The AFL 2025 Fixture

[DemonOX 8,790]

I don’t mind the draw and 2 games in qld is a bonus for me not the team. 

Can’t understand why the hell Essendon have 4 Friday night games. 

[Dr. Gonzo 24,196]

39 minutes ago, Roger Mellie said:

Yes, like I said, a commercial disaster. We'll make money in Round 7 v the Tiges if their supporters show up, Round 9 v The Hoikball Experience and Round 13 v the Pies. We may make some coin v the Dogs in Round 22, maybe not depending on the time slot. That's 3 (or 4 at a stretch) games out of 24! That's royally [censored]!

The 'we deserve this line' doesn't wash with me at all (not your line by the way) when you see the ongoing leg-up to certain clubs. Just a huge bugbear of mine as there are ways to make the draw fairer for all clubs.

I agree but it's been happening for over 30 years now. That's why the AFL brought in the equalisation fund (or competitive balance fund or whatever it's called) to compensate teams who regularly get screwed with the fixture and stadium arrangements.

It's why I firmly believe it should be a 17 game season, play everyone once alternating home and away each year. AFL would laugh at that though as although its much fairer they're more worried about the broadcast rights. You think they would realise scarcity is good economically.

[Rab D Nesbitt 8,357]

Initial thoughts are that we managed to dodge Darwin (although everyone bar Collingwood will roll through there at some point you'd think), disappointed personally that we don't play in Hobart, Geelong away is at least leads into a weekend with an increased away team support allocation of tix. I was under the mistaken assumption that as the only real MCG home team we'd receive 10 home games there and avoid Docklands as long as we sold our 11th game to Alice Springs but as someone has already pointed out, now that the AFL own the stadium they are probably looking to have all Melbourne based sides play home games there much in the way they all did back in the days of VFL Park. 

Edited Thursday at 08:10 by Rab D Nesbitt

[No. 31 1,221]

18 minutes ago, Dr. Gonzo said:

Marvel is not our home ground.

Carlton and Essendon should be playing their home games there, it is their home ground.

Well it is for 1 game (mandated by the AFL) and Traeger Park (by choice) for another home game.

As for Carlton & Essendon, they have two home stadiums, MCG & Marvel.

Next season the Blues have 6 MCG home games and 5 Marvel home games. I expect MCG games to increase in the future because Carlton have capacity issues at Marvel, it is too small for some games.

[binman 42,690]

2 minutes ago, No. 31 said:

Well it is for 1 game (mandated by the AFL) and Traeger Park (by choice) for another home game.

As for Carlton & Essendon, they have two home stadiums, MCG & Marvel.

Next season the Blues have 6 MCG home games and 5 Marvel home games. I expect MCG games to increase in the future because Carlton have capacity issues at Marvel, it is too small for some games.

Failing to make the 8 next season and in 2026 will fix that problem.

[Dr. Gonzo 24,196]

5 minutes ago, No. 31 said:

Well it is for 1 game (mandated by the AFL) and Traeger Park (by choice) for another home game.

As for Carlton & Essendon, they have two home stadiums, MCG & Marvel.

Next season the Blues have 6 MCG home games and 5 Marvel home games. I expect MCG games to increase in the future because Carlton have capacity issues at Marvel, it is too small for some games.

We are scheduled to play a home game there next year but it is not our home ground.

The MCG is our home ground, Collingwood, Hawthorn and Richmond are also tenants there.

Docklands tenants are North, Bulldogs, Saints, Carlton and Essendon. The AFL schedules some of their home games at the MCG but their home ground is Docklands.

Melbourne should not be scheduled to play home games at Docklands at all and certainly not at the expense of Docklands tenants who want to play home games at the G.

[No. 31 1,221]

8 minutes ago, binman said:

Failing to make the 8 next season and in 2026 will fix that problem.

Harsh but realistic assessment of where the Bombers are at 😁

Actually, they pack out Marvel even  with their lacklustre performances, they will seek more MCG games in the future too.

[ANG13 2,062]

2 minutes ago, No. 31 said:

Harsh but realistic assessment of where the Bombers are at 😁

Actually, they pack out Marvel even  with their lacklustre performances, they will seek more MCG games in the future too.

Yeah and both clubs can [censored] off back to Marvel where they took the money and knew the capacity of the stadium when they did. 

[Demonland 71,629]

[No. 31 1,221]

8 minutes ago, Dr. Gonzo said:

We are scheduled to play a home game there next year but it is not our home ground.

The MCG is our home ground, Collingwood, Hawthorn and Richmond are also tenants there.

Docklands tenants are North, Bulldogs, Saints, Carlton and Essendon. The AFL schedules some of their home games at the MCG but their home ground is Docklands.

Melbourne should not be scheduled to play home games at Docklands at all and certainly not at the expense of Docklands tenants who want to play home games at the G.

Essendon was an original anchor tenant at Marvel and have a favourable deal there, they just play some high drawing home games at the MCG.

Carlton on the other hand now have a deal directly with the MCG and are essentially tenants of two stadiums now. Carlton doesn't just play high drawing games at the MCG, they also play the likes of Gold Coast and North Melbourne at the MCG on occasion. I think you will see the balance shift to 7 or 8 MCG games for the Blues in the near future. It is befitting the MCG's first ever anchor football club, even before MFC 😁

[No. 31 1,221]

11 minutes ago, ANG13 said:

Yeah and both clubs can [censored] off back to Marvel where they took the money and knew the capacity of the stadium when they did. 

Essendon got a sweetheart deal there. Carlton was railroaded to go to Docklands.

[Dr. Gonzo 24,196]

29 minutes ago, No. 31 said:

Essendon got a sweetheart deal there. Carlton was railroaded to go to Docklands.

By who?

[Demonsone 2,036]

The argument of easy draws is on the AFL for the flawed competition

[Roger Mellie 3,991]

1 hour ago, Dr. Gonzo said:

I agree but it's been happening for over 30 years now. That's why the AFL brought in the equalisation fund (or competitive balance fund or whatever it's called) to compensate teams who regularly get screwed with the fixture and stadium arrangements.

It's why I firmly believe it should be a 17 game season, play everyone once alternating home and away each year. AFL would laugh at that though as although its much fairer they're more worried about the broadcast rights. You think they would realise scarcity is good economically.

Thoroughly agree and can only hope that one day, the AFL sees the merit in 'less is more'

[Roost it far 8,187]

44 minutes ago, No. 31 said:

Essendon was an original anchor tenant at Marvel and have a favourable deal there, they just play some high drawing home games at the MCG.

Carlton on the other hand now have a deal directly with the MCG and are essentially tenants of two stadiums now. Carlton doesn't just play high drawing games at the MCG, they also play the likes of Gold Coast and North Melbourne at the MCG on occasion. I think you will see the balance shift to 7 or 8 MCG games for the Blues in the near future. It is befitting the MCG's first ever anchor football club, even before MFC 😁

You’ve never been an anchor club and never will be.

[DubDee 25,677]

54 minutes ago, No. 31 said:

Essendon was an original anchor tenant at Marvel and have a favourable deal there, they just play some high drawing home games at the MCG.

Carlton on the other hand now have a deal directly with the MCG and are essentially tenants of two stadiums now. Carlton doesn't just play high drawing games at the MCG, they also play the likes of Gold Coast and North Melbourne at the MCG on occasion. I think you will see the balance shift to 7 or 8 MCG games for the Blues in the near future. It is befitting the MCG's first ever anchor football club, even before MFC 😁

Don’t Carlton have a forum you can post on?

[Rab D Nesbitt 8,357]

FWIW I don’t mind No.31 posting in our forum. He clearly has a soft spot for us and it’s sometimes good to get an outside read on things and the little bit of niggle he sometimes gives is usually given back without any malice so fair play to him. I really can’t stand Carlton though. 

[Demonstone 22,321]

32 minutes ago, Roost it far said:

You’ve never been an anchor club and never will be.

They are if you put a "w" in front of anchor.

[No. 31 1,221]

49 minutes ago, Dr. Gonzo said:

By who?

AFL, Ian Collins, financial situation funding Princes Park redevelopments  .. a confluence of events. Sad times but probably unavoidable in those circumstances and to some degree self-inflicted.

[No. 31 1,221]

42 minutes ago, Roost it far said:

You’ve never been an anchor club and never will be.

Carlton was an MCG tenant from 1885 to 1890 and the most popular club in Melbourne at the time. MFC played nearby at the Friendlies Societies Ground (where Olympic Park/AIA Centre is now) and became a regular tenant at the MCG in 1890 with the MCC link up.

[No. 31 1,221]

1 hour ago, DubDee said:

Don’t Carlton have a forum you can post on?

Yes, I post about the Dees there 😈

😁

Anyways, back to fixturing 2025 ... pretty happy with it for both CFC & MFC.

Edited Thursday at 10:59 by No. 31

[No. 31 1,221]

32 minutes ago, Rab D Nesbitt said:

FWIW I don’t mind No.31 posting in our forum. He clearly has a soft spot for us and it’s sometimes good to get an outside read on things and the little bit of niggle he sometimes gives is usually given back without any malice so fair play to him. I really can’t stand Carlton though. 

Cheers.

FWIW, I even dropped $100 on merch at the Demons online store today. My Carlton barracking cousins accuse me of being a closet Dees fan 😁

[Undeeterred 3,123]

27 minutes ago, No. 31 said:

Cheers.

FWIW, I even dropped $100 on merch at the Demons online store today. My Carlton barracking cousins accuse me of being a closet Dees fan 😁

Why??

[dees189227 12,373]

What's the deal with the 1:20 Saturday timeslot? 

Since when has that been a thing. They've either been 1:45 or 2:10.

Not complaining, I think it's great, just curious 

[CHF 2,720]

Training reports..... Season fixture published..... a couple of steps towards the real thing.

With regards the fixture, i do not have any problems with it. A good run for the first 9 rounds that give us a chance to be at the pointy end of the table and to get good exposure in the second half of the season. An interesting run with three interstate games in 4 weeks with the bye between the first and second of those games. 

I am sure the powers that be are working out how to tackle that. Last 7 rounds in Melbourne with the Pies last up. That ids not bad.

My early prediction is that we make the 8 and push for the top 4. If we have a similar run of injuries in preseason and in the season as we had this last season then we, or any other team in a similar situation, is in trouble.