Fixture 2026 Fixture

[Holden Hillbilly]

Teams to be re-seeded after Wildcard Round. Highest ranked winner becomes 7th, lowest ranked winner becomes 8th​

 

[Jojay]

The people's game

 

[StueyDaDew]

AFL is piss.

 

[Greasyrhys]

If the tiggers are playing 2 games in Hobart, no doubt we’ll feature in one of them…

 

[Scholz Supremacy]

If the tiggers are playing 2 games in Hobart, no doubt we’ll feature in one of them…

Looks like they’ll play 1 next year then 1 in 2027.

I heard they’ll be playing Brisbane there next year.

 

[Expat power]

I’m not denying your main point here, but it would have worked well for our AFLW team. We just missed out on finals by the width of one extraordinary umpiring decision. We had a hard draw early and took a few games to get our best going. Meanwhile, St Kildare and WCE fell into the finals almost by default, and were uncompetitive in their first final.

Our AFLW team really only got their game into gear in the last 3 games, with good wins against finalists in Hawks & Crows. On that form, we would have been competitive with all the teams up to and including Melbourne, we would give Lions a good run for their money, then get smashed by North like everyone else. But it would have been a fun ride, they kept calling us “the funnest team to watch” on Kayo etc.

Agree, wildcard works well for teams that are running hot at the end of the season - our AFLW girls were fantastic in those final few games.

I'm happy to see the end of the bye round pre finals and love the reward of a rest to the top 6. Not sure how people can think it rewards mediocrity any team that makes it to the GF has earned their place after 24 rounds.

 

[Jojay]

 

[Ported]

if your side finished 7th and was knocked out by the side finishing 10th you might think differently. This year the Suns finished 7th with 15 wins and 124.89% while the Swans were 10th with 12 ins and 97%. In fact the Suns were only one win from finishing third and had they not lost to Port by 4 points they would have been third.

As has been posted by majority among us this is nothing more than a money making exercise and an opportunity to keep more Melbourne based clubs active come finals time.

On the TV news bulletin I watched last night the move was described as, 'the inclusion of two more blockbuster games'. That sounds like it comes straight from the AFL playbook.

It's all arbitrary though. If the AFL had traditionally had a top 6 we'd be saying the same thing if they were to expand it to a top 8. If it worked like the premier league then the AFL said '**** it, we're doing finals now' people would be annoyed too.

This change seems to bring it more in line with the play in tournament of the NBA in terms of the ratio of teams that are and aren't involved in finals (fair enough if you say 'i don't give a shit')

It's all just based on expectation and tradition, which i totally get. I want some things to remain the same, like day grand finals, because that's what i'm used to and i like it.

I do get the AFL's argument that it would make for a few less dead rubbers late in the season. I'm just annoyed that they don't seem to be pursuing a proper equal (17 round H&A season) fixture.

I also agree that the AFL are money grubbers.

 

[RussellEbertHandball]

League makes big change to weighted rule ahead of fixture reveal

Teams can play up to four other teams in their ladder range, previously three, from next season

www.afl.com.au

Under the League's three-way split of the ladder – the top six teams, the middle six and the bottom six – the AFL uses the weighted rule to determine 'double-up' games.

In 2025 the clubs could play either two or three of their own group twice, and one or two clubs in the other groups.

However the League has made a change to its weighted rule, with the update seeing teams being able to play up to four of their own group as double up games rather than three.

 

[sniff_A_chicken]

Good for us!

League makes big change to weighted rule ahead of fixture reveal

Teams can play up to four other teams in their ladder range, previously three, from next season

www.afl.com.au

Under the League's three-way split of the ladder – the top six teams, the middle six and the bottom six – the AFL uses the weighted rule to determine 'double-up' games.

In 2025 the clubs could play either two or three of their own group twice, and one or two clubs in the other groups.

However the League has made a change to its weighted rule, with the update seeing teams being able to play up to four of their own group as double up games rather than three

 

[Doctor Feel]

**** I would love someone to have the balls to start a break away league. The vics can go please themselves.

There wouldn't have been a single decision made by AFL exec in the last 20 years that has been for the fans, voted by the fans.

It's all corporate slop.

 

[RussellEbertHandball]

**** I would love someone to have the balls to start a break away league. The vics can go please themselves.

There wouldn't have been a single decision made by AFL exec in the last 20 years that has been for the fans, voted by the fans.

It's all corporate slop.

Go chat to the Saudis. They have the money to do it.

 

[Grave Danger]

They're still going to crack 8000 days next year though.

 

[Cheesey Mac]

Need to move to a 17 round H&A with an extended playoff/finals series, but i don't actually think a top 10 is any worse than what we have currently.

I'd actually go the other way, expand the season to 34 games (full home and away, play every team twice, get rid of pre-season games).

Expand the playing lists, shorten quarters and play mid-week if necessary (ala Covid times) to get all the games in between late February and mid-October.

I'd even reduce the finals to be a top 6 or 8, because really after a marathon 34 game regular season the top 6 teams have earned it (and I'm firmly of the belief that no more than half of the competition should qualify for finals - IMO 10 of 18 is too much and just rewards mediocrity).

None of what I've said above is realistic or a chance of happening, but it's what I'd do to make the fixture fairer and ensure that finalists deserve to be there.

 

[Ported]

I'd actually go the other way, expand the season to 34 games (full home and away, play every team twice, get rid of pre-season games).

Expand the playing lists, shorten quarters and play mid-week if necessary (ala Covid times) to get all the games in between late February and mid-October.

I'd even reduce the finals to be a top 6 or 8, because really after a marathon 34 game regular season the top 6 teams have earned it (and I'm firmly of the belief that no more than half of the competition should qualify for finals - IMO 10 of 18 is too much and just rewards mediocrity).

None of what I've said above is realistic or a chance of happening, but it's what I'd do to make the fixture fairer and ensure that finalists deserve to be there.

Any way to get to an equal fixture I'm down with. We'll look back to when the AFL just decide who plays twice and wonder what they hell we were doing.

I also don't care in the slightest about having two showdowns a year, especially if it means compromising an equal fixture.

 

[Holden Hillbilly]

**** I would love someone to have the balls to start a break away league. The vics can go please themselves.

There wouldn't have been a single decision made by AFL exec in the last 20 years that has been for the fans, voted by the fans.

It's all corporate slop.

Would need a FTA station to stump up $1 billion.

 

[RossFC]

Richo on the fixture.

 

[Holden Hillbilly]

 

[Doctor Feel]

Richo on the fixture.
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That secons point is absolute garbage. If that is what we wanted to address, it could be done in so many more ways that make sense than this shit.

 

[Coobk001]

Have we even had 1 leaked tidbit yet? Usually we would've been drip fed our round 1 game by now and probably another 1 or 2 games. Have literally no idea about any of our games yet.

 

[240volt]

Have we even had 1 leaked tidbit yet? Usually we would've been drip fed our round 1 game by now and probably another 1 or 2 games. Have literally no idea about any of our games yet.

Did I read something about us playing West Coast at home in round 1 ?
Thought I did somewhere.

 

[RossFC]

 

[Holden Hillbilly]

The two South Australian clubs will open and close Gather Round for a second-straight year.
Adelaide will maintain its status as the Gather Round opener, while after the success of having Port Adelaide and Hawthorn end this year’s edition the Power will close the 2026 festival of footy on a Sunday night.

 

[Rash]

of course the clowns open again!

 

[TazD]

of course the clowns open again!

I mean, between us they are the better Primetime product.