Analysis 2020 Fixture - Thoughts and guesses

[Slitherin9]

Of course I understand, all I'm saying is that I don't particularly care that we are getting stand alone games on Thurs / Fri nights. We've consistently demonstrated that we shit ourselves on the national stage, so there's another four times of that to look forward to, unless something significantly changes.

Those prime-time games are all well and good, but enlighten me how they help us Victorian fans or encourage Victorian kids (even kids from anywhere else other than Brisbane) want to barrack for the Lions? I'd say it does very little other than give more exposure to a sponsor or provide a further selling point to our sales guys in attracting sponsors. Again, how does that help me or any other Victorian wanting to see the Lions play in Melbourne?



I have for the past decade, so I've come to expect it, but I am happy to endure those hammerings (which have reduced in recent years) for those odd games that we do win. It is that same expectation as when we regularly get humiliated on the national stage like we do every-time in the prime-time slot in recent years.

But let's be honest, for a club born from a Melbourne and a Brisbane club, it isn't unacceptable to want more games in the city where half of the club is from. You can have both i.e. more games in Victoria and standalone night games. Hell, more than a third of GWS' is played in Victoria, whereas we get less than a quarter. I'm sorry, but I just don't see the club giving a toss anymore because it is clear that it only sees itself as a Brisbane based club. The club's communication and reactionary communication supports that too.

Hey Dylan,
I understand the frustration, when a deal is signed everyone should expect it to be honoured. But the sad fact is that the AFL spat on that deal before the ink was dry.

But don't take your frustration out on the club for promoting itself, what else is it supposed to do as a business entity? I can only assume they gave a frank and honest assessment of the dud deal Fitzroy got this year.

Having said that, I think this year is worse than most for the Fitzroy Faithful, who should expect at least 5 MCG/Docklands games every year.

To have a Geelong game and a Tassie game as "home" Fitzroy games is a new level of disrespect. And I don't begrudge anyone for complaining.

But... I'm a Blundstone member, so I'm pretty stoked personally

 

[lioninthesand]

Have you really fallen for that?

Add in something that you know 95% of the fans won't attend, but try to appease yourself that you really care. Further, give them access to games that will barely offer you seat and be exposed to the elements. I get better than that at Sorrento games, yet for AFL games I should stand in the rain and not be able to sit in the comfort of a seat in a grandstand?

Amazed that anyone hasn't seen right through that BS, but clearly you've fallen for it.

Bro, turn down the rageo'meter and turn up the sarcasm detector. Clearly joking. Pointing out the club's opotunistic spin on an attempt at appeasing Vic members.

 

[marooned]

Generally pleased with the state of the draw.

 

[luthor]

Generally pleased with the state of the draw.

Putting aside the obvious slight from the AFL to our Melbourne supporter base, we have got a pretty good deal in terms of prime time exposure and also our double up games.

Small consolation to our aggrieved Melbourne supporters I know but is it possible to look at this in a more holistic way?

Two out of three ain't bad?

 

[FFB1]

On face value we couldn’t have asked for a much better draw, with the added bonus of FTA exposure. Let’s hope we take advantage of it..

As a VIC member I am pretty pissed off, especially with the news membership prices will not decrease in line with the reduced number of games in Melbourne. I have always been a VIC+ member, effectively donating $ to the club as I’ve used my membership to access a non-Lions game (which the club forks out for me to do) maybe 4 or 5 times in that time; I won’t be doing that next year and will be purchasing a standard VIC membership.

I’ve read a few people use the term ‘entitled victorians’, or words to that effect. I don’t expect those people to understand why us down here, particularly those with Fitzroy blood, are feeling the way we are. And I’m not going to try and make them understand why. All I ask is they allow those who needs to vent and air their frustrations vent and air their frustrations. The dust will settle.

 

[lioninthesand]

On face value we couldn’t have asked for a much better draw, with the added bonus of FTA exposure. Let’s hope we take advantage of it..

As a VIC member I am pretty pissed off, especially with the news membership prices will not decrease in line with the reduced number of games in Melbourne. I have always been a VIC+ member, effectively donating $ to the club as I’ve used my membership to access a non-Lions game (which the club forks out for me to do) maybe 4 or 5 times in that time; I won’t be doing that next year and will be purchasing a standard VIC membership.

I’ve read a few people use the term ‘entitled victorians’, or words to that effect. I don’t expect those people to understand why us down here, particularly those with Fitzroy blood, are feeling the way we are. And I’m not going to try and make them understand why. All I ask is they allow those who needs to vent and air their frustrations vent and air their frustrations. The dust will settle.

Anyone saying we are entitled need to get their head out of their ass.

 

[1883]

Six it is.

7.2 h) The Merged Club ["Merged Club" means Brisbane Bears] will play one half of the total number of home and away games per season at the Gabba and as many Melbourne based away premiership games as possible will be played at Optus Oval or the Melbourne Cricket Ground (but not less than 6) with any other away premiership games at any of Waverley, Optus Oval or the Melbourne Cricket Ground at which Melbourne based members of the Merged Club will have home ground status...

It is such a shame that we do not have meaningful representation to advocate for and coordinate the Fitzroy “voice”.

 

[jjami15]

With the number of teams that we have and the obligation between the broadcasters and AFL house the complexities of the draw will remain. I don’t have an answer but I do think that there needs for something to happen so that it is more even. Then again, like us last year, teams will be found out when they make the finals. I’m not saying we didn’t deserve to be there but maybe not as a top 2 team, hopefully we learnt a lot from it and playing against more better teams will hold us in good stead for when we make the finals again, most probably against the Doggie Darlings of the AFL.

 

[CarterS]

That Round 16 game vs Collingwood at the MCG, I am pretty surprised it is not Friday night or at least Saturday night. I expected a Melbourne Friday night game and that would've been the perfect one.

 

[CarterS]

Has the AFL ever publicly commented on the merger agreement? Technically according to that we should be playing at the MCG for all of our Melbourne games?! Whoever wrote that wasn't really forward thinking regarding naming Waverley and Optus Oval in particular.

 

[dlanod]

Statistically we should have 5.625 away games a year against Melbourne clubs if they were all Melbourne clubs.

Unfortunately the joke clubs that sell off games means that number drops to almost exactly five games a year in Melbourne. So basically we're right around where we'd be if the draw is random and zero effort is given by the AFL to adhere to the Fitzroy deal - usually five, sometimes six, twice four.

Don't think that surprises anyone.

 

[irish]

well you vic boys very welcome to come to the game in Hobart ! lets face it it will be just as easy to pop on a plane and get straight to the game as making your way to the G

 

[Maroon Monsoon]

I'm still relatively new to following footy so forgive me if this is a dumb question, but are clubs actually made aware of the fixture much before it's publicly announced? My impression from the release being delayed last year because Hawthorne got the shits was that even bigger clubs only get an idea relatively late in the day.

If that's the case, would there have actually been much of a window for the club to forcefully advocate for more Melbourne games after they found out there were only 4? My impression is that beyond the initial wish list the club probably wouldn't have had much input and as a Northern club probably wouldn't have been in a situation much different than us, speculating and wondering what the fixture would hold before it was announced.

With that said I do have a lot of sympathy for Melbourne fans, in particular with regards to the price of the Victorian membership which the club does control. My partner bleeds orange and charcoal and we found ourselves in a similar circumstance with our Queensland giants membership, where we were paying $120 to have access to zero games in state.

It's a very frustrating situation to be in when it feels you're getting ripped off by a club you love, so I do understand and have sympathy for the anger of the Melbourne supporters

 

[whizkizz]

I'm a Melbourne based fan, ex-Fitzroy member (albeit I was still in school at the time of the merger) and maybe I'm in the minority here, but I love the fixture.

Footy is about winning premierships. We are a poor club (financially), putting our training facilities aside, we simply can't compete with the big boys. This fixture gives us incredible exposure which hopefully leads to greater sponsorship, and TEN free to air games (some of which are prime time) hopefully leads to us winning a few more fans over. Unless your parents gave you no other option, why would a young person choose to follow a team they maybe only see on TV 2-3 times a year?

Heck I live on the same train line as Jolimont, it's extremely convenient for me to get to the footy in Melbourne. But I'll happily jump on a plane and do the return trip to Hobart or Canberra in a day (if the timing's right the flights can come in under $100 return) and I'll enjoy the experience of visiting a new venue (something many others won't have experienced) and watch footy as it was intended to be played, in the elements.

I also like to think North and GWS give up a bit of their homeground advantage playing at their second homes - GWS lost to Freo and North lost to GWS in respective games in 2019 - while for North, it means getting on a plane too, so hopefully this is a small tick in the W/L stakes.

No back to back travels (aside from the week there's a bye between them), 3 games in Qld to close out the year and hopefully freshen up ahead of finals, the same amount of days break as Collingwood ahead of Easter Thursday (this was a travesty in 2019), playing teams we know we can beat as our double ups in 2020 (we won 7/8 against these very teams in 2019), and we avoided easily the two hardest road trips in footy - Eagles & Tigers.

There is so much to like about the fixture, I'm not going to carry on over an outdated merger agreement that was written when Marvel Stadium, Gold Coast and GWS didn't even exist. Yes it sucks for our ~3000 Victorian members, but the times have changed and the club has bigger fish to fry. For some interesting perspective, the club barely even makes any money off Victorian memberships. Every time you scan your ticket at an away game the club has to reimburse the home side for your ticket.

Remember, it's the AFL that controls the fixture, so if you need to raise a pitchfork it's best you head over to Marvel Stadium and camp out until Gil's next appearance.

2020 promises to be a big year for OUR club. Enjoy the ride, whatever State you live in. Go Lions

 

[Dylan12]

For some interesting perspective, the club barely even makes any money off Victorian memberships. Every time you scan your ticket at an away game the club has to reimburse the home side for your ticket.

Better yet, perhaps Melbourne based Lions fans shouldn't even bother going to games then. We are clearly burden for the club. I don't think the club will have that much of an issue next year, given they are now openly happy to rip us off (you know, less games but charged the same for memberships (don't mention the "free game" that 95% of people won't even attend), so hopefully less Victorians thumb their nose at the club that regularly thumbs it at them.

 

[Nunez]

Better yet, perhaps Melbourne based Lions fans shouldn't even bother going to games then. We are clearly burden for the club. I don't think the club will have that much of an issue next year, given they are now openly happy to rip us off (you know, less games but charged the same for memberships (don't mention the "free game" that 95% of people won't even attend), so hopefully less Victorians thumb their nose at the club that regularly thumbs it at them.

Genuinely surprised this has got you as worked up as it has mate. Surely there are bigger problems in life than this to invest so much time and effort on?

 

[LongLion]

Ahhhhh How to get so much joy out of being really miserable & outraged with the Vic # of games. Makes one glad to be alive.

 

[Dylan12]

Surely there are bigger problems in life than this to invest so much time and effort on?

Such as?

 

[whizkizz]

Such as?

Poverty.. war.. famine.. the Lions not winning a final for 10 years etc

 

[jackess]

Better yet, perhaps Melbourne based Lions fans shouldn't even bother going to games then. We are clearly burden for the club. I don't think the club will have that much of an issue next year, given they are now openly happy to rip us off (you know, less games but charged the same for memberships (don't mention the "free game" that 95% of people won't even attend), so hopefully less Victorians thumb their nose at the club that regularly thumbs it at them.

This tantrum is a long one.

 

[whizkizz]

I'd also like to point out GWS only played 3 games in Melbourne in 2019.

Swings and roundabouts.

EDIT: Sorry article I was referencing was wrong, they had 4.

 

[tate13]

I'd also like to point out GWS only played 3 games in Melbourne in 2019.

Swings and roundabouts.

EDIT: Sorry article I was referencing was wrong, they had 4.

GWS doesn't have 100 years of history and a supporter base it's supposed to care about down here. It also doesn't have a merger agreement. This year the Eagles have more games than us down here. It's a farce on every level. The club can't control this, and I fully understand why they'd be thrilled from a dollars pov for this fixture. But there's a solid supporter base down here it could potentially tap into with a little bit of effort, instead it offers lip service and the token wearing of Fitzroy's jumper once every two years. In my view it needs to be much, much stronger in pushing for the merger agreement to be honored. It should also be pushing a lot harder to have Fitzroy's stats officially recognised as part of our merged entity, but that's another argument. Perhaps Brusbane doesn't have to be the side stumping up Tasmania, Ballarat games etc each year? Perhaps these shouldn't fall to interstate games at the expense of an MCG game to begin with given the grand final is at the MCG. I understand we've been in a bit of a position of not being able to stand up to the AFL in fear of biting off the had that feeds us, but to not even mention or acknowledge what a poor outcome for Melbourne fans this fixture is, is showing how far down the pecking order we sit. I don't blame anyone who gets upset by that. It's a slap in the face.

 

[dlanod]

GWS doesn't have 100 years of history and a supporter base it's supposed to care about down here. It also doesn't have a merger agreement.

GWS was brought up because it keeps getting held up as "see, they got seven Melbourne games" when in reality it's a fluke as they've only had four games in Melbourne the last four years, i.e. a lot lot more often than we have had. Fixturing isn't a zero sum game - it isn't a case of just switching opponents on a given weekend.

 

[Roylion]

I'm not going to carry on over an outdated merger agreement that was written when Marvel Stadium, Gold Coast and GWS didn't even exist. Yes it sucks for our ~3000 Victorian members, but the times have changed and the club has bigger fish to fry. For some interesting perspective, the club barely even makes any money off Victorian memberships. Every time you scan your ticket at an away game the club has to reimburse the home side for your ticket.

This is the precisely the reason Fitzroy's directors' preferred merger option in 1996 was with a Melbourne based club, as they realised the opportunity for Melbouren based supporters to watch their club play would be limited if they merged with a non-Victorian club. However the Brisbane Bears (with energetic AFL support and manipulation) chased an arrangement that would essentially benefit their club. The Fitzroy directors recgnised early on that AFL promises and guarantees weren't really worth the paper they were printed on.

 

[MacMum]

Geezuz guys, accept what it is, it can't be changed. Complaining is not going to change a damn thing.

There are some seriously miserable people on this board. Never happy.

I have no problem as I'm sure most don't, you voicing your disapproval of the fixture, but to keep on and on about it is really tiresome. It's the same every year.