough double ups

 

[M Malice]

https://www.foxsports.com.au/afl/af...s/news-story/570d1593148906f8d4a4f8d9ac4b74c9

Analysis

Understandably, Brisbane has the toughest fixture based on the 2024 percentage of the teams it plays twice. The Lions double-up against three top-six sides from last season — Sydney, Geelong and the Western Bulldogs — two middle-six teams, and just one bottom-six side: Gold Coast. The Suns are expected to be risers next year too, meaning there’s minimal margin for error for the reigning premiers. The Lions do get two nine-day breaks throughout the first 15 rounds, but that is cancelled out by a pair of five-day spells. It is a difficult fixture — by design — but it isn’t anything this battle-hardened Chris Fagan-led brigade can’t handle.

Fixture difficulty (based on double-ups): Hardest

 

[Grasshopper17]

Three games at the MCG - Richmond, Hawks, Pies. Two games at Marvel and then the trip down to pork barrel park.

The hungry don't get fed ay. We finally figure out how to play at the MCG, and THEN we get 3 regular season games there.

 

[BrainOfMorbius]

7+ advertising all their games are live.
If true not a problem for the majority of people really.
Unless they are not the broadcaster at all on a Saturday which would be just wrong.
They did pay a fortune for this new media agreement

Bingo.

Foxtel/Kayo has exclusive live rights to all games played on Saturdays, with a very few exceptions, R1-8 nationally and up to R16 (I think) in Victoria. There won't be any FTA footy on Saturdays in Victoria during those rounds. Between R1 and R8 the only games on FTA in Brisbane will be Lions and Suns games, which will all be delayed by up to 2 hours.

 

[dtm06]

Foxtel/Kayo has exclusive live rights to all games played on Saturdays, with a very few exceptions, R1-8 nationally and up to R16 (I think) in Victoria.

It's all H/A season long now apparently for Vic.

That includes Fox Footy being the only avenue around the country to watch all Saturday games live over the first eight rounds. For Victorian audiences, that extends across the entire home and away season.

Link

 

[Grasshopper17]

What is with Geelong getting piss easy draws in relation to their prior finishing position most years? Kissed on the d***.

I've used my secret herbs and spices model to calculate the toughest/easiest fixtures, based on who each team has as their double ups. The numbers are the average rating of all the teams each team plays twice.

As an example, our double ups are Geelong (113.14), Sydney (126.97), Western Bulldogs (125.47), Collingwood (105.6), Gold Coast (88.59) and Hawthorn (114.88). So the average rating of our opposition is 112.44, making our fixture the toughest in the AFL for 2025.

Bring it on.



St Kilda and North's fixtures both look surprisingly challenging, while Sydney, Carlton and Geelong have, as JasRulz63 so eloquently pointed out, have been kissed on the male appendage.

I've said it before, but Steve Hocking knows where all the bodies are buried.

 

[Grasshopper17]

Travelling for consecutive games after our early season bye

To me this is just about the perfect time to have consecutive travel. Neither of our consecutive "away games" should be too onerous on paper; one involves this year's wooden spooner and the other involves a trip down the M1.

So that is certainly favourable compared to what we've encountered in previous years, like 6 day breaks coming back from Perth (which we still might get to be fair), a 5 day break straight into a game in Canberra etc. This year both our 5 day breaks (so far) end with a home game, against a team travelling north on the back of a 6 day break.

Our opposition may be difficult, which is to be expected, but our scheduling etc I think is quite reasonable.

 

[Grasshopper17]

I think Freo will be a top side next year so glad we don’t get them twice.

IMO Geelong, hawks and Sydney could be anything. Remember hawks and Sydney had barely any injuries this season just gone.

It will be interesting to see if Sydney is able to buck the trend which will reach its 30th year in 2025, of no team winning a final the year after losing a Grand Final by more than 40 points.

 

[Grasshopper17]

I'm actually stoked with the fixture when usually I love complaining.

So bizarre having a "soft start" I usually feel pretty stitched up.

Geelong and Sydney both off equally short preseasons - in to eagles, bye, Richmond. Dogs tough then Pies, Saints, Suns, North, Dees - it's ridiculously easy on paper.

Those last 8 games are brutal but so be it.

It's funny... I don't see any easy games at the moment. All the good teams I expect to be good again and all the crap teams are gonna get good players in the draft. There will be plenty of surprises as there always are.

 

[Elixuh]

Overall I'm pretty gutted we couldn't play Richmond 23 times next season

 

[Grasshopper17]

The timeslots aren't ideal - lots of sunday games and only 2 Fridays?

3 Thursday night (all at home)
2 Friday night (both away)
2 Saturday early (1 at home, 1 away)
4 Saturday twilight (all away)
1 Sunday early (home)
1 Sunday arvo (home)
1 Sunday twilight (away)
1 Sunday night (home)

Looks like we are gonna be kings of the Saturday twilight timeslot, along with Port and Richmond who also have 4. Which I actually quite like... hopefully I'll be able to get in and out of Melbourne on the same day!

 

[Grasshopper17]

Overall I'm pretty gutted we couldn't play Richmond 23 times next season

Ah but then we wouldn't be hardened come September. Look at Richmond in 2018. Barely challenged until they ran into Mason Cox in a Preliminary Final.

 

[Grasshopper17]

We've potentially got the hardest draw ever for a premiership winner. We might well be the first or second team ever to get double ups against two teams that finished above them on the ladder.

Ha, interesting!

Looks like the Dogs in 2017 got Sydney, GWS and West Coast twice, all of whom finished above them on the ladder in 2016.

 

[Grasshopper17]

Has there been an announcement if there will be a pre finals bye again?

There were some rumblings of it changing to pre GF.

In principle I think it should definitely be pre GF.

Mind you I think having it when it was this year was absolutely to our advantage!

It would be good to know before too long, as this will probably have an impact on how teams approach their conditioning throughout the season.

 

[Grasshopper17]

I was reading Peter Ryan's analysis piece on the draw in fairfax and he seemed to imply that the saturday exclusivity for fox was just for Victoria? Hadn't seen that anywhere else so not sure if it is true.

I imagine the WA and SA teams will still have their own state's teams shown live on FTA, regardless of who is the host broadcaster back to Victoria.

Not sure of the arrangements in QLD and NSW.

Do you have a link to his article?

 

[Saucery]

What is with Geelong getting piss easy draws in relation to their prior finishing position most years? Kissed on the d***.

Melbourne getting the second easiest draw is to give their fans a reason to buy a membership this year and Carlton getting the third is about trying to give them a good run at top two for extra finals $$ when they crash out in straight sets. And as for Geelong well, the state government made a deal with the club long ago that they would get easy AFL draws to make up for people having to actually live there.

 

[Grasshopper17]

Where the fook is Ninja Stadium?

Bellerive Oval.

 

[dlanod]

Ha, interesting!

Looks like the Dogs in 2017 got Sydney, GWS and West Coast twice, all of whom finished above them on the ladder in 2016.

I figured they were a safe-ish bet to at least tie, but I suspect one of the teams who've won from 3rd recently might also equal us.

 

[Squizz89]

First half of the season certainly seems, on paper at least, the easier half of the draw. You’d want to hope we’ve learnt from the start this year and start a bit better and not have to be chasing our tail in the second half of the year.

Given we won it this year the motivation to lift off the canvas again may not be as strong if we start poorly again.

 

[BrainOfMorbius]

I imagine the WA and SA teams will still have their own state's teams shown live on FTA, regardless of who is the host broadcaster back to Victoria.

Not sure of the arrangements in QLD and NSW.

Do you have a link to his article?

There are a few links in the thread if you go back. All games on Saturdays will be exclusively live on Foxtel/Kayo nationally between R1 and 8. Non-Vic teams will have their games shown on FTA in local markets with up to 2 hours delay

 

[Lace Out]

Don’t mind the 4 games against Hawks and Pies.Fagan will be telling them that we were unable to beat them in our flag season and need to assert..Loves to tick boxes does Fages.

 

[mikey127]

Chance to end our loosing streaks at Geelong and V Richmond at the G.

 

[mikey127]

Just had a look no non-Vic team got 6 games in Melbourne

 

[Elixuh]

If you were a betting person then you’d be loading up on Curnow for the Coleman. Will kick 30 or so in the 4 Richmond/wce games.