Fixture 2025 fixture

[giantroo]

The 2025 Fixture

 

[shimaburnsgrieg]

A reasonable fixture overall for us imo - lots of pros and cons that have been well covered but overall - not too bad.

The critical early game - like this year - will be round 2 at Marvel - v Melbourne.

This years Round 2 game against Freo was marked down as our only real chance of an early win and we showed a bit early in that game before collapsing in a heap and then going from bad to worse over the first half of the season.

The 2025 Round 2 game v Melbourne is again our best (and probably only realistic) chance of an early win in the first 4 rounds.

Yes we will need to take it '1 week at a time'.....but the Melbourne Round 2 home game shapes up as an early real test as to whether we have improved or not.

 

[The Nostradamus]

A reasonable fixture overall for us imo - lots of pros and cons that have been well covered but overall - not too bad.

The critical early game - like this year - will be round 2 at Marvel - v Melbourne.

This years Round 2 game against Freo was marked down as our only real chance of an early win and we showed a bit early in that game before collapsing in a heap and then going from bad to worse over the first half of the season.

The 2025 Round 2 game v Melbourne is again our best (and probably only realistic) chance of an early win in the first 4 rounds.

Yes we will need to take it '1 week at a time'.....but the Melbourne Round 2 home game shapes up as an early real test as to whether we have improved or not.

round 1 is also usually a bit of a crapshoot and that could springboard our season

 

[The Nostradamus]

It is actually hilarious when you step back and look at the fixture.

North have the worst 5 year run of any team in living memory and are rewarded with a fixture that is considered top 8 for difficulty.

Richmond finish last once, and the AFL panic and throw them the softest draw by far.

and then people wonder why us fans complain often

 

[Its a Process]

I’m a big fan of stats to help form opinion in all walks of life but I reckon the perceived easiness or toughness of a future fixture is the one I give least weight to.

Pies win flag in 2023, miss finals in 2024. Hawks finish bottom 3 and finish top 6 year after.

I look at total travels (focus on longer trips) and that’s about it when assessing the fixture. We have to start pushing and ultimately beating sides like the Dees, Dogs and Crows.

 

[Heaps of fun]

Bring on the tough games. In hot water eggs harden and potatoes soften ... Are we eggs or spuds?

 

[Better Loosen Up]

Based on this fixture, I have us finishing 17th or 18th again.

How we get the 8th hardest draw is mind boggling.

 

[rooboy335]

Based on this fixture, I have us finishing 17th or 18th again.

How we get the 8th hardest draw is mind boggling.

I wouldn't worry too much about fixture difficulty at this point of time. Things change, teams rise and fall unexpectedly throughout the course of a season, and the initial difficulty doesn't always match the actual difficulty after the season has finished.

I mean just look at these articles regarding last season:

Who has the toughest draw? We break down your club's fixture

Whose fixture was hardest? Power capitalise, Crows dealt brutal run

Which teams ended up with the hardest and easiest draws in 2024?

www.afl.com.au

Using just us as an example, at the beginning of the season we were rated to have the easiest or 18th hardest fixture. We all knew that was bull$hit by the end of the season, as it was judged that we had the actual 8th hardest fixture....

Let's hope that is flipped the other way around in 2025.

 

[Gasometer]

So where do we have the 50th 1975 Reunion game?

 

[Better Loosen Up]

I wouldn't worry too much about fixture difficulty at this point of time. Things change, teams rise and fall unexpectedly throughout the course of a season, and the initial difficulty doesn't always match the actual difficulty after the season has finished.

I mean just look at these articles regarding last season:

Who has the toughest draw? We break down your club's fixture

Whose fixture was hardest? Power capitalise, Crows dealt brutal run

Which teams ended up with the hardest and easiest draws in 2024?

www.afl.com.au

Using just us as an example, at the beginning of the season we were rated to have the easiest or 18th hardest fixture. We all knew that was bull$hit by the end of the season, as it was judged that we had the actual 8th hardest fixture....

Let's hope that is flipped the other way around in 2025.

At the start of last season, we played 3 of the 4 previous years Preliminary Finalists and we played Geelong at the cattery. Extremely difficult start which ended up completely derailing our season and voided us of any confidence we had over the pre-season. Fixture difficulty matters immensely!

 

[Hatchy1992]

Based on this fixture, I have us finishing 17th or 18th again.

How we get the 8th hardest draw is mind boggling.

I can actually see us grabbing a few wins in the first half of the season and surprising a few.
I think any of those games are winnable with the gradual improvement of our young talent along with the experience we've grabbed in the off season.

 

[Possession]

I would love to beat the Dogs in round one, they've come to feel like an impossible opponent and it's annoying me. Like, whenever and wherever I see them on the fixture I just imagine a belting.

 

[shintemaster]

Nice fixture - only issues I have is plays dawks in Tassie and mommies boy not in a Melb home game.
Will be even better the following year when we have 9 home games in Melb

Guaranteed we will be playing in Launceston most years as an away game. Bringing home games back as we are doing is the only way to minimise this stuff.

 

[shintemaster]

North Melbourne players will have to Google "MCG" for them to remember how to get there on the one occasion we get scheduled to play.
Three - including one against a team who don't normally play there.

Our first home game at Docklands will be against Freo, the Suns, GWS or some other low drawing opposition
Melbourne. Not a blockbuster, not a minnow.

All North Melbourne players can confidently make social arrangements for Thursday and Friday nights safe in the knowledge they won't be required to play football.
One away Thursday night. More than I thought

Death, taxes and North playing at Pork Barrel Park against the Cats every year.
Thank God

Jason Horne-Francis will never play against North Melbourne at Docklands. Lock in the Power at Adelaide Oval.
No surprise

A potential 30k+ crowd against the Hawks will be wasted by playing them in Hobart in front of family and friends.
UTas. What a waste

Gather Round at some poxy suburban ground or country paddock.
Barossa Valley

Free to air games will be Good Friday and...maybe one other.
Haven't worked this out. The Thursday night game against * will be the one other.

Noice.

My take.
MCG - Agree.
Docklands - Melbourne very close to a minnow there. They don't attend Docklands.
Thu / Fri - As expected. Not much except that Thursday. If we perform well some chance of getting some games in the tail end where it is up for the taking. (FWIW the floating fixture actually helps a team like us, broadcasters will bank on the bigger clubs if they have no choice from a year out - at least with this if we perform well and play entertaining games we might get more exposure that year).
Geelong - Surprised. We get them 9/10 years. Probably tough to squeeze us in given the huge travel burden already. Small win.
JHF - Yep, no surprise eithyer.
Tas / Hawks - Yep. Annoying and it will continue even after we're out of Tasmania I suspect most years.
Gather Round - Yep. Annoying.
FTA - Not much. Again, floating fixture arguably helps us a bit.

 

[shintemaster]

I'd imagine Watt used some prior contacts within the MCG executive sector to get more games there at a bare minimum.

When we start winning more games that relationship will only become more crucial.

I don't think they care if we win, they're probably happier for us to almost win.

 

[Samsquanch]

Just you and your "crutchy push" gang.

Sent from my SM-A908B using Tapatalk

Val and the Crunchy Push Gang.

New Album out now on KTel.

 

[Samsquanch]

In all honesty, when he does play us in Melbourne for the first time how hostile is it likely to be?

There will be a boo

Or two.

 

[shintemaster]

There will be a boo

Or two.

Should stamp ourselves on it - either dead silence or a hssssssssssss for snake.

 

[shinboner magic]

In all honesty, when he does play us in Melbourne for the first time how hostile is it likely to be?

The longer they wait , the better we’ll be and the more fans will be there to boo that little ****er

 

[zoomba23]

Based on this fixture, I have us finishing 17th or 18th again.

How we get the 8th hardest draw is mind boggling.

It's not the 8th hardest draw though, is it. Just off the top of my head, Melbourne are being held together by Gawn and some sticky tape, Carlton are mental m*dgets, I've got a feeling we beat Geelong in Melbourne.

So much chops and changes between one season and the next. People have already pointed out teams' fluctuating fortunes between now and the start of last year. And the fixture has never bothered teams with good systems and belief in place anyway. One of the most useless stats out there, is fixture difficulty

 

[Ball Dont Lie]

Outside of getting WC twice (which we can’t due to the new deal) I am just wondering who would be the alternative 5 teams we would have liked the double ups to be against? It’s a very even comp. Not sure it really matters who you play. If you are not on 100% you will lose. Alternatively if we are on 100% I back us against anyone.

 

[The Nostradamus]

Outside of getting WC twice (which we can’t due to the new deal) I am just wondering who would be the alternative 5 teams we would have liked the double ups to be against? It’s a very even comp. Not sure it really matters who you play. If you are not on 100% you will lose. Alternatively if we are on 100% I back us against anyone.

could have had saints and dons instead of dogs and blues (who both made finals)
and suns instead of crows or dees

 

[Ball Dont Lie]

could have had saints and dons instead of dogs and blues (who both made finals)
and suns instead of crows or dees

I really don’t see the difference all those teams are very even. Suns will eventually be very good. Could well be next year.

 

[The Nostradamus]

I really don’t see the difference all those teams are very even. Suns will eventually be very good. Could well be next year.

dogs and blues are far better than saints and dons

2 finalists vs 11th and 12th

 

[shinboner magic]

Lions the team that won the flag - play wce and tigers in their first four games.

 

[Samsquanch]

Should stamp ourselves on it - either dead silence or a hssssssssssss for snake.

Ahhhh. Horn- France-hissss