Fixture AFL Season 2023 Full Fixture

I only have 2 complaints. But 1 wont change until non-victorian fans wake up.

The legitimate qualm I have is 4 regional games. On average any given club should travel to regional grounds once a year, or 3 times every 2 years if you include Geelong.

However, this is 4 times (3+ Geelong) in 2023 alone, and 7 times (5 + 2 Geelong) including 2022. That is bullsh*t.

The other. Well, it's not going to change.

I hate the pro-Victorian tv coverage which relegates us to mostly foxtel games out of primetime (which can hit non-victorian clubs' bottom line with worse sponsorship) But lets be real. That's not the AFL's fault. It's not even really 7s' fault. The problem is the Non-Victorian fans who b*tch and moan every time the tv deal comes up for negotiation and they demand we keep 22 games on free to air tv for the local clubs.

But they're too short sighted to realise that this leads to regional broadcasting, which allows 7 to have their cake and eat it. Show say Port Adelaide vs Brisbane (a foxtel game) into Adelaide and Brisbane and cover St Kilda vs Hawthorn nationwide. So now they get deep into 3 markets rather than 2. I still remember 2017 when the 3 highest rated Friday night games didn't involve any Melbourne side. They were Geelong vs Sydney, Geelong vs Adelaide and Sydney vs Adelaide. The neutral doesn't care what clubs are playing, they care about the quality of the sides. They'd rather watch 15-0 Suns vs 15-0 Dockers than 2-13 Blues vs 7-8 Tigers. To get the fixture to head further into the equality we want, we need the selfish vocal idiotic non-victorian fans who demand all games on fta tv to shut the hell up and look at the greater picture. Your selfishness it helping a small minority of fans. But it screws over the club.
 

Pillarnstones

Debutant
Nov 3, 2017
68
141
AFL Club
Fremantle
Tell me that isn't an orchestrated fixture with certain Vic teams the main beneficiaries, and certain interstate teams the victims of AwFL bastardly. Ok so only the only teams who get given a fixture rating that is either 2 or more places worse/higher than their 2022 R23 ladder position are drum roll...
Freo finished 5th get equal hardest fixture so minus 4 places. Pt Adelaide finished 11th yet get the 4th hardest fixture so minus 7 places (Wow wee). GWS finished 16th get the 11th hardest so minus 5 places. Gold Coast finished 12, 10th hardest so minus 2 places. Adelaide finished 14th but get the 12th hardest so minus 2.
Interestingly they are all Non Victorian teams not 1 out of 10 Vic based teams make the s**t list.

Now here's the sweet list where teams get a fixture that's rated 2 or more positions better/lower than their 2022 R23 ladder position.
Carlton finished 9th but get the 12 hardest fixture so plus 3.
Collingwood finished 4th but get the 8th hardest so plus 4.
Melbourne finished 2nd yet are gifted the 6th hardest so plus 4.
Saints finished 10th, 12th hardest so plus 2.
Not so surprising that no Non Victorian teams make the sweet list.

Mmmmm no prizes for guessing what the 4 teams in the sweet list have in common. Fair dinkum they are so obvious in their bias they don't even bother trying to hide it.
 

Skull Face

Premiership Player
Aug 27, 2019
4,263
4,921
Australia
AFL Club
Carlton
Tell me that isn't an orchestrated fixture with certain Vic teams the main beneficiaries, and certain interstate teams the victims of AwFL bastardly. Ok so only the only teams who get given a fixture rating that is either 2 or more places worse/higher than their 2022 R23 ladder position are drum roll...
Freo finished 5th get equal hardest fixture so minus 4 places. Pt Adelaide finished 11th yet get the 4th hardest fixture so minus 7 places (Wow wee). GWS finished 16th get the 11th hardest so minus 5 places. Gold Coast finished 12, 10th hardest so minus 2 places. Adelaide finished 14th but get the 12th hardest so minus 2.
Interestingly they are all Non Victorian teams not 1 out of 10 Vic based teams make the s**t list.

Now here's the sweet list where teams get a fixture that's rated 2 or more positions better/lower than their 2022 R23 ladder position.
Carlton finished 9th but get the 12 hardest fixture so plus 3.
Collingwood finished 4th but get the 8th hardest so plus 4.
Melbourne finished 2nd yet are gifted the 6th hardest so plus 4.
Saints finished 10th, 12th hardest so plus 2.
Not so surprising that no Non Victorian teams make the sweet list.

Mmmmm no prizes for guessing what the 4 teams in the sweet list have in common. Fair dinkum they are so obvious in their bias they don't even bother trying to hide it.
Collingwood 0-2
GWS 2-0
Gold Coast 0-1
Melbourne 0-1
St Kilda 0-1
West Coast 1-0

For all the huff and puff about our easy draw we went 3-5 against these teams we play twice in 2023 this year, all are teams we match up poorly against.

No reason why Collingwood or Melbourne should drop off, GC and Saints 100% will improve and be in that group with us fighting for finals. GWS and WC perhaps should be soft kills but if that cancels out with the top 2 then it comes down to beating teams around us on the ladder.
 
May 11, 2014
1,510
2,380
Perth
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I only have 2 complaints. But 1 wont change until non-victorian fans wake up.

The legitimate qualm I have is 4 regional games. On average any given club should travel to regional grounds once a year, or 3 times every 2 years if you include Geelong.

However, this is 4 times (3+ Geelong) in 2023 alone, and 7 times (5 + 2 Geelong) including 2022. That is bullsh*t.

The other. Well, it's not going to change.

I hate the pro-Victorian tv coverage which relegates us to mostly foxtel games out of primetime (which can hit non-victorian clubs' bottom line with worse sponsorship) But lets be real. That's not the AFL's fault. It's not even really 7s' fault. The problem is the Non-Victorian fans who b*tch and moan every time the tv deal comes up for negotiation and they demand we keep 22 games on free to air tv for the local clubs.

But they're too short sighted to realise that this leads to regional broadcasting, which allows 7 to have their cake and eat it. Show say Port Adelaide vs Brisbane (a foxtel game) into Adelaide and Brisbane and cover St Kilda vs Hawthorn nationwide. So now they get deep into 3 markets rather than 2. I still remember 2017 when the 3 highest rated Friday night games didn't involve any Melbourne side. They were Geelong vs Sydney, Geelong vs Adelaide and Sydney vs Adelaide. The neutral doesn't care what clubs are playing, they care about the quality of the sides. They'd rather watch 15-0 Suns vs 15-0 Dockers than 2-13 Blues vs 7-8 Tigers. To get the fixture to head further into the equality we want, we need the selfish vocal idiotic non-victorian fans who demand all games on fta tv to shut the hell up and look at the greater picture. Your selfishness it helping a small minority of fans. But it screws over the club.
Well y'know what, you've actually convinced me - consider me converted.
 

PCORF

Norm Smith Medallist
Jul 3, 2007
5,961
2,278
AFL Club
Adelaide
How to keep the crowds down in Tasmania. Just play North vs Gold Coast in Hobart most seasons.

At least Adelaide play here yay. I remember I attended Adelaide's one and only win in Launceston back in 2005 and that game had almost a capacity crowd. They got a win in Hobart last season. But then game Gold Coast and the Giants and that really dropped the crowds in TAS.

And once Geelong's stadium is complete from redevelopment they should play 9 home games there every season (2 at the MCG), no excuses and more games at home vs Collingwood, Richmond, Hawthorn, Essendon and Carlton. Not just limited to Melbourne, Bulldogs, North and interstate teams.
 
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Tell me that isn't an orchestrated fixture with certain Vic teams the main beneficiaries, and certain interstate teams the victims of AwFL bastardly. Ok so only the only teams who get given a fixture rating that is either 2 or more places worse/higher than their 2022 R23 ladder position are drum roll...
Freo finished 5th get equal hardest fixture so minus 4 places. Pt Adelaide finished 11th yet get the 4th hardest fixture so minus 7 places (Wow wee). GWS finished 16th get the 11th hardest so minus 5 places. Gold Coast finished 12, 10th hardest so minus 2 places. Adelaide finished 14th but get the 12th hardest so minus 2.
Interestingly they are all Non Victorian teams not 1 out of 10 Vic based teams make the s**t list.

Now here's the sweet list where teams get a fixture that's rated 2 or more positions better/lower than their 2022 R23 ladder position.
Carlton finished 9th but get the 12 hardest fixture so plus 3.
Collingwood finished 4th but get the 8th hardest so plus 4.
Melbourne finished 2nd yet are gifted the 6th hardest so plus 4.
Saints finished 10th, 12th hardest so plus 2.
Not so surprising that no Non Victorian teams make the sweet list.

Mmmmm no prizes for guessing what the 4 teams in the sweet list have in common. Fair dinkum they are so obvious in their bias they don't even bother trying to hide it.
It all means nothing at this time of the year.

Who could have predicted Collingwoods rise or Ports fall.

You play Geelong twice, maybe this IS the year they fall off the cliff. Sydney could fall in a great steaming shitheap after getting blown out in the Grand final, some teams do.

Geelong in 2022 had what could have been a tricky fixture when it first came out, but due to teams under-performing became relatively straightforward.

Complaining about a fixture at this point is a waste of time.

To be honest Freo has also been given a fairly cushie start to the year, I see no reason you should not be 6-0 which is a good launching pad for the season.
 

POSA98

Rookie
Oct 18, 2015
43
31
AFL Club
Adelaide
Adelaide and Hawthorn are the 2 teams to have been hit hardest by a tweak to the weighted fixture rule. With the additional round coming in, there are now 6 double ups. The AFL have altered the weighted rule which now means teams RANKED 13-18 will play a min 1 and max 2 of the teams ranked 1-6.
 

Seattle Mariners

Team Captain
Sep 14, 2022
367
532
AFL Club
Melbourne
Now here's the sweet list where teams get a fixture that's rated 2 or more positions better/lower than their 2022 R23 ladder position.
Carlton finished 9th but get the 12 hardest fixture so plus 3.
Collingwood finished 4th but get the 8th hardest so plus 4.
Melbourne finished 2nd yet are gifted the 6th hardest so plus 4.
Saints finished 10th, 12th hardest so plus 2.
Not so surprising that no Non Victorian teams make the sweet list.

Mmmmm no prizes for guessing what the 4 teams in the sweet list have in common. Fair dinkum they are so obvious in their bias they don't even bother trying to hide it.
I didn't realise Melbourne lost the grand final this year?

Could've sworn we finished 5th and unsurprisingly got the 6th hardest draw.
 

VicBased

Club Legend
May 3, 2019
2,760
3,050
AFL Club
West Coast
Such a dull and traditional fixture. AFL just confirm their bias with these ‘blockbusters’.
18 team competition. Every team should travel every second week. Business league.
Unfortunately the Vic's think they do .
If they are not the home team at the MCG but still play there then that is travel.
It is so easy to fix.
WA teams travel every third week.
Other Interstate teams get a couple of "Double headers" during the season, and the Vic's leave the state a few more times.
 
Sep 22, 2011
29,771
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Fremantle
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Unfortunately the Vic's think they do .
If they are not the home team at the MCG but still play there then that is travel.
It is so easy to fix.
WA teams travel every third week.
Other Interstate teams get a couple of "Double headers" during the season, and the Vic's leave the state a few more times.
Simply alternate Victorian games. Instead Collingwood has signed! A contract locking in 14 MCG games a season, minimum. How this even is fair, never know.
 
Mar 12, 2003
3,191
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Brisbane Lions
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Every team should play the same number of away games at the MCG while the Grand Final is played there. Pretty simple really. Yes we won't have an equitable competition while we only have 22 games, but at least this will remove one source of that inequity.

Collingwood having a contract to play X games at the MCG, which by definition includes away games, and exceeds that "average" quite considerably, is an absolute disgrace.
 

magpiemaniac44

Club Legend
Aug 19, 2020
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Every team should play the same number of away games at the MCG while the Grand Final is played there. Pretty simple really. Yes we won't have an equitable competition while we only have 22 games, but at least this will remove one source of that inequity.

Collingwood having a contract to play X games at the MCG, which by definition includes away games, and exceeds that "average" quite considerably, is an absolute disgrace.
Our contract states we have to play 14 games at the G. If we were fixtured fairly like every interstate team and had 11 home games on our home ground, then it would be 3 away games at the MCG which is on par with every one else in the league.
 
Mar 12, 2003
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Our contract states we have to play 14 games at the G. If we were fixtured fairly like every interstate team and had 11 home games on our home ground, then it would be 3 away games at the MCG which is on par with every one else in the league.
Thanks for clarifying. Do you know how many regular season games the MCG hosts in total? Assume there is a contract for that also?
 
Nov 10, 2013
23,822
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The Valley near the Alley
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Hell no
3 away games at the MCG which is on par with every one else in the league
14 - Collingwood
13 - Richmond
13 - Melbourne
9 - Carlton
9 - Hawthorn
8 - Essendon
6 - Geelong
3 - Fremantle
3 - Port Adelaide
3 - Sydney
2 - Adelaide
2 - Brisbane
2 - North Melbourne
2 - St Kilda
2 - Western Bulldogs
1 - Gold Coast
1 - GWS Giants
1 - West Coast
 

magpiemaniac44

Club Legend
Aug 19, 2020
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Thanks for clarifying. Do you know how many regular season games the MCG hosts in total? Assume there is a contract for that also?
Not sure exactly but Melbourne and Richmond usually play 10 home games, Collingwood 9, Hawthorn 6 and Geelong 2. I think Carlton and Essendon are about 5 home games at the G but not 100% sure.
 

magpiemaniac44

Club Legend
Aug 19, 2020
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14 - Collingwood
13 - Richmond
13 - Melbourne
9 - Carlton
9 - Hawthorn
8 - Essendon
6 - Geelong
3 - Fremantle
3 - Port Adelaide
3 - Sydney
2 - Adelaide
2 - Brisbane
2 - North Melbourne
2 - St Kilda
2 - Western Bulldogs
1 - Gold Coast
1 - GWS Giants
1 - West Coast
If Collingwood & Richmond etc got 11 home games at the MCG, then the numbers for those teams such as GC, GWS would be increased as they're usually the games that are moved to Marvel. Same as the Marvel tenants, Collingwood always play at least 1 home game at Marvel against a Marvel tenant a year.
 
Mar 12, 2003
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Not sure exactly but Melbourne and Richmond usually play 10 home games, Collingwood 9, Hawthorn 6 and Geelong 2. I think Carlton and Essendon are about 5 home games at the G but not 100% sure.
Hopefully your club and ours are both going gangbusters at the end of the season and it makes holding the Collingwood v Brisbane game under the roof look mighty stupid.

14 - Collingwood
13 - Richmond
13 - Melbourne
9 - Carlton
9 - Hawthorn
8 - Essendon
6 - Geelong
3 - Fremantle
3 - Port Adelaide
3 - Sydney
2 - Adelaide
2 - Brisbane
2 - North Melbourne
2 - St Kilda
2 - Western Bulldogs
1 - Gold Coast
1 - GWS Giants
1 - West Coast
See it's posts like this that actually detract from our argument. Of course Collingwood, Richmond and Melbourne play many more games at the MCG... It's their home ground! The issues lie with the "1"'s at the foot of the table.

That's a total of 48 games though, which means 12 teams should get 3 games there and the other 6 should get 2. And this needs to rotate over a 3 year period. Right now we're nowhere near that.
 

magpiemaniac44

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Hopefully your club and ours are both going gangbusters at the end of the season and it makes holding the Collingwood v Brisbane game under the roof look mighty stupid.
Agree, Couldn't believe they scheduled a potential top 4 clash in the second last round of the season between one of the biggest teams in Victoria vs the interstate team with the largest Victorian support at Marvel
 
Nov 10, 2013
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The Valley near the Alley
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Hell no
Hopefully your club and ours are both going gangbusters at the end of the season and it makes holding the Collingwood v Brisbane game under the roof look mighty stupid.


See it's posts like this that actually detract from our argument. Of course Collingwood, Richmond and Melbourne play many more games at the MCG... It's their home ground! The issues lie with the "1"'s at the foot of the table.

That's a total of 48 games though, which means 12 teams should get 3 games there and the other 6 should get 2. And this needs to rotate over a 3 year period. Right now we're nowhere near that.
Agree. Next season our game v richmond at marvel should be at mcg. That would make it 2 for us. And i couldnt care less that it also means another mcg game for Richmond.
 
Nov 20, 2008
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Again my gripe is that its not a "full" fixture, the last third is a floating fixture, it'll be a nightmare making arrangements getting there. Just set the entire 24 rounds in place and leave it. I don't understand the fixation of faux-flexibility.
 
Mar 12, 2003
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Again my gripe is that its not a "full" fixture, the last third is a floating fixture, it'll be a nightmare making arrangements getting there. Just set the entire 24 rounds in place and leave it. I don't understand the fixation of faux-flexibility.
I understand the reasons for having it... But when the actual execution of the idea involves giving a bottom 4 team 3 consecutive Friday night games, it's a real head scratcher.
 
Nov 20, 2008
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I understand the reasons for having it... But when the actual execution of the idea involves giving a bottom 4 team 3 consecutive Friday night games, it's a real head scratcher.

Or say when you have a wedding or some VIP function to go to on a Saturday in the middle of July and you don't know when the Lions are playing and then BAM Brisbane vs Richmond at the Gabba on THAT same day and time, and you already RSVP'd the wedding/VIP function months in advance and the game was scheduled like a week ago. Its a nightmare.
 
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