1 minute ago, dl4e said:

We have a tough draw but so be it. However I would like to have a big whinge and that is about Geelong. They play interstate sides 4 times there. Gws, eagles, sydney and Adelaide. They play 5 games with melbourne clubs and guess who they are. Us,dogs, saints, north and the new kid on the block Carlton. Well that is just bloody typical. They play 2 home games at the MCG against Hawthorn and Essendrug. They shouldn't get any home games at the MCG.

Carlton played there last year but I agree  Geelong has been allowed to pick and choose it's Karidinia opponents. Time for them to have their MCG opponents rotated between the remaining Melbourne clubs.

Let's face it though... the compromised draw has become a monster that has the potential over many years to destroy the competition. I don't have the answer but there has to be a better way or we will end up with an EPL like competition.

Luckily MFC has the MCG which gives us some bargaining power... woe be tide the other 3 Melbourne losers ... Saints, Bulldogs and North.

I'm really happy with the 13 free to air matches.

Less incentive to hand over cash to Foxtel.

Two games in Qld for Qld fans. Happy days.

And I reckon I'll be having an Easter holiday in Melb next year.  Saints game on the Sat and then only four days til the Anzac Eve game.

47 minutes ago, binman said:

Very tough last 5 games though.

But an advantage of playing other contenders is winning a giants teams competing for top 8 ladder position, and potentially top 4.

Lots of 8 point games!

Yes. This year Geelong were really excited at huge wins in the final two rounds, against easy beats — didn’t really prepare them for finals though. 

7 minutes ago, Demonland said:

Agreed. Make them play all home games in Geelong. They can't have their cake and eat it too.

.... yet it appears that they can ?

1 hour ago, Demonland said:

Why is the Round 5 game against St. Kilda at 4:35pm on Saturday when we have the 4 day break before the ANZAC day game?

FFS AFL get your [censored] together. Why is this game not at 1:20pm? Not that it make a huge difference but come on.

The Tigers play that night so we are actually slightly better off.

1 minute ago, Demon Spofforth said:

Two games in Qld for Qld fans. Happy days.

And I reckon I'll be having an Easter holiday in Melb next year.  Saints game on the Sat and then only four days til the Anzac Eve game.

Exactly my plan

25 minutes ago, binman said:

SYWL what's your explanation for carlton not getting a single Friday night game? 

Perhaps the AFL didn't get channel 7's memo telling them that carlton HAD to be scheduled for multiple Friday night games because they are a power club and channel 7 is interested only in seeing them rise up the ladder.

Or maybe they did and realised it was dated 4 October 1979.

It was a shocking decision that was ammended. You make out like i agreed with it. 

I was just passing on memos that were shown to me early last year. 

The AFL lost a lot of revenue last year during the season, they were lucky the crowds returned in September. 

Brilliant draw.

We get to play Essendon, Collingwood and Richmond in big MCG home games. That's a wonderful result for us in a year when we won't get the home gate receipts of ANZAC Eve and QBD. We've been rightly rewarded and I'm glad to see Carlton have been relegated to the Sunday afternoon graveyard spot.

If we can make top 4 in 2019, it will be a dream for our sponsors. Our brand will be front and centre in prime time most of the year. ?

Edited November 1, 20186 yr by A F

1 hour ago, Demonland said:

 

Bloody great! Collingwood had a walk in the park draw this year. Next year will tell us where they really sit.

Wonder what our free entry games will be next year coz of the 2 NT games. I see we play carlscum at the MCG as their home game so I guess that will be one. What will the other one be?

47 minutes ago, binman said:

We don't 'agree" to play two home games in the NT.. We choose to.

Ok. Well I seriously wonder if in our current position, both on and off the field, playing both games in the NT rather than say one or even none, is a bad choice.

The NT games HAVE TO GO next season. Especially if the AFL is drawing us to playing WA and SA sides there continually. They get more support than we do and it's a climate that suits the West Aussies far more than us. It is literally diluting any home ground advantage. Times up on this. When the membership swells this year, surely we must look at ridding ourselves of this silly alliance. 

I don't mind the fixture. Finally we get a home game against essenscum and we only have to play them once.

But yeah its a shame that either ANZAC game or Queens birthday isnt a home game. But think next year they will both be our home games so extra revenue then. 

RE the Big Freeze. Ed said on the radio yesterday they will still do it and make it all about Neale and MND. 

WE don't play at Adelaide Oval or spotless so that's good. Only 2 games at Marvel and I hope in the last few rounds we are sitting beautifully on the ladder and coming home we get massive crowds.

Don't mind playing in Hobart. 

6 minutes ago, Redleg said:

Ok. Well I seriously wonder if in our current position, both on and off the field, playing both games in the NT rather than say one or even none, is a bad choice.

I do too. I assume they have done the maths. Have we singed up for two beyond this year?

The issue isn't really financial as we are compensated obviously. The issue is does giving up home ground advantage make it harder to win games (ie the 2 NT games and the ones after because of the travel, heat and humidity)?

Last year we won both NT games, flogging the crows in a massive performance that really got us rolling.

And am i right in thinking we won the next game both times? 

If we repeat last year's performance then you have to say we have done ok from the deal, particularly if the heart of the country game in the Alice gets similar exposure again. But given we play two top teams, who we most certainly would have a better chance of beating at home, winning both is pretty unlikely

38 minutes ago, Collar-Jazz-Knee said:

The Tigers play that night so we are actually slightly better off.

Terrible decision by AFL, 3 day break before a feature ANZAC eve game.

Should have moved both Richmond & Melbourne byes to round 5, so obvious.

2 minutes ago, binman said:

I do too. I assume they have done the maths. Have we singed up for two beyond this year?

The issue isn't really financial as we are compensated obviously. The issue is does giving up home ground advantage make it harder to win games (ie the 2 NT games and the ones after because of the travel, heat and humidity)?

Last year we won both NT games, flogging the crows in a massive performance that really got us rolling.

And am i right in thinking we won the next game both times? 

If we repeat last year's performance then you have to say we have done ok from the deal, particularly if the heart of the country game in the Alice gets similar exposure again. But given we play two top teams, who we most certainly would have a better chance of beating at home, winning both is pretty unlikely

Our record at the MCG last year (and the year before) was 50:50.....  We have a better record elsewhere.  Hopefully we sorted that out at the end of the year and this year will be better.

5 minutes ago, JAG001 said:

Terrible decision by AFL, 3 day break before a feature ANZAC eve game.

Should have moved both Richmond & Melbourne byes to round 5, so obvious.

Reckon there will some new faces in both teams, in either the Anzac game or the one before. 

16 minutes ago, dees189227 said:

I don't mind the fixture. Finally we get a home game against essenscum and we only have to play them once.

But yeah its a shame that either ANZAC game or Queens birthday isnt a home game. But think next year they will both be our home games so extra revenue then. 

RE the Big Freeze. Ed said on the radio yesterday they will still do it and make it all about Neale and MND. 

WE don't play at Adelaide Oval or spotless so that's good. Only 2 games at Marvel and I hope in the last few rounds we are sitting beautifully on the ladder and coming home we get massive crowds.

Don't mind playing in Hobart. 

In other words, Ed will hijack the day and make it all about the good work Collingwood do in the community? 

8 minutes ago, JAG001 said:

Terrible decision by AFL, 3 day break before a feature ANZAC eve game.

Should have moved both Richmond & Melbourne byes to round 5, so obvious.

That's too early for the bye. Scheduling Melb-Rich on the Thurs-Fri nights rather than the Saturday would have made good sense though.

3 minutes ago, Redleg said:

Reckon there will some new faces in both teams, in either the Anzac game or the one before. 

Thus creating a compromised fixture that disadvantages, seriously disadvantages, 2 sides in the competition more heavily than any other. It also dilutes the ANZAC eve game. You won't see best teams playing. so what the hell is the point. 

If we are good enough we make Top 4. I like the fixture 

Great free to air exposure 

Corporate dream

MCG home games against 4 MCG powerhouses, 2 of our annual blockbusters. The flow on effect for sponsorship and attracting players is massive 

No room for complacency for the players with this fixture as the job needs to be on from the time we arrive back

37 minutes ago, Leoncelli_36 said:

The NT games HAVE TO GO next season. Especially if the AFL is drawing us to playing WA and SA sides there continually. They get more support than we do and it's a climate that suits the West Aussies far more than us. It is literally diluting any home ground advantage. Times up on this. When the membership swells this year, surely we must look at ridding ourselves of this silly alliance. 

worked out OK last year

35 minutes ago, dees189227 said:

RE the Big Freeze. Ed said on the radio yesterday they will still do it and make it all about Neale and MND.

Don't worry, by the time it's over, the media will know it to be Ed's idea, Ed's initiative, all the work behind it done by Ed & CFC, and Ed the biggest champion of MND in Oz. And Ed graciously allowed us to tag along on Ed's Neale's big day.

1 hour ago, Sir Why You Little said:

It was a shocking decision that was ammended. You make out like i agreed with it. 

I was just passing on memos that were shown to me early last year. 

The AFL lost a lot of revenue last year during the season, they were lucky the crowds returned in September. 

What the? 

You maintained Channel 7 controls the scheduling and used that power to ensure the blues got multiple Friday night games, because of the old boys club , them being power club, the 70s and 80s yada yada.

I said that was ridiculous as they are a commercial operation, answerable to their shareholders, interested in ratings and profits and if they had the power you have maintained they do they certainly wouldn't use it to have Friday night games that no one watches.  

Passing on memos?. What memos? memos from Channel 7 to the AFL telling them to schedule the blues on Friday nights? Please refresh my memory. 

1 hour ago, Leoncelli_36 said:

The NT games HAVE TO GO next season. Especially if the AFL is drawing us to playing WA and SA sides there continually. They get more support than we do and it's a climate that suits the West Aussies far more than us. It is literally diluting any home ground advantage. Times up on this. When the membership swells this year, surely we must look at ridding ourselves of this silly alliance. 

A great alliance for both the club and the NT, long may it continue.

 

Love the way you talk about the “climate” in the NT, because Alice and Darwi; have very similar climates?