Richmond's 7 Consecutive MCG Games

[Ron The Bear]

This was published with six games to go.

Only the Bulldogs of the eventual finalists had a draw that was rated more difficult.

Run to the finals: why Collingwood are on target for a top two finish

Which club has the easiest run for the final six rounds? The Champion Data numbers say that is St Kilda - hardly any solace to recently departed coach Alan Richardson.

www.theage.com.au

 

[Wallaby]

Probably been mentioned as I can't be bothered reading 8 pages, but interstate teams, especially from WA as it is so far away, are of course are disadvantaged by the amount of travel they have to undertake. But unless you have an alternative (OP) what in any shape or form can be done about it other than make the Vic sides play in Alice Springs on a regular basis. And why has this question only arisen with Richmond, still not convinced that we deserve to be where we are, 3 years later.

One way possible would be for interstate teams to play some 'blocks' of rounds - eg, play 4 straight games at home, then go to Melbourne for a month and play 4 Vic teams there. Maybe the Perth teams could visit Adelaide for 2 weeks, and then go to Sydney for 2 weeks (so just the one flight in a month) - then have another 4-week block at home.

Just an idea, and I have no idea how it would work juggling 8 non-victorian teams. I could make it work for just one interstate side.

 

[telsor]

But to be fair, if WC had seven straight at home and then into finals....how would you feel?

I'd probably be laughing pretty hard at the still flowing tears over having had to travel 10 times in the first 15 rounds.

 

[VicBased]

I'd probably be laughing pretty hard at the still flowing tears over having had to travel 10 times in the first 15 rounds.

Yeah, nah, not really an answer.

 

[telsor]

One way possible would be for interstate teams to play some 'blocks' of rounds - eg, play 4 straight games at home, then go to Melbourne for a month and play 4 Vic teams there. Maybe the Perth teams could visit Adelaide for 2 weeks, and then go to Sydney for 2 weeks (so just the one flight in a month) - then have another 4-week block at home.

Just an idea, and I have no idea how it would work juggling 8 non-victorian teams. I could make it work for just one interstate side.

They could, but the players, coaches and entourage would probably prefer to go home to their families and sleep in their own beds.

 

[telsor]

Yeah, nah, not really an answer.

I wouldn't care, because I'd know that over the full season they had a 'normal' fixture.

I also know the tears would be flowing from the open cut chip on the shoulder state, so yeah, laughter too.

 

[darcytiger]

Who knew that if your team was in Perth and you decided to join the VFL that there'd be a large requirement to travel to the V part of that acronym?

 

[Sterge]

Who knew that if your team was in Perth and you decided to join the VFL that there'd be a large requirement to travel to the V part of that acronym?

There are a lot of people on bigfooty that have never even seen a v much less traveled there.....

 

[Brown Bottle]

There are a lot of people on here who have absolutely no idea of what WA and SA footy commissions signed up for when they agreed to join the AFL

For that matter, the same is true for people in sleepy hollow

 

[VicBased]

There are a lot of people on here who have absolutely no idea of what WA and SA footy commissions signed up for when they agreed to join the AFL

For that matter, the same is true for people in sleepy hollow

So enlighten us oh Great and all knowing Brown Bottle.

 

[Brown Bottle]

So enlighten us oh Great and all knowing Brown Bottle.

Go read up on it champ

 

[GhostofJimJess]

Does this undermine the integrity of the competition? Yes.

Richmond finished last year on top of the table with 18 wins. Their fixture as the reigning premier then looked unfair enough, but at least their games at the MCG weren't bunched together like this year. And yet, somehow, as the "best team" of 2018, they were somehow given 7 games in a row at the MCG to finish the season, and nothing is being made of it. If they didn't have such a dickride in terms of fixturing, they would not be in the Grand Final.

I made a thread earlier in the year before the run of games started, and it was promptly closed for some reason. According to Richmond fans, 7 consecutive games at their home ground was fair, because:
* They played 5 games outside of their state in the first 16 games.
* They had to walk across the road to Etihad to play 2 games.
* Games against co-tenants are the exact same as an away game, except they're still at their home ground, in their home state.

In reality, if we readjust the metrics to classify away games as those played outside your home state (as is the case for half th league), their fixture looks like this:
* 5 away games within 23 rounds, with one one those against a club who won 3 games for the year.
* 17 games in their home state, with 14 at their home ground.

So, the majority of their games were played in their home state, at their home ground.

This is the case for other MCG tenants, however. It's how the AFL usually fixtures. Collingwood once had 8 consecutive games at the MCG roughly a decade ago, though they didn't finish on top of the ladder the season before.

Given how Richmond went last year, why wasn't their fixture more punctuated with travel and non MCG games? How come they got 7 consecutive games at their home ground to compensate for their "increased travel" in the first half of the season? How is any of this fair for the rest of the competition?

What's more, for their interstate games, they played against sides that finished 17th (Gold Coast), 12th (Adelaide), 10th (Port Adelaide, 14th (Fremantle) and 7th (GWS) in the previous season - only a single top 8 side. In their MCG run, they played teams that finished 2nd (West Coast), 5th (Melbourne), 7th (GWS), and 3rd (Collingwood). They didn't play a single top 4 side away, and the majority of the toughest matches came in the 7 game run.

How did the AFL allow this fixture to eventuate in the first place?

Richmond had only 5 home games against teams who did not have at least 7 MCG games in 2019, with all of these 5 visiting teams having 2 or more MCG games in 2019 (including Geelong who had 5)

West Coast had 10 home games against teams who had no more than 2 games in Western Australia.

 

[South of the Yarra]

Richmond are where they are because they deserve it. It is not because of fixtures. It is not because of the MCG. It is because at this moment they are in the two best teams in the comp.

 

[Boxhead_31]

There are a lot of people on here who have absolutely no idea of what WA and SA footy commissions signed up for when they agreed to join the AFL

For that matter, the same is true for people in sleepy hollow

Or Richmond fans who know how close their side came to folding without the cash inject from the interstate sides

 

[SunshineBoy]

No offence to Brisbane, but I think your side was quite a bit off due to the lack of finals experience. It made you a bit easier to beat then the other top 4 sides.



Must be difficult having to play against co tenants, when half the competition have to travel interstate every second week. Must be hard walking across the road to Etihad.

What are your thoughts on the pies having more MCG games than the tigers?

 

[Brown Bottle]

Or Richmond fans who know how close their side came to folding without the cash inject from the interstate sides

That was almost the whole VFL bro, along with the entire WAFL. We're all in this together

 

[SunshineBoy]

Thread started by an Eagles supporter, far out.

Yeah I expected it to be from a cats supporter

 

[SunshineBoy]

You know it Sterge. Maybe the OP should be more concerned with a overweight ruckman and players wanting out of WCE?

Maybe they need a new sports drink supplier

 

[SunshineBoy]

Or Richmond fans who know how close their side came to folding without the cash inject from the interstate sides

Of course the tigers were the only ones who got this cash injection, who paid for your velodrome to be upgraded

 

[Boxhead_31]

Of course the tigers were the only ones who got this cash injection, who paid for your velodrome to be upgraded

Majority of Geelong’sprofits have go into developing the Council of Greater Geelong’s stadium.

How much of Richmond’s profits have gone into MCG upgrades?

 

[Ron The Bear]

Or Richmond fans who know how close their side came to folding without the cash inject from the interstate sides

The AFL watched on benignly as Richmond struggled to stay afloat with debt of $1.7m. Ron Barassi even said it wouild be good for football if Richmond folded. Gerard Healy breathlessly announced the "scoop" that Richmond was to merge with Melbourne. Some Richmond people still haven't forgiven him.

Not so long ago the AFL bailed out Port when they owed $11m+ and have continued to prop up clubs that are technically insolvent. Bulldogs and Fitzroy supporters are the others who understand.

 

[Ancient Tiger]

Majority of Geelong’sprofits have go into developing the Council of Greater Geelong’s stadium.

How much of Richmond’s profits have gone into MCG upgrades?

Ffs the whole of Geelong would be dead now if the state government hadn’t poured billions of the tax payers money into it. So not only would their footy team be extinct but unemployment would be through the roof. Sleepy hollow would certainly be that especially after Ford pulled out which was being government subsidised anyway.....

 

[Boxhead_31]

Ffs the whole of Geelong would be dead now if the state government hadn’t poured billions of the tax payers money into it. So not only would their footy team be extinct but unemployment would be through the roof. Sleepy hollow would certainly be that especially after Ford pulled out which was being government subsidised anyway.....

An without the safe injection room what does Richmond d have going for it?

 

[sprockets]

I put this theoretical forward in another thread and it was mostly overlooked;

Theoretical Scenario for the MCG Tenants.... Imagine MCG were to become a 'neutral' ground, and somehow, the AFL were able to fixture a season, so that games played at the MCG were spread out as evenly as possible between Victorian teams, and to a lesser degree interstate teams.

Games were scheduled there based on parity of use and to cater for 'blockbuster' games. Would you be open to losing the MCG as your home-ground in order to make finals and the season more fair?

Is that a scenario you'd entertain?

Here's another theoretical scenario for you. Imagine WCE is based in Victoria, so that in every one of WCE's home games the away team doesn't have to travel so far and neither does WCE for their away games. We could even change their name to something like Fitzroy or South Melbourne considering they're no longer based in WA. West Aussies just own them... Hell, even half their team would be closer to their families!

 

[sprockets]

An without the safe injection room what does Richmond d have going for it?

The Tigers.