It never ceases to annoy me that two suburban teams from relatively minor suburbs like Richmond and Carlton open our AFL and AFLW seasons. The two clubs that started the competition Melbourne and Geelong should open every season for historical and cultural reasons.

I believe that teams should have to earn blockbuster status. That rules us out of blockbuster games until we can put runs back on the board. We proved in 2018 that when we are playing well we can draw big crowds but we need some consistency to earn back respect from the AFL community.

Carlton, Richmond, Essendon & Collingwood get a free pass (from the AFL) as a result of their Big 4 status but I don't know why Carlton automatically get into this group because their lean years have shown that their supporters are just as fickle as the rest of us when it comes to turning up to games when the chips are down.

1 hour ago, camillo said:

It never ceases to annoy me that two suburban teams from relatively minor suburbs like Richmond and Carlton open our AFL and AFLW seasons. The two clubs that started the competition Melbourne and Geelong should open every season for historical and cultural reasons.

We opened the thing in 1996 and lost by 127 pints.

Never again please.

 

I don't think Carlton should open the season, they've done nothing to deserve the honour.

7 minutes ago, Bring-Back-Powell said:

We opened the thing in 1996 and lost by 127 pints.

To be fair, it wouldn't matter who you supported.   We'd all be extremely lost after 127 pints.

1 hour ago, Demonland said:

I believe that teams should have to earn blockbuster status. That rules us out of blockbuster games until we can put runs back on the board. We proved in 2018 that when we are playing well we can draw big crowds but we need some consistency to earn back respect from the AFL community.

Carlton, Richmond, Essendon & Collingwood get a free pass (from the AFL) as a result of their Big 4 status but I don't know why Carlton automatically get into this group because their lean years have shown that their supporters are just as fickle as the rest of us when it comes to turning up to games when the chips are down.

That is BS based on Carlton's record. What a joke.

4 minutes ago, jnrmac said:

That is BS based on Carlton's record. What a joke.

I agree. 

Having Richmond V Carlton as the season opener since 2008 (excluding 2014 which had an even worse opener in Pies V Freo) is an absolute farce and an embarrassment by the AFL.

This fixture should belong to two high premium finalist from the previous year that will put on one almighty show for the public. Eg - Richmond V Collingwood would be tremendous.

Instead, each year we have to put up with a dominant Richmond that never gets out of second gear playing a serial garbage side that wins 4 games a year in a yawn fest. Does the AFL think the general viewer actually enjoys this?

 

Bring on the rolling fixture

Blockbusters do the MFC no favours.

The draw gets more compromised each year.

As an aside apparently the halftime break was not shortened because the TV companies were worried about selling less ads during half time (do they really think anyone watches the TV during the half time break ??)

18 minutes ago, jnrmac said:

That is BS based on Carlton's record. What a joke.

I agree. They should open the season with a Grand Final replay.

Are the "Big 4" still required to play each other twice?

40 minutes ago, Bring-Back-Powell said:

We opened the thing in 1996 and lost by 127 pints.

Never again please.

 

and 2007, got flogged by the Saints 

1 hour ago, Demonland said:

Are the "Big 4" still required to play each other twice?

Not anymore.

 Carlton and Collingwood met just once last year.

And Richmond and Essendon only met once as well last year.

3 hours ago, Demonland said:

I believe that teams should have to earn blockbuster status. That rules us out of blockbuster games until we can put runs back on the board. We proved in 2018 that when we are playing well we can draw big crowds but we need some consistency to earn back respect from the AFL community.

Carlton, Richmond, Essendon & Collingwood get a free pass (from the AFL) as a result of their Big 4 status but I don't know why Carlton automatically get into this group because their lean years have shown that their supporters are just as fickle as the rest of us when it comes to turning up to games when the chips are down.

This is the sort of thinking that turned this league into a two tiered system of have's,  and have-not's.  All very well on paper,  but the long-term is damage. 

Just making the bigger clubs, bigger.   The proof has been before us for 40 yrs.  

 

A marketing guru's delight is not necessarily sustainable.

Just now, MyFavouriteMartian said:

This is the sort of thinking that turned this league into a two tiered system of have's,  and have-not's.  All very well on paper,  but the long-term is damage. 

Just making the bigger clubs, bigger.   The proof has been before us for 40 yrs. 

A marketing guru's delight is not necessarily sustainable.

I think you misunderstood my point. I'm not saying that teams that bring in big crowds should necessarily be given blockbuster status but teams that play well should be given blockbuster status as the performances will bring in the crowds. The caveat being that blockbusters at the MCG will be between two well performed Victorian teams. Obviously if GWS or GC are playing well that's not going to fill the MCG against a Victorian team.

1 hour ago, Demonland said:

I agree. They should open the season with a Grand Final replay.

Are the "Big 4" still required to play each other twice?

That could be problematic. Imagine (and it takes some imagining!) if Melbourne play Richmond in a Grand Final. That would mean the following year we would play them in or around the last week in March for Round 1 and then about 4 weeks later on ANZAC Eve. (Or, we lose the ANZAC Eve slot.)

I'm not fussed about Richmond v Carlton playing in Round 1. Each time the AFL locks in a blockbuster game it reinforces the need for our club to develop our own blockbuster ideas. So I will repeat what I've been saying for years. We should make Melbourne v Sydney, representing the two biggest cities in the nation, a blockbuster game which involves the Lords Mayor of each city. It should rotate between Melbourne and Sydney every year and it could, if managed right, repliace State of Origin footy in the mind of supporters, both those who support Melbourne and Sydney (the clubs) as well as those who support other teams.  

18 minutes ago, Demonland said:

I think you misunderstood my point. I'm not saying that teams that bring in big crowds should necessarily be given blockbuster status but teams that play well should be given blockbuster status as the performances will bring in the crowds. The caveat being that blockbusters at the MCG will be between two well performed Victorian teams. Obviously if GWS or GC are playing well that's not going to fill the MCG against a Victorian team.

Yep, I see your point.  and usually they could raffle two spots from about 10 - 12 clubs per past season, apart from bottom 4... But they tend to go for top 4 clubs, which is the big problem.

32 minutes ago, La Dee-vina Comedia said:

That could be problematic. Imagine (and it takes some imagining!) if Melbourne play Richmond in a Grand Final. That would mean the following year we would play them in or around the last week in March for Round 1 and then about 4 weeks later on ANZAC Eve. (Or, we lose the ANZAC Eve slot.)

I see your point. Obviously there can be some flexibility.

I just think the season opener should be a real blockbuster based on the previous years better performing teams (obviously this doesn't always translate the following year). It doesn't even need to be two Victorians teams at the G. If both SA or WA teams or even the QLD & NSW teams are up the pointy end of the ladder an Interstate Showdown could be a good TV viewing into other states.

I've never been a fan of the Calrton vs Richmond opening to the season, particularly during the years the Carlton were some of the purest [censored] the AFL has seen for a while (and they're still not good). Richmond brings a big and raucous crowd every time so I don't have as much of an issue with them being there.

A grand final replay is too potentially problematic with some of the fixed games through the season.

I partially agree with the OP that Melbourne should be opening the AFLW every season with the Doggies as the other team. We were the trailblazers of the competition and it's in no small part because of Daisy Pearce and the way she promoted the womens game prior to its inception that we're here today.

Edited February 4, 20205 yr by Pates

I couldn't give a stuff who plays the season opener TBH (though it's BS that it isn't rotated).

I'd much rather see the Dees play the season closing game 

18 hours ago, Bring-Back-Powell said:

We opened the thing in 1996 and lost by 127 pints.

Never again please.

 

Gee  BBP

I generally only lose after 100pints

19 hours ago, La Dee-vina Comedia said:

That could be problematic. Imagine (and it takes some imagining!) if Melbourne play Richmond in a Grand Final. That would mean the following year we would play them in or around the last week in March for Round 1 and then about 4 weeks later on ANZAC Eve. (Or, we lose the ANZAC Eve slot.)

I'm not fussed about Richmond v Carlton playing in Round 1. Each time the AFL locks in a blockbuster game it reinforces the need for our club to develop our own blockbuster ideas. So I will repeat what I've been saying for years. We should make Melbourne v Sydney, representing the two biggest cities in the nation, a blockbuster game which involves the Lords Mayor of each city. It should rotate between Melbourne and Sydney every year and it could, if managed right, repliace State of Origin footy in the mind of supporters, both those who support Melbourne and Sydney (the clubs) as well as those who support other teams.  

Agree with your Melb/Syd clash. Great potential for leveraging off the existing rivalry.

They will keep playing Carlton and Richmond for the first game, They get over 80,000 between a top and bottom side so it will be up in the mid nineties when they are both up there. The 2 sides hate each other which does give an extra spectacle to the game.

Never let Melbourne play in the opening game.

I have no interest in other teams Blockbuster Games. To me Carlscum and Richmond is boring as, but the game pulls a huge crowd. In the 70’s those teams genuinely hated each other. Their games were violent occasions. Many people view our QB game with the Filth as a yawn fest. 
 

We need to beat good teams and build up true hatred and rivalry to take back some of our old Power Base

Edited February 5, 20205 yr by Sir Why You Little

On 2/4/2020 at 11:00 AM, Bring-Back-Powell said:

We opened the thing in 1996 and lost by 127 pints.

Never again please.

 

Sadly I travelled to Melbourne that year to watch the first two games including that one.  

14 hours ago, Sir Why You Little said:

I have no interest in other teams Blockbuster Games. To me Carlscum and Richmond is boring as, but the game pulls a huge crowd. In the 70’s those teams genuinely hated each other. Their games were violent occasions. Many people view our QB game with the Filth as a yawn fest. 
 

We need to beat good teams and build up true hatred and rivalry to take back some of our old Power Base

We had a power base? 

1 hour ago, La Dee-vina Comedia said:

We had a power base? 

Yes we did, over 50 years ago. It was there