The 2016 Fixture

[wattsup 470]

Not sure why all the wrist slashing, we need to go into this thinking we can beat anyone anywhere, who cares about the fixture if we win games it won't mean squat, "oh no Hawks twice, here comes 2 100 point loses" well that's a great attitude to have, bring it on I reakon if we are to improve as a club we need to beat the hawthorns eventually, we as supporters need to stop with the negativity(and yes I have been guilty of it in past) and have the mantra anyone anywhere anytime BRING IT ON

[3Dee 1,153]

Not sure why all the wrist slashing, we need to go into this thinking we can beat anyone anywhere, who cares about the fixture if we win games it won't mean squat, "oh no Hawks twice, here comes 2 100 point loses" well that's a great attitude to have, bring it on I reakon if we are to improve as a club we need to beat the hawthorns eventually, we as supporters need to stop with the negativity(and yes I have been guilty of it in past) and have the mantra anyone anywhere anytime BRING IT ON

amen, i don't want to play brisbane, carlton, st kilda twice...

[Dr. Gonzo 23,726]

Dont every Melbourne based team that aren't a tenant at that hole of a ground Etihad have to play a home game there each year,

due to a stodgy agreement with the AFL to play a minimum number of games there?

I don't see the point of complaining about it when it happens every year and will continue to do so until the AFL buys the ground.

Yeah and the flipside is we get Essendon away at the G every year instead of playing them at Docklands. Would prefer a home game against the Bombers though.

[bandicoot 1,395]

I actually like the fixture:

• We are only playing top 8 sides x 9 . under 50%
• We play the bottom 4 sides x 7

[Dr. Gonzo 23,726]

I used to console myself with the dodgy fixture when at least it gave us a plying advantage. but 2 games against garenteed top 8 sides and GC is not good. we will have to improve a bit to win the same number of games as last year and improve a lot to win more

and the fact that not all teams have played each other by round 18 makes the AFL a friggen laughing stock

I reckon our double ups aren't bad outside of Hawthorn. Collingwood and Saints won't be that good (though playing Saints twice at Docklands hurts - although we did play better against them there than at the G this year...), we usually match up well against Port and Gold Coast will only be thereabouts. At least we don't play Freo or West Coast twice and I'd rather Collingwood than Geelong or the Dogs I think.

[bandicoot 1,395]

Yeah and the flipside is we get Essendon away at the G every year instead of playing them at Docklands. Would prefer a home game against the Bombers though.

We play the bottom 4 sides 7 times. Can't complain with that.

[bandicoot 1,395]

I can cop most of it, but playing a home game against St Kilda, at their home ground is truly horrible decision making.

The one home game a year at Etihad is really pissing me off.

Get over it.

Its not like they moved us to Moorabbin.

Every team plays at Etihad and I belive the ground suits Roo's game style.

[rjay 24,616]

Carlton get Brisbane, Essendon and Brisbane twice.

This is what happens when you start to move up the ladder as we have.

We should expect the fixture to get a little harder next season then a fair bit harder the following season.

The only way we will draw the bottom teams twice is to be one.

[Jaded No More 67,822]

Terrible draw

No Friday nights, only playing Carlton and Brisbane once, playing St Kilda at Etihad both times, again Geelong in Geelong, Hawthorn twice. 4 home games at the G against away teams.

Absolutely rubbish draw. I just don't understand how the AFL can get away with this bias scheduling.

From both a financial and a footy perspective, this is bad. The footy results should be up to us to control, but financially it is hard to make a buck when they make us play Gold Coast, GWS and Adelaide at the G. Not to mention our own decision to play in Darwin, which always comes back to bite us.

P.S.- even after beating Geelong in Geelong last year, they still couldn't give us the chance to play them at the G. [censored] joke.

Edited October 29, 2015 by Jaded

[The Stigga 1,081]

The Northern Territory deal must cease.

[CityDee 738]

Annoying playing the saints home at etihad but on 2 nd thoughts we nearly had them there last season and were no where near it against them at home . So meh lets start winning .

[M_9 1,986]

We've been "one of only two Victorian teams to travel to Geelong" every year for the past 20 years.

I live 20km from Kardinia Park. I refuse to go mainly because my 16-game membership does not get me admittance. I wasn't aware that Geelong had seceded from Victoria.

I traveled to the Alice to see us play Port this year, and will put the $65 admittance I will save on the Cats' game towards doing that trip again.

[John Demonic 5,533]

Just don't win too many games and finish in the top 6, save that for 2017. Otherwise the fixture would murder us. Fixture tanking, charge me for disrepute.

Edited October 29, 2015 by johndemons

[Dr. Gonzo 23,726]

I don't get particularly fussed about the draw. I know it's not perfect and that our club will suffer more than others until we show we've improved.

But I thought the AFL had said that they intended that in the 2016 competition they would divide the 2015 finishing ladder into thirds (ie, top third, middle third, bottom third) and that each team would play the teams in their third twice and everyone else once. Clearly that's not the case. Am I mistaken - did the AFL never make such a statement?

No thats wrong - they do divide the ladder into thirds but you play 2-3 in your third twice and then 1-2 or 0-1 in the other thirds depending on where you finished.

[Dr. Gonzo 23,726]

The Northern Territory deal must cease.

It will - when we consistently draw 35-40k against those teams in Melbourne. Until then I'm actually more inclined to see us play more games there akin to Hawthorn in Tassie, something I never thought I would say.

[Forest Demon 4,681]

Get over it.

Its not like they moved us to Moorabbin.

Every team plays at Etihad and I belive the ground suits Roo's game style.

I can't justify playing a home game at the away teams home ground. The fact some people just accept it makes my mind boggle. Unless of course it is selling a home game for financial gain, but obviously that isn't the case here.

Although, I must admit, I was unaware of every Melbourne team having to play one home game there if that is true. That is a shocker in it's own right, if that is an actual thing.

I really want to beat St Kilda this year, both times.

[The Chazz 4,077]

The Northern Territory deal must cease.

You going to chip in the $600k that we get from it?

Seriously though, even if we had 22 home games at the MCG, all being played on a Friday night, there'd be a number of supporters complaining about our draw. FFS, quit your whinging.

Meanwhile, I'm excited about moving back to Victoria before the start of next season, and am already looking forward to the games I'll get to see, which includes being happy about a home game at Etihad (very easy public transport if you live on that side of the CBD).

I'm dreading playing Hawthorn twice, but it's dread, not shafted.

[La Dee-vina Comedia 16,653]

No thats wrong - they do divide the ladder into thirds but you play 2-3 in your third twice and then 1-2 or 0-1 in the other thirds depending on where you finished.

Thanks Gonzo.

[Jaded No More 67,822]

Lucky I already paid up my membership. There is no way, with missing the first 10 rounds that I would buy a membership so I can attend like 7 crap games next season.

Honestly, it is hardly worth the $500 to get a membership these days. It's just a donation to a needy cause.

[What 18,810]

Another home game in Darwin and Alice Springs.

You can forget finals once again in 2016. So frustrating.

[bandicoot 1,395]

Terrible draw

No Friday nights, only playing Carlton and Brisbane once, playing St Kilda at Etihad both times, again Geelong in Geelong, Hawthorn twice. 4 home games at the G against away teams.

Absolutely rubbish draw. I just don't understand how the AFL can get away with this bias scheduling.

From both a financial and a footy perspective, this is bad. The footy results should be up to us to control, but financially it is hard to make a buck when they make us play Gold Coast, GWS and Adelaide at the G. Not to mention our own decision to play in Darwin, which always comes back to bite us.

P.S.- even after beating Geelong in Geelong last year, they still couldn't give us the chance to play them at the G. [censored] joke.

The chances of playing one of the top 4 teams twice is 100%.

We are lucky that we only play Hawthorn twice.

[What 18,810]

wow, Geelong down at Geelong again.

Would love an explanation from the AFL for this [censored]

[La Dee-vina Comedia 16,653]

Another home game in Darwin and Alice Springs.

You can forget finals once again in 2016. So frustrating.

I assume you're saying we won't play finals because we have home games in Darwin and Alice Springs. Why? How does it differ from travelling to Perth, Gold Coast or, for that matter, Etihad to play games? Travelling more regularly than we do didn't stop West Coast, Sydney, Fremantle or Adelaide from playing finals in 2015.

[bandicoot 1,395]

wow, Geelong down at Geelong again.

Would love an explanation from the AFL for this [censored]

The explanation is that we are one of the lowest drawing Melbourne sides.

Draw a crowd of 70,000 and the game will move back to the G'.

[What 18,810]

I assume you're saying we won't play finals because we have home games in Darwin and Alice Springs. Why? How does it differ from travelling to Perth, Gold Coast or, for that matter, Etihad to play games? Travelling more regularly than we do didn't stop West Coast, Sydney, Fremantle or Adelaide from playing finals in 2015.

Because they are home games that should be at the MCG.

And we will not win the following week coming back from the Northern Territory.

You can basically pencil in 4 losses right there.