WCE 2021 Fixture

Sep 8, 2011
10,960
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Everyone calm down.

TIMESLOTS are floating, i think the SCHEDULE is the proposed schedule.

Ie. If we're scheduled for the last match of the round they might bring us forward to 12pm on a Sunday rather than 2.40pm for example.

Time tweaks, not schedule tweaks.


Ya feel me?

You couldn’t be more wrong

It’s done by time zone and then alphabetical
 

flyinghi64

Premiership Player
Dec 7, 2006
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Not to bad a draw all things considered. A couple of back to back Perth games and play MCG 3 times.
Personally would have like to play Richmond twice in a year to test ourselves against them.
Also a bit wanky for the 3rd year in a row, or is it now 4, we play Brissy on their home turf, particularly given how many they had there this season.
 
We haven't played Melbourne at the MCG since round 2 2014, so swings and roundabouts boiz.

We've legit had 7 of the past 9 games against them in Perth. The other 2 were in Darwin.



Bare in mind i think that's more so the fault of the VFL not giving us MCG games very often.
 

garlic munchers

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Oct 3, 2006
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Bare in mind i think that's more so the fault of the VFL not giving us MCG games very often.

I think you mean't "bear".

But can understand the error when discussing fixtures seeing as most years, we are simply bent over and have to bare our arse to the AFL.

Lest this year we got some lube.

16 wins!
 
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shooshka

Premiership Player
Oct 7, 2011
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Not to bad a draw all things considered. A couple of back to back Perth games and play MCG 3 times.
Personally would have like to play Richmond twice in a year to test ourselves against them.
Also a bit wanky for the 3rd year in a row, or is it now 4, we play Brissy on their home turf, particularly given how many they had there this season.

It's quite a soft draw all things considered. No double ups against the top 4 (and considering there were a clear top 5 teams all of 2020 until finals, us included, that is a huge win). Dogs, Pies and Saints as double ups are as good as we could hope for from the top 8. MCG games are against Collingwood, Hawks and Carlton - none are easy of course but all winnable.

Geelong at GMHBA is tough, they are off a 6-day break to our 8-days though. Sydney at SCG may finally be winnable (basically whether buddy plays his one good game for the year against us).
 

woosha24

Norm Smith Medallist
Apr 5, 2015
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Cant complain about that fixture too much. If we finish 5th again then we'd have to ask some serious questions of the playing group.

Hoping to see less whinging and more hunger this year (provided covid doesnt shut it all down).
 

Eastcoasteagle

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Oct 20, 2017
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Only two parts of the draw that are annoying, having to go to GMHBA stadium.

Seriously Brisbane at the Gabba again!!!

Rest of the draw looks ok, with some tough games in there.
 
May 5, 2006
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The Richmond once a year streak continues.

12 years and counting.

I know 2020 was COVID affected and shortened to 17 games but to have the two teams who have won the last 4 flags only meeting just once in all of those seasons is pretty embarrassing from a competition standpoint.

Also LOL @ playing Sydney at the SCG. They will battle to win half a dozen games for the year, but pencil that one in.
 
Aug 14, 2004
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The outcome of the club's 2021 season will be highly dependent upon what happens in the front half.

Before the bye there are x5 trips to Victoria and none of those will be easy:
  • Bulldogs and Saints on the Docklands racetrack that suits their fast running game styles
  • Carlton are improving and Hawthorn at the MCG is always a struggle for us
  • Geelong at Kardinia where the Eagles haven't won in 15 years
Port and Collingwood both have good recent records in Perth and GWS away won't go without a fight.

The home matches against Essendon, Adelaide, Fremantle and Gold Coast are the only apparent certainties - and even then Fremantle are improving rapidly under Longmuir and we all know what happened against the Suns in 2020.

The chance of a top 4 finish could be gone before June if the team does not perform well early.

Indeed, indifferent form or injuries could conceivably place the club outside of the top 8 at the halfway point.


Thankfully, the back half of the season looks far more comfortable:
  • Just x4 travels interstate, two of those against likely bottom four clubs in Adelaide and Sydney
  • The others against Collingwood at the MCG and Brisbane at the Gabba will be tough matches however.
  • x5 matches at home against Victorian opponents, of which none have a good record against the Eagles in WA.
  • A second derby match-up against Fremantle
Expectations should be to go 8-2 or 9-1 after the bye.


Considering the 26 seasons since 1994 that clubs have played 22 matches before finals, only on two occasions (2011 & 2016) has a 16-6 record not been sufficient to qualify for a top 4 placing. Indeed, eight times over that period it has been enough to qualify for top 2.

It means the club could go 8-4 or even 7-5 at the bye and still remain well in the hunt for a top 4 finish given the comparative ease of the second half of the fixture.

Get through to the bye with 3 or fewer losses and the club is all but guaranteed a top 2 finish.
 

BlueandGoldforever

Cancelled
Apr 10, 2008
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Depends on rest days before. If it's a sunday afternoon game and we have 7 days break leading in we're a shot. Having the longest trip as the last game of the season is actually a huge bonus as you have a bye the week after.
It is not remotely a ‘bonus’ of any sort.
Players are tired and carrying soft tissue injuries. A long plane trip does not aid that in any way.

The Eagles request all longer trips in the first half of the season but it is always ignored.
 

Rowan18

Norm Smith Medallist
Feb 20, 2018
7,281
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AFL Club
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The outcome of the club's 2021 season will be highly dependent upon what happens in the front half.

Before the bye there are x5 trips to Victoria and none of those will be easy:
  • Bulldogs and Saints on the Docklands racetrack that suits their fast running game styles
  • Carlton are improving and Hawthorn at the MCG is always a struggle for us
  • Geelong at Kardinia where the Eagles haven't won in 15 years
Port and Collingwood both have good recent records in Perth and GWS away won't go without a fight.

The home matches against Essendon, Adelaide, Fremantle and Gold Coast are the only apparent certainties - and even then Fremantle are improving rapidly under Longmuir and we all know what happened against the Suns in 2020.

The chance of a top 4 finish could be gone before June if the team does not perform well early.

Indeed, indifferent form or injuries could conceivably place the club outside of the top 8 at the halfway point.


Thankfully, the back half of the season looks far more comfortable:
  • Just x4 travels interstate, two of those against likely bottom four clubs in Adelaide and Sydney
  • The others against Collingwood at the MCG and Brisbane at the Gabba will be tough matches however.
  • x5 matches at home against Victorian opponents, of which none have a good record against the Eagles in WA.
  • A second derby match-up against Fremantle
Expectations should be to go 8-2 or 9-1 after the bye.


Considering the 26 seasons since 1994 that clubs have played 22 matches before finals, only on two occasions (2011 & 2016) has a 16-6 record not been sufficient to qualify for a top 4 placing. Indeed, eight times over that period it has been enough to qualify for top 2.

It means the club could go 8-4 or even 7-5 at the bye and still remain well in the hunt for a top 4 finish given the comparative ease of the second half of the fixture.

Get through to the bye with 3 or fewer losses and the club is all but guaranteed a top 2 finish.
I find this very exciting. Provided we have a decent pre-season and have most of our best 22 ready to go in round 1, I am really optimistic that we will start the year off well. This draw gives us a really good chance at top 2, just need the fitness and coaching/gameplan to be on point. Hopefully the disaster in the hub from 2020 and the 1 point loss to the Pies gives them the kick in the arse they need to get the off field sorted.
 

FreeTK

Premiership Player
Oct 2, 2019
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To be any shot I think we need to be 5-2 after 7 rounds.

Personally still think we don't as a team have the ability to link the midfield to the forwards well enough to win the premiership. Our best 22 on form is best in league but unless something significant changes or all the conditions run to our favour I don't see us as a top 2 team over a full year. If we don't finish top 2 we don't make the grand final.

We were 3-3 in 2019 after 6 rounds and finished outside top 4 on percentage after blowing 3 chances to lock in top 4 (v Collingwood R17, v Richmond R22, v Hawthorn R23).

This fixture is a pretty great fixture for us.

If we are 5-2 after 7 rounds lock in the flag then and there. After round 7, only 5 of our remaining 15 games are against 2020 finalists, although GWS is still a danger game.

Positives:
- Playing North Melbourne and Hawthorn at Optus/MCG instead of Hobart/Launceston
- Playing Richmond in Perth
- Playing Adelaide twice
- Playing Port in Perth
- No double ups against top 4 sides
- 2 home 2 away against 2020 top 4
- Game against the Lions at the Gabba is last round of the season (no fatigue the next week)

Negatives:
- Playing Geelong at GMHBA
 

WCE_phil

Brownlow Medallist
Nov 14, 2009
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perth
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We were 3-3 in 2019 after 6 rounds and finished outside top 4 on percentage after blowing 3 chances to lock in top 4 (v Collingwood R17, v Richmond R22, v Hawthorn R23).

This fixture is a pretty great fixture for us.

If we are 5-2 after 7 rounds lock in the flag then and there. After round 7, only 5 of our remaining 15 games are against 2020 finalists, although GWS is still a danger game.

Positives:
- Playing North Melbourne and Hawthorn at Optus/MCG instead of Hobart/Launceston
- Playing Richmond in Perth
- Playing Adelaide twice
- Playing Port in Perth
- No double ups against top 4 sides
- 2 home 2 away against 2020 top 4
- Game against the Lions at the Gabba is last round of the season (no fatigue the next week)

Negatives:
- Playing Geelong at GMHBA

And if we are 3-3 after 6 rounds in 2021 and off to play Geelong in Geelong we are going into round 8 at 3-4. Meaning to finish top 2 (to almost guarantee it you need 17 wins) we would have to finish at worst 14-1 from there on in. I'm saying we won't win the premiership if we don't finish top 2.

Just on the 2019 finish do you think that maybe a large part of the reason why we lost those end of season games is we might have run out of gas coming back from 3-3?

I'd love to sit here and think we're a shot at the premiership next year but the truth is we have a lot of things to rectify in one off season to get there, most likely need conditions suiting us perfectly all the way through finals, need an exceptional injury run through the midfield and our key core of older players to drop off significantly less than any youngsters improve us. Not only this but we need to greatly fix the speed at which we're moving out of defence, particularly from behinds, our ground ball differential and the connection from our midfield to our half forward line. Oh and if the second half of 2020 taught us anything it's that Yeo being fully fit is crucial to our chances.

We also have to do this with a significant reduction in coaching and support staff.

It's a hard ask, we are a shot and i would love nothing more than to see Nicnat and Shep win a flag but at this stage even with a reasonably favourable fixture (which could easily change to unfavourable at any stage due to covid and or the AFL now being able to change up dates and times of games on the fly) we are much more likely to a H+A finishing position like this year and if we have any sort of significant reduction in output from senior players and or Nic to not be able to play as well as last season we are just as likely to finish outside the 8 as we are to win the flag.
 

MrKK

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Mar 11, 2012
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Fair fixture from a difficulty point of view, but Brisbane at the Gabba again without a return fixture is just dumb and anomalies like that should not exist.

Also personally disappointed at only 1 Adelaide game for the 3rd year in a row (based on original 2020 fixture, which ended up being 0).
 
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