Roast Has Opening Round been totally botched?

[Brezsa]

Could have been instead Round 1 - No Victorian games

2 in NSW
2 in QLD
2 in WA
2 in SA
1 in TAS (North vs Hawthorn)

This, then if you want to be super crazy, you treat it the same as gather round. (Add a week to the season) 24 game season. 11 home 11 away, 1 gather round, 1 opening round.

Then when WCE & Freo fans complain about travel, hey kids look extra home game, get over it

 

[PP34]

The AFL continuing to pretend Gold Coast will ever have any sort of relevance is comedy gold

 

[NorthernBastard]

This weekends games aren't for points are they?

 

[The Educator]

I think the idea to play opening round outside of Victoria, with 9 games but the 4 norther games taking precedence, in future is a good one

You could leverage the daylight savings situation to and play night games in WA

Possible round - using this one as a base could look like (AEDTs)

THur Swans v Dees
Fri 720 - Bris v Carl
Fri 10 10 - West Coast v Hawks
Sat 1 30 - Port v Essendon
Sat 430 - Suns v Tigers
Sat 720 - Giants v Pies
Sat 1010 - Dockers v Cats
Sun 1 30 - North v Saints
Sun 430 Crows v Dogs

 

[NorthernBastard]

I think the idea to play opening round outside of Victoria, with 9 games but the 4 norther games taking precedence, in future is a good one

You could leverage the daylight savings situation to and play night games in WA

Possible round - using this one as a base could look like (AEDTs)

THur Swans v Dees
Fri 720 - Bris v Carl
Fri 10 10 - West Coast v Hawks
Sat 1 30 - Port v Essendon
Sat 430 - Suns v Tigers
Sat 720 - Giants v Pies
Sat 1010 - Dockers v Cats
Sun 1 30 - North v Saints
Sun 430 Crows v Dogs

Dogs in their traditional time slot - this is reassuring

 

[shintemaster]

Just play a proper round 1.

 

[Area51]

I'm sick of the AFL sacrificing integrity of the comp for the sake of growing the game. They've lost perspective.

 

[brysie]

Yes they would, and you know they would. Look at Gather Round last year. Instead of just being happy about an extra round of footy, Vics heavily critcised it (despite all games selling out) and some even tried to suggest it should be moved from SA to Victoria.


You view it as priviliege, the AFL views it as a conscious effort to maximise exposure in the northern markets. If it was purely about money then we'd see the big teams like Collingwood and Carlton hosting home games at the MCG in opening round. This is about more than money.

Despite the criticism, we all know the majority of footy fans will be tuning in this weekend and the games will rate well. Add in the sell out crowds and this is objectively a very good outcome for the AFL, despite any kind of caveat you or any other southerner wants to attach to it.


It never ceases to amaze me to see how insular Victorians are when it comes to footy. You guys just can't see the bigger picture of trying to grow the game in the two states where 52% of the national popuation resides.

I'm not sure your argument about 'if it was purely about money then we'd see big teams opening at the MCG' stacks up. The reality is that regardless of when the big teams play one another at the MCG, the crowds will be substantial.

By way of example, Collingwood was involved in crowds of 95k (Essendon), 86k (Carlton), 86k (Geelong) and 85k (Richmond) in 2023.

The uptick in crowds for Opening Round are likely to be far more significant in comparative terms than any potential uptick in crowds for games hosted by some of the bigger Victorian teams. The commercial benefit to the AFL will be much more significant where it can substantially increase crowds in Queensland and NSW, rather than comparatively marginal increases in Melbourne.

 

[Acinath]

Absolutely terrible idea, even if they got the correct weekend. There is absolutely no hype for this weekend of football, feels like it’s still practice match territory.

 

[faible]

It does seem weird, like the football isn't really back yet for supporters of teams that aren't playing. I've noticed a lot of my football supporting friends aren't really talking much about it.

I don't see why we couldn't have run 2 x games in each state but also have run a normal fixture for the rest of the sides around that.

All the NSW / QLD teams host R1 doesn't seem that complicated.

 

[Big Animal]

feels like a bye round when my teams not playing so I find other stuff to do around the house and just keep a mild interest in the results.

nice own goal AFL

 

[smasha]

CFL raced in O'Gorman for the Tigers game.

Wear some nappies Tiger Army.

 

[Lorenzo DMH]

Melbourne can still have all the marquee games, they currently have, but why can't big marquee games be played outside of Melbourne. As aside, games should be played on public holidays outside of Victoria, think WA Day in Perth and ANZAC Day across the country. I think Opening Round will work and should become a regular thing. I would prefer a split round with 5 games, 2 in NSW, 2 in QLD, 1 in SA and 10 teams in the first week and the second week with 4 games and 8 teams. The teams who played in the first week of the split round to open the season would play over the second week of a mid-season split round over the King's Birthday long weekend with the teams in the second week of the opening split round playing in the first week of the mid-season split round. If that makes sense.

 

[Mags98]

Melbourne can still have all the marquee games, they currently have, but why can't big marquee games be played outside of Melbourne. As aside, games should be played on public holidays outside of Victoria, think WA Day in Perth and ANZAC Day across the country. I think Opening Round will work and should become a regular thing. I would prefer a split round with 5 games, 2 in NSW, 2 in QLD, 1 in SA and 10 teams in the first week and the second week with 4 games and 8 teams. The teams who played in the first week of the split round to open the season would play over the second week of a mid-season split round over the King's Birthday long weekend with the teams in the second week of the opening split round playing in the first week of the mid-season split round. If that makes sense.

dont think anyone cares about the games being played outside melbourne, just splitting the round is ridiculous for no sane reason and adds further fixture disparity between the teams

 

[TheKanga]

Sucks for non finals teams who haven't watched their team since August.

Yet the AFL insists on focussing on NSW and QLD and artificial storylines.

 

[shintemaster]

Sucks for non finals teams who haven't watched their team since August.

Yet the AFL insists on focussing on NSW and QLD and artificial storylines.

See that encapsulates the AFL and their approach to anything. If this was a split round and teams that didn't play finals all played this round (giving those that played longer more off season time for injury management etc) this would be something you'd say fine at least it arguably helps increase equity in the league.

 

[Colonial]

I'm sick of the AFL sacrificing integrity of the comp for the sake of growing the game. They've lost perspective.

Integrity?
lol you wouldn’t know the meaning of the word.

 

[Colonial]

Over 65k will be watching Aussie Rules live in Sydney, around the same in QLD for non finals games a great weekend for the NATIONAL competition and some people whinge

Funnily enough the same that champion a Vic GF and the Vic marque games

 

[STPer18]

Over 65k will be watching Aussie Rules live in Sydney, around the same in QLD for non finals games a great weekend for the NATIONAL competition and some people whinge

Funnily enough the same that champion a Vic GF and the Vic marque games

What's stopping those four games going ahead while still playing the other five in other states? If the Victorian chip on the shoulder is that big then what's wrong with a hypothetical of playing the first four in QLD & Sydney, two in SA, two in WA and one in Tassie? There's nine games, all eighteen teams starting the season on the same weekend. Trying to make this out to be a Vic vs non-Vic issue is laughable.

 

[Colonial]

What's stopping those four games going ahead while still playing the other five in other states? If the Victorian chip on the shoulder is that big then what's wrong with a hypothetical of playing the first four in QLD & Sydney, two in SA, two in WA and one in Tassie. There's nine games, all eighteen teams starting the season on the same weekend. Trying to make this out to be a Vic vs non-Vic issue is laughable.

The idea is the whole Aussie Rules media and promotional arm are pushing these 4 games, 1 week earlier so not really ""missing out".

Laughable? Not at all. Its factual, and shows how entitled some, I say some because most can see why this is a good thing, fans are.

 

[STPer18]

The idea is the whole Aussie Rules media and promotional arm are pushing these 4 games, 1 week earlier so not really ""missing out".

Laughable? Not at all. Its factual, and shows how entitled some, I say some because most can see why this is a good thing, fans are.

So wanting every club to play in the opening week of a sporting season is entitled now? SA alone managed to host nine games but apparently the limit for the combined might of QLD and NSW is just the four.

 

[Teen Wolf]

What's stopping those four games going ahead while still playing the other five in other states?

Come on. This has already been covered.

They're starting early to make use of Victoria's long weekend, which will entice Richmond and Collingwood supporters to travel interstate and fill up the GC and GWS stadiums.

They're not going to move the whole season a week forward because that will affect the timing of the Grand Final etc.

 

[JT_the_Man]

Honestly, if it weren’t for an email reminding me about footy tipping I wouldn’t have known there was footy on this week. No buzz around at all.

 

[WhyAlwaysMe]

Why can't the first game of any season just be the reining premier v one of the prelim losers, or even a "big" team that had played finals the year before?

 

[STPer18]

Come on. This has already been covered.

They're starting early to make use of Victoria's long weekend, which will entice Richmond and Collingwood supporters to travel interstate and fill up the GC and GWS stadiums.

They're not going to move the whole season a week forward because that will affect the timing of the Grand Final etc.

How is having Victorians filling GC and GWS stadiums growing the game up that way?