[censored] the AFL.

Breakdown:

Timeslots

1 x Friday Night (vs Essendon in 2nd half of Split Round)

5 x Saturday Day

2 x Saturday Night (vs St Kilda at GC and BL at Gabba)

6 x Sunday Early (including 4 in a row between rounds 17 and 20)

4 x Sunday Day

3 x Sunday Twilight (vs Adelaide at MCG, WCE at Subiaco and Hawthorn at MCG)

1 x Monday Day

Venues

13 x MCG

3 x Telstra Dome/Etihad Stadium

1 x Manuka

1 x Subiaco

1 x AAMI

1 x Gabba

1 x Skilled Stadium

1 x Carrara

Opponents whom we play twice (bold are those who played finals this year):

Collingwood, West Coast, Port Adelaide, Geelong, Richmond, North Melbourne, St Kilda

Really looking forward being scheduled in for 10 Monday night away games and 12 Sunday twilight home games at the MCG in a couple of years time.

Here's Gillon McLachan's take on our draw:

"They’ve got a good footy draw. What they do have is a lot of Sundays.

http://www.afl.com.au/News/NEWSARTICLE/tab...px?newsId=69209

What use is a good footy draw when you aren't a hope of making the finals?

I suppose we need to earn the right to have that right balance of fri, sat and sunday games.

very happy that we keep the queens birthday game as our home game.

Its not too bad i suppose but yeah would like more night games...

ah yes, mr gillian mclachan - another genius at afl house that finds it hard to respond without vlad being in attendence!!!

we were always going to be bent over with this draw but to this extent?

we have a good draw? from what perspective??

we need to make money and corporate is a massive revenue stream but again, this will be a bit part!!

the rubber glove has been inserted again!!

Looks like Schwab is a bit of a pragmatist when it comes to the draw..

http://www.melbournefc.com.au/tabid/7415/D...px?newsid=69243

can't say i really disagree with him too much.

2009 Sunday Games

Melb, Port 13

Kangas 11

Essendon, Saints 10

Adelaide, Dockers, Doggies, Tigers 8

Toasters, Sydney, Geelong, Hawks 7

Carlton, Collingwood 4

Brisbane 3

~~~~~~~

Success = Better exposure?

Unless that is, you are Richmond...

the brooding fan from 'Ology:

Free to air games in 2009.

Melbourne: 10

Hawthorn: 17

Geelong: 15

Richmond: 16!!

Looks like Schwab is a bit of a pragmatist when it comes to the draw..

http://www.melbournefc.com.au/tabid/7415/D...px?newsid=69243

can't say i really disagree with him too much.

Spot on Shafty.

Schwabb points to the positives, and there are definitely a couple. 13 games at the G is muchos excellente. As is five out of the first six games at the G.

McLachlan is full of sheet in trying to sugar coat the 13 Sunday games, however. Whatever he says, Sunday games are extremely meh in comparisson, and I'm convinced that people don't turn up. At least he conceded we had been quietly shafted on the corporate front. Thats the blight on the fixture, anyway. Schwabb has done well to bite his tongue, more or less, on that one. I agree with him about earning Saturday and Friday games, but looking at Trident's breakdown, its hard not to be a tad [censored].

Really looking forward being scheduled in for 10 Monday night away games and 12 Sunday twilight home games at the MCG in a couple of years time.

Don't forget Easter Sunday & Mothers Day

Looks like Schwab is a bit of a pragmatist when it comes to the draw..

http://www.melbournefc.com.au/tabid/7415/D...px?newsid=69243

can't say i really disagree with him too much.

He is spot on. I'm disappointed with the amount of Sunday games but what can you do when our team has won 8 games out of the last 44, we have to earn prime time games. 2 night games is no surprise either.

The football aspect of our draw isn't anywhere near as bad as it has been in the past, hopefully an improved Melbourne team hit the park and entice the crowd to start turning up again. I'd rather be playing the interstate teams at the MCG than at their home ground, if we win a few of these it'll have flow on effects to future crowd attendance. On the other hand if we travel to AAMI stadium etc and get pummelled it means a few thousand more people won't turn up the following week.

Unfortunately we don't get the game day attendance in this situation we have but it's 6 of one and half a dozen of the other.

Melbourne v North, round 1

Time to bounce:

155 days 23:49

Melbourne v St Kilda, round 22

Time to bounce:

310 days 00:49

i'm not sure which one we should be looking forward to more :D

i'm not sure which one we should be looking forward to more :D

Good one deanox.

i'm not sure which one we should be looking forward to more :D

:D

I'm not unhappy with this draw. Do we deserve any better? We are of course financially disadvantaged, but we are getting money still from the AFL to offset this. If we perform next year we will see our prime time slots increase. But at the moment we don't deserve these slots and the draw is decent in every other respect. The AFL is a business and it would be stupid for them to play us in prime time if the fans won't turn up and the tv ratings will be bad. We need to perform and we will be rewarded.

We need to perform and we will be rewarded.

Don't bank on it.

Is there any chance one year we will have home and away matches against Collingwood, Essendon, Carlton and Richmond instead of Fremantle, Port Adelaide, West Coast and North Melbourne

I'm not unhappy with this draw. Do we deserve any better? We are of course financially disadvantaged, but we are getting money still from the AFL to offset this. If we perform next year we will see our prime time slots increase. But at the moment we don't deserve these slots and the draw is decent in every other respect. The AFL is a business and it would be stupid for them to play us in prime time if the fans won't turn up and the tv ratings will be bad. We need to perform and we will be rewarded.

I think you're right... you gotta think about it logically from the AFL's perspective - it is simply not in their best interests to have a team (such as MFC at the moment) dragging the competition down with negative press & results and needing large monetary handouts. They want to keep their $$$ to expand the game.

There are enough teams in melb, they could do with a few moving. I don't think they care too much who - just one of the weak ones. Which is us at the moment.

SO.. they won't exactly make things extremely hard for us, but they won't do us too many favours either.

(as a side note, i think vlad & his cronies ARE evil and wouldn't put it past them to give us little nudges towards the edge. As i believe they've already done)

If we start to perform, then it IS in the AFL's best interest to keep us as a strong club and to reward us.

Its simply survival of the fittest, and once we are the fittest, provided we stay that way, we'll get the plum fixtures.

The hard part is getting our club to that stage.

I actually see St. Kilda being in this same boat in about 3 or 4 years time, while we are on the up, like Carlton is now.

To me, St. Kilda look like MFC circa 96. Its all downhill from here boys...

I actually see St. Kilda being in this same boat in about 3 or 4 years time, while we are on the up, like Carlton is now.

To me, St. Kilda look like MFC circa 96. Its all downhill from here boys...

Ball 24, Dal Santo 24, Fisher 25, Goddard 23, Gram 24, Kozi 26, Goose 24, Ray 23, Riewoldt 25, Schneider 24, Hayes 28.

If all fit and firing they will be there abouts as long as they keep blooding 2-3 youngsters per year. Its a good nucleus of a team if they're all on the park at the same time.

Terrible draw.

Can't we once, just once, play Geelong only once and only at the MCG. Every year we either play them twice or meet then once at SS.

What's so bad about giving us Saturday games? Even a twilight?

I'm convinced: The AFL hates the MFC and wants us to die a slow and painful death. What a disgraceful draw.

I AM [censored] OFF.

however, the only way to respond to c%$#s like vlad is to [censored] stick it right up them.

backs to the wall boys. i love it. nows the time to FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT

We have been scewed, definately.

5 home games against interstate teams.

Bulldogs and North at home.

No night time home games of any kind, let alone friday night.

Just three in total, and two of those are in Queensland.

No Hawthorn or Ess

What I wouldn't give for North's 2009 fixture...

Just 3 home games against interstate teams.

And look at that run from round 3 to 6. Four major drawing teams, two at night, and each bigger than the last. Can you imagine a better way to get your membership and supporter momentum going.

Add to that not having to leave Victoria until after round 12 (again, huge gift for building momentum), throw in the friday night game against Carlton late in the season.

If North can't make a substantial profit this year, they are jokers. Even Collingwood would be stoked to get the draw North got this year.

Is this the AFL saying ' here's your last chance, we've stacked the table in your favour, make it work or that's the end of the support'?

As for us, if we can turn a profit in 2009, then this new administration is second to none in the AFL. Period.

Roll up your sleeves, this year is going to be the hardest work in our history, but if we get through it, we're back on the up.

I'm sorry, but Schwab's comments are p!ss poor in my view. I know the maxim "don't bite the hand that feeds you...", but seriously, try "get some intestinal fortitude".

Yes, we are happy with 13 games at the 'G. BUT...

We should not be grateful for QB, and I don't care what political games we are playing, we should not say we are grateful for it as if it's some huge favour. We should bloody well get QB because it is Melb v Coll's day. We got a good crowd last year and we continue to draw a big crowd to the game that has been Melb v Coll for many years.

In addition, we got screwed on Sundays, we are the only side to sell a home game and play the away side in an environment more favourable to it than to us, and we have the corporate nightmare in an environment where we are trying to attract a sponsor.

Schwab's comment that we have to earn the right to an equitable fixture is totally misconceived. Though that is the way the AFL acts, we should be slamming them for trying to drive us into perpetual welfare. How can we earn the right when we cannot compete on an even footing bc we cannot garner the corporate or supporter dollar due to an unfavourable fixture? It's just nonsense. And this earning rubbish - if Collingwood had a crap year, do you think they would have to re-earn the right not to be shafted?

Cameron Schwab, show some spine and stand up for us.

The AFL can go and get..... *goes off to ban herself for inappropriate language*