Fixture 2020 Fixture - The rest of the H&A fixture has now been announced!

[The Prosecutor]

Then Port game could be a massive game.

 

[TheGreatBarryB]

Adelaide in Adelaide, likely followed by Port then Richmond in Darwin?

With Saints in SA same time I would’ve thought we play them as well before going to Darwin.

 

[eth-dog]

I think R9 might be Richmond actually

 

[Albertross]

So does this mean our hub is now moving to SA? Or are we flying back and forth each week?

 

[rumply]

 

[Fridge16]

Not a bad thing for us, Stringer the only player with kids. Surprisingly our pressure game suits the dewy conditions at night. I think we don’t lose anything playing up there. Other clubs might drop 5 or 10%.

 

[Mr Bultitude]

"… And, as I told Gill, if the season is based here then the Grand Final should be played here too."

Thems fighting words, Palaszczuk. It stings as a staunch Victorian to hear that, but it's most likely the reality of it.

 

[Lore]

I hope that means we just FIFO for other interstate games and set ourselves up properly in Queensland outside of that. It's preferable than rotating from state to state each week.

 

[Lore]

confirmed...


HOME AND AWAY though. Doesn't say about finals.

The fixturing of matches beyond round eight will incorporate matches on all days of the week.

During Wednesday's meeting, some clubs sought an assurance that the rounds leading into the finals – rounds 16 and 17 – revert to the traditional Thursday-Sunday scheduling.

The proposed date of the Grand Final remains October 24, but like everything else this season, it cannot be locked in.

Same bit about Annastasia P. and Qld wanting to host the Grand Final too, but that's not coming from the AFL.

 

[Lore]

Actually I like the last line as well:

"There will be no problems getting the teams back home, but quarantine requirements and border shutdowns in other states in getting them back out may prove impossible."

So basically we play the season in fast forward, then players go home to their families and oops can't get them out of the state for finals because of border controls and will just have to have the GF here...

 

[mike14]

"… And, as I told Gill, if the season is based here then the Grand Final should be played here too."

Thems fighting words, Palaszczuk. It stings as a staunch Victorian to hear that, but it's most likely the reality of it.

If QLD can keep this thing under control, 35k at the Gabba for the GF would help make it a much better spectacle than a very empty MCG

 

[rumply]

I hope that means we just FIFO for other interstate games and set ourselves up properly in Queensland outside of that. It's preferable than rotating from state to state each week.

sounds like it, 2 weeks quarantine in WA to play a 3 game block at some point

 

[rumply]

"… And, as I told Gill, if the season is based here then the Grand Final should be played here too."

Thems fighting words, Palaszczuk. It stings as a staunch Victorian to hear that, but it's most likely the reality of it.

Got no problem with the GF being played up there, it'd be a great marketing opp for the league, hard to see AFL overlooking WA though if all's ok over there covid wise at the time.

 

[eth-dog]

sounds like it, 2 weeks quarantine in WA to play a 3 game block at some point

Given we've already played Freo, how would that work? Anyway, as for the 10 games we don't know when we're playing we have:

Brisbane, Geelong, Gold Coast, GWS, Hawthorne, Melbourne, Port, Richmond, St. Kilda, West Coast

Who are the other possible teams we could do a hub in WA with? We probably play Richmond in the NT for the Dreamtime equivalent, it would make little sense for us to join Brisbane, Geelong, Gold Coast and Port there which leaves a combination of GWS, Hawthorne, Melbourne and St. Kilda.

 

[Lore]

Got no problem with the GF being played up there, it'd be a great marketing opp for the league, hard to see AFL overlooking WA though if all's ok over there covid wise at the time.

They'll have to truck in people to fill the stadium, but being a smaller stadium perhaps that won't be so difficult. (only half joking)

I'd almost rather have a 20th century style round robin than open that can of worms though. If there's no Perth team playing why would they hold it in Perth lol. Both of their clubs are fighting for the spoon already.

 

[Lore]

Given we've already played Freo, how would that work? Anyway, as for the 10 games we don't know when we're playing we have:

Brisbane, Geelong, Gold Coast, GWS, Hawthorne, Melbourne, Port, Richmond, St. Kilda, West Coast

Who are the other possible teams we could do a hub in WA with? We probably play Richmond in the NT for the Dreamtime equivalent, it would make little sense for us to join Brisbane, Geelong, Gold Coast and Port there which leaves a combination of GWS, Hawthorne, Melbourne and St. Kilda.

We don't have to stay for the whole quarantine period, we could go for 2 days play WC and come back surely. Or a week and play a Melbourne team there, then come back Could be a round 17 type situation.

 

[andleanback]

Means Stringer and heppell will miss most of season and only get back unless we play finals.

 

[TheGreatBarryB]

Means Stringer and heppell will miss most of season and only get back unless we play finals.

Think they said additional players and family can come up but will have to quarantine for 14 days in Southport before contact with teams or partners

 

[andleanback]

Think they said additional players and family can come up but will have to quarantine for 14 days in Southport before contact with teams or partners

Yeah they’ll all come up but stringer will most likely only make it back for the last round or so. Heppell might not play again this year.

 

[eth-dog]

I suspect it would be prudent to fly Stringer up in 4 weeks? When he has 2-3 weeks before he can play again anyway. Similar with Ambrose.

 

[eth-dog]

We don't have to stay for the whole quarantine period, we could go for 2 days play WC and come back surely. Or a week and play a Melbourne team there, then come back Could be a round 17 type situation.

I was really only speaking if we were required to play in a hub. For it to work it would have to have:

2x teams neither have played (Say, GWS and Hawthorne)
1x team Freo have played but West Coast haven't (us)
1x team WC have played but Freo haven't (Melbourne)

I think. I haven't really fleshed out the idea.

 

[Mercurial89]

I suspect it would be prudent to fly Stringer up in 4 weeks? When he has 2-3 weeks before he can play again anyway. Similar with Ambrose.

I dont know if its medically sound or if they would want to, but if the facilities are good enough id get the entire list up there to make sure they feel included even those in rehab.

 

[rumply]

They'll have to truck in people to fill the stadium, but being a smaller stadium perhaps that won't be so difficult. (only half joking)

I'd almost rather have a 20th century style round robin than open that can of worms though. If there's no Perth team playing why would they hold it in Perth lol. Both of their clubs are fighting for the spoon already.

For the crowd. I'd be very surprised if Optus isn't far & away the clear early leader to host the GF given there's basically no chance it'll be at the MCG.

But yeah if the 2 QLD teams make a strong push for finals & there's a bunch of other teams up there already, I think I'd actually prefer the GABBA.

 

[fairbump_playon]

The way COVID is creeping I reckon Queensland will go the way that Vic and NSW have gone.

I can see 18 teams based in Adelaide or Perth by late August

 

[Lore]

For the crowd. I'd be very surprised if Optus isn't far & away the clear early leader to host the GF given there's basically no chance it'll be at the MCG.

But yeah if the 2 QLD teams make a strong push for finals & there's a bunch of other teams up there already, I think I'd actually prefer the GABBA.

Adelaide, Sydney and Freo have basically ruled themselves out of it already. WC/GWS could scrape in, but would still need 6 wins and some luck with percentages for 8th, let alone a home final. So other than Queensland-based teams, it's only really Port that's likely to make a case for a home final at this stage. If Port earned a home grand final you can pretty much guarantee they'll be campaigners about it though – can you imagine Port v. Collingwood GF at Adelaide Oval..?

I'm not convinced that a neutral GF in Perth would fill the stadium unless it's corporates, or the novelty factor of cheap tickets, especially if it's a couple of minnow clubs (St Kilda v Gold Coast?). If Queensland goes into lockdown and all the clubs are moved away from the eastern seaboard that's a whole other conversation though, as we'd basically have no other options.

As far as a Queensland GF, that's a curious question. The capacity of the Gabba is 41,197 for an AFL game (less for cricket), and the best AFL crowd they've ever had was Brisbane v Richmond in a final last year. Nearly all of their top crowds for AFL games are Brisbane v. big Melbourne club.

If they're allowed to pack people in like sardines, I'd think a contingent of Victorians retirees in Queensland would make up the numbers if a Victorian team plays Brisbane, or perhaps even if two Melbourne teams play each other.

Brisbane vs Gold Coast would be an interesting scenario, the best crowd they ever got for a local derby at the Gabba was in 2011 (their first local derby I presume), but it doesn't rate amongst the top 20 (above).