Which 2 teams should play the season opener?

[Bomberboyokay]

Defending premiers vs somebody good but not necessarily their grand final opponent.

Carlton vs Richmond after neither of them played finals would be a ******* joke.

 

[Leeda]

Just jumped in with no reading of what has gone before me, but I reckon bullies and dees..
How about the newly regenerated teams who are growing before our eyes..

 

[Bomberboyokay]

Boo-hoo - another sooky la-la thread about the Carlton/Richmond opener round .

If you want to replace it then it can only be replaced by a replay of the previous years grand final.

No other combination is guaranteed to be 'less boring' than a packed MCG with Carlton vs Richmond.

"Packed"? Been some years since it sold out...

 

[perthblue]

whats wrong with Blues v Tigers? huge crowd, old rivals, usually fairly evenly matched

 

[Bomberboyokay]

Whats wrong with Richmond and Carlton?

They're s**t teams.

 

[Bomberboyokay]

Because these two clubs draw big crowds

There is an obvious reason they deserve it, they draw big crowds.

It'll draw as big a crowd if they play it on Saturday/Sunday afternoon. No need for the season opener to be two s**t teams.

 

[Leeda]

It'll draw as big a crowd if they play it on Saturday/Sunday afternoon. No need for the season opener to be two s**t teams.

Unless they want those two s**t teams to be less than s**t teams and grovel to the masses and send them onto the field to a less than
rapturous welcome.. because those two teams are s**t and won't get off the floor until they have a right barney.

 

[The Blue Baggers]

Should always be the GF re match @ the winners home ground !!

 

[Franko Armani]

Richmond v Collingwood ?
Huger?

 

[Leeda]

Richmond v Collingwood ?
Huger?

no not huger... minnow.. absolutely spineless and almost pornographic in their lack of wearability.. they are naked beanpoles..

 

[Stratts4Norm]

Dogs v giants

 

[SaltPepper]

Not Dogs vs Sydney, or any Grand Final replay.

Those work better with buildup.

 

[TiggerMan22]

Richmond v Carlton.
Who would ever want something else?

 

[Leeda]

Richmond v Carlton.
Who would ever want something else?

never less than obsessive.. they will produce s**t so let them wallow...

 

[Nal81]

I reckon the grand final replay should be the Good Friday match. We have had step Anzac, Queens birthday and dreamtime at the G games recently. If we are going to have a single match on Good Friday it shouldn't be a monopoly for 2 teams in perpetuity.

Opening match should be Freo vs Doggies in Perth. We were threat team to beat them and need a ego boost going into the new season.

 

[BallaratBulldog]

GWS vs GCS

 

[Howard Littlejohn]

I'll repost what I put in the same thread last year (with teams updated).


The idea is all finalists meet, at the same time they bowed out of finals. And all other games are reasonably close on ladder positions, so everybody can realistically hope for a win in round one and those who made finals get some exposure. The teams would change, but the formula set with provision to moving some games when necessary.
Enough neutrals should be interested in games between smaller teams, especially finalists and especially early in the year when the absence of footy should make people keen, for it still be work. Yes, its no 65k crowd guarantee, instead its some reward for a decent year - and fair rather than based on money.


Thursday night
losing preliminary finalists meet to open the season (Greater Western Sydney v Geelong) FTA

Friday night
losing semi-finalists meet (Hawthorn v Adelaide) FTA

Saturday afternoon
10 v 11 (Port Adelaide v Melbourne)
13 v 14 (Richmond v Carlton)

Saturday twilight
9 v 12 (St Kilda v Collingwood)

Saturday night
grand final replay, premiers unfurl the flag in front of the vanquished (Western Bulldogs v Brisbane) FTA


Sunday afternoon
losing elimination finalists (West Coast v North Melbourne) FTA
15 v 18 (Gold Coast v Essendon)
16 v 17 (Fremantle v Brisbane)



Some games may need to be swapped around to avoid clashes (eg. for 2017 Sunday would have has both WA teams playing at home, Freo v Brisbane may need to be in Qld and not on Sunday, and as a result GC v Essendon may be an Essendon home game). Priority would be given to the previous years finalists games not being moved.

After the necessary moves:

Thursday night
losing preliminary finalists meet to open the season (Greater Western Sydney v Geelong) FTA

Friday night
losing semi-finalists meet (Hawthorn v Adelaide) FTA

Saturday afternoon
10 v 11 (Port Adelaide v Melbourne)
13 v 14 (Richmond v Carlton)

Saturday twilight
17 v 16 (Brisbane v Fremantle)

Saturday night
grand final replay, premiers unfurl the flag in front of the vanquished (Western Bulldogs v Brisbane) FTA


Sunday afternoon
losing elimination finalists (West Coast v North Melbourne) FTA
9 v 12 (St Kilda v Collingwood)
18 v 15 (Essendon v Gold Coast)

 

[Gigantor]

I'm comfortable with the tiges playing the blues first up.

They get a decent crowd, probably better than what they would get mid-season.

 

[Tiger2709]

It'll draw as big a crowd if they play it on Saturday/Sunday afternoon. No need for the season opener to be two s**t teams.

We put up with a team that drug cheats on the day we honour the ANZACS, not too mention Essendon has been s**t for years, maybe a bigger team should be playing Collingwood?

Personally I dont care about the opener or any of these block buster games, Id prefer the fairest draw possible for all teams over blockbusters but few other teams could consistently open the season with the crowds Carlton and Richmond draw.

 

[SgtSchulz]

Collingwood vs. Sydney

Or

Sydney vs. West Coast

Or

West Coast vs. Collingwood

 

[Whiskers]

Bulldogs vs Essendon
Would be a BUMPER crowd. Essendon fans will be packed in like sardines as their team is finally back and moved on and the Dogs bandwagon is now overcrowded.
I swear this would be a massive clash and the Bulldogs deserve a big timeslot. Do Essendon? Maybe not but they have done their time, it's not the fans fault what happened so maybe give them something extra to look forward to and the rest of us should move on and the neutrals will look on with interest and be very happy to see them lose Round 1 against a very popular team.

I'M SOLD, and the G would be a Sell Out. It's so much more exciting to see how Essendon have coped a year out of the game, rejuvenated bomber fans vs fans who just witnessed a flag after 61 years and how the Dogs back up a flag instead of bloody Richmond v Carlton, the crowd would be electric. Seriously the season opener should not be a clash that is consistently repeated.

Bulldogs vs Essendon make it happen Gil

 

[Goggin Our Best]

I think you could go with Adelaide at home ( your going to get 50000 with an upbeat positive crowd )

It could be Adelaide v Collingwood or Adel v St Kilda ( who are expected to improve ) or Adel v Dogs ( Geelong won a flag and had to play Freo 1st up at Subiaco - so send the Dogs to SA 1st up )

Carlton v Richmond will obviously get a big crowd - but the games have been so flat - tell me the last time those 2 played in a memorable game ( 82gf perhaps )

 

[ep2018]

Take it off us, I don't care.

Just give us Good Friday vs North as we have both been requesting for years.

Can see the AFL replacing North with the Dogs now that they are minor premier and North are expected to be s**t house next year.
Haven't the Dogs been asking for GF footy too?

 

[Wild Bill]

Defending premiers vs somebody good but not necessarily their grand final opponent.

Carlton vs Richmond after neither of them played finals would be a ******* joke.

Same for Anazc Day?

 

[My name geoff]

unless Carlton, collingwood, essendon or Richmond are involved, half the stadium will be filled with neutrals, and that is the biggest buzz kill