Fixture Full 2024 AFL fixture released. News and leaks.

[jimbob88]

The AFL season fixture is inherently unbalanced. Some teams face each other twice, while others meet only once. In a competitive season like the one we've just seen, this imbalance can significantly impact a team's final position. For instance, playing a weaker team twice instead of a stronger one could be the difference between securing a top 4 spot or missing the finals altogether.


To address this imbalance, I've created an alternative ladder using the following method:

1. For teams that played each other twice (duplicate matchups), I combined their scores from both games.
2. The team with the higher cumulative score in these combined matchups was awarded the four points.
3. For single matchups (teams that only played each other once), points were assigned as normal.

While this approach doesn't account for home/away advantages, I believe it offers a fairer representation of team performance compared to the standard ladder.


This method aims to minimise the impact of fixture inequality and provide a more balanced view of each team's season performance.

 

[Sentinel]

The AFL season fixture is inherently unbalanced. Some teams face each other twice, while others meet only once. In a competitive season like the one we've just seen, this imbalance can significantly impact a team's final position. For instance, playing a weaker team twice instead of a stronger one could be the difference between securing a top 4 spot or missing the finals altogether.


To address this imbalance, I've created an alternative ladder using the following method:

1. For teams that played each other twice (duplicate matchups), I combined their scores from both games.
2. The team with the higher cumulative score in these combined matchups was awarded the four points.
3. For single matchups (teams that only played each other once), points were assigned as normal.

While this approach doesn't account for home/away advantages, I believe it offers a fairer representation of team performance compared to the standard ladder.


This method aims to minimise the impact of fixture inequality and provide a more balanced view of each team's season performance.

I agree with the overall idea that the fixture is heavily compromised by which teams get which double ups, particularly when its not rotated evenly. A couple of issues I see with this:

• Double up games are often 'blockbuster' matchups (eg ANZAC day, showdowns/derbys/battle of the bridges/q clash etc). Doing this would in some ways dilute this importance of these big games (and other double ups) by half, which the AFL would not want to do.
• There are plenty of variables which affect the final margin of a game, such as weather. If such a system were in place, I think you're better to isolate individual double up matches (eg 2 points for a win) rather than try to combine them. Or else use percentages rather than absolute margin.

 

[Billy ray]

Absolutely should be 2 point games only

Its a solution to lopsided fixture staring them in the face

 

[Saints4ever]

Absolutely should be 2 point games only

Its a solution to lopsided fixture staring them in the face

Could you explain this to me?

Surely it wouldn’t matter if you got 2 points, 4 points or 20 points for a win all wins would still equal the same.

Am I missing something?

 

[Billy ray]

Could you explain this to me?

Surely it wouldn’t matter if you got 2 points, 4 points or 20 points for a win all wins would still equal the same.

Am I missing something?

You only get the chance to win 4 premiership points from a team per season.
If you play a team once, thats a 4 point game.
If you play a team twice, each game is a 2 point game.

 

[Fadge]

You only get the chance to win 4 premiership points from a team per season.
If you play a team once, thats a 4 point game.
If you play a team twice, each game is a 2 point game.

I don't like this idea.

I love picking up the fixture at the start of each year and seeing 8 guaranteed points against each of Carlton and Melbourne.

 

[Billy ray]

I don't like this idea.

I love picking up the fixture at the start of each year and seeing 8 guaranteed points against each of Carlton and Melbourne.

Ha
This method preserves the two lots of percentage boosters, but just limits it to 4 points

 

[Fadge]

Ha
This method preserves the two lots of percentage boosters, but just limits it to 4 points

Collingwood rarely worries about percentage boosters against these two teams, particularly Carlton.

We like to toy with them for as long as possible, to give them the impression they're a chance to win.

 

[Walshawk]

Absolutely should be 2 point games only

Its a solution to lopsided fixture staring them in the face

So, some games are with half of others? We should halve the Brownlow votes as well. Ridiculous idea. Good time to rest players.

 

[Billy ray]

So, some games are with half of others? We should halve the Brownlow votes as well. Ridiculous idea. Good time to rest players.

Yep. If the afl is about money and number of games and wont budge from 22-23 games with 18-19 teams in the competition, and manually select the 6 double ups again for money, then at least make it fair for the teams.

Or yknow make it every team once. And make the first round of finals best of three games to get back some ‘lost games’

 

[Walshawk]

Yep. If the afl is about money and number of games and wont budge from 22-23 games with 18-19 teams in the competition, and manually select the 6 double ups again for money, then at least make it fair for the teams.

Or yknow make it every team once. And make the first round of finals best of three games to get back some ‘lost games’

Lots of sporting competitions are not fair. It really doesn’t bother most people, who would rather see more games rather than fewer games. Playing 17 or 18 games would be lame. No footy until May?

Also, we will likely go to 24 games in 2028. And there are other ways to even things out. With 19 teams, you can, after 18 games when everyone has played each other once, plit the ladder in two. Over the last six games, the top 12 teams play for a place in the 8, the bottom seven play each other. It can be done evenly, and there are multiple way to do it.

 

[Billy ray]

Lots of sporting competitions are not fair. It really doesn’t bother most people, who would rather see more games rather than fewer games. Playing 17 or 18 games would be lame. No footy until May?

Also, we will likely go to 24 games in 2028. And there are other ways to even things out. With 19 teams, you can, after 18 games when everyone has played each other once, plit the ladder in two. Over the last six games, the top 12 teams play for a place in the 8, the bottom seven play each other. It can be done evenly, and there are multiple way to do it.

Yeh but they wont do that. They could have done that now ! but dont.

They will just add another manually selected 7th double up just like they added the 6th double up manually.

And they could do the teams all once now before starting double ups but they dont. So why will they start.

My option means they can do what they do now and will continue to do in future 100% no chance they change- and make it fair at least

 

[Walshawk]

Yeh but they wont do that. They could have done that now ! but dont.

They will just add another manually selected 7th double up just like they added the 6th double up manually.

And they could do the teams all once now before starting double ups but they dont. So why will they start.

My option means they can do what they do now and will continue to do in future 100% no chance they change- and make it fair at least

Sure, they might not do 18/6, but they will definitely never go to 18 games.

Here is a reason why they don’t do it now - with 17/5 you would end up with some teams having 10 home games and some 12. 18/6 fixes that. Plus, you can’t play 23 games with 19 teams, and unless Gather Round is scrapped, it will go to 24. And with a new team the fixture will get a shake up anyway.

 

[jimbob88]

Absolutely should be 2 point games only

Its a solution to lopsided fixture staring them in the face

I've been playing around with claude.ai and python scripts to create these. Here is the 2024 season ladder with 2 points assigned for wins in duplicate match-ups and 4 points for single match-ups: