2026 Fixture

[SaintsofSteel]

A much fairer draw than last year.

There are a couple of back to back tough weeks, but otherwise time to recover and no travel in the second half of the draw is a significant bonus.

 

[beside the seaside]

Our last interstate trip being June 7th is pretty wild.

 

[beside the seaside]

Overall, pretty happy with it. Lot's of double ups against teams around our level. 3 MCG games. Don't leave Vic after rd13. Lots of FTA games, even if they are Sunday.

Feels like a missed opportunity from the AFL to not schedule our game against Carlton at the G. Club also likely wouldnt be happy about having both GWS and GC at home from a financial perspective. The 5 day break between rd10 and rd11 with a trip to Perth is rough.

But overall, much better than previous years.

The GWS and Suns home games put pressure on performance. If we are up and about we can get decent crowds to those. The Suns in the last round, if we are out of finals there'll be about 20 people there.

 

[CursingFijian]

2 weeks in a row in Adelaide lol, against both Adelaide teams

With a bye leading in. Could be a three week camp! Jack Higgins loves this.

 

[Tyrian Lonestar]

Oh gee....
I specifically dreaded.

A brutal schedule in the first 8 weeks, when the ladder takes shape, and after the truck has run us down, flat as a pancake, spirit in a coma- a series of low-stakes games at Marvel in twilight to finish the season with aa 'wet sail'. May as well be the HMVS Cerebus.

gringo2011 taken over this account?

 

[gringo2011]

Early observations:
Double ups: Carlton, GWS, Sydney, Port Adelaide, GC, Richmond

The bad
Lots of travel in the 1st half of year.

Adelaide in Adelaide again. By some miracle. Not sure we’ve played them in melb since 2019.

The good
no double ups against the really strong sides. So probably a reasonable balance.

3 games at the G

Inclusion in opening round

No travel from Rd 14 onwards

Sydney will be a hard double up as will GWS and GC (up there at least). Carlton are a bit of a dark horse, wouldn't surprise me if they were a bit more competitive than people imagine. Richmond should be a couple of wins.

 

[Pakenhamsaint]

BTW, I am planning to go to the Port game. I've been to three Port games in Adelaide, never any issues with fans, never any issues with getting tickets.

The Swans game has my eye on it.

 

[Saint Ray]

Idk if you're mostly joking, but "brutal schedule" seems a bit dramatic. Aging Pies should be a win, Dees is definitely a win, GWS is not the juggernaut they used to be and aging (we shouldve beaten them last year with 4-5 less pieces and a Toby Greene miracle), Lions is probably a loss, Port are worse than they were last season, Crows will be a loss in Adelaide, and then WCE at Marvel will be a win and Carlton are pretty winnable too?

5-3 or even 6-2 seems pretty doable

So is 8-0 or at least 7-1

 

[nikkig98]

Allows NAS to have a fortnight in Adelaide with his family.

Man he better perform or this "please Nas at all costs" will get real old real fast

 

[Joffaboy]

All in all not too shabby.
We dont play at that ridiculous Norwood Stadium
We dont play GC at their home ground.
Back to back in Adelaide is fine.
Last interstate match June 7th.
3 MCG matches.
Giving us a chance for a change. Wondering if our whinging is paying off. The NGA and FS, using the loophole of SC to attack the trade period, pissing off everyone etc.
Want to be disrupters, does the AFL respect am aggressive approach more than the meek, making up the numbers approach.
This draw is about as good as we could get.

 

[Remboy]

The GWS and Suns home games put pressure on performance. If we are up and about we can get decent crowds to those. The Suns in the last round, if we are out of finals there'll be about 20 people there.

It will be just as bad when we are three games clear on top.

 

[StFly]

Sydney will be a hard double up as will GWS and GC (up there at least). Carlton are a bit of a dark horse, wouldn't surprise me if they were a bit more competitive than people imagine. Richmond should be a couple of wins.

Melb-Darwin-Melb-Perth-Melb is going to stretch the ol flybys account, so for me it'd be that period to say who got rested when and who got injured for what period since we're not a fly in game fly out club, we acclimatise.

 

[dudeintheswamp]

This first game against the Pies is gonna be huge to start the season, hope we turn up to kick ass. With a big buildup to it, the only game in Melbourne and probably 80000 at the 'G, there'll be a few nervous lads running out there. A good win leading into the Dees, again at the 'G the week after, could really set our year up well.

 

[stavro#4]

Get in the 8 by our round 16 bye and we genuinely have a chance at top 4 with the run home.

Could easily go 6-2 (that’s conservative.) only really bloody hard game is Geelong on their dung heap.

 

[SainterinSydney]

Our last interstate trip being June 7th is pretty wild.

They got us and the Pies mixed up.

 

[saintbill]

It's not terrible, but I don't love it to be honest. With a relatively young group still, banking wins early is imperative for confidence.

Onve again, the schedule is brutal early and easy late.

There is absolutely no room for botching the preseason. Can't afford injuries, need to come out hot. Could easily be 1-5 with a tough 9 game stretch if we don't get off to a good start.

 

[The Punter]

On further analysis, it's a slightly better version of the last two years. Lots of travel early, not many home games or Marvel games, and then it opens up.

There is a Sunday-Friday-Thursday 3 game span where we should seriously think about tossing on of those games in. Perhaps no Hill/Macrae/Wood on the Friday (which is in Perth).

But it's achievable, and stavro#4 's point about getting to the second bye in reasonable shape holds true. Expect plenty of prime time if that happens too.

 

[Gavinmitchell11]

Every club should be forced to use those as their emblems for the entire season lol.

I love the very official and serious tune they played when they showed each match, the complete opposite to the picture he drew.

 

[Gavinmitchell11]

The Pies got worse, by virtue of the fact they’re even older and didn’t add anything. If we’re serious we should be 2-0 by the end of Round 1.

 

[stavro#4]

 

[Sully111]

My fridge. Won't need to look online to see who we're playing. Thanks Alix.



Printed it off the Saints Facebook page.

 

[StCicatriz]

anyone know some good to stay for a family of 5... thinking of coming over for the pies game

 

[stavro#4]

Another way of digesting the fixture.

Carlton x 2
Richmond x 2
North
West coast
Melbourne
Essendon

That should be 8 wins there.

Collingwood
Sydney X 2
Port X 2
Suns X 2
Giants X 2

Win 5 of those at a minimum and that’s atleast 13 wins.

Leaves:

Brisbane (H)
Dogs (H)
Hawks (H)
Cats (A)
Adelaide (A)
Freo (A)

You might need 1 from here if you only win 5 from the middle lot.

 

[PostmanBish]

Ok ... which one of you knuckledraggers gave my work schedule to the league and made sure I can barely get to a game all season?

Un-be-freakin'-lievable.

Gonna be some expensive tickets to the handful of games I can get to ... gold plated, you might say.

 

[austinnn]

Blockbuster opening vs Pies, only Vic game in town PLUS Dreamtime West match i proposed vs Freo in WA (every year thanks AFL) plus Anzac day home game

Good balance of (on paper ) easy and hard matches, less possibility for bad momentum to derail our season or easy runs to mislead us

Good double up range - hardest teams GC and Syd, plus extra spicy double-up against bitter rival Carlton

17 vic matches: 3 at the G, 13 at Marvel, one at Cattery

2 well-spaced byes, one just after Brissie game before fortnight in Adelaide (sorry Snags), t'other after annual Bulldogs slaughter before home run with 6 out of 8 games at Marvel

Last 5 pre-finals matches all winnable: Roos (away, but Marvel), Syd (home), Blues (home), Tigers (away) and Suns (home) - its in our hands

LOVE THIS FIXTURE!