Fixture 2023 Fixture

[Dogs_r_barking]

No games at Mars?

 

[ossie_21]

Looking for positives, get the Perth trip out of the way early and only once, no QLD trip (probably the AFL’s concession for the Gather Round BS), one Adelaide trip, double ups against terrible Hawks/GWS sides and home games against Pies and Tigers (slots to be determined). Also don’t mind playing down at the cow paddock in the last game of the year.

However playing Port twice within 7 weeks in the first 3 months of the season is absolutely incompetent.

Yep, just like only playing the Eagles once and it’s in the 2nd-last round. Happens year on year.

Sorry, but I just can’t get over this and can’t wait for someone in the AFL media to question it and make the AFL give us some genuine answers:

12 home games, 11 away games:

• Adelaide
• Port Adelaide

11 home games, 12 away games:

• Carlton
• Western Bulldogs

11 home games, 11 away games, 1 neutral game:

• 14 clubs

 

[ossie_21]

No games at Mars?

Round 10 v Adelaide
Round 20 v Plastics

 

[Dogs_r_barking]

Round 10 v Adelaide
Round 20 v Plastics

It’s called Eureka now?

 

[dogwatch]

Here are the games we've played against Geelong since the AFL became an 18 club competition in 2012. (DL=Docklands, KP=Kardinia Park)



I've highlighted 2020 because we only played 17 rounds that year due to Covid. So no double-ups were possible that year.

So we have played at KP 10 years out of a possible 12, the last 5 on the trot. Over the same period we have only played at Docklands 7 times.
That is, 7 home games, 10 away games.

We have had 5 Geelong double ups out of 11 years when double-ups were scheduled. Admittedly it's only a small statistical group but that's 50% more than you'd get if it were totally random, or averaged across the AFL.

I think it's partly to do with the AFL's contractual commitment to play 8 games at KP each year and partly about maximising revenues.

The fact that we haven't got a membership of 70,000+ means we're the bunnies who have to play there. There's no point scheduling Collingwood, Essendon or Richmond down there when only a few thousand of their fans will get seats. Instead, when they're scheduled for an away game vs Geelong it's far better to put it on at the MCG or Docklands. KP's capacity is supposed to be around 36,000 but they hardly ever get more than 32,000 in. When those games are shifted to the MCG or Docklands they have consistently got 40,000-60,000 in.

Between 2012 and 2022 Richmond, Essendon and Collingwood have played 15 away games against Geelong but only 3 of those 15 have been at KP (2 Richmond, 1 Essendon). We've had 9 games at KP on our own over the same period.

Collingwood has had a home game at the MCG against Geelong every single year. In the same period it has only had 3 away games v Geelong and ALL of those were at the MCG.

So unless they played at another club first (like Lipinski did) there isn't a player on the Collingwood list who has ever played at KP. Scott Pendlebury who debuted in 2006 would be about the oldest player on their list and he has never played there. Collingwood last played at KP on 10 July 1999.

In fact since 1941 when Kardinia Park was first used as Geelong's home ground Collingwood has played there 41 times.
In the same period we have played there 60 times (only just exceeded by some other small-medium clubs Melbourne 61, St Kilda 62 and Sydney/Sth Melb 64).



We have an appalling record there with a winning ratio of only 22.50% and For/Agst of 78.03%. Only St Kilda are worse.

Geelong's winning record there is 67.79%. Only two clubs have a better than 50% winning record there, Collingwood and Carlton. But the AFL has almost completely removed those two clubs from their KP scheduling (Carlton have only played there three times since 1997, the period when they were in the doldrums between 2018 and 2020).

So, looking at KP scheduling alone we certainly seem to start with a handicap every year compared to the likes of those bigger clubs. It would be interesting to analyse the scheduling of those big clubs at other venues to see if the benefits extend there too. I might get around to it one day ...

 

[dogwatch]

It’s called Eureka now?

Naah, just old terminology. They've also used Kardinia Park, Docklands, etc, not the current sponsors' names.

 

[ExRoyboy]

Can lock in playing Brissy up there, Cats in Geelong, probably Hawks in Launy, GWS in Canberra. We might get action in every state and territory.

Pretty much spot on other than Brisbane in Brisbane which we won’t have to do this year but all the others are there.

 

[ExRoyboy]

I had a look through the fixture and overall I’m fairly happy. The only things that I see as a major issue are doubling up against Geelong again, and therefore having to play them down at KP again which seems like a penance we just have to accept each and every year, and then getting Port Adelaide in the gather round which means we play another genuine away game interstate against home opposition which will only happen to two clubs. I think to be fairer the AFL should have fixtured one of the showdowns in that round so there was no major benefit given to Adelaide and PA compared to every other team but anyway we move on.

If we play as the type of team I think we should, then the only double up that should concern us is Geelong. We are at least the equal or better than the other 5 teams we have to play. Also from a fixturing perspective I am happy that we get some extra away games at Marvel so we still play there quite a lot despite our games in Ballarat.

From a game timing perspective I actually love the fixture. Most of our games seem to be on a Saturday in either the evening or late afternoon. And this is the first year in some time that I can see that I will be able to attend a vast majority of the games which is fantastic. So overall, I like the fixture, I think it gives a good chance at having a great season and the only game that really worries me is Round 24 in Geelong and hopefully by then we have locked away top spot on the ladder so it doesn’t even matter

I was actually expecting a much worse fixture. From a marquee perspective yes we don’t seem to get many Friday or Thursday games but we get plenty of Saturday evenings. I think we are a team that hopefully other teams don’t want to face, so long as we can fix up our defensive structure which was appalling last season. That fixture gives us a chance if we are as good as we think we should be to make top 4 and beyond.

Go Dogs!!! Bring on 2023 I really cannot wait!!

 

[Dogs_r_barking]

Essendon are playing Geelong at GMHBA this year.

 

[Golden_6]

Foxsports have rated our draw as the 2nd hardest. Carlton’s the 4th easiest.

There’s always quirks in the draw but I still can’t believe they’ve given us an extra away game with no compensation.

 

[Dogs_R_Us]

Let’s go, Doggies!

 

[dogwatch]

Essendon are playing Geelong at GMHBA this year.

Good to hear. I haven’t seen the full 2023 fixture yet so I only covered up to 2022 for Collingwood Richmond and Essendon in my post above.

Essendon Richmond and Carlton get scheduled down there rarely and it only seems to happen when they are crap.

 

[Bulldogs Legend]

Just looking at other teams boards for their reactions. Seems a fair few people are tipping us to go backwards this season. Even on the predictions thread.

Excellent as they are about as accurate as MSM Vic election predictions

 

[Bulldogs Legend]

I can’t see us losing a game

 

[weltschmerz]

Foxsports have rated our draw as the 2nd hardest. Carlton’s the 4th easiest.

There’s always quirks in the draw but I still can’t believe they’ve given us an extra away game with no compensation.

Foxsports does have an error in that article, saying we play Gold Coast twice when instead we play Hawthorn twice. That helps.

 

[Charlie Bucket]

In terms of premiership points, yes it's an extra round. So will be a 23-game season with a bye to make 24 rounds.

Smart move by the AFL. When Tassie comes in to it, there’ll be calls by clubs and supporters to bring season down to 18 games with everyone playing each other once. A fair, even fixture.

But, start adding extra rounds to the season now means by the time the 19th team comes in, it’ll be easier for the AFL to turn it down when it’s a drop from 23/24 rounds as opposed to 22.

Wouldn’t surprise to see a second extra round added over the next couple of seasons. Put the final nail in the coffin for an 18 game season.

 

[Libbaaaa]

Don’t have too many problems with the draw. If we are half serious Port and Freo are good double ups. Richmond sucks as they have bullied us the past 3 times. Cats who knows, we have been close recently, really think Selwood retiring will start a new chapter for us, he owned us.

GWS and Hawks at neutral venues is a bonus. Launy should hold zero fears as most of the Hawks team have barely played there.

Let Carlton have all the prime numbers time slots, even more pressure on them.

 

[doggies ftw]

Smart move by the AFL. When Tassie comes in to it, there’ll be calls by clubs and supporters to bring season down to 18 games with everyone playing each other once. A fair, even fixture.

But, start adding extra rounds to the season now means by the time the 19th team comes in, it’ll be easier for the AFL to turn it down when it’s a drop from 23/24 rounds as opposed to 22.

Wouldn’t surprise to see a second extra round added over the next couple of seasons. Put the final nail in the coffin for an 18 game season.

It’s a tough one for mine, I don’t want to see an 18 game season personally and obviously we can’t have a 36 game season so I’m not sure the best method. I think the top 6, middle 6, bottom 6 double ups we’ve got now is the best we’re gonna get but it is hard to take a comp seriously when the fixture is just that, a completely uneven doctored fixture. We should at the very least get a rotating home game with the single games every year ie if we play Geelong once in a season twice in a row were required to play once home once away to add some sort of evenness across several years - that stat someone posted above about us playing in Geelong 13 times vs Docklands 9 times over the same period is just a complete joke tbh

18 game season with rotating home games will just never happen though, imagine the AFL having to play for example one Pies vs Geelong game in Geelong missing out on all those sweet sweet dollars. Realistically the broadcast rights are so huge right now it shouldn’t even matter but it’ll just never happen

 

[weltschmerz]

team that finishes 8th gets a harder fixture than the premiers

 

[dogwatch]

I can’t see us losing a game

That’s fixable. Try getting a season ticket or a Foxtel subscription.

 

[maddog37]

team that finishes 8th gets a harder fixture than the premiers

That is largely because they don’t have to play themselves. Every game is essentially against a weaker team for them.

 

[Doggy]

Classic Melbourne with an undeserved easier draw

 

[flamethrower]

One bonus playing Geelong at their cheat ground in the last round is that if we are out of finals contention, Bevo can get the bus driver to bypass Geelong and keep on going down to the Bells Beach for a weekend getaway of surfing and Mad Monday celebrations.

Geelong can put out some witch's hats for a training session in front of their deluded fans and nobody would be able to tell the difference anyway.

 

[lachy]

One bonus playing Geelong at their cheat ground in the last round is that if we are out of finals contention, Bevo can get the bus driver to bypass Geelong and keep on going down to the Bells Beach for a weekend getaway of surfing and Mad Monday celebrations.

Geelong can put out some witch's hats for a training session in front of their deluded fans and nobody would be able to tell the difference anyway.

Why is Geelongs home ground in Geelong a cheat ground [emoji848]?

Do all of the interstate teams have cheat grounds too?

On SM-G996B using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[Dogs_r_barking]

It’s about time we beat Geelong at Cat Park, 2023 is a great opportunity. Start beating them down there and I guarantee the fixture will mysteriously change.