I don’t mind it, 9 free-to-air games in the first 15 rounds is good.

Gee would have thought the AFL would have put nth v port at docklands not Tassie. Or are they protecting Horne Francis 

2 hours ago, Redleg said:

No need to look at a fixture to know that.

We are doomed to play there every year forever.

We have avoided Kardinia Park once or twice in the last 30 years.

Now that we have a much larger membership, the excuse for it is long gone.

Its not that we go there, its the inequality of other teams literally never going that grinds

Edited December 10, 20222 yr by biggestred

1 hour ago, dl4e said:

It is not a bad draw for us but I have to whinge about Geelong. They play 4 vic clubs in Geelong and it is us, North, Dogs and yep Essenscum. Again an absolute disgrace. 

Let’s go down and beat the [censored] out of them

Im annoyed we have to play there again, but thankyou afl for making essenscum play at Geelong. Watch them whine

Some thoughts:

1. 2023 is the 8th consecutive year we've played West Coast in Perth. We haven't played them in Melbourne since 2014
2. We haven't played Essendon twice in a season since 2005 (18th straight year of only playing them once)
3. We will be playing Geelong in Geelong for the 12th time in the last 15 seasons
4. Only 1 game at Marvel all year - dropping down from 2, which gives us a 13th game at the MCG
5. Yes, 8 interstate games, but only 5 genuine ones (Brisbane, West Coast, Gold Coast, Port Adelaide and Sydney). The other three are our home game in Alice Springs, North in Hobart, and a pure neutral game against Essendon at a ground we play well
6. The most games we play away from the G in a row is three (Rounds 15-17, Geelong then Alice Springs then Marvel). That's a huge improvement on this year's 5-straight stretch
7. Our spread of MCG and interstate games feels like a much better spread. 8 MCG and 5 interstate games pre-bye, then 5 MCG games + Marvel and 3 interstate + Geelong post-bye. Finishing with 5 of our last 7 games at the G is fantastic
8. We get dudded with the bye again - Monday vs Collingwood, then the "bye", then Thursday vs Carlton means we get a 10-day break. That's the same as playing Thursday night one round and Sunday the next round. It's not a bye.
9. Four 6-day breaks and one 5-day break in the 15 rounds scheduled so far. Not sure how that stacks up against other clubs. Feels OK to me
10. Getting North and Hawthorn twice looks like a good draw at this point. Getting Sydney and Brisbane looks tough. Carlton should be good, Richmond should be average, so it's probably a fair slate.

3 hours ago, Palace Dees said:

Yet again we only get 'half' a bye. R13 Collingwood on June 12, R14 BYE, R15 Geelong Thur June 22.  Just 10 days like last year.

Why?

This is absolutely outrageous and I am disappointed the club didn't push back on the AFL to demand a proper bye. I can't see any other club so far that has less than a 12 day break and some club's have a 15 day break.

Geelong play Thurs June 15 so have a 7 day break leading into our game only 3 days less than us and we have a bye!!!

Nevermind the fact we have to play in Geelong again, sick of playing there every single [censored] year

Edited December 10, 20222 yr by Dr. Gonzo

1. 2023 is the 8th consecutive year we've played West Coast in Perth. We haven't played them in Melbourne since 2014

        That's disgraceful and someone needs to point this out to Gary pert because it's time they came here. 

Gather- round features only 2 games where Melbourne based teams play each other. Dees v ESS and Saints v Pies.

These meetings are also the only time these teams play each other for the year. I think this is very poor that these teams have not been scheduled against each for a 2nd meeting back in Melbourne. 

I traditionally go with Essendon friends to Dees v ESS every year and it is not right that due to gather-round this has been taken away. I am sure this would apply to other Dees fans as well as pies and Saints fans.
 

Gather round is a bonus money spinning round not a replacement round and by rights all teams that clash in this round should see a return match at a traditional venue at some point in the season. Only 2 matches are replayed later in the year (Rich v Swans, Haw v GWS) 
 

 

 

 

Re: not having a proper bye. I hear the angst but the flip side is that we get a 10 day break into the Pies Kings birthday, 10 day break into Geelong then a 9 or 10 day break into GWS in Alice. 
 

 

1 hour ago, Pulp Fritschon said:

Gather- round features only 2 games where Melbourne based teams play each other. Dees v ESS and Saints v Pies.

These meetings are also the only time these teams play each other for the year. I think this is very poor that these teams have not been scheduled against each for a 2nd meeting back in Melbourne. 

I traditionally go with Essendon friends to Dees v ESS every year and it is not right that due to gather-round this has been taken away. I am sure this would apply to other Dees fans as well as pies and Saints fans.
 

Gather round is a bonus money spinning round not a replacement round and by rights all teams that clash in this round should see a return match at a traditional venue at some point in the season. Only 2 matches are replayed later in the year (Rich v Swans, Haw v GWS) 
 

 

 

 

Really Pulp I have never heard of any Dees fan so upset they are not scheduled to play the Bombers in Victoria in any season before in the AFL. 

I am not exaggerating but Bombers fans ( not necessarily saying your friends are similar) are about on a par with Pies as the most unpleasant and foul mouthed and arrogant in the AFL. 

I think your only move is if you can't do without your Bomber Fix is for you indeed  to all go to Gather Round together to SA snd make a full long weekend of it.

Your point about a return clash is self motivated where you claim that ALL other games bar 2 don't have another clash in 2023 and that ALL these teams supporters are like you and demand a rematch. After all you also claim this is not a proper round to try and further strangely justify your self pitiful case 

Oh and the bonus is to stick around and witness another entire horrible supporter base the Power tribe perform at their home base against  their nemesis the Doggies!! 

All the best with your decision making Pulp. 

 

If we get back to our best we can beat any team anywhere.  Bring 'em all on! We need to be challenged and we need to challenge others

Relish the games against the best and that includes the Cats on their ground

 

Still playing Geelong... :(  at leasts it's not at the end of the year. At least the bombers and bulldogs are also making the trip for once. 

Edited December 10, 20222 yr by darkhorse72

 

4 hours ago, titan_uranus said:

1. Getting North and Hawthorn twice looks like a good draw at this point. Getting Sydney and Brisbane looks tough. Carlton should be good, Richmond should be average, so it's probably a fair slate.

Honestly, we've got a pretty good record against Brisbane.  I'm calling it a win that we have them twice.  There are teams we have a lot more trouble with that could have been doubled up for us.  

Overall I'm pretty happy with this.  It's not super-easy, but we have a pretty good run to start the season and most of the sides that really trouble us we only play once.  I think we should do pretty well out of this draw.  

The AFL seem desperate to promote Carlton:

• Two additional 'blockbuster' games: Good Friday and KB Eve vs Ess
• Umpteen FTA prime time games
• The easiest 'double up' games possible:  Collingwood, Melbourne, St Kilda, Gold Coast, Greater Western Sydney, West Coast.

Anyone would think they just won the premiership!!

I so hope this backfires on the AFL and Carlton.

In the first 15 ruonds. we have seven night games :

• 1 x Thursday in Geelong
• 2 x Friday night interstate
• 1 x Friday night at the G
• 2 x Saturday night at the G
• 1 x Monday night at the G

for sponsors it is ok as they still get the FTA exposure of the 1/state games.

for fans we don't have much to complain about:

• the usual problems with night games have been removed:   winter weather, school/work the next day, digital tickets, late finish (3 of the 4 start before 7.30),
• we have lots of day games. 
• all except one night game will be FTA.

It looks like the club has prioritised crowd attendance.  Fans wanted more day games, we have them so hopefully we support the team by turning up, day or night!

Edited December 10, 20222 yr by Lucifers Hero

2 minutes ago, Lucifers Hero said:

In the first 15 ruonds. we have seven night games :

• 1 x Thursday in Geelong
• 2 x Friday night interstate
• 1 x Friday night at the G
• 2 x Saturday night at the G
• 1 x Monday night at the G

for sponsors it is ok as they still get the FTA exposure of the 1/state games.

for fans we don't have much to complain about:

• the usual problems with night games have been removed:   winter weather, school/work the next day, digital tickets, late finish (3 of the 4 start before 7.30),
• we have lots of day games. 
• all except one night game will be FTA.

It looks like the club has prioritised crowd attendance.  Fans wanted more day games, we have them so hopefully we support the team by turning up at games!

I certainly will Luci!!

Love afternoon games and will always attend

Not keen on night games Seems un natural to me but others love them So there you go!

10 hours ago, biggestred said:

Its not that we go there, its the inequality of other teams literally never going that grinds

Interestingly the Bombers play at GMHBA in 2023, the first of the 'big' clubs to go there in living memory. Lets hope thats the start of a change  in how the AFL rig/tamper with the draw.

58 minutes ago, Lucifers Hero said:

The AFL seem desperate to promote Carlton:

• Two additional 'blockbuster' games: Good Friday and KB Eve vs Ess
• Umpteen FTA prime time games
• The easiest 'double up' games possible:  Collingwood, Melbourne, St Kilda, Gold Coast, Greater Western Sydney, West Coast.

Anyone would think they just won the premiership!!

I so hope this backfires on the AFL and Carlton.

Will love watching them implode in public this year.

Collingwood has 17 games in Melbourne, just one of the problems having a fixture designed to make the most $$$.

Apart from travelling ****sville again in Geelong our fixture is ok.

Edited December 10, 20222 yr by Jibroni

23 minutes ago, Kent said:

I certainly will Luci!!

Love afternoon games and will always attend

Not keen on night games Seems un natural to me but others love them So there you go!

Me too!

I will get to most night games as I now live on a different train line which will make night travel safer in that my station is no longer the second last.

Ess have paid the price for being consistently poor.  Not only are they playing at Geelong they have no night games in the first 15 games.

Looks like they have been the loser to Carlton's elevation as the AFL fixture darling.