Fixture The Fixture analysed- Cat Xmas

[PhatBoy]

The Cats are always a strong H&A team, they'd probably be top 4 with a harder draw too. Wouldn't stress about it, the merry-go-round will always see some teams get a good or bad run in hindsight in any given season.

Careful you’ll get ostracised from your own board for posting common sense.

It’s fairly unavoidable I guess in the age of stats companies and media and coverage being what it is across all sports but geez I yearn for the days of sports teams just being subject to ‘they just weren’t/aren’t good enough on the day’ or teams being able to be assessed as ‘good but not great’

 

[BF Tiger]

This is just luck, good or bad. Some teams rise with it and others fall.

If we’re sticking with 18 teams and 22 games then I think all teams need to play each other first. The final five games fixtured mathematically based on the ladder at that point. Have the bye after round 17 to help. Maybe extrapolate the ladder after round 15 to give more time for planning.

 

[Conan Troutman]

Plus the cats fail to play Brisbane in Brisbane or Fremantle in Perth this season. Luckiest fixture ever.

They also played 8th placed St Kilda last week, and 8th placed Bulldogs the week before, and were the cause of both those teams no longer being in the top 8.

If Geelong had lost they'd look better in this analysis. Unlucky fixture?

 

[Square Peg]

The whole argument would be largely redundant if they just did the 17-5 fixture - each team plays everyyone once and at the end of round 17 they schedule the remaining five games.
The problem identified is the five double up games are based on last years form. If the double ups were based on this years form there would be less contention, not zero contention because some numpties will still want to argue, but less.

 

[SuperVolley11]

The whole argument would be largely redundant if they just did the 17-5 fixture - each team plays everyyone once and at the end of round 17 they schedule the remaining five games.
The problem identified is the five double up games are based on last years form. If the double ups were based on this years form there would be less contention, not zero contention because some numpties will still want to argue, but less.

Yes. Because you wouldn’t be tanking to go from 6th to 7th in round 17 to get the easier draw. Assuming your doing 1-6,7-12,13-18 grouping. Everyone if forgetting one thing, like most years/pre seasons, this was another that Geelong were meant to fall off the cliff. So it’s really port, dogs and saints that have been really hard done by.

 

[FAIRANDBALANCED]

They also played 8th placed St Kilda last week, and 8th placed Bulldogs the week before, and were the cause of both those teams no longer being in the top 8.

If Geelong had lost they'd look better in this analysis. Unlucky fixture?

Both of those teams are deservedly not going to make finals.

Geelong has been kissed on the d*$k this year. It's just the truth. Doesnt mean you won't win the flag.

 

[Square Peg]

Yes. Because you wouldn’t be tanking to go from 6th to 7th in round 17 to get the easier draw. Assuming your doing 1-6,7-12,13-18 grouping. Everyone if forgetting one thing, like most years/pre seasons, this was another that Geelong were meant to fall off the cliff. So it’s really port, dogs and saints that have been really hard done by.

You wouldn't do it that way if you maintained the current system. You'd just do what they currently do and have teams 1-6 play each other 2-3 times, the team in the next 6 down 1-2 times, and the teams in the bottm 6 once. And so on. Same system, just base the double ups on this years positions not last years

 

[SuperVolley11]

You wouldn't do it that way if you maintained the current system. You'd just do what they currently do and have teams 1-6 play each other 2-3 times, the team in the next 6 down 1-2 times, and the teams in the bottm 6 once. And so on. Same system, just base the double ups on this years positions not last years

For so many reasons you can’t fixture like that unless it was all predetermined before the start of the season. Example. 1st on ladder plays 2nd, 5th, 7th, 9th, 15th. 2nd plays 1st, 4th, 8th, 12th, 16th. Even then, your going to have situations where you could have teams not getting their 11 home matches. Also all the logistics around the gap between rounds 17 and 18 would be a nightmare, the rolling fixture now does it what 6? Weeks out.

 

[SuperVolley11]

Both of those teams are deservedly not going to make finals.

Geelong has been kissed on the d*$k this year. It's just the truth. Doesnt mean you won't win the flag.

I can agree with that, but can you agree it’s not a conspiracy?

 

[Square Peg]

For so many reasons you can’t fixture like that unless it was all predetermined before the start of the season. Example. 1st on ladder plays 2nd, 5th, 7th, 9th, 15th. 2nd plays 1st, 4th, 8th, 12th, 16th. Even then, your going to have situations where you could have teams not getting their 11 home matches. Also all the logistics around the gap between rounds 17 and 18 would be a nightmare, the rolling fixture now does it what 6? Weeks out.

For so many reasons like what? You could have the bye after round 17 to give them two weeks to sort it out if time is a reason. What are the other many reasons?
I agree that you couldn't predetermine it because of the risk of home vs away mismatch.

 

[SuperVolley11]

For so many reasons like what? You could have the bye after round 17 to give them two weeks to sort it out if time is a reason. What are the other many reasons?
I agree that you couldn't predetermine it because of the risk of home vs away mismatch.

Betting companies. Don’t say they don’t matter, because they are the reason we have the pre finals bye.

Who makes this decision, a single person? A committee?

The contractual agreements with stadiums. If all of a sudden you have circumstances where you’ll fall short of your mcg or marvel games. Also the afl like to have football played in every state (that has a current afl side) every week. If you have to do a mini 5 week round robin as it would be you may not be able to have Fremantle and west coast alternating.

 

[Toump Ass]

I dunno why you'd get upset when someone points out fixture inequalities? It's an obvious issue. At the very least the AFL could minimise the inequity of the fixture by alternating which is the home team every year. It's s**t that Melbourne play Geelong in Geelong every year, and we haven't played West Coast at the MCG since 2014.

I agree that the best teams win anywhere so it sort of evens out but for teams who are fighting for a spot in the eight it's a bit unfair, especially for the poorer clubs who seem to get shafted the most, ie: St Kilda this year. And this usually results in underserving teams ending up in finals.

 

[Square Peg]

Betting companies. Don’t say they don’t matter, because they are the reason we have the pre finals bye.

Who makes this decision, a single person? A committee?

The contractual agreements with stadiums. If all of a sudden you have circumstances where you’ll fall short of your mcg or marvel games. Also the afl like to have football played in every state (that has a current afl side) every week. If you have to do a mini 5 week round robin as it would be you may not be able to have Fremantle and west coast alternating.

I'll ignore the first one, as I have no idea what you mean.
Whoever decides the current fixture, same
There's no WA game in round 23 this year with Fremantle and West Coast both playing away, so that's not a particularly strong argument

 

[SuperVolley11]

I'll ignore the first one, as I have no idea what you mean.
Whoever decides the current fixture, same
There's no WA game in round 23 this year with Fremantle and West Coast both playing away, so that's not a particularly strong argument

I stand corrected on that. My apologies. Maybe it is more Queensland and NSW.

Betting companies would not like it. They made the afl put a bye in to stop teams pulling out 10-14 players and losing against a lower side.

 

[Wojcinski]

It's all true, without our dream run I'm not even sure we'd make the finals let alone top 4.

 

[Goggin Our Best]

Plus the cats fail to play Brisbane in Brisbane or Fremantle in Perth this season. Luckiest fixture ever.

And thats why premierships are overrated

Go back to 2012 West Coast and Geel missed the top 4 by 1 game - yet Syd and Ade both got dream soda draws

If you want the proper champion team each year - everyone plays everyone twice - and whoever has amassed the most points - they are the winner

 

[Duskfire]

Eagles have one of their worst seasons in history.

Bigfooty: the AFL should have predicted that!!!!! How dare they have Geelong play them twice. Rigged!

 

[STPer18]

Eagles have one of their worst seasons in history.

Bigfooty: the AFL should have predicted that!!!!! How dare they have Geelong play them twice. Rigged!

The kicker is we haven't even played them the second time yet and we're still a game clear and 31% ahead of the next best team. I worry about some posters on here.

 

[Millky95]

Betting companies. Don’t say they don’t matter, because they are the reason we have the pre finals bye.

It is actually TV companies being why we get the pre-finals bye. Allows a Thursday night game instead of Sunday arvo which draws more people to watch, thus more ad revenue

The kicker is we haven't even played them the second time yet and we're still a game clear and 31% ahead of the next best team. I worry about some posters on here.

Calling Collingwood the 2nd best team is a stretch

 

[dean33]

And thats why premierships are overrated

Go back to 2012 West Coast and Geel missed the top 4 by 1 game - yet Syd and Ade both got dream soda draws

If you want the proper champion team each year - everyone plays everyone twice - and whoever has amassed the most points - they are the winner

 

[STPer18]

Calling Collingwood the 2nd best team is a stretch

That just puts us even further ahead on the ladder. 2 games + percentage clear of the others bar Collingwood without our double up of WCE yet.

 

[SuperVolley11]

It is actually TV companies being why we get the pre-finals bye. Allows a Thursday night game instead of Sunday arvo which draws more people to watch, thus more ad revenue

Maybe it’s dressed like that now.

AFL introduces pre-finals bye

AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan concedes the league has taken a risk by having a week off between round 23 and the finals.

www.sbs.com.au

 

[Millky95]

Maybe it’s dressed like that now.

AFL introduces pre-finals bye

AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan concedes the league has taken a risk by having a week off between round 23 and the finals.

www.sbs.com.au

I'm sure gambling is part of it but it kills 3 birds with 1 stone. You get ad revenue, gambling whateverthe*s and the AFLPA gets their precious 2nd bye during the year even though for over half the league it is moot

 

[The hands of stone]

Its never going to be even or fair unless teams play each other once or twice per season

I love getting stuck into the cats as much as anyone , you could swap those games against bottom sides out and they are still finishing top in a canter this season .

Still reckon they are getting rolled in the prelim though

 

[Crankyhawk]

No one could have predicted that Eagles would be the basket case that they are. And Gold Coast away is not an easy game. Maybe now that they won't make finals they won't be as focused, but the AFL had no way of knowing that.

This is why I am not really a fan of these sorts of comments. It is easy to say in hindsight, but seriously, who thought that Sydney would be top 4 and that Eagles would be 2nd last? Much like umpires, fixturing is an an easy excuse for fans to blame something other than their team. This comes up every year and I feel it has little bearing on the results of the season, if a team is good enough, they are good enough.

no but they can predict that north would be s**t