Fixture 2026 Fixture

[parano1a]

Why are they doubling up Friday night games
To give exclusive content to Fox?

Also to give Seven local team games to broadcast in SA/WA in primetime Friday night

 

[The_Todd07]

Fremantle, Adelaide, North Melbourne, Collingwood, Gold Coast and Brisbane twice.

So the other top 4 teams, 2 other finalists and North.

I look forward to at least 2 of those underperforming resulting on everyone with a room temperature IQ declaring us having an easy draw

 

[The_Todd07]

Double ups: ladder after h/a

Adelaide 1st
Brisbane 3rd
Pies 4th
Freo 6th
Suns 7th
North shit

Gee that’s a hard fixture.

I've just seen a table that shows it is the HARDEST fixture

 

[fpm84]

Oh - just realised we don't have to suffer through our annual losses to Saints at Marvel and GWS at KP next year

 

[calder_daddy]

Double ups: ladder after h/a

Adelaide 1st
Brisbane 3rd
Pies 4th
Freo 6th
Suns 7th
North shit

Gee that’s a hard fixture.

Yet some imbecile called up SEN just going off about Geelong getting looked after with North twice

Fmd, these people are hard to understand

 

[kickazz]

eh, would rather have Crows/Freo/Pies twice rather than GWS, Hawks or even Dogs.

Nah give us a return game against Hawks at KP any time

 

[year of the cat]

Hawks with a soft 2026 draw.

 

[kickazz]

Oh - just realised we don't have to suffer through our annual losses to Saints at Marvel and GWS at KP next year

Yeah underrated post.

 

[fpm84]

Nah give us a return game against Hawks at KP any time

Unfortunately Hawks playing deep into finals the last two years means they've outgrown KP for now - if we played them a second time it would def be at the G IMO.

 

[kickazz]

I've just seen a table that shows it is the HARDEST fixture

but but but we get North and Richmond in the last two rounds so that makes our whole season draw the easiest doesn't it?

 

[Hamingja]

Double ups: ladder after h/a

Adelaide 1st
Brisbane 3rd
Pies 4th
Freo 6th
Suns 7th
North shit

Gee that’s a hard fixture.

People will still complain it is weak when the Pies and one or two of the others miss the finals.

 

[Footy Smarts]

Absolutely brutal fixture.

 

[Max Caddy]

The double ups are rough, but otherwise very happy with this fixture. I've seen it's rated the hardest but I don't buy this as Coll and Adelaide will likely slide. Our last 6 games are a dream run

 

[Footy Smarts]

The double ups are rough, but otherwise very happy with this fixture. I've seen it's rated the hardest but I don't buy this as Coll and Adelaide will likely slide. Our last 6 games are a dream run

Yeah cause our first 17 are a nightmare.

In the first 17 games we play every other team from the top 11 from last year and have double ups against 4 of the top 7.

 

[STPer18]

Already pumped to hear at some point next year how receiving the hardest draw (based on the only objective way to measure it, previous season finishing position), is actually a dream draw gifted by the AFL overlords and Hocking.

 

[Kobe Gryant]

Yeah cause our first 17 are a nightmare.

In the first 17 games we play every other team from the top 11 from last year and have double ups against 4 of the top 7.

The fixture always looks brutal at this time of year, or it's a trojan horse masquerading as an easy one. Most of time, neither end up being true. Last year was the same.

In the likely event Collingwood and Adelaide slide, and/or the Suns don't live up to the hype, it won't look so bad. Just a typical top 4 fixture that always looks like a nightmare in November.

Alternatively, there's almost certainly going to be a team out there who is going to leap into the top 4 that we'll be happy we didn't get twice (See Adelaide this year).

Happens every year. Just means the club will change their pre-season training with a goal of going hard earlier in the year, similar to this one.

 

[Max Caddy]

The fixture always looks brutal at this time of year, or it's a trojan horse masquerading as an easy one. Most of time, neither end up being true. Last year was the same.

In the likely event Collingwood and Adelaide slide, and/or the Suns don't live up to the hype, it won't look so bad. Just a typical top 4 fixture that always looks like a nightmare in November.

Alternatively, there's almost certainly going to be a team out there who is going to leap into the top 4 that we'll be happy we didn't get twice (See Adelaide this year).

Happens every year. Just means the club will change their pre-season training with a goal of going hard earlier in the year, similar to this one.

There's also some little bonuses for us like a very easy Gather Round, no Saints at Marvel, no GWS at KP

 

[Footy Smarts]

The fixture always looks brutal at this time of year, or it's a trojan horse masquerading as an easy one. Most of time, neither end up being true. Last year was the same.

In the likely event Collingwood and Adelaide slide, and/or the Suns don't live up to the hype, it won't look so bad. Just a typical top 4 fixture that always looks like a nightmare in November.

Alternatively, there's almost certainly going to be a team out there who is going to leap into the top 4 that we'll be happy we didn't get twice (See Adelaide this year).

Happens every year. Just means the club will change their pre-season training with a goal of going hard earlier in the year, similar to this one.

Generally the fixture's importance is overrated. And of course if we're good enough we'll win enough to qualify.

But objectively this is the most difficult draw I've seen any team get ever.

Somehow we've ended up with double ups against 4x top 6 teams from last year (isn't it supposed to only be 3?).

And our "middle 6" double up is the team that finished 7th.

And the 2 top 8 teams we don't have a double up against we play away from home.

And somehow this brutal fixture is squashed into the first 17 games so we've got the easiest run into finals of any team.

Of course in reality things might look easier than they look now but based on the previous year's ladder I'd put money on this being the most difficult draw any team has ever got.

 

[STPer18]

Somehow we've ended up with double ups against 4x top 6 teams from last year (isn't it supposed to only be 3?).

AFL made a 'new rule' a few days ago, bumped the maximum limit up to four, then handed us the four. If we were a certain other fanbase we'd be claiming this as yet another rule change by the AFL to keep us down.

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

THE AFL has made a key change to its fixture build, with the League updating its 'weighted rule' and lifting how many double-up games can be played by a team against a fellow club in its ladder range.

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.

 

[Art Vandelay_]

 

[goyoucatters]

Oh - just realised we don't have to suffer through our annual losses to Saints at Marvel and GWS at KP next year

Still got Carlton at the 'G, though.

(shudders)

Seriously, though, this is an incredibly challenging draw. And just imagine how difficult it would be if we weren't the AFL's darlings and being propped up by them at every turn.

#youknowitmakessense

 

[goyoucatters]

Not that it will probably matter much, given their roster. And I get they had a really hard run at it this year. But how does it work that the team who were premiers in a canter end up having what is supposedly the eighth-hardest draw heading into the next season?

Make it make sense...

 

[you pick one]

I don't care as much about the teams doubled up as I do about how they are assigned into the fixture in regards to 3 consecutive short breaks IE Collingwood at the G 6 days break to GWS in Sydney and back with another 6 day break to Hawthorn for example that's the killer 3 games in 12 or 13 days.

 

[Whiskers]

There's also some little bonuses for us like a very easy Gather Round, no Saints at Marvel, no GWS at KP

Not sure gather round matters. We still play every interstate side away except Sydney.
I’m just happy with your other points, no gws twice or saints at marvel.
Otherwise it doesn’t really matter who we get twice. We generally win anyway.

In 2025 we went 7-5 in our double ups and 10-1 against teams we played once.

People look at the fixture in a simplistic matter but what matters is if you get bogey sides twice, who you play at home instead of away and rests between games.

Last year between round 2-15 Collingwood had a longer break than their opponent. Thats massive being more rested everytime.
So in the back end they got shown up.

Playing opening round helps us early in the season with breaks but than it gets tougher.
5 day break vs dogs, 5 day break to the Gabba,

b2b 6 day breaks vs crows coming off a bye.
6 day break to Optus to play Freo who have just had a bye.

Some very tough interstate trips on a short break whereas they come off a bye. That’s where the issues are.

 

[Lana]

regardless of the fixture difficulty we still have to get 10 wins to make finals. We’ll be battle hardened. We have a deep squad.