Opinion 2021: Once again disappointed with the fixture

Coolangatta

Norm Smith Medallist
Oct 27, 2007
6,884
5,869
Western Australia
AFL Club
Brisbane Lions
a) Everyone plays each other once in the first 17 rounds, which is good, but travel is uneven (i.e. West Coast play Adelaide and Port at home rather than one at home and one in SA)
b) The last 5 rounds are set in stone and not left blank depending on ladder position so some clubs will inevitably get an easier run home than others

This is how I'd do it.

- Everyone plays each other once but better distribution. Take, for example, QLD and NSW. If you have Sydney vs. Brisbane (SCG) then in that same season, Sydney would play Gold Coast in QLD. Brissy would host GWS and GWS would host Gold Coast. Next season, all these fixtures would be reversed. Brissy vs Sydney at the Gabba, Sydney vs Gold Coast @ SCG etc. Do this with WA teams travelling to SA and so on.

- For Victorian teams, put them in blocks of two: Carlton-Collingwood, Richmond-Essendon, Geelong-Hawthorn etc. When you pair them with interstate teams, you'd have something like this:

2022:
Collingwood vs Sydney MCG
Sydney vs Carlton SCG
Carlton vs GWS Marvel
GWS vs Collingwood Giants stadium

2023:
Sydney vs. Collingwood SCG
Carlton vs. Sydney Marvel/MCG
GWS vs. Carlton Giants stadium
Collingwood vs GWS MCG

etc etc. Vic sides play each other once and reverse them the next year.

Last five rounds is 1v2 round 18, 1v3 round 19 etc. Or, you just have everyone play each other once, with more byes and split rounds throughout the year.

But if the AFL is going to (and they should) have everyone play each other once in the first 17 rounds, Collingwood should play one WA side at home and one away per year and reverse it every year etc. It isn't hard and what it does is stop situations like Sydney playing Collingwood in Sydney every year. 2013 is the last time Sydney has played the Pies at the G, Freo hasn't played Melbourne in Perth since 2015 etc.
 

Soberian Tiger

Borat's cousin twice removed from village
Jul 25, 2018
1,118
5,997
AFL Club
Richmond
"Once again disappointed with the 2021 fixture" indicates that you were disappointed with this year's fixture, got over it and then succumbed to disappointment on the subject once more.

All in a rather short space of time, given the timing of the fixture being released to the public.

'2021: Once again disappointed with the fixture' would likely be more accurate.
 

Coolangatta

Norm Smith Medallist
Oct 27, 2007
6,884
5,869
Western Australia
AFL Club
Brisbane Lions
"Once again disappointed with the 2021 fixture" indicates that you were disappointed with this year's fixture, got over it and then succumbed to disappointment on the subject once more.

All in a rather short space of time, given the timing of the fixture being released to the public.

'2021: Once again disappointed with the fixture' would likely be more accurate.

Fixed.

Anyway, unbelievable that they still haven't got it right.

17+5 reverse fixture, WA side travels to SA once, SA to WA once, even number of Vic sides travel to Qld and vice versa. Could possibly make it 23 rounds, final round rival round with Victorian rematches determined by ranking. So, going by 2020 ladder you'd have:

Round 23:
Showdown
Derby
QClash
Battle of the bridge
Richmond vs. Geelong
St Kilda vs. Bulldogs
Collingwood vs. Melbourne
Carlton vs. Essendon
Hawthorn vs. North
time and venue tba
 

Coolangatta

Norm Smith Medallist
Oct 27, 2007
6,884
5,869
Western Australia
AFL Club
Brisbane Lions
Screen Shot 2021-01-06 at 3.43.50 pm.png

More in-depth look at how to do it. Reverse these fixtures every year.

Final 5 rounds based on ranking, i.e. 1 v 2, 3 v 4. Final round rivalry round + Vic games based on rankings. Keep pre-finals bye so teams can recover from intense matches. Good finals prep for them anyway.
 

Coolangatta

Norm Smith Medallist
Oct 27, 2007
6,884
5,869
Western Australia
AFL Club
Brisbane Lions
Vic side reverse fixtures wouldn't necessarily change much, but it'd be nice to mix it up. So, you could have Essendon vs. Hawthorn at Marvel and next year you have Hawthorn vs. Essendon MCG. I've got Freo playing Hawthorn and North away in my format, but one year they might play Hawthorn at Tassie and North at Marvel and 2 years later North at Tassie and Hawthorn at the G or Marvel.
 

Coolangatta

Norm Smith Medallist
Oct 27, 2007
6,884
5,869
Western Australia
AFL Club
Brisbane Lions
I mean you'd have to be more specific. What commercial aspects? Do you mean specific fixtures that raise Brissy more revenue? Like the Easter one against Collingwood in QLD? If you change the Richmond/Essendon slot around in my table, you could have Brissy play Collingwood at home in an Easter blockbuster one year, then the Tigers in the same slot the following. Keep it that way and Brissy still makes decent coin. I mean I see your point but some tweaking could still make it work. Like you could still have the Essendon/Collingwood Anzac game every year, just have Collingwood be the home team every second year. Same with Queens birthday game and so on.
 
I mean you'd have to be more specific. What commercial aspects? Do you mean specific fixtures that raise Brissy more revenue? Like the Easter one against Collingwood in QLD? If you change the Richmond/Essendon slot around in my table, you could have Brissy play Collingwood at home in an Easter blockbuster one year, then the Tigers in the same slot the following. Keep it that way and Brissy still makes decent coin. I mean I see your point but some tweaking could still make it work. Like you could still have the Essendon/Collingwood Anzac game every year, just have Collingwood be the home team every second year. Same with Queens birthday game and so on.

I mean the big Vic clubs playing twice...games that earn the AFL a bucket of money.
 

Coach_Required

Norm Smith Medallist
Feb 19, 2008
9,677
28,193
Perth
AFL Club
Richmond
Other Teams
Liverpool & Boston Celtics
The amount of times states are currently closing their borders atm, does any one really think we are going to have a normal uninterrupted season?

I doubt the fixture will be what it is, especially with this new UK covid strain taking over the world.
 
Tigers v Collingwood 80k + St K v Dogs 30k = 110k
Collingwood v St K 55k + Tigers v Dogs 55k = 110k
Why is the first one better?

The second one requires 2 games at the MCG, none at Docklands.

Big crowds at MCG matter, because the AFL's deal at the MCG means the AFL gets paid $$$ for large (cumulative) crowds over the season, with the rate depending on passing certain milestones, so that 80K would be ~$240K into the AFL's pocket. Playing smaller options means they mightn't meet that milestone, and only get $2 per person, so 55k would potentially 'only' be ~$110K.

That's on top of AFL members of course, and having bigger/higher demand games means the AFL would sell more of those....AKA. Even more money for them.

That this money should rightfully go to the clubs that draw the crowds and earn them doesn't enter into it.
 
State sponsored corruption is the AFL's raison d'etre. Whist the AFL is so dependent on side deals with the Victorian State Government, you'll never get anything close to fairness.

You mean, the AFL looks after it's biggest market (by far), and secures funding on top of that that helps them pay for other, smaller markets?

How dare they!
 

banzai

Norm Smith Medallist
Oct 14, 2003
5,063
5,788
AFL Club
Richmond
The amount of times states are currently closing their borders atm, does any one really think we are going to have a normal uninterrupted season?

I doubt the fixture will be what it is, especially with this new UK covid strain taking over the world.

There would be nearly 0 chance of getting through the season without a border closure. I would say its more likely to end up like last season than it is to play a full 22 rounds with normal minutes. Will probably end somewhere inbetween but there is no way we are getting through winter withour border closures.
 

Coolangatta

Norm Smith Medallist
Oct 27, 2007
6,884
5,869
Western Australia
AFL Club
Brisbane Lions
I still don't get the logic. Richmond and Collingwood would still play each other once a season at the MCG, maybe twice depending on rankings. You'd still get your big crowds at the MCG, especially if there are a few big fish Victorian sides in the top 8 by the end of the season. The probability is high that during most seasons, at least two of Carlton, Collingwood, Essendon, Richmond, Hawthorn, Geelong will be in the top 8, guaranteeing a big game or two at the MCG in the final five rounds when teams play each other again based on ranking proximity.
 
Jul 26, 2007
31,909
33,080
Darwin
AFL Club
West Coast
The second one requires 2 games at the MCG, none at Docklands.

Big crowds at MCG matter, because the AFL's deal at the MCG means the AFL gets paid $$$ for large (cumulative) crowds over the season, with the rate depending on passing certain milestones, so that 80K would be ~$240K into the AFL's pocket. Playing smaller options means they mightn't meet that milestone, and only get $2 per person, so 55k would potentially 'only' be ~$110K.

That's on top of AFL members of course, and having bigger/higher demand games means the AFL would sell more of those....AKA. Even more money for them.

That this money should rightfully go to the clubs that draw the crowds and earn them doesn't enter into it.

Big crowds at the MCG?

We won't be seeing that for a while.

Perfect time to even the draws up.

No silly Tassie games with 15,000 attending.
 

Kappa

Brownlow Medallist
Oct 7, 2014
27,761
37,115
AFL Club
Collingwood
There would be nearly 0 chance of getting through the season without a border closure. I would say its more likely to end up like last season than it is to play a full 22 rounds with normal minutes. Will probably end somewhere inbetween but there is no way we are getting through winter withour border closures.

Even if borders close afl clubs will in all likely hood still be able to fly in, stay in their hotel, play then fly home.
 
Big crowds at the MCG?

We won't be seeing that for a while.

Perfect time to even the draws up.

No silly Tassie games with 15,000 attending.

We wont be seeing big crowds anywhere for a while, but long term plans are built on what you expect to happen over the longer term.
 
Even if borders close afl clubs will in all likely hood still be able to fly in, stay in their hotel, play then fly home.

Not if Big Daddy Mark has his way..

I think everyone forgets--- it wasn't the COVID outbreak that caused the suspension of the AFL season last year, it was border closures making the season initially unworkable.
 

Kappa

Brownlow Medallist
Oct 7, 2014
27,761
37,115
AFL Club
Collingwood
Not if Big Daddy Mark has his way..

I think everyone forgets--- it wasn't the COVID outbreak that caused the suspension of the AFL season last year, it was border closures making the season initially unworkable.

Yea, state governments didn't know what was going to happen back then and were in full panic mode and shut down everything. Fast forward a full year and things are very differently, we are going to have an Australia Open with player entourages coming from all over the world to play. If we can manage that, I'm sure State Governments can manage having an AFL team isolating in a hotel for 12 hours (having a private bus taking them to and from the game) then flying home without any contact with the public.

It's great for the economy and will bring some joy to the locals, things Governments need. It can fairly easily be done safely as well, 100% it will happen. The only danger will be if AFL players are caught leaving the hotels and breaching restrictions, which may cause state governments to cancel it. By the time the season rolls along we will already have a lot of vaccines going around too which will make a huge difference to decision making.
 

Genghis Tron

HBF
Koala Light vs Dark Charity Match Gumbies FFC - Sweet F.A.
Apr 6, 2020
7,620
17,036
AFL Club
Richmond
Other Teams
The Void
Ideally I'd like to see every team play each other twice in both home and away matches.
 
Back