I'm not sure if it's been mentioned elsewhere. But I've had a look at the NAB Cup fixture and it seemed strange that the round 2 and 3 matches are predetermined.

Have I missed some rule changes? Or is this just the AFL being open about match fixing?

Round 1 Date Venue Match One Match Two Match Three Network

Week 1

Pool 1Friday, Feb 17 6:45pm Etihad Stadium Richmond vs. North Melbourne North Melbourne vs. Hawthorn Hawthorn vs. Richmond Fox Footy

Pool 2 Saturday, Feb 18 7:15pm Blacktown International Sportspark Sydney GWS GIANTS vs. Western Bulldogs Western Bulldogs vs. Collingwood Collingwood vs. GWS GIANTS Fox Footy

Pool 3 Sunday, Feb 19 4:45pm Patersons Stadium West Coast vs. Essendon Essendon vs. Fremantle Fremantle vs. West Coast Fox Footy

Week 2

Pool 4 Friday, Feb 24 6:40pm Etihad Stadium St Kilda vs. Sydney Swans Sydney Swans vs. Geelong Cats St Kilda vs. Geelong Cats Fox Footy

Pool 5 Saturday, Feb 25 6:10pm Metricon Stadium Gold Coast SUNS vs. Melbourne Melbourne vs. Brisbane Lions Brisbane Lions vs. Gold Coast SUNS Fox Footy

Pool 6 Sunday, Feb 26 2:40pm AAMI Stadium Port Adelaide vs. Carlton Carlton vs. Adelaide Adelaide vs. Port Adelaide Fox Footy

Round 2 Date Venue Match Time Network

Friday, Mar 2 Metricon Stadium Gold Coast Suns vs. Geelong Cats 7.40pm Fox Footy

Saturday, Mar 3 Bruce Purser Sydney Swans vs. North Melbourne 7.00pm

Saturday, Mar 3 Aurora Stadium Hawthorn vs. GWS Giants 3.40pm Fox Footy

Saturday, Mar 3 Mandurah West Coast Eagles vs. Port Adelaide 4.10pm

Saturday, Mar 3 Wangaratta Essendon vs. St Kilda 7.00pm

Saturday, Mar 3 Etihad Stadium Collingwood vs. Melbourne 7.40pm Fox Footy

Saturday, Mar 3 Alice Springs Adelaide Crows vs. Brisbane Lions 7.10pm

Sunday, Mar 4 Etihad Stadium Western Bulldogs vs. Carlton 5.40pm Fox Footy

Sunday, Mar 4 Patersons Stadium Fremantle vs. Richmond 5.10pm Fox Footy

Round 3 Date Venue Match Time Network

Friday, Mar 9 Etihad Stadium Essendon vs. Sydney Swans 6.10pm Fox Footy

Friday, Mar 9 AAMI Stadium Adelaide Crows vs. Collingwood 8.10pm Fox Footy

Saturday, Mar 10 Simonds Stadium Geelong Cats vs. Richmond 3.10pm Fox Footy

Saturday, Mar 10 Victor Harbor Port Adelaide vs. Fremantle 3.40pm

Saturday, Mar 10 Maroochydore Brisbane Lions vs. Carlton 3.40pm

Saturday, Mar 10 Albury (Lavington) GWS Giants vs. Gold Coast Suns 4.00pm

Saturday, Mar 10 Etihad Stadium Melbourne vs. Hawthorn 5.40pm Fox Footy

Saturday, Mar 10 Patersons Stadium West Coast Eagles vs. St Kilda 5.10pm Fox Footy

Sunday, Mar 11 North Ballarat North Melbourne vs. Western Bulldogs 3.40pm Fox Footy

Grand Final Date Venue Match Time Network

Saturday, Mar 17 (Venue TBC) 7.40pm EDT* Fox Footy/Seven

I like that we have a mix of the easy then the hard.

I'm not sure if it's been mentioned elsewhere. But I've had a look at the NAB Cup fixture and it seemed strange that the round 2 and 3 matches are predetermined.

Have I missed some rule changes? Or is this just the AFL being open about match fixing?

...

Yeah, you must have missed the rule changes. Basically now, it is like a home and away season, where at the end of each round, there will be a ladder. At the end of the "season", the 2 top teams play in the Grand Final. Percentage and all that goes with it are now important in the NAB Cup.

Pretty sure that's right - happy to be told otherwise. Cheers.

I may be negative but I reckon we will struggle to win 2 games.

First week we should win vs the GCS but Brisbane is 50/50.

The next two we will struggle to keep the loss under 7-8 goals.

Not good for membership numbers.

Yeah, you must have missed the rule changes. Basically now, it is like a home and away season, where at the end of each round, there will be a ladder. At the end of the "season", the 2 top teams play in the Grand Final. Percentage and all that goes with it are now important in the NAB Cup.

Pretty sure that's right - happy to be told otherwise. Cheers.

I thought that might be the case.

Still seems strange considering some teams have to travel/ play at some country ovals whilst others play at the major stadiums.

Cheers for the info.

That's not negative really, considering it's Collingwood and Hawks

I may be negative but I reckon we will struggle to win 2 games.

First week we should win vs the GCS but Brisbane is 50/50.

The next two we will struggle to keep the loss under 7-8 goals.

Not good for membership numbers.

That's not being negative as we have pies and hawks at Etihad. I'll be the first of many to declare I couldn't give a shite about NAB cup anyway

Will be a good lead in for the season. No shame in losing to Hawks or Pies. Both will be finalists this year, we are borderline.

That's not negative really, considering it's Collingwood and Hawks

That's not being negative as we have pies and hawks at Etihad. I'll be the first of many to declare I couldn't give a shite about NAB cup anyway

Totally agree. It hasn't been the same since 1987!!!

At least our third round game is at Etihad this year, not some subpar suburban ground in Adelaide.

That's not negative really, considering it's Collingwood and Hawks

That's not being negative as we have pies and hawks at Etihad. I'll be the first of many to declare I couldn't give a shite about NAB cup anyway

It does however influence the membership numbers

Win the first two games and then win one of the next two or at the least go close and the numbers will increase considerably.

get 10 goal beltings in the last two and we will struggle to get 30 000 members.

Saturday, Mar 3 Aurora Stadium Hawthorn vs. GWS Giants 3.40pm Fox Footy

This looks like an R18+ classification to me - I just don't see Clarkson or the Hawks taking any prisoners.

Mar 3, Mar 10.....Mar 3, Mar 10,....Mar 3, Mar 10..., ..., ...

{Wtf is my diary !....}

I'm happy about this draw for 2 reasons:

1) It'll be a good early test of how our new game plan holds up against the better teams, and will give Neeld something to work on before the season starts

2) I can watch us play live 2 weeks in a row, regardless of whether we lose the previous week. So unlike always, it's 3 solid weeks of games, as opposed to 1 week of games, then 2 weeks of practice runs in remote country towns where the grounds are normally in crap condition.

Also good to get some much needed practice at Etihad.