3207
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Isn’t it harder for teams to win off a bye?
Roast Has Opening Round been totally botched?
- Thread starter Bunk Moreland
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Not a fan of it, I don't like the fact that the byes for the teams playing round Oh are spread over the first 6 rounds, all 8 should have had their bye in Round 1 so the look of the ladder isn't stuffed up for so long.
I will be at the Gabba on Friday night though.
I will be at the Gabba on Friday night though.
- Jan 3, 2017
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I can see it going both ways, harder to win after a bye but also an extra chance for the team to rest their legs and recover some injuries? Fixture is already compromised enough with double-ups and spread of Home vs away games
Also this!!! I didn't realise it was going to be so cooked
3207
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Good to see a Pies fan acknowledge the compromised fixture as it already stands.
Prior to this test case.
Colonial
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Not confused at all. Amused.
Oh I know Vics aren’t interested in fairness. That’s obvious.
The Prosecutor
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The other factor not mentioned as well is the inequity of the teams playing this week effectively having two byes.
Richmond for example will have byes in round 6 and 15.
Richmond for example will have byes in round 6 and 15.
Richmond have a 5 day break, Carlton who they meet rd.1 will have an 8 day break, that's a nice little advantage.
Might not be so important a few games in, but first round that's tough.
- Jan 3, 2017
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Well not too hard to acknowledge with the league being 10/18 Victorian teams. A fixturing system always has to have some compromises to fairness (eg. Coll play Hawks away at MCG which is their own home ground, but if we play at another ground then the Hawks lose their advantage). While recognising the difference in travel for Vic vs Interstate, it's unfortunately the reality of the majority Victorian league. This is an inequality we have to accept as the league stands as it isn't something we can rectify in a fixture without introducing additional inequalities.
I think the AFL needs to get real with setting a threshold for what the fixture is allowed to do. There'll always be some quirks year in year out but certain minimums should be ironed-out every year, one such as consecutive games at your home venue (even if playing away) in the case of Richmond's 7 in a row at the MCG to cap off the 2019 season being probably the most recent example. While decent home stretches have to happen, they have to set a limit of what's acceptable in this case, something like no more than 4.
Also with double-ups being loosely determined by what 6-team bracket you fell into on the previous years' ladder is easily the most compromised element of the fixture. I actually think the AFL hand selects these for what will bring in the most gate revenue, what matchups were entertaining last year, or whatever cooked criteria they want.
Winners and losers: Who cashed in on AFL’s ‘weighted’ 2024 fixture as Dimma gifted dream run
Winners and losers: Who cashed in on AFL’s ‘weighted’ fixture as Dimma gifted dream run
www.foxsports.com.au
Us playing Carlton twice last year after two very entertaining 2022 games is no accident, the AFL picking and choosing the double-up matchups in this "weighted" manner is just hilariously fixed. It needs to be a system that is completely predictable from the moment the final ladder positions of the season are set (Premiers being 1st, Runners up 2nd, etc). A lot like how the NFL fixture is already available the second the Superbowl ends, just without the Weeks they're happening.
Teen Wolf
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Last weekend wasn't a long weekend for Victorians. It is this weekend though, which makes interstate travel for supporters (particularly Collingwood and Richmond) much more feasible. This point was stressed by Andrew Dillon back in November.
The issue is the fairness of the whole competition has been further compromised. Brisbane warm up with an AFL game this weekend and then Freo have to play them next weekend coming off nothing but a six month break. I recon we could have been a sneaky chance round 1 but the AFL has botched it again.
That story plays out across the whole competition. More hidden advantages and disadvantages that may or may not even up over time. They should have just played a split round across 2 weekends with the teams playing the first weekend switching opponents from the same weekend to keep it fair. It would have been fair easier for supporters to get their heads around with the byes and not completely ruined supercoach/fantasy footy.
- Mar 2, 2015
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What are you on about?
Why do you keep tagging me back into the thread with your argumentative crap and wasting my time?
Tell someone who cares.
For what it's worth, the MCG will be hosting the Grand Final for the next 40, 50 years because that is where the Grand Final is played.
It is not the Super Bowl, or the NBA Finals, or the FIFA World Cup.
Just because you are one of the 600 or 700 people who barrack for the plastic Giants franchise (which is underwritten by the AFL and basically paid for by the millions of Vic, SA and WA fans), that doesn't mean your off-topic whinging over the Grand Final venue should be listened to by anyone. Much less in a thread about the Opening Round.
We already have multiple threads on the GF venue and Vicbias... Go there and have your tantrum. We saw a couple of Grand Finals played at the Gabba and Optus Stadium due to Covid restrictions and it sucked. Everyone with half a brain who has been to an MCG Grand Final agrees that is where the game should be played.
It aint changing, mate. Grow up. Move on.
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It definitely is for Geelong. Glad we are not playing this week. Our R1 opponent doesn't either so we are not really affected by it. Can understand people being pissed if their R1 opponent has already played to knock the rust out though. Not fair at all.
Colonial
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pretty self explanatory.
Im replying to you after you replied to me.
You obviously do as you wont stop replying to me.
Thanks for proving my point.
Wow nice sook.
Once again replying to you, after you replied to my original comment.
Im not the one that needs to grow up sook.
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Exactly, this would have made much more sense, effectively split round one - Or just set the round on a Thursday night, rolling into Friday, Sat, Sat night stand alone games all in NSW / QLD then there is still Sunday and the public holiday Monday to finish off the round in Melbourne/SA/WA. Same result achieved and all problems solved.
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Welcome to my ignore list, you time wasting nob
Colonial
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lol, I see having a discussion with home truths hurts your feelings. Sook
That's an extremely marginal benefit. Benefit doesn't outweigh cost of disruption.
Sorry but its an own goal. AFL trying to be clever but stuffed this up.
Anyway it definitely helps the Storm out this Friday.
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Don't care at all that the 4 games are happening as they are. I actually like it.
But just bloody call it round 1. 'Opening round' is a ridiculous concept.
But just bloody call it round 1. 'Opening round' is a ridiculous concept.
Don't understand why they couldn't have the rest of the teams play and keep the 4 games in QLD, NSW which I thought was the point anyway?
JustaBattler
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Yes.
threenewpadlocks
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My biggest complaint is that Richmond and Melbourne get byes in Round 6 (and Pies and Collingwood get byes in Round 5).
I don't think teams being "ready to go" playing their second game of the year against a team playing their first is that big a deal. Argument can be made the other way in that game alone that one team is fresh and the other already has some fatigue.
On the other hand, teams would much prefer to wash out their niggles and accumulated fatigue by spreading out byes in the year, so the value is small amounts over the course of the year.
Richmond and Melbourne get to play 5 games, have a week off, freshen up, then split their remaining 18 games with a break in the middle.
On the other hand 10 teams have 23 total games with only one break in the middle.
I don't think it's honestly that big a deal, at least from a commercial POV. The four northern clubs hardly ever sell out their venues. Turning one of their 11 home games into a spectacle only makes sense. For example Sydney vs. Melbourne will be a sell out crowd of 40,000 plus. When they played a similar Thursday Night game in 2019, the crowd was less than 27,000.
They're never not going to have major games in R1 as well as that's also big crowds like traditional Richmond/Carlton game but in the interests of fairness they could have scheduled more byes earlier in the season (all 8 teams having byes in R2-4, rather than 5/6) or found a way to have more teams play this week other than these 8.
If tens of thousands of Pies/Richmond etc. fans are going to travel maybe they could have gone the whole hog and played one home team game and one neutral game at every venue, for a secondary gather round.
Play the local team against a small Melbourne club (e.g. Gold Coast vs St Kilda) and play the big Melbourne clubs with travelling supporters against the non-Vic teams (e.g Pies fans might travel to Gold Coast for Pies vs. Fremantle). Then those are your two games on the Gold Coast for the round.
I don't think teams being "ready to go" playing their second game of the year against a team playing their first is that big a deal. Argument can be made the other way in that game alone that one team is fresh and the other already has some fatigue.
On the other hand, teams would much prefer to wash out their niggles and accumulated fatigue by spreading out byes in the year, so the value is small amounts over the course of the year.
Richmond and Melbourne get to play 5 games, have a week off, freshen up, then split their remaining 18 games with a break in the middle.
On the other hand 10 teams have 23 total games with only one break in the middle.
I don't think it's honestly that big a deal, at least from a commercial POV. The four northern clubs hardly ever sell out their venues. Turning one of their 11 home games into a spectacle only makes sense. For example Sydney vs. Melbourne will be a sell out crowd of 40,000 plus. When they played a similar Thursday Night game in 2019, the crowd was less than 27,000.
They're never not going to have major games in R1 as well as that's also big crowds like traditional Richmond/Carlton game but in the interests of fairness they could have scheduled more byes earlier in the season (all 8 teams having byes in R2-4, rather than 5/6) or found a way to have more teams play this week other than these 8.
If tens of thousands of Pies/Richmond etc. fans are going to travel maybe they could have gone the whole hog and played one home team game and one neutral game at every venue, for a secondary gather round.
Play the local team against a small Melbourne club (e.g. Gold Coast vs St Kilda) and play the big Melbourne clubs with travelling supporters against the non-Vic teams (e.g Pies fans might travel to Gold Coast for Pies vs. Fremantle). Then those are your two games on the Gold Coast for the round.
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AFAIK Richmond and Carlton have a contract that specifies they will play the first game of round 1. This is all just a naming trick to circumvent that little legality
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