Fixture 2026 Fixture

[Sir Deadly]

Is ladder position determined for fixturing purposes by home & away results (where we finished sixth) or by finals as well (where we finished eighth)? Either way we’ll get boned, just a case of how boned we get.

Finals finish, probably works well for us now with the new weighting rule, we'd definitely get 4 top 6 double ups!

 

[eastfreo75]

Final 10 is a great idea. Now we only need finish 8th or better to get a home final. Takes a lot of pressure off .

Let's get 10th spot and call it back-to-back finals years and the coach can keep on coaching.

 

[go_the_dockers]

You guys heard who you are playing round 1 yet? any leaks? i have heard that Round 1 will be Freo v Adelaide Sunday twilight

Confirmed - 22 Sunday avo games.
Double ups vs Brisbane, Geelong, St Kilda, Eagles, GWS and Bulldogs.

 

[eastfreo75]

Confirmed - 22 Sunday avo games.
Double ups vs Brisbane, Geelong, St Kilda, Eagles, GWS and Bulldogs.

Thanks AFL to confirm my confirmation bias.

 

[King Tenz]

Let's get 10th spot and call it back-to-back finals years and the coach can keep on coaching.

It’s the never ending cycle of doom

 

[eastfreo75]

It’s the never ending cycle of doom

People were happy with 8th last season because we played finals.

 

[King Tenz]

People were happy with 8th last season because we played finals.

Should’ve been fired.

Finals doesn’t mean anything without a win.

 

[eastfreo75]

Should’ve been fired.

Finals doesn’t mean anything without a win.

We won 16 games and had no relationship with the bottom eight teams averaging 6.3 wins.

If we get to 10th with a winning record, then it's a successful year.

 

[Piggy Smalls]

Final 10 is a great idea. Now we only need finish 8th or better to get a home final. Takes a lot of pressure off .

Technically it means we have to win another game just to qualify for the away final...

 

[go_the_dockers]

We won 16 games and had no relationship with the bottom eight teams averaging 6.3 wins.

If we get to 10th with a winning record, then it's a successful year.

Anything except top 4 and a finals win is a failed season

 

[Piggy Smalls]

Do we have ourselves to blame for this? That Dogs game effectively was an organic, un-orchestrated wildcard game. Now the AFL want to commercialise it so they get one every year.

 

[eastfreo75]

Anything except top 4 and a finals win is a failed season

Don't you know that 8th is fine if it comes with 16 wins.

Just being part of the finals is good enough.

 

[go_the_dockers]

Don't you know that 8th is fine if it comes with 16 wins.

Just being part of the finals is good enough.

No

 

[King Tenz]

Do we have ourselves to blame for this? That Dogs game effectively was an organic, un-orchestrated wildcard game. Now the AFL want to commercialise it so they get one every year.

Definitely part of it. Don’t know what the attendance/tv ratings were for that game but I imagine it was much higher than what it would normally be for a Dogs/Freo game in Melbourne.

 

[Docker82]

Don't you know that 8th is fine if it comes with 16 wins.

Just being part of the finals is good enough.

There's a difference between a pass mark and a coach getting sacked.

History shows coaches very rarely get sacked after making finals. That isn’t my opinion - It's fact.

It'll be interesting to see if anything changes in this regard.

 

[eastfreo75]

No

What about 7th but we lose the wildcard final at home. That would be awesome.

 

[eastfreo75]

There's a difference between being good enough and a coach getting sacked.

History shows coaches very rarely get sacked after making finals. That isn’t my opinion - It's fact.

It'll be interesting to see if anything changes in this regard.

JL getting us to 10th is all good.

 

[Piggy Smalls]

There's a difference between being good enough and a coach getting sacked.

History shows coaches very rarely get sacked after making finals. That isn’t my opinion - It's fact.

It'll be interesting to see if anything changes in this regard.

The difference between 8th and 10th is the difference between above average and below average, so I definitely think it's more likely a team would sack their coach despite making finals under this scenario, albeit I don't think they're technically calling it a final.

 

[Docker82]

JL getting us to 10th is all good.

I really wouldn’t have wanted him to be coach in 2027 if that's our final result tbh.

I really think this could change things in terms of whether making finals is good enough to keep a coach his job.

Reality is most of the time if you make finals there's probably enough there that not much improvement is needed for top four (easier said than done of course).

If you slip into wildcard weekend with 10-11 wins and get smashed by 7th, you're much further off than what teams in 7th and 8th were this year. It could be different if that happens.

 

[Piggy Smalls]

JL getting us to 10th is all good.

Is anyone actually saying this though?

 

[Docker82]

Is anyone actually saying this though?

Nope. If anything this change probably means top six coaches and winners of wildcard week are safe rather than top eight.

For the rest it'll probably be down to whether there's been multiple seasons of what the club's board considers sub-par performances.

 

[The Feeder Club]

Full fixture out Thursday confirmed

 

[Kapow!!!]

Is anyone actually saying this though?

Freomaniac thoughts? You're one who has stuck true to the "I'd just be happy to see Freo make repeat finals" mantra. Does the wildcard implementation alter that thought process in any way?

 

[largebus]

Definitely part of it. Don’t know what the attendance/tv ratings were for that game but I imagine it was much higher than what it would normally be for a Dogs/Freo game in Melbourne.

It was the Dogs biggest home crowd for a side from outside Vic.

Freomaniac thoughts? You're one who has stuck true to the "I'd just be happy to see Freo make repeat finals" mantra. Does the wildcard implementation alter that thought process in any way?

He's just happy there's more freo games so he can bet on the opposition.

 

[TheLastCall]

We are always going to get this bill s**t fixturing, till AFL grows some balls and makes a clean season. Everyone plays everyone once, then split the comp into top 6, mid 6, bottom 6(7 when Tas comes in).

Solves all the issues guarantees 3 good games a round in the last 5 weeks.
A wild card round almost make sense with the mid 6 teams playing each outher once in the last 5 rounds.

When you have 7 bottom teams they will need the extra week to play each other once, due to one side having a bye.

17 rounds everyone plays everyone once. (18 rounds once Tas comes in).
5 rounds of title play (top 6, mid 6, bottom 6(7))
1 Wild card round for 7,8,9,10 (and bottom 7 play last round)

Throw away all special games and make the games fair.